Post flatbed load photos here V2.0

MDF board this time.

 

Going home after unloading at a drill rig in Sturt's Stony Desert near Innamincka, South Australa.
300 kms of rocky and sandy dirt roads then another 1200 kms of bitumen.

 

Are those front and rear axles steerable? At first I thought it was a B Train.

 

Nice! How big are those fuel tanks on your truck?

Yep! And actually, I'm starting to hate the 1-3-1 spread. I think I'd rather have the 1-1-3 like I do most often. I've had to run 5 axles down instead of four on the last two loads. Both were relatively light loads only needing four axles but nope, rear axle down only pushes too much weight onto the drives (I cannot manually adjust the pressure on these SPIF steers) and with it up, the arch the the trailer is horrendous and I'm sure the back would be bouncing like crazy and tires on the axle dragging at times. So both lifts down for 70k lbs on the deck.... With a 1-1-3, no problem with the tridem right at the back.

Funny actually, when I was first starting I was thinking the 1-3-1's were a lot better than 1-1-3's because the pivot was so much further ahead. Well, my opinion has changed.

 

The 4 tanks are 1800 liters total.
I guess your combination would get you into the US whereas a B Train wouldn't. Only guessing there.

 

I run a 1-3-1 which on a 53 (I guess your flatbed is) we would probably have close to the same spread... I am not to sure what you meant about it pushes too much weight on the drives with your rear down.. It shouldn't push any more weight on your drivers in fact it will take weight off... Your taking weight off them by having it down plus the axles are load equalizing (which is why you can't adjust them) so all air bags on trailer will have the same amount of weight distributed among the axles. I will often run 4 only when my load is light, even if I don't need the 4th axle too cause it takes the bounce out makes for a nicer right.. Especially when you hit a bump. So I will agree with that they do bounce. I even see guys empty having the rear down, more so when you see trailers with a moffett on the back.

Your rear axle shouldn't be dragging the ground empty or loaded... My trailer is designed with a backwards slop so the rear of he trailer is actually lower the up front (where as your trailers looks like same height from front of deck as 5th wheel and the rear... My trailer is heavy (walking floor waste trailer) and rear axle doesn't drag.. Even if I am loaded up with recycling which is when I mostly run with axles down they don't touch and I am still grossing 90,000lbs at my lightest.. The only time my rear touch ground is when I am un-level ground which is when I haul yard waste and I a in fields and farms.. Then at that point loaded or not the ground dips and dives..

 

Never pulled a trailer like that but when your talking about "pushing" weight to the drives I assuming your talking about dropping the rear axle. I would think it would push weight up, when you drop the rear the middle axles act as a fulcrum so to speak, push up on the rear you will push down on the front. I pull a tri axle lowboy with a lift axle on the third, when I put it down it transfers weight to the drives. I would think with that last axle being further back it would transfer even more.

 

Drives with both axles up.



Drives with only rear lift down.



Rear lift, lifted. As soon as the weight was pulled off the rear of the trailer it raised quite a bit. It's the all aluminum trailer flexing.



Tridem with only first lift down. Too heavy.



Not exactly straight.

 

That's one helluva bend..

 

This took a while to load. Truck is in my shed so I could tidy it up a bit. Went from Melbourne VIC to Port Hedland WA, close to 5000kms on roadtrain route. I took 2 trailers of this stuff.