Roll up door with reefer

ATeam · Aug 25, 2012

scottm4211 said:
What type of freight are you guys carrying that is so sensitive? (honest question, I have no clue about this)

Yes, it's a big secret ... Not.

See this FedEx web page.

ATeam · Aug 25, 2012

zorry said:
Actually Phil , your use of the roll-up along with the Cloud's ( excuse me if mis-spelled ) happiness with their's gave me the confidence to order it. Another reason to thank you for posting your spec's.

I hope you are happier with your Kidron body as the years go by than we are with ours.

layoutshooter · Aug 25, 2012

ATeam said:
I would think that insulation would be key in determining roll-up door performance on a reefer truck. A well insulated door would perform better than a poorly insulated one.

For the reasons Zorry states, roll-up doors are the way to go.

Diane and I were once on a run from New York to Washington state with a DR-unit with barn doors. After loading, we were quickly back to temp. We waited a long time for the DR-unit to get back to temp. The barn doors had to be opened before bumping the dock and the shipper was slow to load. All the precondition the DR-unit did before arrival was wasted and the freight was loaded into a warm truck body. We bumped the dock with the door closed and opened it just seconds before the freight was loaded. We often close the door behind us when securing reefer freight to preserve temperature. It takes no time at all to get back to temp and the customer's freight is better protected.

With that DR-unit, we ran at the same temp along the same route. Just before the delivery, we parked our trucks side by side and I was able to shoot both doors with our infrared thermometer. The exterior temp of both doors was the same anywhere I shot the painted surfaces (top, bottom, middle, corners, etc.). The temp was also the same anywhere I shot the metal surfaces (hinges on the barn door, frame on the roll-up). The roll-up frame exposes more metal to the outsdie but both trucks held temp just fine. We ordered a high quality door with our truck build.

Once in a while, actually just twice in six years, when the set point is -10 Fahrenheit and we are running cross country on hot, humid days, the roll up door will freeze shut on the inside (no frost on the outside is visible). A single football-style shoulder block on the door loosens it up.

I agree, I am just saying was I was told by FedEx. Morgan also said that the barn doors performed better on extreme temps. Not arguing. When I specked my box for -25C at +125F Morgan said they did not have a roll up that would do that job. That was 3+ years ago. I would have preferred the roll up. Just how it was at the time.

zorry · Aug 25, 2012

What issues cause you to say that about the Kidron ?
We had ordered a Supreme.
The chassis as ordered was like a 395" wb.
I calculated it should be a 288" wb.
Supreme guy insisted I was so wrong that wasn't sure he "wanted to be part of this project." He said ARI and I weren't capable of getting this done.
( he had mis-figured something and insisted we leave it at 395" wb !)
It was crunch time,and I didn't have the patiance to deal with that fool.
I called Kidron and had a quote within 24 hours.

zorry · Aug 25, 2012

Hauling truck chassis for ten years I spent a lot of time at body companies.
The only three that even interested me were Morgan,Supreme,and Kidron.
Didn't connect with Morgan on this project.
Supreme was most convenient because ot their Goshen,In location. Close to Frt Wayne and ARI.
I do like Kidron's warranty set-up.
Delta,in Waseca,Mn is a small body company that would deserve a second look.

zorry · Aug 25, 2012

Phil,how much,if any, work have you done to the OH door ?
I will replace my seal within the first year and adjust the door for side to side movement.
Not a problem, yet,I inspect it on every load and just know it's not 100%.

ATeam · Aug 25, 2012

zorry said:
Phil,how much,if any, work have you done to the OH door ?
I will replace my seal within the first year and adjust the door for side to side movement.
Not a problem, yet,I inspect it on every load and just know it's not 100%.

The door was painted when we had the body painted (ghosting of old graphics). The bolts were replaced that hold small part of the door latch (where the padlock goes through) onto the door (rust). Bolts would have been fine if left alone but FedEx wanted bolt heads turned around. We replaced door seals for the first time just a few weeks ago.

zorry · Aug 25, 2012

ATeam said:
The door was painted when we had the body painted (ghosting of old graphics). The bolts were replaced that hold small part of the door latch (where the padlock goes through) onto the door (rust). Bolts would have been fine if left alone but FedEx wanted bolt heads turned around. We replaced door seals for the first time just a few weeks ago.

To me that's amazing. So little done in 5 or 6 years. Any secrets or lube tips ? ( I leave my padlock on so all but one time I've been let on the dock to open it myself. And I do not move the truck with it open.)
I doubt if many swing doors last that long with so little work.

ATeam · Aug 25, 2012

zorry said:
To me that's amazing. So little done in 5 or 6 years. Any secrets or lube tips ?

Not really. Keep the box clean. Lube the wheels and rails every so often. Trailer shops sell spray cans of roll-up door lube. It's good stuff. We have an air hose and nozzle in the back of the truck that taps into the truck's air system. I use it sometimes to blow out the dirt that builds up in the wheels. It works great for keeping the box clean too.

petercar · Aug 26, 2012

do you ever smoke test the box, to check for leaks

BlindDriver · Aug 26, 2012

petercar said:
do you ever smoke test the box, to check for leaks

Or an infrared scanner to check for hot/cold spots.

ATeam · Aug 26, 2012

I have never smoke tested the box (truck reefer body) for leaks. I have light-checked the box in a crude fashion. On a bright, sunny day, enter the box, and have a helper close the door(s) behind you. With the interior lights off, look for light leaks.

Engineers once tested our box with an infrared scanner but that equipment is not commonly available. You can do a poor-man's version of that with an infrared thermometer. Those are available at Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Grainger, etc. for less than $100.

On a long summer run where the outside temp is high and the set point is low, (vise versa in winter), and the box has had plenty of time for the temperature to "soak," use your infrared thermometer to take readings at numerous points on the sides and rear of the box. If you want to be thorough, draw a grid on paper and record the temps on the corresponding box surfaces. If you want to be really, really thorough, map the top and bottom of the box too.