AUTO TRANSPORT NEWS, INFO, TECH & BUSINESS

COTTRELL TRAILERS MODEL C-10LT REVIEW CONTINUATION

***The following is an ongoing, independent, unbiased review and commentary by CB Stephens of Carl's Car Carriers Inc and is based on regular, everyday usage of the equipment in the course of automobile transportation activities for which this trailer was intended. CB Stephens is a 33-plus year veteran in the car haul field as an independent owner/operator and small fleet developer. Carl's Car Carriers Inc. is a Tennessee-based automobile transportation service chartered in 1991. Cottrell Trailers can be visited by clicking this link: CottrellTrailers.com

With the earth's axial tilt approaching it's farthest away from the sun, Old Man Winter has begun his annual visitation a little early for some of us. And with the southern states getting highly unusual "first" snows, a skid-jerkin', chain-poppin' carhauler doesn't have a lot of time to ready his horse and himself for the harsh weather conditions ahead...matters not what part of the country you operate in.

I would like to address a Cottrell Service Bulletin on this third installment of my personal review of the C-10LT high-side auto transport trailer as it applies to this model. It is officially designated SB # 006 by Cottrell Trailers and applies to this reviewed model C-10LTA and C-10LTB trailers. The beginning models of these trailers apparently required more bottom gusseting near the front of the trailer to add support to the front upright posts of position # 3. When this was discovered, Cottrell Trailers made available to owners a kit that included 2 new bottom gussets pre-cut and a pair of tubes to telescope into the top of the front uprights to add more support. My trailer was no exception in this warranty issue covered by this SB # 006 service bulletin. Please see this important notice for specific Cottrell requirements for kit installation and weld procedures. It is imperative that weld procedure be followed and adhered to according to Cottrell Trailer specs. Improper gusset weld can be troublesome per this link: SB006 Weld Bulletin.

Small cracks developed on the top of the front posts at the bottom edge of the horizontal beam on my trailer...an '07 model. At first notice, I was not at a location that I would want extensive repair to be performed and opted for a weld repair to close up the crack until the repair could be properly handled.

In completing this repair/warranty issue, hydraulic lines will have to be disconnected at the top of the posts...both ends should be disconnected and the lines strapped to the top beam out of the way. I retracted the cylinders to remove as much hydraulic fluid as possible and set the posts on the pins prior to disconnecting the lines. On my trailer, there was an electrical connection for the top horizontal rail "chicken lights" so that was placed out of the way with the hydraulic lines. Pull the retaining pin out of the top saddle and allow the cylinder to rotate and hang from the opposing end/pin. (see image below) Good time to verify fit of the o-ring in the fitting on the cylinder end. If I'm not mistaken it is a #6 o-ring in case you need to look for one. *Hint...Home Depot or the "Do-It-Yourself" display at your parts store.

After the lines have been removed, you may want to place a jack in the position depicted below to achieve a closing of the gap in the crack area...that is if you have waited long enough to develop a crack. If not, you may still want to place some support in the area shown in the image to keep things as they should be. Not sure if it's required by Cottrell but the placement of the jack in the area shown immediately closed the small gap at the top of the posts. Jacking in the 5th wheel area even with a cum-a-long stretched to the top of the post could not close the gap. Only a small amount of pressure on the railroad jack placed under the bottom beam closed the gap immediately on both sides.

Insertion of the telescoping tubes is pretty straightforward and all I could offer here in the procedure would be to make sure you block the possibility of the tube falling down into the bottom of the uprights. Don't ask me how I know this. There was a pin placed in a side hole of the upright for this purpose but when the c-clamp let go and the tube fell, it kicked the blocking pin right out and settled down near the bottom of the tube...caught by the inner hydraulic plumbing I think. Not a big deal but we were able to tack weld some flat stock through a side pin hole and retract it back up into position. Cottrell specifies 1/4" of the telescoping tubes be left out the top and welds placed there. In addition, there are plug welds that must be made on the side and the rear of the front upright posts after drilling. Grind smooth.

These are not intended to be complete kit installation instructions...there are many more warnings that must be acknowledged, i.e. isolating ECM modules and other electronics prior to welding by removing battery cabling, etc. This is my personal experience with this model trailer and it is my intention to include every repair and maintenance issue that is encountered as I work this trailer through it's useful life. This repair was performed at approximately 235,000 miles of use. I have become accustomed to making good use of this new design which allows the "pulling on" of vehicles on this # 3 position as opposed to the CS-10 and 12 models. I also utilize this position many times for a larger unit and yes, large SUV's can be pulled on and the doors will swing wide open to exit the vehicle.

Be Cool On Yer Stool, Driver...and Truck Safe.

A visit to the New York trailer manufacturer's website reveals Delavan Industries Inc has signed a license agreement with T & C Welding out of Jacksonville, Florida to upgrade existing auto transport trailers with the Flat Foot Safety System. Check it out...

