DO NOT buy a trailer until you see this.

Okay, before you buy your next equipment trailer, stop and watch this video because we're going to show you things that no other trailer dealer will show you. We're going to lay out line by line all of the nuances that can be overlooked when you're purchasing a trailer because they are not all built equal by any means. And when I was first being a contractor and trying to learn the differences between trailers, it's a hunt and peck process. Meaning, you can't find one person to go out and go, "Hey, this, this, this, this, and this." You've got to do your own due diligence. But today, what we're going to do is we're going to lay off the barebones normal trailer that you guys may or may not see and then show you all of the things that you should be looking for when you're buying your own trailer. So, let's dive into today's video. Good morning, one and all. Tim and I are eyeballing up our new trailer. I didn't think you could get a better looking trailer than our last rice trailer, but this thing is freaking gorgeous. How long is it, Timmy? >> Uh, I just kind of stepped it out. Probably like 28 27 28 ft maybe. Take a tape measure. >> But we aren't keeping this. We're getting this for one of you guys. This is going to be part of our giveaway trailer. This is not We're down here to pick this up, but we're also here to cover a completely different trailer that we're going to show you in a minute. But we just pulled in. I haven't seen Josh. It's crazy. They got stuff going on all over the place. And when I seen it, you got to stop. You got to look at it. All right, we're going to go meet Josh in a minute, but this load is going out. I just wanted to show you guys. This is just so cool. I just love stuff like this. I'm looking at these trailers, looking at all these colors. I think my testosterone level just jumped up 40 points just by being by this. All these cool trailers pulled by a cool truck on top of it. But look at the colors. We've got desert sand, red, black, army green, black, orange. I like that orange. Army green, desert sand, blue, yellow, red. All right, let's go find Josh. All right, guys. I'm here at Rice Trailers with Josh. How are you? I'm >> good. All right. We're going to show you right now how not all trailers are created equal. >> No. >> And Josh, you have uh what this is your standard issue trailer, which is very typical for what people will see inside of the industry. More or less. >> Yes. Yeah. More or less. I mean, there's nuances about this that are different, but >> for just your standard equipment trailer, that's what what you're going to do. But we're starting there and then we're going to show you how they do it different all the way up the line. Right. >> So, let's just take a look at what everybody else is making in the industry roughly. All right. So, walk me through this. >> 6-in equipment trailer is what it is. Um, this one is a 20ft trailer, 18 plus two. Um, standard unit. We build a ton of these, you know, and I'm not saying that everybody's is going to be this nice because it's not. But just the bones of this thing is what exactly uh >> what most people are doing. You know, we have certain things like our toolbox and stuff that can be mounted on just about any other trailer. Yeah. >> But, you know, you've got your standard 6-in frame, 6-in wrap tongue, tread plate fender. Um some people do a wood dove tail. This is a steel. Um standard lumber on the deck. And then these are just your standard equipment ramps on this, >> right? Um, this one, a few more things about it. You've got two 7K axles on it. So, these are Dexter 7K axles. So, you got your standard uh your standard running gear on these >> meant to haul, you know, 14,000 meant to stop it. And that's with your trailer weight included. >> This is a critical thing to understand. And so, now as we go over here, this is kind of like your next level up from that trailer. I would say this is like a 14K on steroids. Okay. So, he, you know, we took a little bit of TRT, a little bit of performance-enhancing. So, you instantly get a built-in toolbox, built-in storage box on this, and that's all welded to the trailer. So, it does give you a little bit more structure there. Um, this one will have a heavier 6-in channel frame on it. You get a lot more tie down capabilities on it. You got four there. You've got >> Yeah, pretty much in between every ST pocket, we'll put one of these 5/8 D-rings. And then you got three at the front on that as well. >> Step back here. You've got a a bigger fender step on this. Um, and then we go to a this is a quarter wall fender on this. So, this thing it's and a 3/16 back on it. So, it's it's it's very very tough. Moving down to your axles, you got two 8,000 lb Dexter and they're meant to stop 8 uh 16,000lb. So there there's