Best Flatbed Truck for Lumber Yard

No, I don't have lumber that needs to stay dry. Mackay is at high elevation and it's considered a dry desert, so we don't get a ton of rain.

 

Do you know that having the right wheelbase on the straight truck will be vital when taking a moffet along?
Too short and the truck becomes undriveble when empty with the moffet at the back.
Too long and you risk a heavy steeraxle.

 

No, I didn't know that. My thought is I would get with one of the companies that specializes in these types of set ups:
https://99lifts.com/inventory/flatbed+trucks/2012-freightliner-m2-106+business+class-spencerville-in-5c3f6aac3e1d293bd17ae742

https://www.crookmotors.com/invento...lr=1&bcatid=27&ftr=1&lo=4&sfc=0&catid=220,257

 

That is not a garantee.
I have found that truck/trailer builders fabricate a "general" product.
You need to know what your needs are and buy accordingly.
And that is hard to judge for us as we don't run your bussiness.
All we can do is point you in the right direction but the final choice has to be yours.

Will you ever use/drive the flatbed without the moffet along?
(has a big influence on how much weight is on the steer)

My best advice is to calcute weights in different scenario's.
empty,no moffet
empty, with moffet.
fully loaded,no moffet
fully loaded,with moffet.
If you cannot do it yourself,ask someone who knows like a engineer.
You can do that in a speadsheet to play around with the wheelbase/lenght off flatbed untill you find the right fit for you in regards lenght off flatbed and wheelbase.
Might take some effort now but you will be happy you did it later on.

 

Super good advice Daf105. Boy, now I'm really spinning........

 

^^ true info. You can’t have a ton of rear body overhang off the back and utilize the moffett as a rider, as it will catch and snag on minor road grade changes.
Typically, you need 36” minimum behind the rear drive to mount a moffett- however if you have extensive running without the moffett unit on the back; you’ll find that a lightweight steer axle gets overloaded rather quickly unless you load 70/30 or better weight favored to the rear of the deck.

I added what I thought was an important factor to @daf105paccar post, gross weights may not change but axle weights will change significantly.

 

I understand..........but if you buy wrong your head will not spin ...................it will hurt (and so will your wallet)

You have been given very good info in this thread.
Enough to make a plan and take it to the next level which is someoneone who can calcute your weights.

And offcourse if you have questions,we (TTR members) are here to help.

 

You’ll be ok.




Unless your regularly loading it like this, you won’t end up with many overweight issues.

I’m a fan of overbuilding things so they aren’t being maxed out frequently. That said, heavier parts mean heavier tare weight.

 

That is not a 12 000lbs front axle,right?

 

Likely a 20. I think I heard 880’s you can get a 22k?
They spec equipment properly at that outfit. Think they got 2 or 3 of those matching units last year. They aren’t cutting corners.