Buying a Stepdeck! Need advice!

a 53 is good but unessacary, you can make good money with a 48x102 10/38 step.

Here is what the deal for being california legal is, if you have a step with a spread axle you have to either A. have a distance from the king pin to the center of the spread that is something like 40 feet if memory serves, I cant remember off hand and I am pulling this out of my head.

There are 2 ways you can get around this.

1 setup that is readily available is a 8 foot upper deck and a 40' lower, leaving you with a 48 foot trailer that has the appropriate distance from the king pin to axle set.

There are 2 major problems with this setup, that is the upper deck being 8' long doesnt leave you a lot of room to stuff a partial up there, and partials are where the money is at.

The other problem is that the 8' deck doesnt have a lot of give to it and will ride really rough.

Another option that you have is a moveable kingpin on a 50' trailer. you have with this a 10' upper deck, and a 40' lower, you still run a fixed 10'6" spread, and if you need to go into CA you simply move the king pin back into the rear hole which will be placed in a CA legal position, kind of a pain in the butt though if you have something istting on your front deck.

The other option is a 50 or 53' trailer with a sliding rear axle, they are good, a bit heavier though, this is why many folks steer away from them.

If I was buying a brand spankin new trailer today, id be buying a Doonan 50' step, and id go for the dual position king pin and call it good, It is 2 feet longer than a 48, can carry a 40' high cube on the lower deck legally, and you can get them with the can locks built in, that is a very nice feature. Expecially if you are going to CA.

I just called over to Kelly at Doonan, I guess they have a new setup for a moveable 5th wheel pin, if he can find a picture or drawing of it he will send it to me and I will post it.

Also I will tell you, if you are buying a step, do not hesitate to get ramps for it.

 

Also look at the rated weight rating on the plate.
Most will say 35 ton in 15' for example.
People look at weight rating, saying I got a 35 ton trl.

Well that's all good but for how many feet?
Example, you get a piece that the base or main portion of the load is on the deck.
Load is 45 K ok Then the base is only 10 feet long.
Is your trl. rated for that weight in 10 feet?

If buying a used trl. allways say you want to test load it.

Reason being that it might look good mty, but when you ld. it is sags or leans to one side due to weak frame rail.

Also look at crossmembers and see if they are broke or been rewelded.

I kinda agree with other poster about a 50' with different pin settings.
My personally I would buy a spread also. 10'2" that way you can get your max permit weight on it, if hauling heavy permit loads.

 

^^^ Very good points, a good inspection of the frame is mandatory, and dont buy a trailer some one painted all pretty, paint it yourself, most of the time when they paint a used trailer it is to cover something up, you dont need to find out after the fact that your trailer was repaired by bubba or manuel out under the old oak tree with an older than dirt stick welder and some secnd hand rod that some one else threw out.

Remeber a weld can be ground up with a grinder to be made pretty, and the rest can be done with bondo.

Also get under the trailer with a flash light and inspect it from the inside out the whole way down, dont just check the rails.

I have yet to find a used trailer that didnt need something welded up, if some one tells you that it is good to go, and they do not own a welding shop, be skeptical.

 

For primarily hauling equipment, I'd buy a steel 48 ft step with 17.5 tires if I could find one. Then I'd add the 5 foot bolt on beavertail with ramps from Doonan. I'd be legal in CA and could load almost anything since the ramps are flat deck space when folded up. I pull a 48 ft RGN/DD and I'm over bridge everywhere, but have no issues with it.

 

http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=1900767

I thought they were 51 footers not 50???

Anyhow I threw up a trailer that almost fits what I would get if I was starting all over again.. I would get a 51' x 102" wide combo.. with a 10' top deck and a 41'bottom.. (you need the extra foot of space for container locks and to put your securement on a true 40' load..
About the only thing I would change would be I would rather have 17.5 tires to give me a lower deck height.. AND more sliding winches on both sides..

More tool boxes are always good.. but are not required. So the one in the pic.. Cal. legal, LED lights, container locks for a double 20'.. a single 40', and more locks for a heavy 20 footer. You already have the ramps.. your good to go in my book. Tarps are a whole different ballgame. depending on where you go and stuff I wouldn't advise on what to get .. too many combinations, everyone has their preferances.

Good luck!

 

I believe a air lift front axle which will come off the ground is illegal in CA. May have changed by now. Also, a 10 ft spread is illegal in CN. I'd buy a 48 ft flat bed Transcraft Eagle with Aluminum floor and Apithong runners (to nail into) and a side kit and 10 ft spread. Tool boxes between the tandems and side kit racks fwd of the axles. I hate loading pipe on a drop. Too hard to get legal and you ahve to build racks for the rear to even it up so your load is up in the air.

 

I run drill pipe in the oilfield and have only loaded the pipe wrong once, which resulted
in an over axle ticket, one time. Most of the loads are in the 45k to 48k range.

The first time I recieved the ticket was because when they loaded the pipe I didn't
have them put the pipe right up against the step. The pipe ended up being about
2' from the step which is why it was wrong.

After that I allways made sure the pipe was against the step and on the last layer
would make them set it forwards over it some, even thought I didn't need too.
After that NEVER received another ticket hauling pipe on a step.