COTTRELL TRAILERS MODEL C-10LT REVIEW CONTINUATION

***The following is an ongoing, independent, unbiased review and commentary by CB Stephens of Carl's Car Carriers Inc and is based on regular, everyday usage of the equipment in the course of automobile transportation activities for which this trailer was intended. CB Stephens is a 33-plus year veteran in the car haul field as an independent owner/operator and small fleet developer. Carl's Car Carriers Inc. is a Tennessee-based automobile transportation service chartered in 1991. Cottrell Trailers can be visited by clicking this link: CottrellTrailers.com

"Strap-only" trailers are being marketed arduously now by Cottrell Trailers as they convey manufacturer's decisions requiring "soft-tie only" attachments. Keep in mind, I am reviewing a chain trailer here. Soft-tie options for chain trailers are readily available and being used daily across the country with minimal, if any, problems. A recent discussion with a veteran car hauler that regularly uses this method of "over-the-tire" ratchet straps on chain-supplied Cottrell CS-12 2005 model year equipment has reported seeing some cracking in the aluminum tables extending from some of the holes used for 3-point securing of the straps. It should be noted that he regularly transports large SUV's that weigh 5300 pounds and more. I have yet to see any evidence of this in any of my experiences with Cottrell models but I am not doing as much "heavy" unit moves as the above mentioned operator nor am I using extensive strap moves. There are also those rumors of jurisdictions moving toward questioning the practice of using straps via aluminum decking attachment points. I cannot verify this and that is why I call them rumors. If you have personal knowledge to educate the rest of us, jump in. Your comments are welcome.

However, I believe we will see and hear more negative information about this tie-down option as Cottrell seeks to convince operators to buy new equipment or "convert" current trailers over to strap-only. While ratcheting "over-the-tire" straps are acceptable fare by most, if not all, manufacturers to date, it appears there is movement toward strap-only equipment at the urging of trailer manufacturers. It is my opinion that the push by Cottrell has much to do with the current state of the economy and the hard hit auto transport business. Cottrell Trailers remains standing while others have fallen because of innovation and industry-leading design and I do not intend to take away from that when I opine about marketing practices used. Some would just say it is just good business to do what is necessary to keep the employees working and I suppose it is. I can envision the brass in Gainesville having these weekly pow-wows in which each associate has the task of presenting ideas to jump start the once booming business in these hard economic times and while I agree that is the way I would run my business if I were "Mr. Cottrell Trailers", I have some reservations about some advertised and solicited programs currently being offered for this market. One example, before I continue on to the review itself (and this has to do with this review later on), is a recent phone call/sales solicitation from a Cottrell rep to a family member who operates several full-size stinger car haulers. The Cottrell rep included a proposal to "convert" a chain trailer to a strap-only trailer. (Yes...Cottrell does refurbs, modifications, repairs, etc also). However, the righteous response to the Cottrell rep was this..."Just what year trailer is it that you want to convert for me? It would have to be a 2007 model or newer because anything older than that would be rusted and rotten to the point it would be wasteful ignorance to put such cost into a trailer!" I had to laugh, as much as it hurts, because I know the pain.

The last new Cottrell trailer I bought was a 2000 model...a CS-12. I ran mostly southern California via the southern routes which put me in little snow. (The harsh chemicals used by highway departments in wintertime really do a number on vehicles today but I seldom saw any of that. In an effort to understand the harshness of the chemicals being used today for highway de-icing, a study of the most popular applications all proclaim the low corrosive nature on metals (autos, bridges, etc) from the likes of calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), calcium chloride, CG-90 Surface Saver, CMS-B (also known as MoTech) and others. If these are not the chemical culprits responsible for the premature rusting of rolling stock, then substandard steel is being used). However, in 3 years, the trailer frame rails were eat through from the inside out with rust. You could poke a hole with your pinkie in the main frame rails on this $59,999.00 trailer (that price was in 2000...2007 prices were in the $80,000.00 range!) after just 3 years. Now, if you go to Cottrell's website, they will state a 2 year "structural warranty"...leaving them off the hook for the substandard steel choices their procurement department has made. Yeah, yeah...I know these trailers have to be made lighter so we can haul more but I believe Cottrell has made some serious mistakes in their choice of suppliers OR material preparation prior to building these trailers. What good is a lighter weight trailer if there are no frame rails after 3 years? OK...I hear you, Mr. Cottrell Service & Repair...replace the frame rails??? How much is that going to cost me??? $10K. $20K More?? Either way, it seems ridiculous...no...IT IS RIDICULOUS for any business to pay this much for a piece of equipment and it basically rots inside out before a 5 year depreciation can be taken on it. What's the fix? Hey, Cottrell! Listen up! No, I am not an engineer like your educated designers but I have been around this block for a long time. I have inhaled the "zinc coating" smoke & vapors from the insides of the Delavan "Work Horse" trailer frame rails when we would cut the beams to do a stretch job. Once you smell that, you don't forget it. And just like the olfactory senses embed this memory, the ocular organs leave a lasting impression as well. Old...and I mean old... Delavan steel frame beams could be halved and inspected and the insides of these rails would be as clean as the outer painted surfaces. It appeared to be a coating of some type that these rails were dipped in. It was quite a chore with a grinder to remove this coating prior to welding. This stuff we called "zinc coating" may or may not have been zinc however it was a proven obvious deterrent to the rust problems we see today. (To be fair, later model Delavan trailers also went the way of rust and premature fatigue but there was an obvious change of ownership or management in the Buffalo, NY organization causing this problem). Why can't you thoroughly pre-coat the entire beam of this thin gauge steel to make it last a little longer? Surely you are not doing this for your own company security as we have to prematurely replace equipment you have poorly prepared? Look...Cottrell has THE design down pat. They have discovered the way to hold seemingly paper-thin steel beams, posts and aluminum ramps together to transport outrageous loads safely. C'mon Cottrell...make 'em last a little longer! We know it can be done and probably by a simple coating of the materials. Now that I have gotten that off my chest...

