opinions on a step deck

It depends on what you plan on hauling and whether you want an aluminum, combo or steel trailer. Each have their pros and cons.

 

I guess you are looking for all aluminum to save weight?

I dont think you can go wrong with any of those 3. I think they are all good. If those were my choices,.. it would boil down to what you intend to haul and how much of a deal you can get them to knock down on the price.

I have the Fontaine Infinity 53' step. It has an 11,400lb tare weight. Mine has winch tracks on both sides and has chain ties downs and the heavy duty rail down the sides. The Revolution that you are considering does not have the nail strips that mine has. That means certain loads will need some dunnage to nail the wedges to,.. or you simply wont be able to do the load.

This pic is a good example. There were 4 wedges nailed to my deck in order to stabilize the boards they used to set the pole on.


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Here is another extreme example with step decks,.. equipment. My load of choice is going after machinery and equipment. Short of having an RGN,.. the step is the next best option. You will need ramps. Ramp kits provide 2 uses. One that work great as load levelers with loads and load combinations coming off the upper deck.

In this pic I originally had 5 small CAT skidders on there. I dropped 4 of them off in SLC,.. the last one delivered to a place in Idaho. I saw a load of racks picking up in Montana going to Kennewick WA,.. which would take me right by where the last CAT was going. Instead of fussing with how to get the CAT off the upper deck,.. I moved it to the end,.. then used a load leveler to be able to get the racks going to Kennewick. Think of it as getting the racks as a partial while loaded with the CAT.




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Another good usage for the load leveler on a step is to mount your wide load banner on it. This leaves you tag and tail lights open and clear. DOT seems to really like guys who do this.



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Oh yeah,.. they also work great loading and unloading equipment.






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So depending on what kind of loads your going after,.. consider what type of deck surface your buying. To me the whole reason to have a step is to have the versatility to haul the loads that a regular flat cant. It can mean the difference between sitting waiting for a load paying well enough that you can do,.. or having everything you need for what ever comes at you.

All my gear and trailer makes for a heavy set up. The max I can legally scale is 46,900, and thats with cutting back on fuel. I have been seriously considering a MAC as my next trailer. I'm looking at Benson and Doonan as well. But I see a lot of aluminum Benson's with repaired frames,.. so they kinda have me on the fence, because a lot of guys swear by them. I want to be able to haul anything, from 45k steel coils to machinery, equipment and everything in between.I'm of the opinion that its better to have and not need,.. than to need and not have.

Good luck and hope these pics help you make a good choice.

Hurst

 

Check the weight on all you are considering on buying,some of the newer combo trailers dont weigh much more than an all aluminum

 

If you do a lot of drive on machines I consider a wood floor. Adds 400 lbs , a lot harder to Tear up.

 

I have a 48' East Step Deck with 22.5's, ramps that also turn into leveler's or riser's and it is all Aluminum, with the exception of a wood board running down the bottom deck on both sides, about a foot from the edge. Anyway, mine has issues that I would love to meet the engineer regarding like; where the blinker light is ( about the center of the step) to about 2' to the rear, I can not strap anything using the sliding winch's. Also, no way to use a winch over the front axle or behind the rear axle. So as you can see, some things to think about when you are looking at trailers. With my set up, I can haul right at 48,000lbs with a half tank of fuel.

Now to answer the questions or responses that are surely to come... If I get skids over the front axle, I just cross strap and I use a 2" strap on the rear, if I have to. As far as the blinker light, there is the light, and then right next to it, going towards the rear, is where you take out your winch's. They should have put that notch in the same place as the blinker, would have freed up about 8"

Also, with my 22.5 tires my deck sits at 41" in the rear so, I can be loaded from the rear at most docks (portable or fixed). I have a valve that will lower the whole deck about 3". Or, I can dump just the rear axle and lift the front axle.

I love my 48' East Step but, it does have issues I have to work with... Other than those issues I mentioned, it is a really nice Step..

 

Buy a Doonan best warranty in the business and they have a high concentrated load area,,get steel unless you need light weight,cheaper and easier to repair,,,Doonan also has a high resale value