Moving Heavy Equipment

Why else would one consider using a 55t if not to haul more than what a 35t is rated for?
Are there other benefits to the big trailer?

 

Containers can be heavy, I have no real HH experience to speak of, however if I was you you run HH as a company driver first for a while. A year or three. Keep adding to your savings.

Getting that 55 ton or whatever is one thing, having capital to endure until your delivered customers pay is more important. Impatience is what kills because the first big bill rolls in and you have no capital.

I say the same thing for O/O's run as a company driver first see what they are getting into while adding to that savings which will evaporate fast enough.

HH's Ive seen around here are usually military iron, main battle tanks, Artillery etc and your really big power plant transformers at 150 ton and many axles taking on a particular bridge once or twice a week over 67 near me. You wont catch me doing that. Ive been heavy before as containers. And thats quite enough for a lifetime for me.

And the tractors that pull them? They are big. Way more beef and iron than your typical crappy company spec.

 

I've seen how this ends...

 

yes there are other benefits but also draw backs. You need the right equipment to the job -

thinkgs you are more likely to find in a bigger trailer

modular decks that can be shimmed to gain the correct weight distribution and ride height
Longer necks including flip necks to spread across 4 axle trucks with big steers
Ability to concentrate load

but typically the bigger trailers have taller beams - meaning higher deck height

and bigger trailers are heavier

and have shorter well lengths to accommodate the extra axle

@Old Man ’s trailer has a 12” deck height and weighs probably in the low 20’s but will fold in half with a 349 excavator on it

my trailer has a 26” deck height and weighs almost 50k but I can put a 115k in 10’

so you need to figure out what you are going to do and where you are going to do it - then match the equipment that.

@johndeere4020 has really nice equipment with a fair amount of versatility but it would not be ideal to run out west - My equipment is not ideal to run the northeast.

 

Not sure I understand your questions.

 

I have minimal Heavy Haul experience.

Years ago, I used to move heavy equipment with a low bed trailer, nothing overweight or oversized.

For a short period of time I worked for a Heavy Haul company, and they hauled mostly oversize overweight permit loads.

One day we had multiple loads coming out of the the port of Philadelphia or it just connected to the port somehow.

One driver made a wrong turn coming out of the place. I believe that wrong turn cost $2,500 at that time.

That company had been in business for a long time, and they had lawyers on retainer. There is nothing inexpensive about that type of business.

I would think it would be difficult for an owner operator without any Heavy Haul experience to go into oversize overweight pilot cars and all that type of thing without easing your way into it or finding somewhere that you can get more experience somehow, even if leasing on to someone with your own truck.

If you really want to go into that business, you really need a super heavy duty truck with heavy axles and reinforced frame and enough horsepower and gearing to handle that heavy weight.

I find it interesting though. I would like to learn more about it.

I'm sure it varies by area, but I wonder how much work there is for a 35 Ton Lowbed. Don't dealers move a lot of smaller equipment on stepdecks?

 

I have to wonder how expensive the insurance would be for a first time HH O/O.

 

A lot, and not counting how to find the brokers for the heavy haul.