Need some advice on Flatbeds with piggy back forklift

I would guess the ones you saw were in-house operations where the shipper owns the trucks. (or LTL ops that take smaller loads on-site from a larger supplier you would normally deliver to).

I don't think most of the shippers are insured or protocolled for you to accept responsibility for the load prior to being on the truck. Plus it sounds like a pain in the butt to make space for and secure every time. My understanding of flatbedding is one of the benefits is you are pretty much always loaded by crane or similar. There's no lumpers as it were.

 

Those piggyback forklifts are mostly for deliveries for things like sod , bricks , or building materials , usually palletized stuff . You have to consider a fork lift or crane will increase your empty weight and take away from load capacity .

 

Those Moffetts and Donkeys are not cheap. A new Moffett, like you see on the Home Depot trucks will cost you close to $50k, a Donkey can be bought for less but you get what you pay for. Used worn out ones are still going in the $20k range. They take away from your load carrying capacity, a Moffett will weigh a little over 5,000lbs. They have a lot of hydraulics to keep maintained. They are also very squirrley when you are empty and the road is wet or snowy. The up side is sometimes you can get work with one when those without can not and sometimes you can get extra money for unloading your own load but not all the time. After hauling one around for awhile, the back end of the trailer is usually full of stress cracks too.
Then theres the liability question too, what if you drop something while you are unloading it? Or hit their building or employee or a customer? You need general liability insurance along with your truck and cargo ins. Personally I don't think it would pay for itself unless you had a specific account that would make it worth while.

 

Cranes and the moffets and such are on trucks that are working dedicated to special type of business. I've pulled flatbeds with a crane, and in the future will have some flatbeds with cranes. working with tombstones you have to unload in remote areas, and not all ways when the customers are there, so you have to be able to unload your self.

 

I agree.. Running a flatbed your not going to have to load and unload.. The shipper & receiver do it all.. You don't pay lumper fees w/ a flat / stepdeck.

Those piggy back fork lifts are doing things like making home deliveries of sod, stone, pavers, and some lumber. All LTL for the most part.

Having your own won't be an advantage unless you have a special account that'll justify and pay for the equipment.. Then they are $pricy$ like said before..

I worked for a landscaping company that had 1.. That made those curbside deliveries, and homeowners real happy..

The cranes on the back of the cab.. are realy limited.. The ones I see are mostly for stuff like propane tanks. They have limited reach, and weight capacity.. Any customer ordering a truckload of somthing is going to have a way to load and unload it.. Why tie up your $$ in somthing they provide? I would rather get paid detention and sit till they brought some equipment in # $60 a hour than to unload it yourself and go, go, go,...Work smarter NOT harder is my philosophy!!

 

I ran a knuckle boom behind my cab for the seven years with landstar ligon.There were 4 of us taking care of a big customer nationwide.It paid good enough to make up for the freight we couldnt haul.My lightweight was around 34,ooo with a 48 stepdeck.It unfolded to around 23 ft.I hauled propane tanks and trucks so I got paid for the hazmat too.You can make good money with one if you line up the freight.good luck

 

Years ago I worked for a company and I carried a Spyder on the back of my flatbed trailer. I made store deliveries of palletized mulch and topsoil. I used the machine to reload empty pallets. I got good at operating it. I could pick your pocket with it. First of all, the piggy-back machines are all very expensive. I can only speak for Spyder brand machines. They cost (then) about 25k. They are built primarily for portability, and not in my opinion, long term durability. Mine weighed about 5000 lb. , so you have to account for extra weight. Also, the machine had limited reach. The forks would only go up about eight feet, and if you could not drive the front wheels under the trailer when approaching the trailer, you have to use the fork extender feature to "reach" over the rub rail to get a bite. They are very dangerous. It is easy to flip one, because they are so light. It is also easy to get one stuck. It is easy to slip and fall off of the thing, because you have to get seated in it while it is up in the air on the back of the trailer. The frame in mine had a hairline crack, which made it leak oil. The hydraulic oil "tank" was the frame. Mine took a beating riding on the trailer, and had to be rewelded occasionally. It is easy to forget to unplug the thing before unloading it from the back of the trailer. The plug goes to the tail lights on the back of the machine. I had to rewire the plug a few times. They require more room to maneuver than a conventional forklift. If the thing breaks down while you are using it, you will not be able to load it. You will have to repair it where it is. The hydraulic hoses in my machine were difficult to find because of the unusual fittings. Hope this helps.