Time to buy a all aluminum trailer need advice

I hauled a Ravens 48 foot 102 covered wagon on a Volvo Midroof with the N11, scaled and loaded coils as much as 52000 pounds on the belly which for me in flatbedding was a technical record setting load in several ways. To put 52000 on the deck and lawfull remain at 80000 was something to remember.

I did research and pulled a good article that indicated Ravens was purchased by Fountaine around 2005 and that the closest replacement to the Ravens model is the Fountaine Revolution which to me and my eyes was pretty #### spitting image of the good old Ravens. Trailer weight is around 8800 flat. With the right tractor carefully chosen you should be able to load 52000 which is pretty much the industry max as far as Coils are concerned. A coil of half inch steel rolled higher than a man, something like 8 feet and some change high and about 20 feet long. It also represents the maximum theoratical limit to loading in the belly vs a Ravens at the time.

http://www.truckinginfo.com/article...eds-allow-heavy-payloads-help-fleet-grow.aspx

 

34,600? Wow! That's one heavy truck I have transcraft combo 48 step and 300 inch wheelbase flattop 389 chains tarps straps etc full of fuel 31,700

 

Transcraft or chaparral is your lightest trailers or at least thay wear years ago when I flatbeaded . East trailers are fairly light also.

 

Btw? What is wrong with only scaling 45,000? All that 48,000 pound freight is usually cheap cheap cheap. Drywall, lumber, bricks or steel. And yuck to all those why even mess with shippers wanting to max you out with 48?

 

It might be cheap but if you have a lighter equiptment and can put more weight on, it is big money to you. My trailer allowed me to get loads where other company drivers with the steel Fontaines and Transcrofts could not. This is back in the mid 90's

 

I have a set of maxi a train flatbeds sitting at home. Legal for 105,500 and I can tell you more weight might draw bigger higher rate but it doesn't mean more profit. In my experience which I don't claim to be a expert by any means the lighter loads that require more customer service generate most profit.

 

Im not a expert either. Someone recently made a paraphrase you could shuttle a tank as oversize several times a day from a base to motor pool or something at 10K a move. Or have 20 rigs move a troop of tanks for 10K each. Not to mention being motivating. Way better than unloading say shag rolled carpeting on a overnight short haul that only pays a few hundred dollars at most. I try to show the same motivation with the really cheap loads. as long there is still a profit to be made.

If you have found a gravy train with steady freight to make a good income to the freight in that cargo route, add more trucks to it if you can. (Befoe others do..)

 

My last trailer before I sold out was an 05 Big Bubba, It was a great trailer. I was with Mercer 27 years, the Bubba is more trailer than you will need with 98% of Mercer freight. Very seldom will you get enough concentrated weight on it, to get much of the arch out. The 05 Bubba has a very high stiff arch that can be hard to work with on long light tall loads. Some Bubbas you could put a lift axle on the front axle. My 05 you could not!

Of the trailers you listed, the only one I would physically look at is the 07 Maximizer. My first choice would be a new or late model Mac

Some points to look at when looking at all aluminum flats, Pay very close attention where the axles mount to the frame , look very hard for corrosion between steel and aluminum, this corrosion has been known to break some of the mounting bolts on Reitnouer. Look for cracks in the frame and cross members, pay close attention around the front axle. That axle takes a lot of abuse during tight turns.

Pay close attention from the landing gear forward, look for cracks in the cross members, and check the bolts holding the fifth wheel pin plate in place.

Aluminum trailers are great trailers, but they don't handle abuse well. I bought my first all aluminum Ravens in 1985, that's all I've bought since. Mac and Retnouer are top shelf all others are less desirable for one reason or another. The nail strips on a Fontaine revolution are a joke

Since your looking, try to get winches on both sides and try to get 3-4 nail strips

 

I had a Fontaine all aluminum it was a 2013 89xx lbs.....