A curtain side truck is all about options—more rather than fewer. A curtain van can load/unload standard freight through the rear door like a conventional van or body. But a curtainsider doesn’t have to. It can take on large or odd-sized loads from the side like an open flatbed, if that’s what you need to haul at the moment. Street-side loading with no loading dock... no problem at all.
What a curtainside does on any given day is pretty much up to you and whatever new profit opportunities may present themselves. Retractable side curtains and a fixed aluminum or translucent roof mated to a flatbed van body add up to a hybrid adaptable to almost any load today’s market can throw at you. Versatility: that’s the curtainsider advantage.
Behind The Curtain
Quality and day-in/day-out durability is built into a curtainside. Fabricated of PVC-coated PES polyester, the curtain material provides high tear resistance and breaking strength, yet is readily repairable in the event of small incidental damage. It’s also reinforced by a matrix of webbing dielectrically welded to the inside of the curtain to add extra strength for load-retaining capability (the DOT does not classify sliding curtainside curtains as load-bearing). Strapping loads is all that’s required before you’re ready to roll.
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From The Outside In
Stainless-steel buckle assemblies spaced at 24-inch intervals secure the bottom of the curtain to the side channel on the frame and maintain vertical tension, while a rotary tensioner handle at the front pulls the secured curtain taut horizontally. By rotating the tensioner counter-clockwise, then releasing the buckles, you’ll be amazed how easily this heavy-duty curtain glides open on sealed ball-bearing rollers in the overhead track to provide speedy access and closure. Curtain motion is, of course, bi-directional, sliding easily front-to-back or back-to-front, depending on the portion of the curtain side body you need to reach. This greatly facilitates back hauls and partial loads by providing access to any freight anywhere in the truck. Aluminum side pillars also slide in an overhead channel and can be unlocked and moved out of the way to facilitate totally unobstructed, front-to-back side access, then repositioned and locked in place for optimum support.
Van Security, Flatbed Strength
Step inside and immediately notice the increased floor space and load capacity. The absence of a hard side wall structure permits a stretched width of 102 inches compared to the conventional van trailer’s 98 inches. Overhead, a translucent fiberglass roof sheet allows natural illumination into the interior but is tightly sealed to keep out the elements. Once the curtains are closed and tensioned, a curtainside provides weather-proof protection for your freight, superior to what any flatbed delivers (regardless of how much time is expended in the ancient art of tarping the flatbed’s load). Under your feet, the I-beam structure of a curtainside trailer conforms to flatbed specs for strength and sturdiness that exceed the typical enclosed van. The rear double-door with locking handles is identical to a hard-side van trailer for loading and unloading at a conventional dock, when that’s what the job calls for.
WANT TO MOVE FROM FLATBED VANS TO CURTAINSIDE TRUCKS?
