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Maxi trailer with a 3 axle tractor?

Discussion in 'Heavy Haul Trucking Forum' started by dlstruck, Oct 19, 2016.

  1. Oct 19, 2016 #1
    dlstruck

    dlstruck Medium Load Member

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    I'm currently flatbed but I've been thinking about getting another truck and running a maxi flatbed trailer. I want to buy the trailer first and then buy another truck so I don't have to take out loans.

    My truck and trailer weigh only 28k and I have a spread axle so I can scale 58k. I do quite a bit of work in the 51-55k range and love it since it pays pretty well. But I constantly get calls from brokers seeing if I have a maxi and I'm always seeing them on the load boards, even on slow days.

    So my question is, how much will I be able to scale with a maxi trailer being pulled by a regular 3 axle tractor? I see the maxi rigs are at 105,500 gross but they also have a tag axle on the tractor. How much would I be able to do scale without one? I've never been good at those bridge formulas but I haven't really needed to use them with a flat in WA.

    And would I have to get a heavier duty 5th wheel? As far as I know, mine is stock. It's an 03 Columbia with a 500hp Detroit and a 13 speed. Is there anything else that I would have to upgrade to run a Maxi?

    Ideally I'd be buying a decent 4 axle tractor for it but I'd have to wait another year or so to buy that. Or buy a tractor first and lease a trailer for a year, not sure yet.
     
    dlstruck, Oct 19, 2016
    dlstruck, Oct 19, 2016
    #1
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  3. Oct 20, 2016 #2
    cnsper

    cnsper Road Train Member

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    You better learn the bridge laws. Most states have a table so you do not need to do the math. If you pull on a scale with a 4 axle truck and you are grossing 105,500, you are asking to purchase a ticket to the DOT officer ball.

    If you add all the axle groups and you get 106k but they get you on the inner bridge from the drop axle on the truck and the last axle on the trailer. Trailers run about 13k and I always figured 23k for the truck so 36k total so I should be able to scale69k but because of tne inner bridge we could only scale 65k. Without knowing your inner bridge length I cannot give you an accurate weight. I have always only used a 4 axle truck.
     
    cnsper, Oct 20, 2016
    cnsper, Oct 20, 2016
    #2
    RGN and johndeere4020 Thank this.
  4. Oct 20, 2016 #3
    RGN

    RGN Road Train Member

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    What @cnsper said.
    WA has a calculator, plug in the numbers- https://secure3.wsdot.wa.gov/commercialvehicle/permits/public/AxleSpacingReport.aspx

    Without the lift you will loose 10,037# (with 255's in WA) so SWAG you would be able to scale 54k-ish? which is around what you can do now. And it's a heavier trailer, so....

    From what I've heard from my friends that run 4&4's- [mostly] the reason you see the loads on the board & brokers want you to run more axles is they pay pennies more P/M for a 64k load than what you are moving on 5. Since you say you are happy & make OK $ on 5, is it worth going to 8? It's more rig & maintenance- is the money there? I was just offered "steady work" pulling a quad power-only that paid 0.15/pm more for my 4-axle than a 3. Just my 2 cents, for what that's worth.
     
    RGN, Oct 20, 2016
    RGN, Oct 20, 2016
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    Oxbow and johndeere4020 Thank this.
  5. Oct 20, 2016 #4
    dlstruck

    dlstruck Medium Load Member

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    From what I've seen, the 60-65k loads in my area pay quite a bit more. I run mostly local an regional so I'm talking like $700 on a 200 mile run vs $500 for a normal flat. I do see some cheap ones but I always see good ones as well.

    You guys do make a good point that with the extra weight of the trailer and no lift axle, I probably wouldn't be able to scale that much more. I do have a light truck though, only 17,500 lb. I'll play around with the bridge formula and see if it's worth buying a trailer first.
     
    dlstruck, Oct 20, 2016
    dlstruck, Oct 20, 2016
    #4
  7. Oct 20, 2016 #5
    cnsper

    cnsper Road Train Member

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    Might look at a 3 axle instead
     
    cnsper, Oct 20, 2016
    cnsper, Oct 20, 2016
    #5
  8. Oct 20, 2016 #6
    dlstruck

    dlstruck Medium Load Member

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    How much can a tri axle configuration gross? I read somewhere that it was like 42k so I stopped looking at them since I can do 40k with my spread. What is the typical tri spacing? I want to plug it into the bridge calculator and see what it says.
     
    dlstruck, Oct 20, 2016
    dlstruck, Oct 20, 2016
    #6
  9. Oct 20, 2016 #7
    cnsper

    cnsper Road Train Member

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    It is 42k but you can permit heavier with the extra axle for non divisible loads
     
    cnsper, Oct 20, 2016
    cnsper, Oct 20, 2016
    #7
  10. Oct 20, 2016 #8
    dlstruck

    dlstruck Medium Load Member

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    Sounds like too much a a headache for me. The weight of the extra axle will offset the extra 2k I can take. I'll just stick to buying a maxi once I have the right setup for it.
     
    dlstruck, Oct 20, 2016
    dlstruck, Oct 20, 2016
    #8
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