Frameless trailers vs. the BENLEE Bridge Master. Which carries more weight?
The clear winner is>>>
Frameless trailers like to advertise they they are light, stable, robust and carry more weight than a framed trailer. This blog will get into the facts.
GVW
GVW is an important starting point. Both are rated at 80,000 GVW, but there is a catch! The frameless is only 80,000 GVW with an about 231″ day cab where as the Bridge Master is 80,000 GVW at 210″, which more of a normal size day cab. Why, the longer bridge, which is rear axle to king pin. It is pretty simple. The frameless has a long tail and the Bridge Master has an extendable tail so the axles are at the rear. Note than at 210″ the frameless is about 78,500 lbs.
Trailer Weight
That is interesting. While BENLEE is made from high strength light steel. This makes it robust and light. It weighs about 16,900 pounds. The frameless people say they are 16,500 pounds. Importantly though, three separate companies have reported to BENLEE that the frameless weigh more than the BENLEE. While far from feather light, our units are light compared to even our conventional trailers that GVW upto 154,000 without over permitting.
Capacity
Let’s assume that the frameless is the 16,500 pounds that they say. That is 400 pounds less than the Bridge Master. But now you have that the frameless has a GVW of 78,500 vs 80,000 for the BENLEE. That is a difference of 1,500 lbs. Pretty simple now. 1,500-400=1,100 pounds. The BENLEE carries 1,100 lbs. MORE than the frameless. Of course, we said that the frameless could be 80,000 GVW, but you needed an 231″ day cab.
When you compare the weight of a 231″ day cab to an 210″ day cab, you add about 600 lbs. So add 600 pounds to the 16,500 lbs. and get 17,100, meaning again, the Bridge Master is the winner with a shorter more maneuverable 210″ day cab.
BENLEE is the winner for capacity, because of its design with more bridge. Also, due to its high strength, this steel, it gives is weight optimization. While not a huge deal, the BENLEE is 40′ 5″, so rounds down to 40′. The other guy is 40′ 11″, so while they call it 40′ it is really 41′. Again, not a lot, but the BENLEE is slightly more maneuverable. BENLEE wins based on payload efficiency through optimized lightweight construction.
Stability
The frameless talks about the triangle design that makes it stable. To be clear, the Bridge Master also has a triangle design, there is a key factor. The Bridge Master has a frame. By engineering facts is it more stable. That is why one of the top three steel companies in the U.S. do not allow frameless roll offs on their site. There are also reports that some insurance companies have higher insurance rates for frameless trailers due to their inherent instability.
Related, a suspension for a trailer is attached to axles and support the spread out weight with its springs or airbags. The frameless uses the center point suspension itself as a pivot point. The BENLEE uses a hinge pin which means the weight is on the pin and then distributed to the suspension. Moreover, there are some 3-7 axle designs we have seen that that 1-5 axles attached to the hoist and up in the air for the frameless. Especially with having 5 axles in the air with the weight of the load and 5 axles on the center point beam, that is asking for trouble.
We also have as standard the more expensive 102″ wide axles vs 96″. A broader foot print. Again by definition this adds more stability to our trailer vs all others in the industry.
What else is there about the Frameless vs the BENLEE?
Longest Frame warranty in the business at 6 years. The Best Warranty in roll-0ff business.
The biggest issue is the product itself, especially the frame. BENLEE has the industries longest warranty of 6 years, vs 1-5 years for other companies. BENLEE does this for two major reasons. We know we have the best welders in the industry. Combine that with we Sandblast, prime and paint every trailer with an epoxy based paint. Others Clean and paint. Especially with the tough environments these trailers see, our paint is the best of the best.
Safety
BENLEE trailers as mentioned above at more stable due to a frame, axles stay on the ground and axles are 102″ wide vs 96″ We also have key signage at the operate level to warn the operator, WHEEL CHECKs on the lugs nuts and a back up bell all standard.
We also use a cast iron becket like in the cable crane industry to secure our cable, vs using various u shaped able clamps
Owning and Operating costs
BENLEE is the clear winner again. Here are just some of the key EXCLUSIVE features of a BENLEE
-1″ Steel lines vs 3/4″, which brings speed to the system and longer life
-1″ Steel lines that are plated for anti corrosion and paint adherence again for longer life
-1″ Hoses vs 3/4″, which brings speed to the system and longer life
-Secondary air filter in the ABS for an added 100,000 mile warranty
-Sheaves that are 12″ in diameter, vs 10″ sheaves for speed and longer life
-Grease groove in the bronze bushings of roller and sheave, for longer life
-Axles with sealed hubs that have a 5 year synthetic grease, so no checking oil on a regular basis
We are know not only for great heavy haulers like our 8 axle trailer that GVW up to 154,000 without over permitting. Of course, others know us for our Super Mini tandem axle. The great news is, that from the Super Mini to the Bridge Master and our double container trailer to our 8 axle, they all use the EXACT, axles, hoses, rollers, sheaves, cable, main control valve and more. Every BENLEE is built to be extremely rugged and to maximize your federal gross vehicle weights.
Parts support
BENLEE answers the phone starting at 6:00AM EST and is there until 4:30 Monday-Friday. We love to talk to people and take orders for parts. This means we have the rollers, sheaves, tarps, tarp parts, cylinders, and more. All ready to ship the same day as long as we get the order before 2:00 EST. We even have a manned 24/7 help line at our main number which is 734-722-8100
To make life even simpler for some we have an online Roll-off trailer, roll-off truck parts store.
Also, to support the market even more, we have a Galbreath Department, Galfab Department, Dragon Department and more. We even have a Roll-Rite Department. We work hard to keep our costs down, so we can pass on low prices. BENLEE has best service with the best prices. A rare move. Some have one or the other.
Greg Brown
greg.brown@benlee.com
734-722-8100
