I was on the M1 the other day and was comparing the trailers of particularly the Eastern European trucks and the uk trucks and i must say the european trailer looks or sits better on the road , maybe its because its lower down than the UK trailers . A bit a strange thing to observe i know 
Anyone think this or im i alone 
I know what you mean.
Trailers from the rest of Europe are mostly limited to 4m in height so the air deflector matches the trailer which I think looks so much neater than our +4m standard combinations.
Our European cousins seem to be better able to match the trailer pin to the position of the fifth wheel (I know the BAG are keen on overall lengths). I always think five axle combinations look smarter anyhow.
Don’t feel too bad though, In Sweden there isn’t any height or length limits and some of the stuff out there looks absolutley hideous.
W
I liked the Swedish trucks. It was awesome driving over there. 
Ive noticed a few trailers , DFDS ones in which the trailer is at an angle to the rig . These Swedish ones?
It’s because of this countries obsession with sliders and 1.2m 5th wheel heights.
Look at most European tractors and they have lower profile 5th wheels mounted directly onto the chassis. This will allow a trailer bed to sit horizontal when coupled where as most uk stuff slopes to the rear a little. In the uk the majority of units are specked with a slider even tho I reckon 90% are never moved after being initially set.
The classic is container haulage where with a uk standard skelly a hi-cube box runs at around 14’6". Go to holland and they knock over a foot off the running height with lower 5th wheels and a bit of ingenuity with the trailer construction.
I agree that it looks better the european way.
Cheers
Neilf
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I concur with that,they do look smarter,have you seen the Turkish trucks over in the uk a lot with Renault premium cabs,quite a small living space for the trips they do,one i saw was almost a day cab,with a pod on the roof for a his sleeping area.
They don’t ■■■■■, they get on with it.
Yeah love the look of a Low Profile Globetrotter or Renault , see it a lot with the Turkish.
I agree that the lower 5th wheel and smaller wheels looks great on the road, but if we ever get one delivering to one of our sites they always end up getting stuck! With big undulations and steep inclines on most of our construction sites in Wales they are no match for a British truck with a slider and supper singles!
Francis
neilf:
It’s because of this countries obsession with sliders and 1.2m 5th wheel heights.Look at most European tractors and they have lower profile 5th wheels mounted directly onto the chassis.
I agree that it looks better the european way.
Cheers
Neilf
These are very common in europe. (& now our yard in Bootle:@)
Ross.
I Love my mega now, it’s easier to climb on the back and rides quite well with a lower centre of gravity, to me the front axle felt a bit scary at first being on air it just didn’t feel right but you soon get used to it. You have to be careful when going up and down slopes as the rear can drag on the floor or the front touches the catwalk. The biggest pain is having to keep moving the side planks. If I’m in uk for a few days they get put on a pallet and left in the warehouse.
They make trailers much better in the fatherland and its neighbour
Another potential hazard of low rides is that sometimes the trailer can damage the catwalk if turning on a bit of an incline. I have heard stories that the trailer can also “dig in” between the chassis rails but have never seen it happen. I’ve spent a lot of time on megas and do prefer them, 1 advantage is that the straps on the curtain are at an easier height to work with I find.
Another thing to be careful of on them low rides is that the trailer doesnt end up at an angle where it come down on top of drive tyre , not an easy thing to do but it does happen as i found out to my cost at the weekend
This on my nice german built krone isnt the end of the world when it happens as they have had the brain to put a fit steel plate on underside of trailer and the tyre just rubs but across it, but the english buit backwards ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ sdc mega i had on at weekend didnt there was no plate just the sharp edged struts for the floor couple this with the fact there was no raise lower valve 
and this has made my nice tidy Michelin tyre look like its had a hard year at a quarry 
English trailers are built strong but when it comes to design they aint a patch on european trailers especially the german kind
460MC:
English trailers are built strong but when it comes to design they aint a patch on european trailers especially the german kind
I have to disagree, Schmitz curtainsiders are the work of the devil. A more badly designed trailer you couldn’t hope to find.
How so?
No doubt virgina have a few sdc trailers next time you’ve got one on have a feel how sharp the roof cross struts are, iv watched a bloke literally nearly lose his finger on one. Then on the ones our company have the rear rubbers for touching bays were set in 4 inches from the edge and pertruded more or less level with the metal seal that housed the door hinges and ran the perimeter of the trailer which meant on the wrong bay that would take the beating.
Example I was reversing on the bay in France 25 tonne of champagne on in a automatic and the Tarmac had 3 big ruts in it where trailers had been sitting, European spec I might add with the wheels spec’d in the correct place on the trailer, closer to the landing legs with plenty of overhang. So when I came along in my nice sdc with the wheels more or less touching the rear bumper I had to try a push out these ruts with the 25 ton on in the auto it ended up in a almighty bang against the bay not the end of the world except the metal perimeter took the shock not the misplaced rubbers and ended up bent as Julian clary
Still I’m the driver and arguably my fault but the ■■■■ poor design didnt help.
Getting back to what op says aswell have a look under a Schmitz and see how they’ve crudley had to adjust there trailers for them to meet the ridiculously unnecessary 1250mm running height, they’ve just chocked it up with wedges on the airbags in.
With the price of fuel now and the criticalness on keeping mpg down you would think the uk would have caught on
We have loads of SDCs and a few Schmitz curtainsiders. My heart always sinks when I get a Schmitz. Over designed crap. The buckles that fold over the edge of the curtain, the ridiculously over elaborate curtain winders, badly positioned airlines. I’m sorry but for me Schmitz trailers just make my day harder. I think SDC make the best curtainsiders I’ve ever come across. May not be perfect but they are still 20 times better than those daft Schmitz contraptions. They age badly compared to an SDC too. We have some 4m Schmitz euroliners a similar age to the SDC one I’m pulling now. Trying to get the roof back on the Schmitz is a nightmare. All our SDC sliding roofs slide back like a dream in contrast.
Just horrible trailers in my opinion.
Just be grateful you don’t have to pull Lecapitaine fridges (built in-house by the Petit Forestier rental firm), absolutely awful, especially if built on a flexy Samro chassis. Lamberet seemed a good trailer a few years back, but the new SR2 models have got a poor reputation, so I guess it’s a choice of Chereau if you can live with the finish, or good old G&A if you’re feeling patriotic . . . n/a for us here in France, unfortunately.
~ Craig
If your in France Craig 111, how about a Klege, I always thought that they were very well put together. Better known for rigids than trailers, but still plenty about, and they will put them on any chassis you want.
I agree, Schmitz seem to be built on price and it shows in the workmanship. As trailers go, most of the Dutch ones take some beating. Burg / Hobur. Dijkstra and Van Hool. I have used several German Feldbinder liquid tankers and they are nicer to work with but they will not last as long as a Hobur.
As for Tilts and Sliders I always found Fruehauf / Trailor a good make and Krone stood up to the job
I think Chereau from Coutances are now owned by German Kögel