Tractor/Trailer/Forklift combo recommendations?

I agree you wouldn’t want to mount a moffet on the rear of the pup. In Ontario trucks and long trailers (40ish feet) are very common and I’ve seen two solutions to mounting a lift.

A typical rear mounted lift on the truck and a low mounted drawbar and hitch. Seems like a pain since you have to drop the pup to take the lift off.

A side mount where you carry the lift on the deck. Rides better but you give up 8-9’ of deck space.

In my opinion a tractor trailer is ideal if you can get it where you need to and you always need a forklift.

A truck and pup would work well if you usually need a forklift in tight areas and can carry enough of a load for your deliveries. Then drop the lift and hook up the pup to run long loads that don’t need the lift.

I drove a 4 axle straight truck with a 24’ bed set up for a pup and a rear mounted forklift. Ran as a straight truck making deliveries and when it was slow we could hook up the pup and run to the quarry to pick up full loads.

Edit to add: we have an account hauling elevators where the drivers have assigned trucks and forklifts but pull from a small trailer pool. That seems to work well especially since the loads can take a while to load and secure.

 

Two more options to consider.
Forks that extend from the main mast.
This enables you to reach to the far side of the trailer. When I know the site is on busy road I'll park facing traffic, unload p.b. at the relative safety at the rear of truck. Straps can be removed and wound on the shoulder instead of on the road.Then back up to unload trailer, then pull up to reload p.b. This may take a while longer but I don't trust people as far as I can throw them. I've come to the realization that most people would move over or slow down more for a squirrel then another person, especially a truck driver!
Four way travel (crab walk)
Probably not a necessity if 20' rebar is the longest material you"ll be delivering but....

 

Will point out something not talked about . Had a job which we carried a full sized forklift, having that much weight behind the trailer axles CAN cause the drive axles on the truck to become light . Smoking the tires starting off at stop lights is not uncommon, and watch stopping when empty . Think the monfit lifts are lighter ? But unloaded I did not like it.

 

when you order a trailer equipped with a moffett/any other brand kit, they want to know which make and model, and install slab weights over the kingpin and plate to equalize the down pressure on the nose vs the trailer axles reducing light drive axle situations.

 

Old post but I just came across it. Has anyone on here had a dot officer say that piggybacks need to be flagged because they hang over the end of the trailer? We told him it's an extension of the trailer and it has lights so flags are kinda pointless to me but wondering what others have run into.

 

I did piggyback work for several years; not one time in that span did a DOT cite me for not having a flag on the back of that piggyback. That said, the piggyback itself SHOULD have a reflective triangle on the back as a warning device. If it doesn't, that might get you ticketed...

 

Based on what?

 

Don't know...as I said, I never ran into that situation. (Then again, every piggyback I ever ran had one or two triangles on the back, so...)

 

Our moffetts had folding triangles mounted to the back. One of the other guys got a warning for driving down the road with the triangle showing. Apparently, it is only for when driving the forklift itself on the road.