a difference in the in the hubs and you can probably cut to it and show the actual difference in the hubs. So a lot of people are building these 8,000lb axles or a 16k rated trailer, but it's pretty much just a 14K with bigger studs >> axles side by right now. And this is a 7K axle. >> 7K. Yeah. >> Okay. So seven here, eight, and a 10K. But people are calling this 7K and 8K. >> Well, they kind of change a few things around on the hub and they just make the studs bigger like what's on that 8K. But the thing about it is is it's rated for seven rated to stop it. It's not rated to stop 8,000. That's why you got to get to a bigger brake and a bigger hub, drum, bearings, bigger tube, all of that to rate 8,000 to to stop it >> to stop 8,000. >> Then you go to 10,000. So, we get that much more bigger. Um, same uh same studs and everything, but just massive bearings. Just a lot bigger. I mean, >> and look at the tube. >> Yeah, look at the size of the tube on it. So, it's torsion ride, too. So, you know, torsion axle. Uh, torsion springs on it. Not springs, rubber springs pretty much. But that's what it is. So, what would you rather ride on, you know? >> Right. So, that's your seven, your eight, and your 10. But a lot of companies are calling those sevens. >> They call it a hybrid. Yeah. >> A hybrid. >> Yeah. So your tube, everything essentially the same size. Only thing they change is the hub. And then they still rated it at like 17,000 lb, you know, 175 or whatever you see. But anything that's rated that for ours is going to have this 8,000lb on it. >> Good to know. >> So that's the one thing you need to really when you're buying a trailer, look at these because even down to it, those are grease packed. These are going to be oil oil bath uh hubs as well. Um, so >> but now you're you were mentioning off camera about the Chinese hubs that are coming into the country. >> These these hubs are cast in the US and any other like even your 7K hub is going to be cast in the US as well. Um, so it's just I I I've got a little bit more confidence in riding in that than something that's cast in China. >> Right now, as I look at this, I look at the ramps on this one. I look at the ramps on this one. Even the ramps from this one to that one are an upgrade. >> Yeah. So, it's it's kind of gradual. So, on the So, on the 14K, you've got your standard just equipment ramps is what you've got. And that we've been doing that for years. Um standard ramp straps. This one you upgrade a little bit. You go to a wedge style ramp, a bigger ramp. So, that one's got the kicker on it, which your kicker will come down and hit the ground. This one's made to lay the entire ramp, so you get a little bit more surface contact. kicker. I Josh talks trailer, okay? And he talks trailer fast. So, as you look at this ramp, it's got a clear V wedge shape where on that one, it's just got the support right on the very bottom. >> And that's that ramp there, too, is probably heavier. Most of the industry has like a kicker that you can bolt on and it's that one's fully welded on. And then you just use the whole profile of ramp on this. The ramp gets a little heavier. Um it's it it's just a little bit more robust, you know, it's and and it's also too it's wider. It's a little bit wider. >> Yeah, it's a wider heavier >> still kind of slide it over. So if your tracks aren't, you know, you don't want four or five inches of track hanging over if you're on a smaller skid steer or like a walk behind or something, you know, you can still slide it. Um but then we go over here to this one. So now you graduate it up to this. Now, the thing about this, this is our new autolock system, and these ramps are heavy. They're very heavy. So, you got your center support that runs down them. Um, and this one is non-adjustable. So, that being you don't ever have to slide it back and forth. And then as you're going down the road, everybody knows our roads here are just great, you know? So, we're going to bounce up and down, bounce up and down. Like that one, it's probably going to end up working. you know, this ramp and then you work it over like that right there. So, every time, you know, that's going to make that that's going to lock that pin in there where it's hard to and the only way to do it is, you know, do you want your ramp to slide or not? You know, it's always >> personally I don't like these secure systems, secure will operate it, but >> every time every time I've ever experienced >> Now you've got this. >> Yeah. It's going up or it's going down and it's jabbing into the road. Now, now when we down when we bring this ramp down now, I mean it still works, don't get me wrong, but you are when you're loading something heavy like really you kind of want to take this thing completely off that way you don't bend it, you know, and you can