53' Step Deck. Tridem or Tandem

Thats what I did.

The trailer I have now originally belonged to my carrier. I was renting/leasing it for $160 a week. He took care of any problems with the trailer. This was the first step I ever used.

After looking at other new trailers I realized I could be buying a trailer for the same money. Ended up buying this one from my carrier. Had it paid off in 2 yrs.

I'm with you on the versatility of the step in order to be able to cover almost any load.

If your want the most versatility then 53' is the only way to go. Tridem,.. I am on the fence with this. Personally,.. the extra weight would limit many of the 'brick and sticks' (Palletized loads) you will need to do in order to get out of an area. As it is, I can barely scale 46k with my Fontaine,.. a Tridem would reduce that severely. Being able to scale 45k loads has gotten me out of many places I didnt want to be.

The ramps have helped me. A lot of guys I talked to dont want to pay $3300 for the type of set up I have. They have saved me many times,.. worth every penny. I'd say I only use them for maybe 20% of the loads I do. They are more for a better to have and not need type of deal. Plus,.. the kit I have I can create 2 load levelers with the stake pocket sliders and that has helped me get loads that I other wise could not have done. Also,. the load leveler makes a great place to put your OS load banner.


Here is an example of versatility.


If you look at the other pic I posted with all the skids steers and the mini excavator. I picked those up from keen on the east coast. 4 of them were getting off at Wheeler Cat in SLC,.. the last one in this pic going to Spokane, Wa. Pretty long hop just to be dragging a small machine. Didnt make sense not to look for a partial,.. then I saw this load of racks going to a new warehouse in Kennewick, Wa. It was posted as a full load,.. but being that a 48' trailer could cover it,.. I knew I could make it work. They originally did not want to load me with the skid steer on the back. Being that the skid steer was coming off before the racks,.. I needed to have it on the rear. I showed them how we could make it work with the load levelers and still be able to cross strap the racks like they wanted and put the other pieces underneath instead of on top. I made some good money between these 2 loads and there is no way I could have done it with a 48,.. and not with out the ramp/kit with the load levelers.

Thats the versatility of having a 53' step with the right gear.

Hurst

 

Thats a beautiful set up and love the pic.

How much can you scale with that set up?

Hurst

 

I did quite a bit of work with a old Ravens 10 foot spread 48 foot deck. It's not a step deck or other type of flat.

I recommend you go with the triaxle set up and 53 foot deck. I noticed some of the trailers posted here in images have a 48 foot spread axle with the last 5 feet or so to the rear of the spread. A question comes to my mind is those spreads slidable perhaps? Wouldnt it bounce on that ### end with that overhang?

Triaxle can carry more weight than a 10 foot spread can. Have at it. I would. You might not use it all the time but it will be there when you need it most. Any time you have three or 4 axles somewhere and tell off the scale house with larger numbers that would have gotten you a ticket on a spread with fuel or some other set up.

I would also want a triple axle under the tractor, all of them driven if possible or as a option where needed in bad winter weather. 6 axles under a 53 foot deck should give you quite some weight ability. And that is what will matter on the day of judgement when someone loads you with a 24 foot coil weighing something like 55,000 because it's badly needed somewhere and ordinary flatbedders cannot get it. I did a similar coil with the Ravens one day at right about 50,000 on it deadweight versus the 10 foot spread. I'll never forget that load. Ive had many HEAVY loads where scales broke. But nothing like that one coil. I would have loved to have a triple back there.

This post is filled with I want, I want this, I want that, I want I want.. the thought behind such expensive luxury over spec of equiptment biting into my wallet is simple. I rather have it and use it on that one day when things get very big, heavy and expensive when screwed up rather than not to have it and have to submit to paying someone else to fix the mess. No thank you.

That is all I have and still stay revelant to the topic here. I don't want you all to think Im stupid or somehow a special idiot. I know a little bit and have formed opinion that triple axles are good to have when approaching 100,000 gross legally without too much trouble. That has to be worth a dollar to you fellas.

