New equipment is always better than used one. And “curtains” are no exception to this rule. Our website sells excellent tent semi-trailers from three well-known companies - Grunwald, Wielton and Tonar. Which one is the best? Let's find out!
To make the comparison objective and impartial, we decided to place the main emphasis on four main parameters - dead weight, carrying capacity, cubic capacity and, of course, price. But, before comparing the above indicators, we will evaluate the unique “chips” with which each model is ready to interest a potential buyer.
“The only thing they did was tighten the bearings”
Photo source: LLC "Gofrotara"
Company: LLC "Gofrotara", Belgorod Position: Sergey Blazhievsky, director of the company Year of purchase: 2012
— The fleet currently has seven curtain-sided semi-trailers with a length of 16.5 meters. The first one was purchased 5 years ago. When renewing the fleet of tent semi-trailers, we purchase only TONARs.
Each semi-trailer travels 300-350 km every day. Semi-trailers are in operation seven days a week. We try to use TONARs to the maximum, especially over long distances. Compared to Euro trucks (13.5 meters), TONARs are 20% more profitable in terms of transportation. We transport corrugated packaging, which is bulky but light in weight. This semi-trailer can load up to 22 tons of cargo. Moreover, the difference in the loading/unloading speed of a 16-meter semi-trailer and a Euro truck (13.5 m) is unnoticeable.
Read
Internet diary of a curtainsider semi-trailer. Testing TONAR 974611DN (Part 1)
On the first semi-trailers, problems arose in the operation of the WABCO system and the pneumatic system. Now everything is completely eliminated. There are no complaints about the axes. The only thing they did was tighten the bearings. There are small nuances in the operation of TONARs: difficulties arise with turning / turning the equipment if we go to old-built enterprises or carry out transportation within the city. But this is rather not a problem, but a feature. Still, the length of the semi-trailer is 16.5 meters. One of the conditions for transporting cargo: you need to properly distribute the cargo, tighten it with belts while driving (belts, by the way, TONAR comes with the semi-trailer, which is not the case with other manufacturers).
We are very pleased with the TONAR technology. She's worth the money. We hope that TONAR exists and will continue to exist!
Welton NS 3 K – Poland strong!
The Poles know a lot about trailers. In any case, the products of their Wielton brand enjoy well-deserved respect and popularity. One of the most popular tent semi-trailers from this company is the famous three-axle NS3K. In their design, the main emphasis is placed on usability, reliability and security.
What does Poland offer us? An extremely convenient mechanism for sliding curtains, which allows loading and unloading operations both from the sides and from the roof. Frame made of high-alloy Swedish steel DOMEX, shot-blasted, painted and varnished. Reliable braking system equipped with ABS. The floors are covered with durable and waterproof Finnish plywood that can withstand the weight of a five-ton forklift.
Having a dead weight similar to Grunwald, Wielton is somewhat inferior to it in terms of carrying capacity and is slightly less strong. Otherwise, the “Pole” is as modern and technologically advanced as its German “colleague”. Yes, and it costs a little less.
“We have 230 TONARs in the park”
Photo source: tonar.info
Company: TEM-PO Logistic LLC Position: Ilgiz Kadirov, General Director Year of purchase: 2015 and 2016
— Our company is engaged in the manufacture of metal structures, so the main cargo is products of our own production: pipes, profiles, piles, etc. Return cargo can be absolutely anything: from household appliances to food.
Our fleet of TONAR equipment is quite large (230 units). The operating time of most semi-trailers is 250,000 km. And there are no serious complaints about the equipment of this manufacturer. And minor comments are all working moments. Having such a large fleet of equipment, we are, of course, interested in the constant and uninterrupted operation of semi-trailers. Taking into account the characteristics of the cargo and places of operation (especially routes that go beyond the Urals), we have changed the maintenance schedule - we carry it out not every 60,000 km, as prescribed by the manufacturer, but every 20,000 km. There are no comments on the frame or body.
In general, we are satisfied with the technology. Decent value for money.
“Made with us” and on Yandex.Zen
It is quite obvious that the components that are more susceptible to rapid wear due to increased loads include the axles of semi-trailers. When moving and braking a road train, the axles of trailers and semi-trailers experience inertial loads - these are dynamic loads, loads from the weight of the transported cargo and the trailer itself - these are static loads. In addition to the above active influences, there are also reactive influences - support reaction forces transmitted through wheels, hubs and bearings to the axle, the intensity of the influence of which depends to a large extent on the topography of the road and the total weight of the loaded trailer, etc. Therefore, on the choice of the axle unit and its quality completely depends on the safety and efficiency of your equipment.
Most manufacturers of trailed equipment, due to the complexity of the technological process, high requirements for the quality of the finished product, as well as considerable financial costs, do not manufacture their own axles, but, as a rule, install ready-made axle units.
At our plant, the issue with the choice of axle units has long been resolved. TONAR began manufacturing its own axles back in 2002. Several factors prompted this: firstly, the cost of purchasing axles has always been and remains the highest, secondly, increased demand for our products, thirdly, unstable exchange rates, especially in today’s conditions, as well as frequent breakdowns delivery times for orders.
Over these 14 years, we have gained vast experience in design, manufacturing, operation and have produced more than 60,000 axes. The average mileage is more than 1,000,000 km, although there are examples with mileage of about 2,000,000 km. We can already say with confidence that they have reliably proven themselves and are popular with carriers. Let us remember that initially the plant produced one type of axle, which was installed on all the plant’s products, but with the increase in sales of our equipment, interest in our axle units gradually increased. And already in 2009, the plant management decided to separate axle production into a separate direction and increase the range of TONAR brand axles and suspensions.
