Loading and unloading cargo from trailers can be tough on floors and sidewalls, so it’s important to have a flooring system that is strong enough to withstand daily wear and tear.
The two most common types of flooring for refrigerated trailers are flat floors and reefer duct floors. Great Dane’s high-performance floor design protects cargo by helping to ensure proper temperatures. Floors are automatically welded to seal out moisture, and composite sills provide maximum support and a defense against moisture intrusion. These sills are anchored by sill screws that employ an organic multi-layer coating system that resists corrosion. An impact-resistant thermoplastic sub-pan completes the floor design, creating an extremely durable and well protected floor.
Flat Floors for Pallets
Flat flooring is generally used for palletized load applications. Palletized loads are concentrated and can require a higher floor rating, especially for heavy-duty grocery, dairy and foodservice operations. Great Dane’s standard heavy-duty concentrated reefer cargo flat floor is rated at 20,000 pounds. It is available with four different surface types: smooth, Safety-Grip, ridged and textured. This floor is the highest forklift-rated floor in the industry and is a popular option for many grocery and foodservice applications.
Flat floors are ideal for when moveable bulkheads are used to create multiple temperature zones because the bulkheads can seal tightly across the flat floor surface. The delivery of products in and out of trailers with small-wheeled carts is easier on the flat surface than on ducted floors. Also, operations where pallet jacks and fork trucks are used to load trailers can benefit from flat floors.
Flat floors are not as prone to collect debris or snag pallets and are easy to clean.
Reefer Duct Floors Help Cooling
Reefer duct floors, also known as corrugated floors, can service a variety of loads. Great Dane’s heavy-duty duct flooring is TTMA-rated at 18,000 pounds.
The floor includes an integral channel at the extreme outboard edges of the floor assembly that is unique to Great Dane’s design. Air and electrical lines can be routed through this channel to eliminate the need to notch (weaken) the floor sills at the center of the floor, which is a high stress area.
Great Dane’s reefer duct floors provide better air flow management, which protects cargo by helping the cooling unit operate efficiently and maintain temperature. Built with two-to-four-inch insulation, in addition to the insulation in the extrusion of the floor, these reefer duct floors are extremely thermally efficient.
Reefer Scuffband Protects Sidewalls
Forklifts, pallet jacks or anything moving through the trailer can damage sidewalls. Scuffbands provide extra sidewall protection and are available in various heights and materials, including integral extruded aluminum, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, and Great Dane’s PunctureGuard scuffband.
Extruded aluminum integral scuffbands are available in standard and heavy-duty and are probably the most common scuffbands. These scuffbands are welded along the floorboard to create a water-tight seal. A 10-inch height is standard with six-inch pieces available for stacking, giving up to 46-inches of protection.
HDPE plastic scuffbands are commonly spec’d for grocery and foodservice operations due to a high number of load and unload cycles. Very durable, HDPE scuffbands are 0.625 inches thick, which provides more standoff and better protects the lining.
Attached with recessed fasteners, pallets do not catch on or snag the sidewall, protecting it from damage caused when using the sidewall as a guide to direct pallets inside the trailer. This type of scuffband is also easy to replace if damaged.
PunctureGuard scuffbands are slim but strong. Incredibly thin at 0.200 inches, bonded PunctureGuard scuffbands provide more interior width than HDPE scuffbands, yet are extremely puncture resistant. These scuffbands are also lighter weight, resistant to delamination, and can withstand abrasion from forklifts and pallet jacks.
Bonded to the sidewall with a heavy-duty adapter at the bottom, PunctureGuard scuffbands have no fasteners. The adapter attaches the wall scuff assembly to the heavy-duty floor and protects the sidewall from impact at the floor level.
