February 27, 2002 Loads of Experience

Volume 5 | Issue 1

Western Trailers engineers and builds tough, great-looking trailers including big payload semis for agriculture, flatbed use, forest product

America runs on trucking and truckers run on Western Trailers. Founded in 1969, Western Trailers has built a reputation for innovative, high-quality, lightweight trailers ever since. The first choice in the trucking industry, Western designs trailers to carry more payload, to load and to unload more easily; to look great on the road; and to keep maintenance to a minimum. That is why truckers have come to rely on Western Trailers for increased payload, appearance, durability and high resale value.

Is there any industry that does not depend on trailers? Construction, lumber, food and paper all live by them. Western’s live-floor trailers haul everything from agricultural feed to wood residuals to trash.

Every industry needs particular sizes, weights and configurations for specialized loads, and Western Trailers is up to the task. In its computer-controlled and automated 100,000 square-foot plant in Boise, Idaho, Western’s 300 employees produce more than 1,100 trailers a year. They rely on a constant stream of first-rate components from a corps of vendors, some of which have supplied Western for more than three decades. Computer-aided technologies help build custom trailers as long as 57 feet, including a basic line of more than 100 trailer designs. Just like the payloads they carry, the trailers themselves are made on tight schedules with industry-leading quality to perform at the highest level, year after year.

Western Trailers’ quality design, materials and craftsmanship mean cost savings over the long haul, making the trailer an investment that pays off with less maintenance and less downtime. In designing its trailers, Western has always relied on feedback from truckers themselves, and the company builds and customizes trailers accordingly. For instance, composite, high-strength steel and aircraft-grade aluminum make the company’s trailers more rugged yet lighter in weight than competing models. A lightweight trailer means bigger payloads and more profitable trips. Special features make Western’s multipurpose trailers easier to load and unload, and provide efficient performance during an extended working life.

From the Hopper

Western Trailers has a variety of trailers specifically designed to haul the variety of products needed to keep American agriculture moving. For instance, bulk agricultural commodities are handled by hopper trailers with two different degrees of slope and numerous configurations. The hoppers are equipped with rollover tarps and the highest-quality components to maximize durability and payload.

Customers have the option of unloading almost anywhere with the latest evolution in Western’s live-floor trailer technology. Heavy-duty extruded, full-length aluminum slats result in less maintenance and a longer-lasting floor that is tightly sealed to keep payloads safe and secure. The live floor is anchored to a high-tensile steel frame, creating a strong, lightweight foundation.
Western’s popular Commodity Express(r) trailer is the most efficient self-unloading agricultural bulk commodity trailer ever invented. It features Western’s revolutionary lightweight design and a lasting, attractive appearance. The Express is packed with features, making it the most user-friendly trailer on the road. It includes a continuous high-tensile steel frame, a patented three-chain conveyor system, optional power supply and a choice of unloading doors and optional side heights and colors.

Western’s convertible hoppered flat trailers are the ultimate haulers. The built-in hoppers on this tough flatbed allow truckers to carry a wider range of products on the same trailer. They can haul flatbed loads and in a matter of minutes, switch to hauling bulk products. As a flatbed, it’s got Western’s famous payload and light weight. Fold the sides up and remove the floor sections, and the hopper trailer is ready for bulk loads.

As with all Western trailers, the list of options seems endless. Whenever custom lightweight trailers are needed, Western leads the way for any number of industries.

Tough Stuff

Trailers for the forest product industry must negotiate rough and rugged terrain starting from logs to finished lumber or paper mills, and everywhere in between. In the woods, Western’s Log Dog trailers have a payload so large that a single truck can carry two loads of long logs at once.

In and around mills across the nation, Western’s high-capacity Chip Vans and Livefloor trailers move products efficiently from one location to another. The Supervan, with load-bearing rollup curtains and a rollover top tarp, hauls wood residuals one way, and building materials the other.

Growing demands on the environment place growing demands on the refuse industry, and Western can take a load off refuse haulers’ minds. Western’s tough refuse live-floor trailers make loading and unloading easy at transfer stations and dump sites. Western’s latest addition, the newly designed refuse drop-center trailer, allows larger capacities to be hauled and then dumped out with the use of a hydraulic tipper. When it comes to the harsh requirements in the waste industry, Western has positioned itself on the leading edge.

Western got its start with the Elite flatbed trailer, incorporating its signature lightweight design. With innovative engineering and the latest quality materials, Western’s flatbeds have become coveted rigs. Today, the Elite line of center-frame flatbed trailers uses high-strength, extruded aluminum for cross members, floor and outer rails. This makes for incredible durability while maintaining a light weight, and for hassle-free maintenance. The Intraax(r) air-ride system is standard on all Elite flatbeds for stability and load protection from harsh road conditions. The Elite can be customized with dozens of options, including aluminum wheels, folding side kits, multiple axle configurations and lengths, storage boxes and more.

While the Elite features an inside frame, the Classic platform has outside frame rails for the clean appearance and stability preferred by many building-materials haulers on the East Coast. Optional equipment makes the Classic even more attractive: folding or soft side kits, aluminum wheels, generous use of aluminum and stainless steel, and a range of paint colors to match any truck. Add a curtainside top to either the Elite or Classic flatbed for instant load protection, and it will still haul a competitive payload.

Western prides itself not just on manufacturing durable, lightweight trailers but on engineering solutions based on input from the truckers who are truly the kings of the American road. Next time you’re on the highway, look for Western’s distinctive trademarked logo on trailers carrying products of every description from coast to coast.

Subscribe to Industry Today