What percentage of weight on drive axle

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Gonzo1300, May 26, 2022.

  1. Gonzo1300

    Gonzo1300 Light Load Member

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    I have been driving straight axle trucks for a long time and never did anything with a trailer. My question is with a dual axle trailer and let's just say a single axle tractor if I had something that 20K and put it on the trailer what percentage of the weight is carried by the rear axle. I don't think it's 50/50 but with dual tandems it maybe I do not know
     
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  3. Another Canadian driver

    Another Canadian driver Road Train Member

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    What kind of trailer? dry van, reefer, etc.
    What load and how it's loaded?
    Heavy coils that are concentrated in 2 separate areas, front, empty space, and back?
    Bring some more info and we'll help you with an estimate.
     
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  4. Gonzo1300

    Gonzo1300 Light Load Member

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    I was talking to a Hotshot guy and I'm pretty sure it was a 40 ft little flatbed trailer. He had some long pipes on it that was close to the size of the trailer. I believe the side of the trailer said 26NG. I got confused because he said all the pipe by itself was 19600lbs. It's a 5500 truck and I know the axle is much smaller than the trailer but for that the work just the way I was thinking of it is if they put 20,000 lb on that trailer that means the drive axle is carrying roughly 30% of the weight of the trailer and the load combined is that not correct
     
  5. Another Canadian driver

    Another Canadian driver Road Train Member

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    Did it looked like this one?
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Gonzo1300

    Gonzo1300 Light Load Member

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  7. Another Canadian driver

    Another Canadian driver Road Train Member

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    A tandem axle on a 40ft goose neck trailer comes in 10-12-16k weight rating.
    Assuming a 16k per tandem axle and a total of 21k gross,
    the single drive can be loaded with about 4k probably and the rest on the steer axle.
    It's an educated guess, not a scientific white paper.
    Does it answer your question?
     
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  8. wore out

    wore out Numbered Classic

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    The percentage of weight carried by rear axle depends on where the load is placed in relation to the rear axle
     
  9. kranky1

    kranky1 Road Train Member

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    Must complicate things when you place the load and it just walks away.
     
  10. GYPSY65

    GYPSY65 Road Train Member

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    I read something years ago when I first started that said. It’s easier to carry a load than to drag it
    At first you think it makes no sense. It’s all on the trailer but load heavy to the rear and you will feel the difference
    I don’t run hotshot but do load heavier on the drives than trailer axles if I can
     
  11. Gonzo1300

    Gonzo1300 Light Load Member

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    We are thinking about a Hotshot setup for our main customer. For our customers sake and to make it simply better for them we would like a 48 ft trailer so we can get more of their units on there. If we had saved to 16k axle will of course a good trailer and I load a 48 ft load that weighs 20000 lb on that trailer I do not want to put too much on the drive axle
     
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