Sell Your Reefer Trailer

MachineryBarn buys used refrigerated trailers, running or not. Reefers are the only trailer category with an engine, and that engine drives the valuation. Refrigeration unit make, model and hours matter as much as the trailer itself, and a reefer whose unit will not hold temperature is valued as a dry van with a heavy box — which is a very different number. Insulation condition is the second thing that decides the sale, and it is the one owners most often overlook.

Reefer Trailers we buy

Configuration changes who the next buyer is, so it changes the offer. These are the variants worth naming when you describe your machine.

Single temperature

One zone, one set point. The standard configuration and the widest resale market.

Multi temperature

Two or three zones with bulkheads and evaporators. Considerably more valuable to distribution operators, and worth listing explicitly.

Electric standby equipped

Can run on shore power at a dock instead of the diesel engine. Valuable for yard and warehouse use and reduces running cost.

Storage / retired reefer

A trailer sold for static cold or dry storage rather than haul. A real market, and it is worth saying if the unit no longer runs.

What determines a used reefer trailer's value

Roughly in order of how much each one moves the number.

1. 1

   Refrigeration unit make, model and hours

   The dominant value factor. Thermo King and Carrier dominate the market and buyers have firm preferences by model generation. Unit hours matter as much as trailer age, and a recently replaced or rebuilt unit is worth stating with its paperwork.

   How to check it: Photograph the unit's data plate and the hour meter reading. Note any recent major service or rebuild.

2. 2

   Whether it holds temperature

   The functional test. A reefer that runs but cannot pull down to set point, or that cycles constantly, has a refrigeration or insulation problem, and those are different repairs with very different costs.

   How to check it: Run the unit and see whether it reaches and holds set point with the doors closed. Note how long pull-down takes and whether it short-cycles.

3. 3

   Insulation condition

   The factor owners most often miss. Insulation degrades as it absorbs moisture, and a trailer with wet insulation cannot hold temperature no matter how good the unit is. Delamination, soft spots in the walls and water staining are all signs.

   How to check it: Press the interior walls for soft spots, look for delamination at the seams, and check the ceiling for water staining.

4. 4

   Floor condition

   Reefer floors are aluminium duct floors that carry air under the load and drain to the outside. Damaged ducts restrict airflow and undermine temperature control; blocked drains cause the water ingress that ruins insulation.

   How to check it: Look along the floor ducts for crushing from forklift traffic and check that the drains are clear.

5. 5

   Door seals and hardware

   Rear doors and any side door must seal properly. Worn gaskets, damaged door frames and misaligned hardware all leak temperature and are cheap to overlook but obvious to a buyer.

6. 6

   Trailer structure and suspension

   Everything that applies to a dry van applies here too: frame straightness, suspension condition, tyres, brakes and landing gear.

7. 7

   Inspection and registration status

   A current annual inspection means the trailer can go to work. Without one, inspection and any resulting repairs are a cost the buyer applies to the offer.

8. 8

   Fuel tank and unit mounting

   The reefer unit's fuel tank, mounting brackets and the front wall behind the unit are all points where corrosion and cracking show up on older trailers.

What gets inspected on a reefer trailer

Knowing what a buyer looks at lets you describe the machine accurately the first time, which avoids the offer changing later.

What we need to price your reefer trailer

You do not need all of it to start. The more of it you have, the closer the first number is to the final one.

• Year, make, model and VIN of the trailer
• Refrigeration unit make, model and hour meter reading
• Whether the unit runs, and whether it holds set point
• Single or multi temperature, and whether bulkheads are included
• Whether electric standby is fitted
• Insulation condition — any soft spots or water damage
• Floor condition, including duct damage
• Tyre and brake condition
• Current inspection status
• Title status — in hand, lien, or missing

Makes and model families we see most

We buy reefer trailers from manufacturers beyond this list. These are the ones that come up most often, with the series a seller is likely to recognise from the machine.