Stoughton debuts newest trailer enhancements

Stoughton Trailers on Tuesday at the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn., debuted the latest design features for its Z-Plate and Aluminum Sheet & Post Trailers.

Stoughton President and CEO Bob Wahlin says the three new features, to the Top Rail and Roof Bows Assembly, Front Wall Assembly and Z-Plate Lower Rail, all were designed to reduce maintenance, improve durability, increase interior space and to be common or standard so they are interchangeable between the Z-Plate and the Aluminum Sheet and Post.

The changes continue Stoughton’s quest in moving to standard components and parts allows for smaller parts inventory and provides more streamlined repair and maintenance flow, adds Gary Fenton, vice president of engineering.

Stoughton describes the updated products as follows:

Top Rail and Roof Bows Assembly: The new Top Rail design allows for the side-wall sheet to extend up behind the lower portion of the Top Rail to improve water shedding. Fenton says has allowed Stoughton to eliminate drilling holes in the Top Rail to further improve water tightness.

The Roof Bows also are now connected using a T-Bolt and Slot design. Fenton says this allows replacement Roof Bows to be installed entirely on the inside of the trailer, reducing installation time and the need for exterior scaffolding. Stoughton says The Roof Bow is pushed up into position, making the replacement process cleaner. There is no caulk smearing, which occurs on competitive trailers where the Roof Bows have to rotate up over a flange.

Front Wall Assembly: Dry van corner posts and top corner castings are now common corner components, allowing them to be interchangeable, reducing the number of parts needed for trailer repair. Fenton says the new design increases the Sheet and Post corner panel to .125 in. from its original .050-in. thickness. The company says the casting profile overlaps with the Top Rail to provide improved fit and better water shed. The new corner posts also create a square interior corner, allowing full-width cargo placement to extend to the front lining, he says.

Z-Plate Lower Rail: Stoughton says it new Z-Plate Lower Rail design means the lower rail is 3-ó in. taller, allowing rivets to be placed 3-ó in. higher. By moving the rivets away from the scrape zone, the company says it has improved durability. The new Aluminum Side Rail & Scuff combination also has been increased to a full 12-in. height. The scuff prevents damage from loading and unloading with no exposed attachments that loads can snag or tear out, the company says.

Standard rear impact guard also featured

Tuesday’s event also featured an update on Stoughton’s recently improved rear impact guard, which is now standard on all Stoughton dry van trailers. Retrofit kits also are available for all Stoughton equipment manufactured in the last ten years.

Fenton says the rear impact guard provides underride protection over the full width of the rear end of a trailer, without added weight to the trailer and at no additional cost to the customer.

We believe “safety should not be a cost the general public,” he says.