Why so many 53' flatbeds? I see them every where, loaded with no more fright than on a 48. With so much over hang and doing u'ys in the truck stop. Is there really an advantage or is it a fad? I can almost see a step 53 with adj axle spacing, but not seeing it for flats. McElroy and some other CO's got a lot of them and load them and have room for extra freight.
A lot of flatbed stuff isn't always heavy, and I knew someone that hauled big styrofoam panels, and he needed that extra 5 feet. Like any 53, better to have it and not need it, than t'other way 'round.
'Cept once you get past 48' in trailer length, you have to start paying attention to KPRA laws and realize you may not be legal everywhere you'd like to run.
Most of what we haul is heavy, lumber, poles, railroad ties, cast cement products, that kind of thing. Our trailers are 44's and 48's. A 53 would just mean empty deck space most of the time. With the 48's on lumber you can put 3 16' units down each side, one high or two high depending on weight, it makes for a squared off load and it's a lot easier for the driver to tarp. I can see where a 53 might be the way to go for other kinds of freight, though.
It's never a fad. Never for looks, It's not about that. Are you so shallow? It's always good to have plenty of deck and expensive when you don't have enough. Ive had a whole flatbed dedicated to just two pallets of wood and one strap over both. The teasing I got was epic. They could have hired a pickup truck for that little bit. But no, it needed to go by truck. What I like to see is a properly secured tarped flat load whatever it might be. When they look perfect, it's literally like a present on that deck.
That's exactly why I run my 48'. I have lost out on maybe 2-3 loads, but I don't worry about being legal.
[QUOTE="x1Heavy, post: 6784932, member: Are you so shallow? Nope, maybe fad wasn't the word I needed. Trend is a better word. Most all the companies I see pulling 53's aren't pulling full loads ever. Not in my lanes. It was just a question.
