My first trailer was a “bespoke” Primrose 32ft Tandem 4 which they built using wide track axles and Big J hub assemblies which allowed the use of normal 1100 x 22:5 wheels and not those poxy centre knave wheels on standard narrow track tandem axles with the over braked drums for single wheel tandem 4’s. But my next trailers were York SL’s ( diamond chassis) which I always thought were both easier runners and better braked than the Crane Fruehaufs.
Bewick:
My first trailer was a “bespoke” Primrose 32ft Tandem 4 which they built using wide track axles and Big J hub assemblies which allowed the use of normal 1100 x 22:5 wheels and not those poxy centre knave wheels on standard narrow track tandem axles with the over braked drums for single wheel tandem 4’s. But my next trailers were York SL’s ( diamond chassis) which I always thought were both easier runners and better braked than the Crane Fruehaufs.
Interesting question. I found Van Hool trailers to be the best engineered and solid examples, but they were always a tad on the heavy side.
Crane Fruehauf i used having that narrow side steel strip suffered less damage from fork trucks, so looked better for longer than the Yorks with soft sides which dented easily, plus the shape of the Crane’s sides meant you could fold excess sheets under that rail so a neater job of sheeting could be done.
York with the diamond cut chassis Bewick mentions i used more often, if i recall correctly tared off @ 10 tons with a Buffalo tractor unit, 21 ton load well inside max, not bad @ 32 gross, when you consider how many axles and how heavy and expensive a 44 tonner is now to only get another 7 tons on at best.
Crane towed better though, not a spread axle as such but the axles seemed further forward so didn’t cut corners quite as bad as the York.
Couldn’t tell you which were better braked, was underneath whatever i towed regularly with a 9/16th ring and small hammer adjusting the brakes up anyway, this nipping the brakes up carried on doing right up till the mid/late 90’s, my first Lohr wag n drag transporter trailers were on small wheels with manual adjusters and the brakes wore down rapidly.
My mate TOM would say Crane Fruehauf ever time
Diamond chassis York or Tasker ?
Boden for me. Never had any problems.
Lance Biscomb:
My mate TOM would say Crane Fruehauf ever time
Is that Tom Riding?
C/F & Biden for me
Ken b
Buzzer:
One for you Dennis to Identify, Buzzer
Possibly a BTC looking at that angle iron chassis but just a guess really ! 
Cheers Dennis.
Kenb:
Lance Biscomb:
My mate TOM would say Crane Fruehauf ever timeIs that Tom Riding?
C/F & Biden for me
Ken b
I didn’t know that Joe had been into trailer manufacturing ! 
I did like the diamond frame SL York ( Castellated chassis I think was the correct term) then they changed over to the LD solid chassis but my biggest problem with York was the pathetically slow landing legs gearing and they just would not listen and they even built me a new 40 ft using Davies Magnet legs but they were no better. Whereas the C/F gear was A.C.E. half a dozen turns in high gear and you were away and this made a big difference when it was pishing down cats and dogs so the York legs could be abandoned half way up and liable to getting bent if they were caught on some obstacle ! But I can say we never had any York legs bent but I told the York Salesman that I would switch to C/F if they wouldn’t sort the leg job out and so I did ! Eventually the BTS trailer fleet became 70% C/F and 28% York. Both York and C/F used the fabricated chock rail over the years but I did manage to order many C/F 40 fts with the cast steel chock which could withstand FLT punishment but they were not ideal for carrying reels if an inch or so of overhang was required occasionally. As the tri axles came on stream in early 83 I first of all ordered off C/F but they were insistent on using their own poxy Propar axle assemblies instead of ROR which was my preferred axle so finally TASK offered to build to my exact spec , ROR axles , mono leaf , and heavy gauge flush side raves and a high tensile headboard, perfecto ! so the next 170 odd trailers were built at TASK ■■■■■■■■■■■ and many were pre prepared to accept the Boally Tautliner body so we shipped those chassis straight from ■■■■■■■■■■■ to Congleton ! So for about 10/11 years we had a perfect spec of chassis although this was kiboshed when the Paddy outfit Montracon bought out TASK so I changed over to good old C/F for by then we were just buying Boally Tautliners and I had a few Grahams of Gildersome bodied C/F and ------ I tried some Lawrence David’s on SAF chassis and a few LD on C/F chassis and of course all these later chassis were on air suspension which I had been dabbling in since buying the first 3 Boalloy T/Liners in 1979. I always found the trailer side of our fleet very interesting particularly the tyre specs, Both interesting and happy days now long gone ! Cheers Bewick.
I have had some further thoughts about trailers and Boden in particular as I recall the late Jack Brady telling me what a great bloke Bill Boden was and in the mid 60’s when 30/33ft tandems became popular as a result of C & U changes Bradys bought many Boden trailers. I understand that the Bill Boden designed tandem suspension was the reason that The Fruehauf Corporation via Crane Trailers bought out Boden in around 1968 and then used the Boden designs to storm the UK trailer market as Crane Fruehauf. I think they continued , after the takeover, to badge the trailers built at the Boden factory in Royton as " Boden" and the trailers produced at East Dereham were badged C/F. Many of the C/F trailers I bought were built at Royton where I dealt with a Sales Manager called John Gough who in later years had turned up as Northern sales manager for Mercedes Benz Commercials based at Wakefield ( IIRC) so I was able to renew an old acquaintance which put me “right in” for some good deals via Ciceley Commercials at Blackburn !! Those were the days !