set it wherever. >> Oh, that's the best spot to send it cuz it'll go send it on down the road when the guys forget it there cuz that's exactly what'll happen with it. This is I mean it's just this is industry standard and there's really not any other great way to to do this, you know, on these ramps. This is just kind of >> Well, show me your new way. I want to I want to see how the uh >> your your new system goes uh operates in comparison to that one. >> I mean, we've used this forever, you know, and it's tried and true, but uh so this system here, you just pull it down and then now you're down. So you can tell this is a heavier ram, too, cuz we got to put two springs on it. So that's what it's This thing's heavy. So even your crossmembers in it. We go a 3x2 angle on this 3/16 and it's a standard 3-in channel. But then you've got this here, too. So you've got a 1/4in plate here. And uh this right here, it's gusseted on the side. So that it's just a heavier, more robust ramp. And then now you're not sitting there. One, you don't have to adjust it. There's no adjustment factor on it. Um, so you can pretty much get just about anything. I think you got to probably >> show me how you latch it though. >> So yeah, it locks in place. >> That's it. >> That's it. >> Nothing else to do with it. >> If you want If you want and you're like, I don't know if I trust that, you just get your standard hitch pin and throw it through there. And then you've got a positive lock here, here, and there. Take it up and down. Actually, you know what, Timmy? Will you take that up and down for me once? Guys, Tim and I just made the 20our trip, so we're both a little tired, but this is Tim's first time ever trying it. Now, pull back on it. Pull back. So, she is completely locked. There's It's just a selflocking. Well, and the other thing is too, okay, you're not ever going to get like that motion, you know, you're not it's never going to be that aggressive going up and down the road. A lot of times you're just going to have your whatever air is kind of wind, >> you know, wind drag on it. That's all you should really ever have on these ramps. They're not ever going to just like not going to slam on back and forth. >> But the other thing that is different about this, um, so that bumper on that is a sheet metal fabricated bumper. This when you get this trailer, this upgrades to a tube bumper. So this goes all the way through too. So that so the whole back is a solid right here. >> That's a full tube bumper. Yeah. >> A full tube bumper all the way across. >> And it and and what that helps with on that too, one, there's no torsion. >> I was just going to say it's got it's got to help with torsional stability. >> It does. I mean your back your especially when you're loading and unloading heavy equipment. She's not going to be twisting and warping out of it. >> And then also to protection for your lights. You get what I'm saying? I mean, we still do it on that one over there, but it's like a two-piece bumper. And we kind of make a tube, but it's not a tube, if that makes sense. And then this bracket here that this is all hooked to. It's not just welded on the front side of this tube, you know, because a lot of people would just weld that to the front, but you're you're you're really defeating the purpose of a tube at that point because you're not using the full tube. You can still rip the front of it off where this bracket here goes all the way through to the back side and we will Oh crap. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, what Josh is saying is he doesn't just weld it right there. It actually goes straight all the way through this 2-in framework, >> comes out the backside and gets secured here. Now, you also use a pretty unique manufacturing system. >> Yes. >> A tab. It's a what do you a tab and slot, which basically Can you show me that? Didn't we have a spot here on one of these trailers where we can see the tab and slot? So, this is how you create the tabs. And this is using you can cut up to 2 in thick steel creating tabs. >> Yeah. >> With this. >> Yep. >> It's a monster. >> Look at the precision. How tight that is. Look at how tight that is. Yeah. I mean, these tabs are absolutely flawless. The only the other thing we do here, we build robots, you know, a lot of welding cells. So that's the other thing we do here, too. >> That's why it's race automation. >> Yeah. A two in one. It's like a It's like a jigsaw puzzle. So this doesn't seem like it would be a big deal, but what this does is this ensures that trailer 101 is the same as trailer 1,01. Yes, >> they have to all be manufactured to this very specific >> tolerance >> because the tab and slots won't line up >> if they're off by even a fraction of an inch, >> right? >> So, a guy can't have a bad Monday and give give a person a