Drop deck trailer load

Dont know about the 48', a 40k coil in the middle of a 53' trailer, and you'll be way over on your front axle

 

Except that on a 48 ft step you only have 38 ft on the bottom deck toplay with so if you load 40 ft pipe you are 10 ft from the nose of the trailer and 2 ft out the back whereas on your flat your 4 ft from the nose and 4 ft from the back. In essence your loaded 6 ft farther back on the step. If you load pipe with bridges you don't have that problem as you load like a flat but if you don't have bridges best you can do is load up to the top of the neck and then move your next layer up over the neck a couple feet to move weight forward. The problem the op had was he loaded a 35 k 10 ft long piece directly over the front axle which overloaded that axle and caused him to lose tires. I would have loaded that piece three foot ahead but I like to be drive heavy rather than trailer heavy. And yes a spread step gets 40k just like a flat it's just harder to move weight ahead.

 

You set it back a few feet to the tail then right?

 

Most of the drivers I know who run steps also have "Bridges/Ramps"....
I suppose if you don't have them you could get 4" X 6" dunnage and "crib" up the pipe.....

 

I prefer to be "tail heavy" because I have an '09.....The DPF adds over 1K of weight to the tractor......

 

I never crib up pipe I would rather have the center of gravity lower. I always load pipe the way I described earlier but if you are loading on bridges you load just like a flat. But for short heavy objects you have to load it farther ahead than you would on a flat because you lose quite a bit of weight transfer through the neck of the trailer. I used to load 120k pumps on a level deck lowboy with a tandem jeep and booster and depending on how long it was I could load it all the way against my neck with 15 ft of open deck out the back and still be overweight on my trailer and have lots of weight I could put on my jeep and booster. What I'm trying to say is that steps don't transfer weight like a flat so that's the reason to load nose heavy.

 

I prefer to be drive heavy because if you are pulling up a slick hill you won't spin as easy as if your loaded tail heavy. I also run some 08's with dpf's and they add some weight but I don't like to haul 48k for 1.60 a mile when I can haul 35k or less for 2.50 a mile or better.

 

Most of cheap and heavy loads are "econ-lumber" and roofing....

I prefer coils, plates, beams, and pipe....They usually are 43K and under and pay well....

Especially port loads.....

Also Military cross-dock loads are good too....

 

Ya know I don't haul many broker loads. And the few brokers who do call me either pay my rate or don't use me. Usually my front haul pays for me to deadhead home and not have the headache of finding a back haul.