Conostega, Is it worth the buy

Discussion in 'Flatbed Trucking Forum' started by kachup, Jan 14, 2014.

  1. MackDaddyMark

    MackDaddyMark Medium Load Member

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    Just started pulling a conestoga roughly 90 days ago, I've found its easier to get into the door or hole or whatever u want to call it get the truck straight then unroll it this way all u need to do is do a striaght line back!
     
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  3. kachup

    kachup Medium Load Member

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    Oct 23, 2013
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    Guys i got a customer that hauls airplane parts and he's always asking for step deck conestoga, but i only have regular step deck which he still gives me work. But im really considering pulling the trigger on one, they aint cheap either. But lets see what happens.
     
  4. kw550cat

    kw550cat Medium Load Member

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    You can always get the kit on your current step deck.
     
  5. dannythetrucker

    dannythetrucker Road Train Member

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    everywhere, man
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    I pulled one doing multi-stop loads that needed weatherproofed. Awesome for that application, I could get 7 stops off in a day whereas I would have been doing well to get 3 or 4 fooling with tarps.

    However, I was surprised how much you can't haul with one. In addition to no oversize there were legal loads that were a bit too wide or tall. I'm sure some are better than others, the one I pulled you lost a few inches on both sides for rolling hardware, and it was tough to roll the top over anything much over 6' 6" tall.
     
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  6. SHC

    SHC Spoiled Rotten Brat O/O

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    Westville, IN
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    Cluck and I have had this conversation a few times. It used to be you wanted one because the rates were very good as it was specialized equipment. But now everyone has one. Everywhere you go, you see them. Especially in the Chicago/Detroit area.

    I want one just because I hate tarps. Other than that, it makes no difference to me lol
     
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  7. Rugerfan

    Rugerfan Road Train Member

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    Redding,CA
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    After pulling a conestoga for the last 8 months there is no way I could ever go back to a regular flatbed. I love this trailer. It's a lot wider than a normal flatbed so it took a little bit to learn how to be perfectly straight when backing up with it since you cant see around the headboard but once you get used to that its the best. I am limited in what I can haul but as a company driver I llike that since it means no more climbing on tall loads to tarp and everything has to fit inside or it doesn't ship. width is sometimes and issue but I can still haul genie scissor lifts and telehandler forklifts just fine in it
     
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  8. Davidlee

    Davidlee Medium Load Member

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    Aug 31, 2012
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    I found that most Brokers just did not want to be bothered with the risk of sending over a conestoga only to learn that a part of the load sticks out too far or it's too heavy and now he is left with the trouble of finding another truck. Also, with a conestoga loading from loadboards, you are at the mercy of the few Brokers who are willing to load you at a discount rate. When it comes to a conestoga, you have fewer choices, you can sit and wait for something to come along, deadhead a couple hundred miles or accept a lesser paying load.
    On the plus side, if you work directly with Shippers and you always haul the same loads, you would never regret having a conestoga.
     
  9. SHC

    SHC Spoiled Rotten Brat O/O

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    Westville, IN
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    If it won't fit under the Coneatoga because it's too wide, then the load is Now oversize anyways. So it shouldn't matter with the broker because the rate is going up for that reason ...
     
  10. MJ1657

    MJ1657 Road Train Member

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    Isanti, MN
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    How much does the Conestoga unit weigh?
     
  11. Davidlee

    Davidlee Medium Load Member

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    Up until a few months ago, I pulled one for 5 years all legal loads. The deadhead and amount of times where I had to leave one load to go find another is countless. So to avoid this, you ask, "will the shipper load a conestoga" and that's where everything changes.
    Now this is only my experience and we may work in different areas so our experiences may not be the same.
     
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