New step deck professional advice and thoughts

If you run the smaller tires you may need to run at lower speeds and stop more frequently when you run in very hot temperatures in the summer months. Smaller tires will generate more heat and have a greater tendency to blow due to the extreme heat. Stopping periodically can help to alleviate that problem. There are pros and cons to any set up. Smaller tires means that you will usually have smaller brakes. That was the reason that I originally went with the 255/22.5 tires. It can be more difficult to find the smaller tires when you blow a tire. I recommend that you give careful consideration to what you really want to do with your trailer and then spec it accordingly.

 

If I was going to order a new trailer today it would be a Doonan or a Chaparral, Same MFGR, the difference is the Doonan is a steel frame Aluminum Deck, the Chaparral is all aluminum. What I would be looking at is a 51' 11/40 deck, with 19.5's 10'6" spread (which is 50 state legal, if you go to Canada get a tridem) Id get the trailer with the throat box and ramps, with the anchors for the ramps on the back of the trailer as well as on the FRONT and BACK of the step.

Why front and back of the step? if you have a piece of equipment loaded up there that needs to get off before what is loaded behind it, especially if what is behind is a crane or fork load, you can uncouple and set your ramps off the front and drive it down.

19.5's are a very very very common tire, you should have no problem finding them, half the medium duty trucks in the country run them.

Another thing you need to think about is tool boxes and where you want them. Think about what gear you want to carry. Also having drawers in your tool boxes is really #### nice for keeping your gear in order and keeping it in better condition.

I am also a big fan of air lines underneath the neck because if I have a long piece that has to sit on the step (you are allowed 3' overhang) it isn't going to get snagged in your lines.

When ordering the trailer have them install a second 7 wire cord to the back of the trailer, this way you can hook up things like oversize lights and dump valves through that second 7 way plug, makes everything really nice and neat.

In addition to your ramps, the throat box is a great place to store some dunage out of sight and out of mind. and the great thing is when your truck is hooked up, no one is stealing anything out of that box.

Also if you get ramps, get a pair of the solid wheelbarrow tires and a rod that fits through the middle of them, cut the rod long enough to fit through the end of the ramp and through the tires, then put clevis pins through the ends to hold the tires on. It is a lot nicer wheeling the ramps around as opposed to carrying them.

Now that you are breaking into equipment hauling, start looking at specialized straps and hooks, places like AW Direct are a good resource, or your local wrecker shop. Getting equipment hooks will really help when securing machinery because often times instead of providing a hook or an eye the manufacturer will provide nothing more than a hole to put a hook into. John Deere is one of the ones I find this way a lot.

A manual dump valve for the air suspension is also a good idea, and air scales. You want the dump valve for when you are loading heavy machinery, it will let the axles sit on the bump stops so the truck/trailer won't rock so much.

Oh, and an optional item you might consider, I know I am doing it on my next trailer, I am embedding a pair of flag pole holders in the end of my bed so I can hang a couple of big ### flags off it when I get in the mood!

 

Make sure you look at the crossmembers.....spacing, type and thickness make a big difference in trailer strength. May want to look at a few used ones at the truck stops too......too see how they hold up.

I have two Wilson Load Brute combos, a Lode King combo and a Reitnouer all aluminum. The Wilson's have a 37" deck with 22.5" rubber (wheel wells stick above the deck) because I wanted a low deck but I also wanted good brakes without going to a tridem.

 

What is the different if any to the MPG using 17.5 vs 22.5 tires?

 

Mr Beast that was a very good way of answering the query. I haven't seen such a detailed answer to someone's query in a long time. It's guys like you who make this industry go. I just loved the way you provided the info in such a detailed fashion. Now my question to you is this your suggestion regarding ordering the trailer with second 7 way plug, now mine has two 7 way plugs how do you give power to the second one as there's only one coming out of the tractor??? And where is the outlet for the this extra power sources. Sorry for my ignorance but at the same time thank you in advance for your help.

 

You're welcome.

A lot of guys used to run a 2nd 4 way plug instead of the 7, but the problem is then you have to find a pigtail for the 4 way which is way less common.

What you are going to want to do on your tractor is you will need to get some of the 7 conductor SO cord (same stuff your pigtail is made of) and run it from where your plug is on the tractor up behind your dash. Then wire it up to what you want on it depending on what you have on your trailer.

Also when you are wiring things up you have the buzzer that buzzes when you unlock your fifth wheel slide, I strongly recommend hooking that up if you are putting dump valves on the trailer so you won't run down the road with the air dumped out of an axle, that is a good way to kill some tires and bearings.

You can power about anything you need to on the trailer, oversize lights, a lift axle, lights in your toolboxes (which are really really handy) Backup lights on the trailer, you dream it up you can probably find a way to do it. There are a lot of things that are nice to be able to control from inside of the cab.

 

All very interesting things to look at when speccing a new trailer. How many of you see the benefits of going with a triaxle with ramps?

 

The first question you need to ask when considering a tridem is how much does your truck weigh?

Consider this if a regular stepdeck weighs 10,000 lbs, and your tractor & Gear weighs 21,500 lbs, you are at 31,500 lbs empty, now if you add another 2500 lb axle and set of tires to that trailer, you are now at 34,000 lbs, which means the most you can legally carry to 48 states is 46,000 lbs.

The next question is, are you running to Canada? if so yes you need a tridem because they will not let you run a 10'6" spread.

If you are staying in the states then you can run 40,000 lbs on a 10'6" spread, verses 44,000 lbs on a tridem. By the time you subtract the weight of the axle and tires you really are only picking up an extra 1500 lbs, and you just got another axle to buy brakes and tires for.

Ramps are awesome, if you get em just charge for using them, otherwise you are doing a lot of work for free, and free is a dirty word in my book.

 

I have been looking at a triaxle trailer for a while. I keep going back and forth on the idea. It will add some extra weight and limit me on some loads without permitting for the weight. You can offset some of the extra weight by going with an aluminum deck. But, there are some shippers who won't load an aluminum deck. I have freight that I could haul if I added one or two more axles. For me it comes down to whether I can generate enough consistent business to justify the extra cost and how much of my current business I might lose by the extra weight. Life is a trade off.