Two trucks and trailers loaded with equipment took to the road the second week of July.
This in itself is not all that different from any other day in the equipment manufacturing industry. What makes these trips unique is the reason for the journey.
Equipped with Genie and Terex equipment, Terex product experts are spending two months visiting rental dealers across the United States. However, the primary reason for the journey is not to showcase the equipment on the trailer — it’s the trailer itself that will have the rental industry rethinking the way it does business.
Terex recently introduced its new HFT 70RS rental equipment trailer and determined that the best way for rental dealers to understand what makes it different from other trailers was to show them.
Each truck and HFT 70RS trailer on the Ramp Up to Terex Road Show event will stop at several rental locations a day. Demonstrations as well as question-and-answer sessions last up to two hours and involve a walk-around of the trailer and side-by-side comparison when possible.
“One of most notable differences that rental dealers see with the HFT 70RS trailer is its 6-degree break-over angle that allows operators to drive most equipment onto it without winching,” said Matt Thompson, regional sales manager for Terex. “Most rental yards carry quite a bit of low-ground-clearance equipment, such as boom lifts, scissor lifts and other compact equipment, and the average trailer can have a 13- to 15-degree break-over angle.”
Several rental dealers have already taken the trailer for a test drive during these demonstrations by loading and unloading equipment out of their own fleet. Scott Walter, the branch manager for Crown Lift Trucks in Waukesha, Wis. — which sells, services and rents forklifts — is so impressed with this feature he already has one on order.
“We expect that our efficiency will increase greatly by using this trailer,” said Walter. “The 6-degree break-over angle is great; it will shorten the time it takes to load and unload trucks. And it makes it a safer trailer for us to drive on and off, too.”
“Terex product engineers spent over a year talking with rental dealers to make sure they got the design and functions of this trailer just right,” said John Norton, Terex product manger. “We understand how much work rental dealers put into choosing the right trailer to fit their store’s particular needs. While each dealer’s needs are unique, we have noticed trends in what our customers are asking for. We took that information, and the knowledge we gained by surveying the industry, to develop this new trailer. By making the most-requested features standard on this trailer, we can deliver a better trailer faster and at a competitive price.”
“An important feature to a trailer is the decking on the loading and gooseneck ramps,” said Thompson. “We used starburst decking over steel plating on the ramps for maximum traction and durability on the HFT 70RS unit. This design helps each piece of rental equipment stay in place. For wheeled units, this is an important feature, since they may roll more.”
When Walter compared the HFT 70RS with trailers he’s used in the past, he noticed the difference. “The starburst decking really set it apart from other equipment,” he noted. “We’ll use it every day to pick up and deliver rental equipment. It’s going to save us time and money.”
The suspension system on a trailer also plays an important role in keeping equipment in place while driving down the road. To further help dealers protect their loads, the HFT 70RS is equipped with air-ride suspension.
“Several dealers we surveyed commented that their equipment bounces around quite a bit during transportation because there is not enough payload protection in the suspension,” said Norton. “Coupled with anti-lock brakes, the air-ride suspension on the HFT 70RS will cushion rental equipment as it travels from site to site and back to the rental yard.”
A stronger, more durable deck, combined with more tie-down points, adds to the versatility of the Terex HFT 70RS trailer. Product engineers used 2-in (5.1 cm) knotless Apitong wood decking rather than less expensive hardwoods like oak. The wood is set in flush with the trailer deck to provide superior warp and wear resistance. The center key slot tie-downs, along with the side stake pockets, give the operator more options to secure equipment.
Other unique features that Walter noticed were hydraulic ramps, a remote-control winch and a longer tail. Additionally, he observed, “The remote hydraulics unit allows replacement equipment to operate the trailer without the power take-off (PTO).”
During a stop in Kent, Wash., a suburb of Seattle, Tony Bariel, shop foreman at Sunbelt Rentals, spent time looking over the craftsmanship built into the new HFT 70RS.
“I’m impressed with the robust design of this trailer, yet at the same time, everything is kept very simple,” said Bariel. “I don’t see this trailer being in the shop for repairs as often as a typical trailer. One thing that caught my eye is that the wear points have been well thought out and proactively handled by using quality parts. I can tell that Terex really spent a lot of research and development time on this product.”
Terex set out to make the trailer to meet the specific needs of the rental industry. Some of the features on the trailer are designed to cut down on the time it takes to load and unload equipment, while others improve the way equipment rides during transportation. However, there are still other operator-friendly options that rental dealers commonly request incorporated into the design.
“Many rental dealers that we talked with expressed frustration with the amount of options they had to wade through to create the right trailer for their business,” Norton explained. “We took the most commonly requested options and made them standard, including LED running lights, a winch protector, starburst decking and 50,000 lb. concentrated load rating. We want dealers to start with a better trailer so they can focus on their core business.”
“We believe that we’ve built a trailer that will change the way rental dealers do business,” added Thompson. “Everything about this rental trailer was designed to make it easier for dealers to get equipment to and from the job site. The only way we can prove that is by taking it to the road and demonstrating how this trailer will work for their specific applications.”
The two Terex HFT 70RS units will continue to make their way across the United States for the rest of the summer. There are more than 200 stops scheduled across the continental United States, in both large cities and small towns.
This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.
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