Thoughts on KW T660 with 86" Studio pulling a 53" step?

now i have 3 48 steps and only 1 51 all aluminum. 10 on top 41 bottom is the best setup on the battle between 51vs53, do you need a 43 bottom? rarely. IMO you really don't need a 51 or 53. A 48 all aluminum or combo will work just as fine. Save money and put that into a t660 studio which if you want it with sofa bed and ok miles it hard to find them less than 65k used and 160k new, But if you really want a long trailer get a 51 with sliding rear axle.

 

My bad #### t660-72" studio (couch fridge, upper bunk) 150 gln tanks with combo 48" great dane flat and boxes can scale 47k and 48k watching my fuel

 

You really should check out the Mac. I know mine is a flat but my 53' all aluminum MAC is 2500 lbs lighter than my 48' Great Dane combo. I can haul 50,000 lbs with it and a 379 and a 45000 lb coil doesn't flatten it out. Strong and light. Only time will tell how long it will last.

 

IMHO. . . You really need to scale 48K with an open deck. It is easier if you have the versatality to haul heavier and may show up nicer on the bottom line. I am in a new KW 660 with the big sleeper, no sofa, just a full size lower and a smaller upper. With an all alluminum step deck and topped off it will scale at 31,100. The interior has lots of storage and when the wife rides along it gets tight, but that has more to do with the Weimaraner and his 80 pound carcass. Swing by a KW dealer and climb in one and give it a once over.

As for fuel mileage the '12 I had was 6.7 approx. for the 400K I had it, and no APU so that was with a fair amount of idle time. The '15 now is at 7 (7.4 for the first 2 months), no APU, but it has a bunk heater so from Feb. to just recently it had almost no idle time. That's running at 67-68 mph on the big road.

Hope that helps, and Good Luck!

 

With an all aluminum step....plus ramps and gear..........only way you are gonna scale 50k is if you are pulling it with a Datsun. I think we need to get over the notion that we HAVE to put stupid heavy general freight on a step.

For general flatbed work......wasn't that long ago 45k was your typical load. Now they EXPECT you are gonna scale on 48k.....for the same or less money. This trend toward bigger, lighter trailers has done nothing but shoot holes in our own feet.

 

I agree, some drivers don't think about the consequence and affect they make when they tell a agent they can scale 48k for a cheap or same rate as a 35k load. Anything over 45k is not worth the hassle and time. Anything above 50k they will pay the extra $$$ and that's worth the time and hassle, but at that point 1,500-3,000k difference on trailer weight don't really matter.

 

There is a lot to be said for that, this is what has brought on all of the plastic trucks that don't last.

I have been told so many times the W9 I drive is "Sooo heavy" and I just ignore them. Why because you have to love the truck you are driving or you aren't going to love trucking.

Above and beyond that, those loads that weight 48,000 lbs on the nose, always, always, always the cheap freight that doesn't pay. I am more than happy to let someone else go broke doing backflips and summer salts to try and move it. I will happily stick with demanding to be not only paid for my services but to make a proffit.

 

That's rough Hurst. Good luck to you.