Hotshot Connect Forum :: Custom Trailer advice needed

BR3026

So, while on my normal line haul a few days ago I'm thinking about what truck I want, what trailer.....normal things to think about on the road at 3am.

A big truck passed by with a really sweet lowboy-type trailer and it got me thinking. While I still haven't made my final decision, I leaning toward the medium duty, as discussed in my other forum. What I've noticed is the normal gooseneck trailer doesn't seem right paired to a medium duty with a hauler body. Enclosed trailers look right, but the flat decks with the big gooseneck are obviously designed with pickups in mind. That's were the sweet big truck trailer comes in.....

I spoke with a local trailer builder (I've had smaller trailers made by him and he builds large trailers as well - all good quality and reasonably priced). I asked him if he could make me a custom trailer to my specs and he said he could. Before he and I got into the details, I wanted to pick your brains.

Does anyone see a flaw in building a smaller version of the low deck semi trailers for the LTL industry? Picture a deck low over the fifth-wheel and down to the flat deck from there at an angle. Seems to me that it would look better and have an advantage of more deck space and it would have a lower center of gravity than the goosenecks with the decks on top. I may be over thinking this whole thing, but I think the standard goose looks alittle out of place on a purpose built hauler and it seems this design offers easier loading, lower center of gravity, and more deck space with the same size trailer.

Does anyone see a reason why this wouldn't be the best design for this particular type of truck? Has anyone seen one before?

Also, what is the advantage of two 12k axles over three 7k axles? 3k more capacity and I suppose one less axle at the toll booth - anything else?

Bob

bth9461

Bob anything you do to lower deck height helps, as long as you keep the deck clear of fenders. My GN has a 11' Hydraulic beaver tail and 8' alum ramps giving me 19' of ramp for 36", so I can load anything that rolls. Now my MFG (Imperial) will modify the trailer by cuuting off the GN and adding a Stepdeck when I move up to a larger truck. You want as low a step as possible, with the ability to get vehicles on it also, if possible. As for 2-12k well they turn better, but you get more tongue weight, no big deal for a Medium Duty or larger. I also put 17.5" 6k 125pd tires single tandems. I can pivot on a dime with freight on. Your thinking in the right direction.

Brian

flying wedge

Hi Bob, I just had a lowboy with a step deck like you are talking about built at Hefty. I have yet to pick it up and will wait till the strike is over. I basically have a 44 foot low boy with fenders 102 inches wide and a 9 foot step deck . the top of my fifth wheel plate is 39 inches off the ground so if you add maybe six to eight inches for trailer thickness my height of the nine foot step deck is around 45 to 48 inches off the ground. the height of the lower trailer I dont know at this time but I am sure i could just step right up off the ground onto it. The whole trailer is 53 foot long and I am going to pull it with a dodge 4500 cab-chassis . Maybe you could call up hefty and ask them to send us a picture of my trailer for the forum? that way you could see what it looks like. I went for the three axles as it allows me to go lower than duallies which would be a deck over situation, Keeping the load as low as possible out of the wind, plus I have a cowtown sleeper I will be mounting on the cab, sitting on three 2'x2'x3' long equipment boxes, the sleeper adds almost a foot of aerodynamic fairing on top of the cab which will give me somewhere between 7 and 8 feet of total cab height to deflect wind off of the freight . some guys like the deckover as it allows you to load freight without worrying about forklift access, I like the fender situation as it allows the load to be lower. I am picking up a set of pallet grabbers that I could use to drag a pallet out from between the fenders if needed but with propper planning of the load I feel thast worrying about loads between the fenders will be a non issue as I now have an extra nine feet of deck over the fifth wheel hitch. I think we have to think economy to raise our bottom lines as far as fuel goes and low and out of the wind drag will do that. Dutch

Tom Cobb · Site Admin

In the TRAILER section TGPilot has a good post on the perfect trailer. I thought he had picts of his trailer on here but I can't find them. Send TG a PM and ask him for picts. He also has a trailer that I believe he is selling since he sold his med duty truck. TG can certainly give you some good pointers.