As I said, Cottrell Trailers design is as far ahead of the game as the build prep bunch is behind. I stand amazed at the trailer durability concerning the welds and bracing. After 225,000 miles, I just had to do my FIRST "crack" repair and it honestly consisted of a hairline crack horizontally across the front upper posts just below the main upper beam. Both posts at the top...about half way across...requiring a weld to repair. I'll be watching closely to see if it requires more in the coming days or weeks and I am guessing it probably will eventually need some gusseting or additional welds to properly stop this. I recently did some extensive suspension checks and saw no problems, cracks or weak areas. The design is a definite winner. I am often asked by other car haulers about this post-forward design and "Do you like it?" I always reply with a big "Yes!". The post forward allows easy door access top and bottom and I can pull that unit out on # 3 without fear of overloading the table of a CS-12 had I tried that. One drawback in this position that I have found is the "tilt" deck in the bottom front (# 7 on a 10 car load) does not go as high as my old CS-12 models which limits the height/size of car when attempting to do 8 units in the trailer (11 car configuration...3 on truck, 8 in trailer). The difference is minimal between the two model trailers but it is just enough to create a problem I didn't have with the CS-12 trailers. I guess it would be easy enough to fix this but why should I have to??? $80,000.00 should get me what it was designed to do. Admittedly, you don't see a lot of guys (or gals) today doing this "2 end-to-end in the belly" anymore but I'll do it every chance I get. It's revenue and it's a lot of difference at the end of the year. I've been surprised at some comments from old hands in the biz telling me they had no idea you could do this on these trailers.

There was about a 10 year spell in my car hauling career when I got on a west coast deal and I'm still trying to get my body's clock re-adjusted from that era. I received a preliminary call from a strong west coast buyer that made weekly trips to east coast auction houses to buy for a large corporate entity back in California asking if I had trucks that could help him. Having been glued strictly east of the Mississippi for 75% of my travels, I immediately felt that familiar feeling of wanderlust as I envisioned long stretches of open road and blazing sunsets while listening to The Beach Boys as I "run to the sun". Since my motto was "Have Truck, Will Travel", my reply to the buyer, "Coby", was..."How much?" He must have said the magic number and my trucking career was about to change for the next decade.

Determined to show a new customer what Kentucky car haulers were made of, my brother and I gathered a team for 2 Carl's Car Carriers trucks and proceeded to the ADESA auction facility in Framingham, Massachusetts one wintry Friday evening back some 15 years ago. 2 trucks fully serviced and ready to make an impression...4 drivers all rested and raring to make new tracks along with a few $$$ to feed the families back home...and at 7 pm EDT on a Friday evening outside of Boston, snowflakes as big as Mom's pancakes began to fall on already piled up snow banks in the parking lot where we awaited our cargo. We met the new shipper, got our releases for 20 units and told him we would see him Monday morning in El Monte, California. He had to catch a plane home and was late already so there was no time for chit-chat but I saw the unbelief in his eyes as he departed the lot. He didn't believe for a minute those 20 cars would see a California sunrise come Monday morning.

Some 3100 miles and about 57 hours later, those 20 cars were safely unloaded off the trucks awaiting the opening of the gates of the receiver Monday as promised. As Corky arrived that morning to work, he saw we had fulfilled the promise of a snowy late evening departure in Boston. It was immediately apparent his unbelief in Framingham had turned to disbelief in El Monte. We listened as he made the call to associates exclaiming..."You know those cars I bought Friday in Massachusetts????! I am looking at them all on the ground right here in front of me at the office in California!" Needless to say, we had sealed the deal on a good shipper contact that developed into a friendship for years to come.

While this may not have been record time for a cross country trek via full-sized car hauler, there were several factors that added miles and minutes to a regular route from the northeast to the southwest. We chose to run the "southern" route because of the winter weather as we were determined not to be delayed. This added probably a couple hundred miles as we traveled down I-81 and out I-40 for our appointment with the left coast. A pair of drivers in each truck, swapping out driving chores as the spare driver rested, this direction of the trip was pretty much fuel and go.

This would be the first of many cross country journeys for this and other shippers as we developed new relationships with customers outside our regular travel routes. The desert southwest remains my preferred destination for trucking even though I don't get there much anymore. Business patterns and market changes dictate travel routes for those of us that work in niches and once I get on a horse, I tend to ride it till it's dead...figuratively speaking. Done right, which we seldom did, these are epic journeys that everyone should aspire to make at least once in their lifetime.

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