At this week’s 2010 annual meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council in Tampa, Fla., platform trailer manufacturer Fontaine Trailer launched its new Revolution Hybrid Dropdeck, a 48-foot-by-102-inch dropdeck trailer that weighs only 9,300 pounds. The advanced-technology trailer features steel main beams with an extruded aluminum floor for added strength and stability. The patented design is lighter and stronger and boasts a concentrated load capacity of 54,000 pounds in 5 feet.
The sleek, unitized design – which the company says is made possible by technology borrowed from the aerospace industry – maintains the integrity of the trailer geometry under load and under centrifugal force to facilitate superior handling, reduced tire wear and improved fuel economy. The added stability helps eliminate “side-bow,” preventing secured loads from shifting in transit and reducing the potential for rollover situations. The patented one-piece extruded aluminum siderail is designed to withstand impact damage better than steel siderails, while an integrated load securement system helps makes loading and unloading faster, safer and more driver-friendly.
This is the third branch of the Fontaine Revolution family, which also includes the all-aluminum Revolution 60 and Revolution 52 flatbed trailers, and the Revolution Hybrid composite flatbed trailer. “We’re really proud of what our design and manufacturing teams have accomplished for our customers,” says John Craig, president of Jasper, Ala.-based Fontaine Trailer Co. “These Revolution trailers give our customers a real competitive advantage in this very competitive business environment.”