Bulkhead Damage & Repair

Transport Products Unlimited repairs Insulated Bulkheads

Damaged, improperly sized or poor fitting Bulkheads cause product loss, high reefer operation expenses, frustrated employees and worst of all, upset customers!

Before you waste more money, lose any customers or needlessly invest in new Bulkheads, call us. Our repairs can extend Bulkhead life for years at a fraction of the cost for a new Bulkhead!

• TPU will repair all brands of Bulkheads: ROM, FG, Randall & ITW/Donavan
• Fully Insured, TPU will do the repairs at your facility saving time and the costs of shipping.
• Repairs can be done during down times, evenings & weekends to minimize business interruption.
• Bulkhead repair services include: Scuff repair & replacement, Perimeter foam and vinyl repair & replacement, Hinge repairs, E-strap repairs & replacement as well as height and width adjustments.
• Top quality materials & techniques mean better than new repairs in most cases.
• Fleet Maintenance programs available.

Did You Know?

• That a damaged bulkhead can cause your refrigeration unit to run nearly all of the time, wasting fuel and increasing maintenance costs? A reefer that runs continuously could have double the hourly operation expense,than the corporate "Green Footprint" has projected and of course consume additional fuel.  emit much more exhaust One hour of reduced run time per day can save as much as $6 per day, per vehicle and reduce exhaust by 12.5% !

• That a damaged bulkhead will often lead to product losses due to unwanted air movement from one compartment into another? Freezing front compartment air will migrate through damaged hinges, around torn side seals or past missing bottom corners. For example, freezing dairy and produce. TPU will repair all hinge, seal, scuff and corner damage!

• That damaged insulated bulkheads are responsible for most of the customer dissatisfaction and lost accounts incurred by refrigerated food distributors? Frozen or thawed food products, wet packaging, ice buildup are all results of damaged or ill-fitting bulkheads. A properly fitting bulkhead repaired by TPU will eliminate frequent defrosts, sweating on the inside of the vehicle and frozen or thawed food products!

• That very little - if any - temperature transfer is actually through the bulkhead itself, but rather around the edges, the perimeter seals? You may have great LOOKING bulkheads but....
  Your reefer unit creates static pressure inside of the closed truck or trailer. This pressure builds and wants to escape from one compartment to the next. Certain manufacturers use inexpensive soft foam or wedged shape foam seal or even cover the perimeter seals in a nylon material. The reasoning for this was to manufacture an "easy to install" bulkhead. Soft foam or wedge shaped seals tend to flatten or "mushroom" in time; leaving a gap between the ceiling and the top and sides of the bulkhead. Unlike a vinyl covered seal, the nylon covered seals have little or no grip on the inside walls and ceiling of the vehicle. Sure, the bulkhead moves in and out of position very easily; but it does not seal tightly. A bulkhead must cause some physical exertion when installing it, or else it is too loose! TPU can replace or extend the side and top seals, with superior materials, so that the bulkhead fits properly.

• That the price paid for a new Bulkhead is not always a reflection of the quality of the product. There are several expensive Bulkheads manufactured today that will not last as long as inexpensive brands and models, and vice versa. Before you purchase new Bulkheads contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions. At TPU we provide consultation services and new bulkhead sales, assisting our customers with the selection of equipment that will best serve their needs.

• That a damaged or poorly fitting bulkhead is more likely than not to be the problem regarding temperature control, but 9 out of 10 times the reefer unit is blamed? This leads to a lot of down time, wasted service calls to and from refrigeration dealers and in many cases, upset drivers and customers. TPU will implement an annual maintenance program for your fleet as you would the trailer and reefer. Fleet inspections every 6 -12 months and the required repairs mean fewer surprises!

• That a damaged or ill-fitting bulkhead is often one of the contributors to poor driver attitude? In most cases the driver cannot reverse the effects of a damaged or ill-fitting bulkhead. Yet, he may have to incur the wrath of the customer, wrestle with a bulkhead that does not fit, and then deliver a product he may feel the customer will be satisfied with. Knowing he is upsetting his account, having to return the goods the next day, this all means extra work and lost customers, ultimately damage to the driver's ego and attitude.

• That the repair and regular maintenance of your insulated bulkheads will improve or eliminate all of the above???

 

Check out what Transport Products Unlimited can do for you!

Typical Bulkhead Damage & Repair

This customer had many Randall BH 2000 Bulkheads such as this that had been condemned as junk. The scuff was torn off, the Bulkhead is torn in half, no straps and blown apart hinges. Dumpster material for most customers. Not so.