It is worth noting that today this is a very promising and dynamically developing segment of our activity; in just a year (comparing 2014 and 2015), sales of axles from our production have increased 3 times.
Now MZ "Tonar" produces:
- 9-ton axle with single tires for R 22.5 rims
- 9-ton axle with disc brake for R 22.5 rim
- 11-ton axle with dual-pitch tires for R 22.5 rims
- 11-ton axle with double tires for R 17.5 rims
- 13-ton axle with single-pitch tires for R 22.5 rims
- 13-ton axle with double tires for R 22.5 rims
- 20-ton axle with double tires for R 24 rims
- 25-ton axle with double tires for R 25 rims
The wheel rim indicated is recommended, but it is possible to install a rim of a different size.
And this is not the limit! Taking into account the wide capabilities of our production and design bureau, the development of new axle models practically does not stop. Axles for the car and a number of steering axles have been developed and continue to be developed.
As noted by one of our spare parts dealers, Boris Dvoirin (head of TDPS LLC), who visited our.
Taking into account today’s realities, he is echoed by one of our regular large clients, the head of a transport company from Nizhny Novgorod, Alexey Bykov: “A high degree of localization of axial production (i.e., no need to buy spare parts abroad) leads to a significant reduction in the price of the finished product "
Thus, by installing axles of its own production on 95% of finished products, the plant year after year built up a base of loyal customers. It is likely that it was the combination of consistent quality and reviews from satisfied consumers that ensured stable demand for axle products.
Separately, we note that our clients are increasingly becoming large enterprises and factories that also manufacture trailers and semi-trailers, including containers for transporting food products and petroleum products.
According to Boris Dvoirin: “Today I see a trend that people are switching to TONAR for one simple reason: price-quality ratio.”
Adequate cost, high maintainability, low service life costs combined with excellent technical and driving performance allow the carrier to optimize operating costs as much as possible, which, as we said above, is one of the most important criteria influencing the choice of finished products. And a developed dealer network of service stations and spare parts stores will reduce downtime as much as possible!
What you should pay attention to when choosing an axial unit:
AXLES - a axle made of a solid pipe with a diameter of 146 mm and a thickness of 14 mm - which allows it to withstand shock and dynamic loads well
AXLES OF OTHER MANUFACTURERS are beams , which weakens the metal. The wall thickness of European manufacturers is usually 10 mm.
AXLES TONAR - use of universal consumables : brakes, bearings, etc. - carriers do not have problems with the selection of spare parts
AXLES OF OTHER MANUFACTURERS —
1) Often consumables are tied to a specific manufacturer.
2) Parts can only be purchased as part of expensive repair kits.
AXLES TONAR - Russian production - operating conditions related to the quality of Russian roads are taken into account.
AXLES OF OTHER MANUFACTURERS - Foreign manufacturers do not always take into account operating conditions in Russia.
AXIS TONAR – Warranty – 3 years
AXLES OF OTHER MANUFACTURERS - Warranty is usually 1 year (maximum 2 years).
As they say, the choice is yours.
“Drivers have not complained about TONARs”
Photo source: tonar.info
Company: Infretta LLC (furniture factory) Position: Nikolay Malyakov, head of the transport department Year of purchase: 2015
— We have four TONAR tent semi-trailers, we bought them 2 years ago. The equipment is used mainly for transporting finished products. In general, we try to change our fleet of equipment every 3 years.
Read
Internet diary of a curtainsider semi-trailer. Testing TONAR 974611DN (Part 2)
Let me start with the fact that the determining factor when purchasing a TONAR semi-trailer was the volume of the body. The equipment we used earlier was smaller in cubic capacity. It became obvious that by changing only the semi-trailer (the tractor remains the same), we could transport much more. We did the calculations and it turned out that we could transport 20% more!
Regarding the axles, frame, electrics - I can’t say anything bad, our drivers haven’t complained about TONARs. Everything works fine. We carry out maintenance at our official service center in Ryazan. We do minor repairs ourselves.
Grunwald Gr - CSt - fantastic technology
Grunwald products, like everything German, must meet the highest quality standards. And the three-axle tent semi-trailer Gr-CSt does not lose face. This impeccably executed model has a number of significant advantages over its closest competitors.
It is easy to load and unload thanks to the convenient, separately sliding walls and roof. The frame and axles are reinforced for domestic use. The spars are made of high-strength Swedish steel OVAKO and welded on both sides. At the same time, the flanges of the side members are solid-rolled and do not have welds.
Argon welding allows you to not be afraid to operate this model in cold climatic conditions, and double shot blasting with anti-corrosion painting reliably protects the body from rust and mechanical damage. The presence of a front lifting axle is also immensely pleasing. The only negative is the cost. Of all the three-axis “tails” we present, Gr-CSt is the most expensive. But this is the case when the price justifies the quality.
“There are no complaints about the electrics and chassis”
Photo source: Termit LLC
Company: Termit LLC Position: Viktor Ivanovich, executive director Year of purchase: 2015
The company produces and transports insulation. We can say that we transport universal cargo. We carry insulation in one direction, and passing cargo in the opposite direction.
In 2015, we purchased five U-shaped TONAR semi-trailers. In 2016, we bought two more, but now 16-meter curtain ones. Long semi-trailers were needed to optimize transportation. The choice was between Manak-Auto products and TONAR, since only these 2 factories could offer 16-meter semi-trailers. We bought TONAR and did not regret it. Compared to the 2015 semi-trailers, they are much better. I would say perfect. And better than similar competitors' equipment.
At the moment, curtain side semi-trailers have already covered 140,000 km. We carry out maintenance ourselves, but we haven’t replaced anything in the technology yet. There are no complaints about the electrics and chassis.