He may appear on here at any time but a PM would maybe get his attention.

bth9461

Dutch, makes some good points, I just like the deckovers, but the lower deck of a lowboy could help on mileage. I have some freight types that a clear deck is important on.

TG, did you sell you trailer? I have a guy coming to get my BigTex Tomorrow.

Brian

TGPILOT · Last edited by TGPILOT on Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:12 pm; edited 1 time in total

Just got on here guys. No Brian, I haven't sold it yet. I haven't even really been trying. Guess I ought to start advertising it and get rid of it before my wife decides to use it for a flower planter the way she has been going.

I thought I had posted pix on here two. Guess I dind'nt TC. So here is a link to just some of the empty shots of it. http://tgpilot.hostcentric.com/FL60%20&%20Trailer/index.htm Hit slide show to view.

I guess I should post a copy of my perfect trailer article on here. In answer to BR3026, there is no reason you can't, as I built the closest thing to a perfert trailer. In that it has the weight carrying capcity, length, and other things such as a stepdeck 35" +/- on the lower deck and about 24" up to the second deck with a 9K winch, ramps, 5 tool boxes, two speed jack and a lumber rack, just to mention a few things.

This trailer was used behind a FL-60 with a 300 Cummings that pulled her just fine.

Tom

BR3026

TG's trailer is pretty much what I had in mind! I'll hold any questions until I read the "perfect trailer" post. Thanks for the pics!

Great info from everyone! Flying Wedge, when you get you trailer pls take so pics and post 'em - I'd love to see it.

Tom Cobb · Site Admin

It's about time you showed up. Those are good picts. It has each shot twice though. I guess you wanted us to be sure and see each view real good. LOL

TGPILOT

Hmmm.......didn't notice. Might have been whereI reduced the size of some of them and they were all still in the same folder. Here is my post from www.hotshothauling.com:

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What is the perfect trailer? I don't think there really is an answer to that question, but you can get one that will do the job for you. What is good for one person, is not necessarily good for another driver. It comes down to application, and of course price.

A couple of months ago I decided to have a trailer built. I had researched the design I wanted to use for several months, and had called almost every manufacture across the country getting prices and build dates. HEFTY trailers of N. East Texas came out on top. For what I wanted, the cost was just under $14,000.00 and they did it in a week. They were great to work with, even when I made a few design changes mid-stream. The day I pulled it off of their yard, it was loaded and working. Since then I have been very lucky to keep busy with it. I hope to stay that way. Though, I know there will be days I won't.

The over all length is 53' long, I designed it to haul almost anything I could get on it. The trailer has a modified wedge with ball towers, ramps, winch and sliding rachet channels. Below are my design specs which I gathered from reading the post here and on other sites. Make sure if you have one built, that you have the bridge set at forty feet or less, or you will not be able to run Calif. VERY IMPORTANT this part. This is from the center of your hitch, to the center of your rear axle.

This trailer is perfect for me, but for others it would not be. Before building one, think about how your going to use it, and allow for growth. In the end, can you sell it to another driver. Will it be perfect for them (i.e. CA legal)? If so, you will get your money back. Specs on my trailer:

53' step-deck

45' main flat deck

08' upper deck

Two 15K dexter axles dual - spring axles

LED lights

Sealed wiring

Mid-way turn signal lights + turn light full length

08' slide out ramps 2 sets

Pierced beam frame

Bridged

Torque tube

(2) two spare tires & racks

8' Lumber rack

(5) five tool boxes

RV plug 7 way with hot wire

Elect/hyd brakes W/Caryle actuator

9K lb. Winch and "C" channel down the main bed for Wedge setup

Sliding rachet tie downs 4" straps

King pin hitch

2 speed bulldog double leg trailer jack.

Tom

bth9461

Hey Bob how are your plans going?

Brian