 

This is what it looked like when TPU was done with it. Better than new because we not only repaired the hinges, but we reinforced them so that they are better than OEM new. 10" replacement scuff is also standard when doing repairs.

 
This Randall Bulkhead has been torn in half at the hinge, suffered damage to the hinge plates, straps and core. This usually renders the bulkhead useless because the hinge hardware is torn away and the core is exposed.

 
The damage to the core, hinge, and hinge straps has been repaired. The hinge itself replaced, hinge caps re-installed. All hardware replaced and the bulkhead has been put together as new.

 
 Typical Wear & Repair to older Skinny Bun Insulated Bulkhead

 

   This 10 year old Skinny Bun product needs a new scuff and some bottom corner work. As with all Skinny Buns, the core is in great condition so we had the foundation necessary to make repairs.

                         

 
The bottom corners were repaired with new Foam and heavy reinforced Vinyl. The heavy duty UHMW Scuff is bolted on (as was the original) and covers the bottom as well as 10" from the ground up, on both the front and back of the bulkhead.

 
  Better than factory new repair to a ROM Bulkhead

 

 

   Typical of the ROM Loadmaker, the bottom 3" of this Bulkhead was destroyed because the manufacturer never installed a hard bottom Scuff. The bottom was so damaged the Bulkhead was too short and basically useless. Here, the bottom 3" has been repaired; the bottom corners have been replaced with new foam and heavy reinforced vinyl.

 
New 1/8 thick HDPE scuff has been attached to the bottom and 10" of both sides of the ROM Bulkhead; by far a superior fix to the original Bulkhead. The Bulkhead now fits tightly and because it has a tough new scuff, it will provide years of service to the customer.

                       

 
Typical damage to the hinge of a ROM Bulkhead. In this case the hinge was sliced intentionally. Both E-straps were also cut in half. This bulkhead will not seal properly or stay in position.

 
Here, halves of the bulkhead was repaired, the center hinge was replaced and both E-straps have been replaced. A back strap has also been added to the other side of the hinge as reinforcement.

 
Severe Damages Done to Insulated Bulkheads

 

 

  This 5 year old Skinny Bun (SB2) shown here has had the bottom scuff torn off and shows additional damage to the corners and hinge. Despite the severe scuff damage, the core of the Bulkhead is in great shape, which is typical of the Skinny Bun products. Seldom does a Skinny Bun need to be discarded rather than repaired.

 
Typical damages - this is an ITW SB2 - include split hinge - usually caused by forcing the bulkhead open against the hinge. The same type of damage can also be caused by slicing the hinge open with a knife.
 

Typical to all bulkheads, the top perimeter seal has been sliced open by sharp objects within the trailer, such as the light fixtures or the corners of the evaporator cages.

  

 

 

    Typical ITW Skinny Bun Repairs

 

 

 

  Here is the same SB2 with our factory type scuff replacement. We have also repaired the bottom corner with heavier than factory vinyl and improved other areas. This Bulkhead is better than new, for a fraction of the price.

 

 

 

   The hinge has been rebuilt as have the lower inside corners of the bulkhead. The hinge has been reinforced and then sewn back together, full length.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  The damaged top perimeter seal has been cut away, the foam replaced with new, and all re-covered with new vinyl for the factory original repair.

                         

    Typical Damages to an FG Reflex Insulated Bulkhead

 

 

  FG Reflex with common damage that can occur with even new Bulkheads. The scuff has peeled away and the bottom has been pulverized. The hinge is torn out and the perimeter seals at the corners are gone. The BH is too short and will not seal to the ceiling.

 

 

 

  This FG Reflex Bulkhead has been torn open down the center, E-straps cut in half.

 

 

 

  This is a lower outside corner perimeter seal of a FG Reflex Bulkhead. The vinyl is torn open and there is some loss of the foam seal.

Repairs to FG Reflex Insulated Bulkhead

 TPU has repaired the core, replaced the outside corners and the hinge. A heavy duty scuff has been added to give the BH structure and protection. The BH now fits tightly floor to ceiling. This BH is better than new.

 
Each half of the bulkhead was repaired and then the center hinge was replaced. A back strap (not shown here) was added to the reverse side of the hinge. Much like a book binding, for added strength.

The lower corner of the bulkhead recived new foam and was covered with 40 oz vinyl, heavier than the original material.