can a reefer have plywood walls?

greg334

Veteran Expediter
NO not normally.

If there is etrack stuck on the plywood, don't even consider the truck.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
NO not normally.

If there is etrack stuck on the plywood, don't even consider the truck.


Why not? Mine had e-track and plywood...sometimes general freight and reefer loads....it was food products...it passed health laws..
 

barney

Expert Expediter
As long as it is insulated under the plywood, what is the problem. The reefers I drove were plywood and I never had a problem. I hauled everything from dairy to medical.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
If there is plywood, then it is either damaged beyond repair or can't hold temps. Plywood is so unprofessional.

If they are going on with FedEx or Panther, it won't pass.

AND a bit of advice, don't buy the thing without Thermo-King or Carrier looking at the unit - get them to do an good inspection and have the write up their opinion.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
If there is plywood, then it is either damaged beyond repair or can't hold temps. Plywood is so unprofessional.

If they are going on with FedEx or Panther, it won't pass.

AND a bit of advice, don't buy the thing without Thermo-King or Carrier looking at the unit - get them to do an good inspection and have the write up their opinion.

Plywood works for day deliveries tho...and cheap to fix...
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
So.

My point is when you are buying the truck, plywood is a cheap fix to problems like holes in the wall and scrapes that need to be repairs.

Have you bought a truck lately?

Reefer work sometimes means holding things over in this market, sometimes you will have three or four days with the load on the truck so if your box doesn't hold temps well (either warm or cold), then your unit works harder and needs more servicing in the long run.

It seems for those who want to chase that golden goose turd with companies like FedEx or Panther, they need to do more Due Diligence on equipment than the average wantabe, especially when it comes to used reefer units. There are a lot of them on the market that have little or no real maintenance done to them. A few at FedEx were getting crap rates for load offers and no way could maintain the units, just selling the trucks and moving into something else. This is the reason why I don't just suggest this but think it is one of these things akin to going to the doctors for a DOT - get the unit inspected by the manufactures rep before consider purchasing it.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Also, when buying a used reefer truck be sure to pay attention to the manufacturer of that box. Not all reefer boxes are equal.

My original box was a box made by Alumibunk. It was NOT a good box. The insulation was weak and not uniform. There were gaps in it. It would take HOURS to get to temp when outside temps were extreme. It was a bad box. It was only 2 years old and no longer performing as required.

My new box, made by Morgan, is MUCH better. The insulation is consistant. It has far MORE insulation. 4" vs. the 3" that the old one claimed. The construction is better, the seals are better. It is just flat out better. I can get to temps MUCH faster no matter what the outside temp is. Temps that would take 17-18 hours to reach with the old box, if I even reached them, take only 3-4 with the new one and it HOLDS those temps. I use far less fuel now as well.

Be careful of older boxes as well, even if the appear to be in good shape. The insulation breaks down over time. A GOOD box with 3" of insulation begins to have problems making and holding temps after 5 or 6 years. This is assuming you are looking at TVAL type freight.
 

pjjjjj

Veteran Expediter
Speaking of reefers, I hope nobody minds if I ask a question here while this topic is being discussed.
Does anyone happen to have ANY idea what it might cost in electricity to run a reefer trailer (say straight truck size) with electricity?
I have a person who wants to rent a reefer to park it and hook it up to hydro.. (electrical).. and wondering what that could potentially cost each month (aside from the rental).
Would this be more than a bunch of refrigerators or less?
 

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
Many years ago,Roberts express took one of their dry box trailers and converted it to a reefer.trailer number was 007.It had plywood walls,and they blew styrofoam insulation behind the plywood.This trailer didn't hold temp very well.If your buying a unit with plywood walls,run as fast as you can,better yet,just give me the money,I'll give you some beach front property I have in Arizona
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Pjjj,

It depends on the model of the reefer unit. I have a Carrier 722 on the truck and one spare unit I got for parts.

I have a 6KW motor (220-460 VAC 3 ph) on my spare unit. That works out to 27 amps at 220 VAC being drawn.

The unit runs at a lower BTU rating when running on electric standby and from what I have gathered, this means it runs longer.

The engine I have on both my truck and spare is a 14KW rating but the new reefer units seem to be using 10KW for the 750s (replacing the 722).

Hope that helps and please don't send me the electric bill.
 

Dakota

Veteran Expediter
I'm not an expert on reefers, never had one, but it seems to me having a material like wood, would harbour(u for OVM:p) mold and mildew, due to the moisture in these trucks.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
I'm not an expert on reefers, never had one, but it seems to me having a material like wood, would harbour(u for OVM:p) mold and mildew, due to the moisture in these trucks.

correct...hanging beef, food inspectors...wash the truck down every night...local deliveries...constant temp is not a concern...not when you are unloading with the doors open for hours....it is only your future steak....*LOL*

I forgot one night to wash the box down, next morning looked like 2 in of maggots all over the floor...do you know they snap, crackle, pop when you walk on them? :D

PS...i notice used reefer trailers are left parked with at least one door left open to avoid moisture build up...
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
correct...hanging beef, food inspectors...wash the truck down every night...local deliveries...constant temp is not a concern...not when you are unloading with the doors open for hours....it is only your future steak....*LOL*

I forgot one night to wash the box down, next morning looked like 2 in of maggots all over the floor...do you know they snap, crackle, pop when you walk on them? :D

PS...i notice used reefer trailers are left parked with at least one door left open to avoid moisture build up...

You could have sold those maggots to the bait shop!! :D
 
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