Hurst talked about small tires. ive had a special curtain sider trailer that was a stepdeck or a cut down deck that was maybe between knee and waist high off the ground with a special set of European Trailer wheels, suspension and tires under the ### end that winter hauling auto glass to GM Baltimore. I found no problems with it even in 3 feet of west by god virginian storms of snow. The tractor did however has a bumper that was a plow of sorts in deep so that the trailer would not feel it too much. More than likely it climbed up onto the packed and rode along anyhow.

I would imagine that small european trailer tires have advanced quite a bit since the 80's I would point anyone interested to look over the BMW Auto Plant here in the South and some of the VERY VERY Special box trailers with very small wheels down below with all the ordinary needs of airride and hooked via drawbar that is like 25 feet long to the rest of the tow vehicle with it's own box containing another car up front. So the whole thing is a semi pernament articulated vehicle.

 

@Hurst I assume you have to slide the rear axle all the way up to be legal in states with the 40,41 ft king pin law. Seems like that would be a pain getting the axles legal if you are loaded heavy.

I have no experience with 53's. ( except vans, but don't tell anybody) I have always had 48 flats/steps.

 

I haven't seen any pictures of a 48' spread with 5' of overhang not sure where you did or if I've ever seen one but they're sure not common.

Second a tri drive tractor and tri axle trailer would be heavy as heck, I couldn't tell you the last time a saw a tri drive tractor but it wasn't hauling general commodities. Yes a tri axle can carry more than a spread technically but when running the lower 48 and legal loads there is no advantage to a tri axle. The goal here is to haul general freight not heavy haul. Most of the US you can't haul 100,000 gross legal.

 

And in the states you can, you will not do it with a 3 axle trailer unless it is part of a b train.

 

Ok, I can work with you let me think a moment.

When people throw around the number 53 foot, I add 5 feet from the old 48 foot. And have a mental image of some flatbeds with a huge overhang on the back behind whatever wheelset is under there. That is where my words come from. I don't know that much about 53's and revealed my ignorance. However Im always open to learning. Always.

Your explaination of Triple cast in the light of tare weights versus what is possible with that extra axle makes me depressed. I feel like a idiot. American Weights say you can load to 88,000 with a triple axle set back there on a tractor trailer. 100K is a fantasy here in the States UNLESS you are permitted for 99K (*In two states I was for Container work MD and VA routinely so hence the handle heavy, 99K in a mack and 40 foot or even 20 foot box is horrendous. And some loads were so heavy the Law laughed off my pathetic scraps of permits in that book with total malice and disrespect while preparing to write multi thousand dollar tickets for which I don't stress about any more. It's a wonder my company in those days stayed in business seeing such tickets wiping out a month's profit.

There is however... a movement in our Government to make Law sometime in 2017 to increase Truck lengths to potentially 90 feet overall similar to Railroad cars and locomotives and somehow make 100,000 gross pounds LEGAL a sort of tomorrow's tractor trailer where everyone will run 100,000 gross on god knows how many tag axles that will be under the box.

 

American weights do not say you can run 88,000, not in all 48 and the op want to be versatile and the heaviest combo possible isn't versatile.

As far as the country changing is laws I'm not sure it'll ever happen or that it even should but you can't buy a rig hoping for it.

 

105,500 in WA, ID, OR, ND. 130k in MT. 116k in WY. MI I think is even more than Montana. 100k is not a fantasy in the states. I don't know about OR specifically, but those weights are without permits and divisible loads.

 

I run with the spreads open 99.9% of the time. The only time I would ever close them is if in Fla and my annual permit isnt up to date. Its the only state I have ever had issues when going into a scale. The scale system in Fla is probably one of the most advanced in the country. They know my exact width, length, height and gross weight before ever pulling onto the scale. That and they are like 7-11 here,.. they never close.

The only other state I have a slight concern is with Ct. I've never been hassled there and its my understanding that you are fine as long as you are on the interstate or designated truck routes. I dont do Cali,.. so no worries there.

EDIT:
I did get hassled in Md recently. It was not because of the king pin to center axle length,.. but just having a 53ft trailer and not being on a designated route. All 53' trailers are technically illegal in Md.

I know my truck and trailer and how to load it. Its very rare for me to be over weight on an axle. If I ever am,.. its because they loaded me with something heavier than what they said it was.


Hurst