Mac, Benson, Reitnouer, Doonan, East...

IMO I'd go with new and have whatever trailer you decide built the way you want, no exceptions. If one of the trailer makers won't built it your way, don't deal with them.

 

I'm with Les have it built your way. Only thing I would change is that I would have your axle at the back and have a front slider for Canada since you don't care about being Cali legal it's way easier on a trailer not to have that 15 foot out the back. It's also better on weight transfer.

 

I would go with steel and wood. The reason being is that some shippers won't load an aluminum deck trailer. There is a little more maintenance to steel, but I think that they are more durable.

I bought a new 53' Transcraft. It has made a lot of money for me. It is now 6 years old, but needs a new floor. I did have a couple of issues with the wiring harness on the back center of the trailer, but nothing major. It still makes me money and has held up well other than the floor. I have container locks built in and a sliding rear axle.

Doonan makes a good trailer. They seem to hold up well, but are more expensive than some of the other trailers, such as Transcraft. I wanted to buy a Doonan when I purchased my Transcraft, but didn't think that it was worth the price difference. I still don't.

I have a friend who owned a Western step deck. He liked it a lot. His was a combo. If you haul a lot of equipment, an aluminum deck can bend making it easier for pallets and other freight to walk on the deck.

Personally, I would not want an aluminum step deck. I don't think that they would hold up as well as steel and will cost considerably more.

I thought about selling my Transcraft any buying another new step deck. I don't know if I would buy another Transcraft or something different. I am thinking about a trailer with 3 axles due to some of the freight that I have been hauling. I am thinking a double drop extendable or perhaps another step deck. I do like owning a piece of equipment that is paid off. It is great to not have equipment payments.

There are a number of good step deck manufacturer's. You need to decide what you plan on pulling and then match the trailer to your needs. I thiink that you will really like having the sliding axle. It can save you a lot of tire wear. An alternative would be a lift axle, but that adds a lot more weight.

 

Honestly if I was going to spec a new step it would be steel and wood three axle with the back two as lifts. I don't kno what manufacturer I would go with but aluminum just doesn't work in my application.

 

I would rather have the rear two axles as lifts. For some reason, most of these trailer manufacturers only have a lift on the center axle rather than the rear or both rears. I could easily use a third axle on my trailer now.

 

Have you looked at Wilson trailers?? I have an alum 48' flat, bought new in spring 2008, excellent quality, last time it saw the dealer was when I pulled it off the lot.

They make a step, so might be worth checking out.

 

Go new, like Les said. I'm going to bite the bullet the first of the year and order one as well. By the time you pay premium for a used trailer in this market, put new tires on it and such, your almost to the point of new.

If you go through CT and MI, you'll want that rear slider. In FL, you'll most likely have to have it slid, but you can put 44k on tandems, so no worries. Plus, not being Cali legal is hell on your resale value.

Steel trailers are great, except they rust and are pretty heavy. I own a steel step now. I won't next spring though. For the weight of this 48x102 steel/wood Fontaine, I could have a 53 tri-axle Reitnouer. I checked a Reitnouer out the other day and their extruded deck is much better than the smooth aluminum some manufacturers put on (cough cough Transcrap). It actually made me consider going AL floor instead of apitong which was/is my plan. I'll occasionally haul a load that needs a wood floor, but maybe not often enough to haul the weight.

Has anybody here ever loaded a steel tracked machine (excavator, dozer) on a Reitnouer AL floor??? Any damage?

 

Call pee Dee in SC and get a quote on the Reitnouer.

Comparing a 48 to 50+ is apples to oranges. Why not do a combination composition trailer? I'm going full aluminum due to the weight of the third axle. You can get a combo Fontaine, Doonan, Wilson etc for right in the middle of your pricing.