What's with all the axles?

Been seeing a lot of cattle haulers up here start running tridrives with tridem cattle haulers. With the oilfield tanked tridrives are apparently selling cheap at auction compared to a similar spec tandem.

 

If you're getting paid by the ton and miles, it makes sense. Why haul 20-22 tons when you can haul 26-27 tons legally on 6 axles?

A bit more fuel, and a bit more thinking to get your weights distributed right, but you end up making 20% more for the run.

 

My five axle setup in Alaska is allowed 14k steer, 38K drive, 20K and 20K (on a spread) as long as you don't exceed bridge forumula. My lumber hauling setup is legal at 88K because of bridge formula, but I typically can only get 86K on it without going over on my drives, it's tough to get that extra 2K on my steers. Very few extra axle trucks up here because there is no need, you can max out bridge formula on 5 axles so easily that they aren't advantageous unless you have a really long rig like a fuel hauler.

 

Take a look at the roads in Michigan!! Not sure more weight is better

 

Frost limits... Parts of Idaho do the same thing. Slower speed limits and lower weight limits for trucks on sone county roads. Never known anyone to be checked for for the weight unless they got caught going over the reduced speed limit.

 

The 6th one gets loaded like the other 5, you just avoid the dot hot spots.....

 

That's a Tuesday set up. Monday has the first three trailer axles down, next two up, remaining two down. Wednesday has first two down, third up, fourth down, fifth up, last two down, and so on...

 

As everyone else has said, it's about bridge formula, and if you want to have fun ponder this.

A 20' ocean container, on a 20' stretched chassis, pulled by a standard 3 axle tractor, cannot contain more than 36,000 lbs of cargo in Wyoming otherwise it exceeds bridge in Wyoming, and they aggressively enforce it. BTDT, have the t-shirt, mug, and chiropractor bill from hand transferring 8,000 lbs of steel shelving from one container to another.

Also, a lot of those 40' ocean reefer boxes you see in the NW on 4 and 5 axles chassis with 4 axle tractors, are hauling wine, typically loaded to 57,000 lbs or more. Few months back, ran into a container hauler at a customer in Billings, he'd come from Port of Seattle. We were comparing loads/chassis. I had a 20' container, with 42,000 lbs of automotive jacks on a 3 axle chassis, with a 3 axle tractor. He had 60,000 lbs of Mahogany furniture, to be legal, he had a 4 axle tractor and a 4 axle chassis. His co-worker showed up 30 minutes behind him with 50,000 lbs of mattresses, he only had a 4 axle chassis and a 3 axle tractor.

Let's have even more fun, so we load popcorn out of a place in Imperial, Ne., shipping to Japan, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. US railroads have a max container weight limit too, we are only permitted to 80K, with the tri-axle we can be permitted to 85K or even 90K. We simply don't because the cost isn't worth it for the few loads we'd haul. This popcorn customer competes directly with popcorn growers in Brazil, where they are much more lenient on rail and road weight limits, whereas the the US railroads will only allow him to ship 48,000 lbs max, the shippers in Brazil are loading 60,000 lbs in a 20ft container.

There is a Coke distributor in Scottsbluff that runs a 3-axle trailer and 4 axle tractor to haul coke products from Denver to Scottsbluff and Rapid City.

 

If the USA were to truck like we do in Canada the # of trucks on road could be reduced drastically.
Most any bulk products is hauled on multi axle trailers. 140k gross in my province. I was hauling tandem pups. Beer lead, meat rear. Payload around 80k.
It just makes sense.