“They followed me back to the store and bought one on the spot,” said Bob Fromm, Lift Division manager of National Ladder & Scaffold Company in Madison Heights, MI, when talking about his first sale of a Triple-L drop-deck trailer.
“We bought our first Triple-L trailer for delivery of our own equipment and I had just finished loading a scissor lift that was coming off rental when I noticed some people watching me,” he continued. “When I activated the hydraulic lifting system and raised the fully loaded trailer deck from ground level to transport height they were amazed; and as I pulled out of the lot, I saw them get into their truck and follow me.”
When Fromm returned to the store, his ’pursuers’ approached him and remarked that the Triple-L trailer was exactly what they needed and they wanted to buy the trailer he was using.
“I wasn’t able to sell them that one because we still needed to use it in our own business, so they ordered one for delivery as soon as we could get it from the factory,” said Fromm. “That’s when I realized we had a real winner here.”
Since then, the company has sold more than 50 additional units to both end user customers and other rental companies.
Karl Moilanen of Cloverdale Equipment Company in Oak Park, MI, bought a Triple-L trailer from National Ladder for use in the company’s rental yard.
“Before we purchased the Triple-L trailer we used a wood deck trailer for delivery. It was modified with a dove-tail on the back and had landscape ramps for loading,” said Moilanen. “It worked OK for some applications, but we found that we needed to mount a winch on it for others. Sometimes, when we went to pick up electric powered machines for a job site, they weren’t fully charged, didn’t have enough power to be driven up the ramp onto the trailer and had to be pulled onto the trailer with the winch. Now, since the bed on the Triple-L trailer lowers to the ground, one person can load just about anything.”
Another big advantage, according to Moilanen, is that the company is now able to hook up its Triple-L trailer to almost any of its pickup trucks and make deliveries of smaller rental equipment faster and at a cost far less than if it had to deliver it on one of its larger flatbed trailers.
Security Management Inc. also purchased a Triple-L trailer from National Ladder –– a fully enclosed model that serves a dual purpose for the company.
Security Management installs and maintains security and fire alarm systems, closed circuit TV systems and other internal control systems for both commercial and residential properties.
When the staff is working jobs that require them to be on-site for extended periods of time, they bring the trailer to the site, lower it to ground level and remove the battery so that unauthorized people can’t operate the lifting mechanism.
Now, in addition to carrying all of their tools and supplies to the job, the trailer can also be used as a secure on-site storage shed.
National Ladder & Scaffold Co. Inc. is a family owned company that was founded in 1935 to distribute and sell ladders, scaffolding, truck and van equipment, lifts and fall protection equipment.
The company’s corporate office and warehouse is located in Madison Heights, MI, with branch offices in Canton and Grand Rapids, MI. Triple-L trailers are just one of the many products it offers for sale or rental.
The Triple-L
Triple-L (Lower, Load & Lift) trailers from JLG Industries Inc. feature a system that hydraulically lowers the entire trailer deck to ground level.
This allows for the easy loading of equipment without having to use ramps, winches or employ a tilt-bed type trailer. Once equipment is secured, the deck is then hydraulically raised to travel height in less than 15 seconds.
The trailers are especially useful for loading and hauling equipment with poor traction or low ground clearance such as scissor lifts, sweepers, or pavement rollers. Rental companies can also find the units ideal for making deliveries and pickups.
Triple-L trailers are available in a wide range of sizes up to a 6 by 16-ft. deck size, with capacities to 10,000 lbs.
The units can be ordered in various configurations including standard flat bed trailers, utility trailers with 2-ft. high box sides and fully enclosed models that provide added security. All models feature the lower-load-lift system.
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