^^^ Incidentally, Dennis, now that ‘staycation’ in UK is the new order of things for holidays this year, I thought this might be the ideal camper van for you.
ERF-NGC-European:
^^^ Incidentally, Dennis, now that ‘staycation’ in UK is the new order of things for holidays this year, I thought this might be the ideal camper van for you.0
That’s last years model my new one is a tandem axle and coupled to a Beaver ! 
Bewick:
Paddy outfit Montracon bought out TASK so I changed over to good old C/F
Hi Dennis, Just being curious but did you give them a chance or did you just not like Montracon/Montgomery ?
Bewick:
ERF-NGC-European:
^^^ Incidentally, Dennis, now that ‘staycation’ in UK is the new order of things for holidays this year, I thought this might be the ideal camper van for you.That’s last years model my new one is a tandem axle and coupled to a Beaver !
You can have this Hippo on trial while we source your Beaver
Sorry to hijack the thread chaps!! Back to normal then… 
Bewick:
Buzzer:
One for you Dennis to Identify, BuzzerPossibly a BTC looking at that angle iron chassis but just a guess really !
There were a fair few trailer makers making 4 in line trailers and off the top of my head can think of BTC,Scammell,Taskers,Hands,Dyson,Eagle,etc.
Heres a Boden one.
dave docwra:
Bewick:
Paddy outfit Montracon bought out TASK so I changed over to good old C/FHi Dennis, Just being curious but did you give them a chance or did you just not like Montracon/Montgomery ?
Hi Dave, got to be careful here because if I let rip about what I really thought about Montracon I will get castigated from certain quarters about my strongly held opinions which I should keep to myself and say ‘nowt !
However, as it was me that bought trailers and not my detractors I believe I can express a qualified opinion on trailer manufactures as I saw them !
I never entertained or considered either Montracon,SDC or Dennison trailers for the Bewick fleet full stop. However it was Montracon that tried a time or two, unsuccessfully, to interest me in their product and in particular by their, then, " East End Barra’ Boy Sales Director". Well this particular day he turns up un-announced at the depot and proudly tells me that as Montracon had just bought out Taskers I would now be dealing with Montracon ! The cheeky B------- so I recall that I had an order for 6 TASK chassis in the process of being built for Boalloy bodies to be fitted so I informed this “Barra Boy” that if they dared to tamper with my TASK spec there would be Trouble and I chased him!! These were the last TASK chassis I bought and they closed the ■■■■■■■■■■■ factory IIRC and I returned to Crane Fruehauf for subsequent orders ! I realise that the trailer market has changed considerably since my day and is now all Paddies and Continental makes so I can’t really comment on current makes of trailer. What do you reckon ? Cheers Dennis.
My father was a big fan of York trailers with the diamond cut outs
His favourite was a 40ft spread axle flat with twist locks and removable headboard that he bought secondhand.
The headboard was bent so chucked that away from the off.wasn’t much that couldn’t be carried on that trailer,and he could squeeze 22 pallets on it if I remember rightly due to having no headboard.
His last trailer was a Booth (Boothe?) 30ft single axle flat that gave excellent service
Bewick:
dave docwra:
Bewick:
Paddy outfit Montracon bought out TASK so I changed over to good old C/FHi Dennis, Just being curious but did you give them a chance or did you just not like Montracon/Montgomery ?
Hi Dave, got to be careful here because if I let rip about what I really thought about Montracon I will get castigated from certain quarters about my strongly held opinions which I should keep to myself and say ‘nowt !
However, as it was me that bought trailers and not my detractors I believe I can express a qualified opinion on trailer manufactures as I saw them !
I never entertained or considered either Montracon,SDC or Dennison trailers for the Bewick fleet full stop. However it was Montracon that tried a time or two, unsuccessfully, to interest me in their product and in particular by their, then, " East End Barra’ Boy Sales Director". Well this particular day he turns up un-announced at the depot and proudly tells me that as Montracon had just bought out Taskers I would now be dealing with Montracon ! The cheeky B------- so I recall that I had an order for 6 TASK chassis in the process of being built for Boalloy bodies to be fitted so I informed this “Barra Boy” that if they dared to tamper with my TASK spec there would be Trouble and I chased him!! These were the last TASK chassis I bought and they closed the ■■■■■■■■■■■ factory IIRC and I returned to Crane Fruehauf for subsequent orders ! I realise that the trailer market has changed considerably since my day and is now all Paddies and Continental makes so I can’t really comment on current makes of trailer. What do you reckon ? Cheers Dennis.
Hi Dennis, Thanks for the reply & I fully understand that this is an open forum, I may have had a run in with the Barra boy myself about five years ago, he was not the best singer according to another couple that I know, I may also be a million miles away with my thought process.
In the past I have had a good working relationship with Montracon trailers over the years & I have to give them credit where its due, as they always built exactly what i wanted wether it be right or wrong at their Doncaster site, I also used to deal with Harold Montgomery directly over the phone mainly during the night about forty four years ago when I used to carry out repairs as a side line to my normal job around the South West area of Scotland for a lot of Irish firms, Always received my payment the following night which was sent over on the ferry with certain drivers, He would certainly not know me after all these years and has no reason to.
Stay safe Dave.