What part of a trailer has the highest maintenance cost?
The overhead door. Surprised? Fleet owners consistently tell us that when it comes to trailer and truck body maintenance costs, the rollup door is the biggest culprit. Makes sense when you consider the many extremes of the weather – rain, snow, grit, wind – are multiplied at the trailing end of the truck. It's a tough environment back there.
Pause for thought. When ordering or spec'ing your next overhead door(s), consider cost per mile versus cost per door. It will save you down the road.
So how long should an overhead door last?
We asked that question
of the fleet folks who visited our booth at the Technology & Maintenance
Council (TMC) in Fort Lauderdale. The overwhelming response?
10 years.
Which is exactly why a 10-year warranty is important to you. And why we developed WeatherTite polycomposite doors AND put a 10-year limited warranty on them. It's a significant contribution to a fleet's bottom line. For details, click here.
The unfolding story of a better walk ramp.
The Need: The delivery business is using side doors more and more these days. And that's led to a need for a new kind of walk ramp – one specifically designed to help make sure, quick work of deliveries.
The Solution: The new TODCO FlipSide side-mounted folding walk ramp is the ideal combination. It's compact, unfolding for deliveries then storing away in a handy compartment under your trucks or trailers. It's exceptionally rugged to handle the heaviest loads, with a heavy-duty aluminum ramp and welded steel legs. It's easy to wheel around, with large rubber wheels and convenient handles. And it achieves one of your primary goals: to be so driver-friendly, it makes every stop go more easily, to make every schedule go more quickly. The new TODCO FlipSide walk ramp: works harder, handles easier.
For details, click here.
Saving money
by easing the daily wind.
Preventive Maintenance is a textbook way to save trouble, time and money. And TODCO how-to tips make it easy.
TODCO Tip #1:
"One of the quickest and easiest ways to prolong the life of your
overhead doors is to keep the counterbalance springs lubricated. The spring
is a moving part that winds and unwinds, so lubrication makes its operation
easier. It also helps prevent rust, which can inhibit movement. Spend
just five minutes lubricating the springs on your doors every month, and
you'll add years to their service life."
The
upside of door safety.
The counterbalance is one of the main safety differences between TODCO overhead doors and the leading competitor's. The other guy's doors have a two-spring counterbalance system, and if a cable breaks, wham. The door can drop like a rock.
That's
why TODCO gives you a single-spring counterbalance. It alone has the strength
to hold the door in position, so you won't be slammed by a cable problem.
We didn't stop at the counterbalance, either. TODCO cables are the only ones that are aircraft quality 7 x 19 stainless steel – seven individual cables, each constructed of 19 separate strands of stainless steel, interwoven for strength and flexibility.
With TODCO, it's an open and shut case. You can count on safety wound into every counterbalance.
Ken Hall, National
Fleet Manager
This transplanted Texan has the gift of gab. He can pour on the charm with customers, maybe that's why his customers tease him about all the bull in his favorite cowboy boots. He's nicknamed the "bulldog" for his tenacity, toughness and "handsome appearance." We asked a few questions of our 34-year truck door industry vet to give you a little more insight into this character.
Q: What
was your first job?
KH: Wow, hmmm... I guess my first job was passing papers, washing porches
and mowing lawns in Ohio.
Q: My
proudest accomplishment to date is...
KH: My family. One daughter, two sons, two grandbaby sons and two grandbaby
daughters ranging in age from 8 to 22 years old.
Q: My
advice on life is...
KH: Get a clue what you want to do and be the best at it, be it President
or pushing a broom.
Q: What
is your favorite quote?
KH: Do what the hell you said you were going to do.
Q: Who
is your hero and why?
KH: John Wayne. He represents pretty much everything every man wants
to be.
Q: What
would you do if you won the lottery?
KH: You mean the second thing? You can't print the first thing... I don't
buy lottery tickets, so chances are pretty slim. Share it with those close
to me.
Where were you in
'62?
Look at any overhead door today, and you'll see where TODCO innovations have made the difference since 1957. For instance, by 1962 TODCO had introduced:
• 7x19 stainless
steel aircraft quality cables (still an exclusive)
• single counterbalance torsion spring
• tongue-and-groove panel profile
• seven-ply plywood
• first practical insulated overhead door
• aluminum-clad door
It was true then, is true today. TODCO is a tough act to follow.
The U.S. Interstate Highway system totals about how many miles?
a) 32,500
b) 37,500
c) 42,500
d) 47,500
Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.
On a scale of 1 to 10, we rate your opinion at about an 11. No other feedback
comes close in importance to what we hear from customers. So to help us
make sure we offer you the best products, value and service, we'll ask
for your opinion on different topics. This time, it's our service
schools.
Trivia answer:
c
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