Cottrell has posted the Meritor axle recall on their website. They are not publising the list of affected Cottrell equipment because of the risk of a defective axle remaining in service. They are asking operators of Cottrell equipment to call or email Cottrell directly with their equipment VIN. Phone 866-299-2690 or email jwaggoner@cottrelltrailers.com or dbrowne@cottrelltrailers.com

I have been commenting on the high number of transporter fires for quite some time. It is great to see that corrections are being made to address at least some of the causes.

I did modify the headrack because those old boydstun four-cars didn’t have enough up travel on position two and three to get a car behind the cab after you had loaded the top when doing four on the headrack. We modified it enough to load 3 ford taurus size cars on the top and still drive a small pickup underneath.

I know the legal liabilities in equipment manufacturing are huge. It makes me wonder if that is what is driving Cottrell’s position here or if there really are insurmountable engineering problems that prohibit the conversion of the chain units. Aftermarket conversions are available

Here is a copy of their official letter.

cottrell-strap-modifications
July 28,2008
Customer Letter Regarding Modification of
Chain Units into Strap Units
(Web version. Letter also sent to all customers via certified
mail, return receipt requested.)
Dear Valued Customer:
We at Cottrell have recently become aware of a desire by some
of our customers to modify/convert their Cottrell chain units into strap
units. Please be advised that as the manufacturer of both chain and
strap units, we have not validated or otherwise approved any such
modification or conversion of Cottrell equipment.
Our engineers designed our chain trailers to serve as chain
trailers, and our strap trailers to serve as strap trailers. Each design has
features that lend to the desired purpose for which it was intended.
Any modification or conversion from one design into the other will be
considered an unapproved post-sale modification which may void any
and all warranties on the subject unit. In addition, Cottrell will not be
liable for equipment problems, property damage or personal injuries
resulting from such unapproved modifications.
This letter is provided to reinforce and reiterate Cottrell’s position
on equipment modifications, as set forth in Cottrell’s “OPERATOR’S
MANUAL FOR CAR-HAULING EQUIPMENT”:
DANGER!
Failure to follow these warnings and instructions may cause
serious personal injury or death.
1. Do not modify or alter your Equipment without the prior written
consent of Cottrell, Inc. Modifications or alterations may
compromise the structural integrity or safety aspects that exist in
the original design of the Equipment. Such modifications or
alterations may also cause property damage and void the
Warranty.
2125 Candler Road
Gainesville,GA 30507
(77O) 532-7251 Ext.278
(77O) 532-2851 Facsimile
www.cottrelltrailers.com

Friday, June 20, 2008 -
First Strap on a Peterbilt 388

Cottrell is pleased to introduce the first Peterbilt 388 with a 48 inch sleeper design. This piece of equipment illustrates our new 3-car CS headramp and CX-6MST trailer. This picture can be best described as prestige meets the next generation of car hauling.

I did read that there is a recall on the door latches on some of the new 388 cabs. The PETERBILT site is up now or you can call them at 1-940-591-4201.

I read an article the other day on the madison record about a transport driver suing Cottrell because he hurt his back using the manual skids on the Cottrell trailer he was pulling. The more I thought about it the more absurd it seemed to me. It seems to me if I have these questions you can bet the defense attorneys will have them and more. For these to make sense, you may need to read the article first.

If the ramps were bent or deformed why were they not replaced or at least repaired?

Had the driver written up the needed replacement of the ramps but been overridden by the maintenance dept?

If Jack Cooper Transport bought trucks with manual ramps because of the cost savings didn’t they then accept the risk of back injury that naturally comes with the manual ramps?

If road grime was jamming the tracks was the truck washing methods or intervals changed to try for the obvious fix before declaring that the product was defective?

update;

I found a post steve did on Carhauler news a while back that basically has the same take on the same article.

I’m thinking the container truck driver wasn’t used to that big of step getting out of his rig but then again how often does he park on a car hauler?

This picture was sent to me from a drivers cell phone. the front axle is hanging between the headrack and the trailer on a 9-car stinger rig. Here is a picture that I downloaded from a news story. It is taken from the other side looking up at the bridge where it happened. I think they could make an ad for the strength of Cottrell trailers from this one.