Description
The Thermo King SL-200e is the standby-equipped version of the SL-200, and at $6,500 it is currently the lowest-priced standby-equipped unit in our SL listings. Same platform, same four cylinder diesel, same controller — plus an electric motor that lets the unit run from a 460 volt, three-phase supply while the trailer is stationary.
Thermo King SL-200e Specifications
- Type: single-temperature nose-mount trailer refrigeration unit
- Standby: electric standby, 460 V / 3-phase / 60 Hz
- Engine: Thermo King four cylinder direct injection diesel
- Drive: belt-driven open compressor, dual drive from engine or standby motor
- Control: Thermo King microprocessor with programmable setpoints
- Modes: continuous run and cycle-sentry, automatic defrost
- Condition: new and inspected used units available
- Price: $6,500
Running the Numbers on Standby
The arithmetic is simple enough to do on the back of an invoice. A trailer unit burns roughly 0.4 to 0.8 gallons an hour depending on setpoint, ambient and mode. If your trailers average three hours a day plugged in at a dock, that is somewhere between 400 and 800 gallons a year per trailer that you simply do not buy — and three hours a day of engine wear that never happens. The standby option is rarely the reason anyone chooses a unit, and it is usually the feature that pays for itself first.
Applications
Grocery and foodservice distribution, cross-dock operations, pharmaceutical and floral freight, and any fleet whose trailers spend real hours stationary at a powered facility. For line-haul trailers that never plug in, the diesel-only SL-200 is the honest choice.
Buying Used
Test the standby side under load, not just at idle. On trade-ins from fleets that never used it, the contactor and motor are frequently the weak point — not because they wore out but because they sat. Ask us to run both drives before you commit.
Freight
Ships by flatbed, forklift needed at delivery; freight quoted to your ZIP code. Contact us for hours and availability.
What to Inspect on a Used SL-200e
Four things tell you most of what you need to know: the hour meter reading, whether the unit holds setpoint through a complete defrost cycle, the condition of the evaporator and condenser coils, and whether the standby motor and contactor work under load rather than merely energising. Ask us for these four checks before you commit.
Fitting
Nose-wall installation on a trailer is a job for a Thermo King dealer or an experienced reefer shop. The bulkhead has to be cut and reinforced, fuel and electrical runs made, the standby supply wired to the trailer’s receptacle, and the system evacuated and charged. It is not an owner-fit item, and a bad installation shows up as a unit that never quite holds temperature.
Related Units
For higher capacity with the same standby capability, see the SL-400e. For a diesel-only unit at the same capacity point, the SL-200. For a Tier 4 final platform with current emissions certification, the Precedent S-600.
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