Upper Deck Length for a Step

I don't recall ever having seen an 8' upper. That's not to say they don't exist: just that I have never seen one. Mac offers either 10' or 11' uppers and they are as "custom" a manufacturer as you will find. What's your reason for wanting only an 8' upper?

 

idk about special order,i rented a 07 fontaine step from company and it was a 8ft upper deck and it was from national lease ,and ya know they aint putting extra money into there rental trailers lol.have you checked with other manufac. my buddy wanted a 50ft step he always had doonan i turned him onto mac he called them and got what he wanted for less money and "better built" in his words than any doonan hes over owned

 

Can I just ask why you'd want a 8' top deck? It'd have to have like a 10"
king pin......there are a couple doonans on trick paper right now

 

Fontaine make an 8" upper, 40" lower. LS had a bunch of them with twist locks, for the ability to haul cans.

 

Fontaine doesn't make those anymore, in fact they don't do anything custom. Doonan makes 8/40 with can locks all the time. Of course Mac will make you anything you want as well. There are some drawbacks to an 8 foot upper as far as weight distribution goes. If it were me, I'd do a 10/40, unless you're trying to go to Ontario with a long wheelbase or something.

 

I pull a 53' step and weigh 33,500 to 34,000 empty and having 5 more feet has made my trailer payment every month since I bought it......

 

AUTOCar if your replying to those old steel ones LS had, we called them LEAD SLEDS! due to wieght issues with them. If I was you Id stick to either a 10' or 11' upper and 40' bottm lowpro with can locks. Most agents i deal with want the 50 plus ft trailers and that lower dect being 42' makes a diffrence hauling a long tall load.
Look at what your going to be hauling with the trailer.ie steel machinery, yellow stuff, farm tractors ect.... Then look at what kind of wieght you want to haul. and make a informed decision from there. Me I use my whole trailer a good part of the time. Its all steel wood floor twistlocks, ramps (seldom used) but i haul alot of plant machinery and equipment when im not hauling military stuff. ive had both wood and aluminum decks and ill never buy another alum deck again!