. The article entitled "Get Big-bunked" gave a rundown of full-featured sleepers from four manufacturers; ARI, Bentz, Double Eagle and ICT. Not included were AA and Alumi-Bunk sleepers, which many expediters put on their trucks.
The article can be read online at: http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=60368
It was interesting to see sleeper prices, weights and lengths all listed where they could be compared. I am not saying they could be easily compared because the stats varied among manufacturers. For example, the cost of a generator was not included in Double Eagle's price. That cost was included in all other manufacturer stats. Bentz stats included the weight of water in water tanks. It is unknown if the others included water weight or just empty-tank weight.
Still, the thought occured to me that someone shopping for a sleeper might do well to compare sleeper manufacturer cost per inch and weight per inch to help guage the value of the product.
For example, the cost per inch numbers for the sleepers listed in the article are:
ARI..............$455.12
Bentz...........$500.00
Double Eagle..$433.33
ICT.............$375.00 (does not include generator)
ICT.............$427.08 (if you add a hypothetical $5,000 to cover the cost of a generator)
Weight per inch numbers are:
ARI..............26.28 lbs.
Bentz...........38.67 lbs. (includes water and generator weight)
Double Eagle..27.08 lbs.
ICT.............31.25 lbs. (does not include generator)
It is unknown if generator weight was included in all manufacturer stats. It was included in Bentz. Tool box weight and price would also be a question since tool boxes of various sizes and numbers are often included in after-market sleeper packages. Water weight can be factored in or out if one knows the weight of a gallon of water and the size of the water tanks on the sleepers in question.
By accounting for such variables, one could do some research and come up with a reasonably-close, apples-to-apples comparison of cost-per-inch and weight-per-inch sleeper stats.
Of course, subjective factors enter in like trust in your manufacturer and that certain feature in a sleeper that you simply cannot live without.
The article can be read online at: http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=60368
It was interesting to see sleeper prices, weights and lengths all listed where they could be compared. I am not saying they could be easily compared because the stats varied among manufacturers. For example, the cost of a generator was not included in Double Eagle's price. That cost was included in all other manufacturer stats. Bentz stats included the weight of water in water tanks. It is unknown if the others included water weight or just empty-tank weight.
Still, the thought occured to me that someone shopping for a sleeper might do well to compare sleeper manufacturer cost per inch and weight per inch to help guage the value of the product.
For example, the cost per inch numbers for the sleepers listed in the article are:
ARI..............$455.12
Bentz...........$500.00
Double Eagle..$433.33
ICT.............$375.00 (does not include generator)
ICT.............$427.08 (if you add a hypothetical $5,000 to cover the cost of a generator)
Weight per inch numbers are:
ARI..............26.28 lbs.
Bentz...........38.67 lbs. (includes water and generator weight)
Double Eagle..27.08 lbs.
ICT.............31.25 lbs. (does not include generator)
It is unknown if generator weight was included in all manufacturer stats. It was included in Bentz. Tool box weight and price would also be a question since tool boxes of various sizes and numbers are often included in after-market sleeper packages. Water weight can be factored in or out if one knows the weight of a gallon of water and the size of the water tanks on the sleepers in question.
By accounting for such variables, one could do some research and come up with a reasonably-close, apples-to-apples comparison of cost-per-inch and weight-per-inch sleeper stats.
Of course, subjective factors enter in like trust in your manufacturer and that certain feature in a sleeper that you simply cannot live without.
