Spreads or Tandems

I originally bought a Wabash '53 sliding spread. It was an OK trailer, but because the spread was sliding, all the gear underneath to support such a system was HEAVY. It was a 2000 model, also had a few other issues.
Long story short, I traded across for a 2001 Great Dane '48 fixed spread. It's got a Thermo-King SBIII SR unit, Whisper Edition. I like it much more than the Wabash. Pulls easier, no sliding gear headaches and I think it's built considerably better than the Wabash. I plan on having this puppy for many years. There's a picture of it under my signature line.

 

Is yours a spread too? Spreads give a much smoother ride than tandem. You can look into a '53 spread, I'm sure they make the newer ones better than what I had, but I can say with confidence that I can put about as much freight in my '48 as a guy can in a '53. Problem I've run into on very few occasions was convincing brokers of that fact.

 

I've got dump valves on this trailer.
I think rigging it to raise the front axle would cost a bunch of $$. More stuff to break down too. Not for me, but I've seen it done however.