crappy trailer because it just won't get built. It can't get built. >> No, it won't. >> It's not feasible for it. You are assuring that the quality that you want out on the road is the quality that every single customer gets, no matter what day of the week it was made and how good of a mood the guy that was making it was in that day. >> Yeah, correct. >> That makes sense to me. >> And luckily though too, with that being said, you know, we do have a really excellent crew. You know what I'm saying? We've got a really, really good crew of guys here and we we really care about what we do, you know? So that's the big difference. Whether or not you have a million square foot plan or not doesn't matter because it all comes back to your employee base and and what you got going on and your inspection process, your product design, it all comes down to it. And like I said, there are there's even more things in this that you can't see. You know, there's a lot more things like in this tilt trailer that you can't see like Thank you, sir. And >> this bumper here, this is fully tubed, so all of that stuff is all tab and slotted, too. So, that ensures that your cylinder is always in the center. You know, there's things like that where you're not having a guy to pull a tape. And like you said, if if it's if it's a bad day for him, maybe he marks it a half inch off on accident. You know, we just ensure that that doesn't happen. >> Well, now we skipped a trailer, Josh. So, we went right from this one to your tilt deck trailer. And you would do something different on the tilt deck trailer as well. >> Yeah. Yeah. There's a >> And it doesn't I mean to me it was a I mean Tim it was the first time you seen it. First time I seen it. I'm not used to seeing this on a tilt deck trailer. >> Timmy, will you walk up and down the trailer for me once? I just want to watch this in action. And Josh, while he's doing it, will you describe? >> So we're locked out now. I'm going to unlock it. >> Watch this cylinder right here. It doesn't look like a big deal to It wasn't a big deal to Josh. He could care less. He was like, "What?" >> Well, it's this is what we've done. It's been our standard product. >> But I have never seen another company do that. Most companies use this plastic reservoir. And the problem with the plastic reservoir is, especially where we're from, the cold >> Yeah. >> breaks them. They crack. After a couple years, they're broken. I don't see that happening. >> Well, it gives you the It kind of makes you think, well, it's got a reservoir on it. So, like your dump trailer, you see a reservoir, you get low on fluid, you just put some more in there, right? Right. you know, and and that's not necessarily the case on those because on a non-powered system, you can't you're not going to be able to build PSI to get the air out of it. So, once you get air in that system, you know, it's not going to work right >> now. This is a completely sealed system, >> 100% sealed. >> So, unless you rupture a hose, >> Yeah. >> you can't do it. So, you call this a slave cylinder. >> Yeah. And so as this one, the fluid goes into this cylinder and circulates back around. Is that right? >> So it's a one for one ratio. So this is the same exact cylinder, same bore, same everything as that one. So what we do on that is we're just transferring the fluid from the bottom of this one to the bottom of that one and the top to the top. Because like I said, you always have that air gap in a cylinder. any every hydraulic cylinder, no matter what it is, you're always going to you you've got this rod that goes down through here. So that takes once that's in all the way, that takes up that fluid capacity. So like say this 1in rod going in there, well, you got that 1 in of space in there. When you pull it out, it can't transfer that fluid back because there's a 1 in. >> And you and you have it designed so that as soon as the decking is down, the rod is in and protected. So you're not you can't go down the road scarring up this cylinder. >> Yeah. And that was that's another deal with the tab and slot. We designed it so whenever that comes out, it only goes out so far. So you can see how it's it only comes out so far and then it'll retract in. >> So that's the other thing. >> I know it didn't seem like a big thing to you, but to me I was looking at it like that's just makes sense. But it also looks like it would be different than what I would what I've seen in other ones. probably a little bit more robust of a system because you don't have a plastic reservoir. And the other thing about plastic reservoirs, too, is that you got the cap on the top. So, you're always sloshing fluid around. So, you're always like probably nine times out of 10, you're going to see that and it's going to have fluid out here. Like, you're going to see the old…