What is a glider kit?

A Glider Kit is the most cost effective way for small fleets and owner operators to take an old dilapidated unit off the road and put the major componentry into a newer, safer chassis with more up to date safety feature’s.

The Environmental Benefits:

• A net 4,000 lbs of steel will not have to be casted saving over 12 MILLION POUNDS of casted steel every year. Remembering that casting steel is 10% of the worlds carbon emission output, there is still the unmeasurable environmental savings on the impact to mine the natural resources.
• We build our trucks to be on average 1MPG more fuel efficient than our competitors which in the transportation industry is huge. These trucks run an average of 125,000 miles every year. Increasing average fuel economy from 6MPG to 7MPG will save more than 2900 gallons per unit from being burned. A total fuel savings of 8.7 MILLION GALLONS just by the units we build.
• Every truck we convert to a glider will (as a standard) have the “Low NoX” programming that most trucks from that era were not subjected to. Creating yet another net benefit to the environment

The Economic Benefits:

• The reuse of materials creates a large cost impact to the purchaser. Our completed glider package is on average 25% cheaper than MSRP of a comparable new unit
• Fuel mileage has a direct impact to your bottom line. Depending on fuel prices, increasing 1MPG can save a fleet upwards of $5,000+ per unit. If you had 100+ units then that’s a large number

The Mechanical Benefit:

• Running on the most common and proven engines, the parts and service infrastructure is vast
• With one of the largest warranty network in the United States, we’ve got you covered!
• Our gliders are designed with ease of maintenance in mind, this will help decrease downtime and keep your trucks were they need to be: On The Road!

HISTORY

Glider Kits have been around for almost 50 years and are used for a number of applications, both on and off the highway. Gliders are less expensive than new trucks and offer a more economical option for fleets and owner/operators. In the beginning gliders had a bit of a bad reputation as many trucks were built out of used components that were not reconditioned. 20 years ago no one really put much thought into offering a better product to consumers.  Fitzgerald Glider Kits set out to change that perception in 1989.

OTHER GLIDERS vs FITZGERALD GLIDERS

Fitzgerald is the largest and most trusted glider kit assembler for a reason, they are the best at what they do. Fitzgerald consistently produces quality trucks at great prices. Fitzgerald has been at this for almost 30 years and has the process down to a science. From the time you call in to speak with a sales professional to the time you pick up your new rig, you will be treated like part of the family. Great customer service and support before and after the sales is our number one goal.

THE FUTURE OF GLIDER KITS

Looking into the future, most manufactures are making newer model trucks available as a Glider. The most recent offering is from Peterbilt with the introduction of the Peterbilt 579 as a Glider Kit. We are also constantly working to offer different engine platforms in our Glider Kits. Year after year Fitzgerald Glider Kits as a company continues to grow giving our customers more options in glider kits, better services, and an ever growing warranty network across the U.S.