What is the ideal set up for pulling a 48ft flatbed?

Brands don't mean anything. Drivetrain is more important. Like 15L motor, 500 hp, 13 speed O.D. and more like 3.55 rears but even that is subjective.

 

Fleet trucks pull 48klbs through west Virginia everyday. 48k is 48k no matter if it's in a box or open deck.

With a 48' flatbed you need to look at 5th wheel space from the cab. Some loads will have overhang front and rear. Will you put a rack on the truck? Open or enclosed? Enclosed will require more space between the plate and the cab.

Will you be going to job sites off fire roads, logging trails or lots of mud? What kind of ground clearance do you need? Some trucks have very low bumpers, tanks and fairings. Will you rip those off?

Are you looking into os/ow? What size axles are you looking for? Are you going to add a lift axle? Do you want to run tall rubber or low pro?

There's far more important matters than brand. Personally I don't care who made the truck. I just need it spec'd right.

 

Gear ratio is a can of worms I like the 13 speed and 370 on low profile my two cents

 

Depends on what you plan to do with it. Many “off the lot” trucks won’t allow you much room to overhang the front of your trailer much. Will you carry your gear on your trailer or do you need room for a cabinet rack?

 

I've got 485 hp/1660 ft lbs, an 18 speed, 4.17 rears and tall 24.5's, and it seems to work great for me. Mostly 2-lanes, but it'll still get out there and run with the big dogs (tachs out @ GPS indicated 84.9 mph). 240" WB in a SFA daycab leaves plenty of room for overhang, tool boxes, and whatever else I need to carry. If I had a sleeper and drove more interstates, I probably wouldn't have such aggressive gearing in the rears...but for a day cab doing local/regional work it gets the job done.

 

Purchasing a used truck is a compromise.
The people who originally purchased the truck also compromised. The idea was to get equipment that could run the areas of operation for that company, then have some reasonable resale value.

More basic information is needed to give you better answers.
What type of freight do you plan to hauls the most, where will most of this driving be.

If you do plan to run flatbed, mid roof is better than tall roof. Some mills can be very low clearance.

 

I run old cabovers just got another one 1986 9670 350 big cam 9 speed with a 3 stage Jake everything works clean truck good rubber $5000.00 it does what I need I pull 48 foot spread with side kit and haul some permit loads I needed another truck because I am doing extensive work to my 1977 Pete 352 that I fave been running for several years. Guess my point is it my not be exactly what you want but if it will work and is cheep and reliable go with it.

 

Not necessarily. If you have time, you can look for a truck that has the specs you want. Only compromise I made with my truck was the wheel base. I had been looking for 200-215", but when this one came along with every spec spot on and only 260K on the odometer, I figured the extra 3' or so wouldn't be a problem...and it hasn't been.

Important thing is to know what you NEED, as well as what you WANT. Salesmen will attempt to sell you what they HAVE, which will likely be neither what you want nor what you need. By knowing the difference between what you NEED vs what you WANT, you'll be able to decide whether or not to compromise to accept what a salesman might have. More time you have to look, the less compromising you'll need to do.

 

Ina addition to Reverend Bulldog, watch out for the Bait and Switch, where they draw you in with the truck that you were looking for, spec'd the way you want. Suddenly, you fill out credit apps, get accepted, happier than a fat rat in a cheese factory, tell everyone about it, even catch wood, take time off work, tell the salesman what day you're coming, everything is fine and dandy, all the planets and stars have aligned....

.....



...and two days before you show up, the salesman calls and tells you the truck is gone. But, I thought we had a deal? "Wait! I have another that just rolled in that I think you will like!"

The frustrating thing about telling drivers about the Bait and Switch is, you can warn them until you're blue in the face, AND THEY STILL FALL FOR IT. Yes, I know you told everyone that you were getting a truck, yes I know you caught wood, yes, I know you took time off from work and even bought a plane ticket.

Walk away. Make em pay for yanking you. And tell the next salesman your story. He will not do it.
When you walk, you hurt their pockets. All that effort, answering all those questions, taking your phone calls on the first ring and listen to you talk about what you were going to do with the truck and pretending to be your friend. Thought for sure that you were a sucker. Planned a trip with the wife and told her to buy some pretty panties. Even caught wood.

"But driver, I thought we had a deal?"

 

Mp or a real mack? I know the xt file is something like 487hp and 1760 if I remember correctly