Stoughton Trailers redesigns dry van features

March 9, 2017
Stoughton has redesigned dry van components 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.

Stoughton Trailers, a global leader in transportation equipment, introduces the latest design features for its Z-Plate and Aluminum Sheet and Post Trailers.

Stoughton has redesigned dry van components 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. Moving to standard components and parts allows for smaller parts inventory and provides more streamlined repair and maintenance flow.

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. By eliminating drilling holes in the top rail, we further improve water tightness.

The roof bows are now connected using a T-bolt and slot design. This allows replacement roof bows to be installed entirely on the inside of the trailer, reducing installation time and the need for exterior scaffolding. 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. In addition, the new design increases the sheet and post corner panel to .125" from its original .050-inch thickness. The casting profile overlaps with the top rail to provide improved fit and better water shed. The new corner posts create a square interior corner, allowing full-width cargo placement to extend to the front lining.

Z-Plate Lower Rail

With our new Z-plate lower rail design, the lower rail is 3.5" taller, allowing rivets to be placed 3-½ inches higher. By moving the rivets away from the scrape zone, we have improved durability.

The new aluminum side rail and Scuff combination has been increased to a full 12"  height. The scuff prevents damage from loading and unloading with no exposed attachments that loads can snag or tear out.

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