Low profile drop (Step Deck) 53ft trailers

I pulled one with the low pro. 17.5 on it and if you are loaded heavy going over 55 mph will make you want to put 8 spare tire racks on it to carry the tires you can blow out over a mo. of running over 55?

 

I've wondered about step decks with 19.5's they gotta be better than the 17.5's. I assume since some car haulers run 19.5's they should hold up pretty good?

 

We have 3 trailers in the fleet that have 17.5 tires.
One is a 53 ' step the other 2 are similar equipment trailers
The summer heat is not your friend , when it's 75 degrees
and up I'd recommend not over 60 mph. You'll go through brakes
and keep an eye on wheel seals , those hubs get hot.
One of our equipment trailers is around 39000 on the spread
when loaded . If you can make enough extra money with the low
trailer to offset maintenance it'll work out. If not I'd go with
a standard stepdeck with 22.5 rubber. You'll need some high
loads that pay well. Good luck and Happy Trails.

 

My Wilson combo has a ride height of just under 39 inches with 22.5 rubber. Personally I'd never get a low pro unless I had a lot of loads for one and then I'd probably get a triple axel. But that just me.

 

I had a step with 17.5. Sliding rear axle.
I wouldn't drive faster than 62 with temperature above 70. Tire wear was always an issue. Even after I replaced both axles and hardware. I rarely had any tires last a complete 8 months. Changed 1 or 2 each month.

My step with 19.5 tires ,sliding axle, was an improvement. Still had tires not lasting as long as I expected. Lowered changes to 1 a month.

My current step has 22.5 tires, fixed spread. When I bought it, I installed new tires. I had to replace 2 in 130,000 miles. Same miles and loads with all 3 trailers.
I rotate my tires quarterly to extend life.
With annual truck and trailer alignment.