Why is a semi-trailer called a semi-trailer? Is there such a thing as a full-trailer? What is the difference between them?

Common trailers can be divided into semi-trailers, full trailers, and center-axle trailers. Professional truck drivers are naturally very familiar with these terms, but ordinary private car owners may be confused when they hear them. In fact, trailers are easy to distinguish.

What is a semi-trailer? Simply put, a semi-trailer is a vehicle where the front part of the truck needs to bear part of the weight of the trailer.

The advantages of semi-trailer are high stability, ability to travel on highways, and large loading capacity, especially for some large cargo that can only be pulled by semi-trailer. The length of other trailer carriages is not enough.

The disadvantage of semi-trailer is that the turning radius is too large, as the distance between the front of the vehicle and the trailer wheels is too long, which requires high road conditions.

2. Full trailer

A full trailer means that the trailer has wheels at both the front and rear, and its weight is only borne by itself. The trailer only needs to be pulled to run.

The tractor in the picture is also a standard full trailer, because the weight of the entire brick block behind is borne by the trailer itself, and the four-wheel tractor only needs to pull the carriage to run.

The advantage of a full trailer is that it has higher flexibility than a semi-trailer and a smaller turning radius.

The disadvantage is that it requires higher driving skills, poor trailer stability, and cannot drive at high speeds.

3. Mid axle trailer

Mid mounted means placed in the middle, and mid axle trailer means that the axle of the trailer is installed in the middle part of the trailer, because the two ends of the axle are connected to the wheels, so its wheels are in the middle of the trailer.

For example, in the trailer shown in the picture, the axle is in the middle, but I am not sure how to divide the trailer of a family car. This picture is meant to help you see the characteristics more clearly at a glance.

The advantages of a center axle trailer are flexibility, the ability to travel on highways, and the trailer comes with a cargo box, which gives the overall length an advantage when combined with the trailer.