Flatbed trailer specs

Now I admit I'm not very well schooled in AL flats, but bolts instead of welding on a AL trailer may be better in certain spots. I would agree on a steel trailer but AL behaves much different that steel. I have welded a bunch of AL and it tends to crack close to the welds in certain situations. I haven't ever worked on AL trailers but I have made bolt joints in AL assemblies just for this reason. I may be way out of line on trailers but I do know you have to be really careful when designing a AL assembly that is subject to heavy loads and flex, much more so than steel.

 

Wow, I had no idea new flats cost that much. I thought I was crazy paying $90K for a new Landoll. After seeing a flat cost that much, I don't fell so bad. My Landoll is much more versatile that a flat, down side is it probably weighs 3 times as much as a AL flat.

 

So far you have put together a decent trailer.
I would agree with the others, that you definitely need a load gauge and a dunnage rack.
Spread axle is most assuredly the way to go. I would have the boxes mounted between the spread on each side like I had on my East.
I would skip the super singles. They may be lighter, but they have very poor footing in the winter, and your dead in the water if you ever blow one.
Since flatbed loads are so diversified, you could get into a hairy situation if you ever blow one.
The sliding winches are very nice. I had 15 on each side. You can move them wherever you need to, and if you run short, which you will from time to time when you get those Jenga puzzle type loads, make sure to get about a dozen rat clips for the outer track. They work great when you need to add a few 2".
Dump valves are also a must on flatbed.
I also had the oversize package. Flip a switch on the back of the trailer changes the amber lights to flashers. That's up to you. Had it on the trailer, but only used it 3 times in 5 years. Oversize pay well, but are not always easy to come by, especially ones that want to pay well.

 

On a super single, your dead on the side of the road if you blow one. You're not only going to have a very expensive road call, but your going to loose more time than you would creeping down the road.
Friend of mine just blew one on a flat bed. Not only did he have the cost of the road call, he had to replace the super single, and when the tire blew it took out his rim and an air line.
He was 65 miles from the truck stop.
Total cost of road call. super single, rim, air line was over $2500.00.
With duals, he could have used the rest of his time for the day, creeped to the truck stop, done his 10 hour, got a spare, saved the rim, and possibly the air line, not to mention that he could probably have gotten by for several hundred dollars vs several thousand.
You also have the disadvantage if you do wind up on the side of the road, that you cannot legally log yourself in an off duty status, especially on Elogs, because it knows that you are on the highway. You can only put yourself in an off duty status, if you are off of the highway.
So there are really no advantages to super singles, other than weight.

 

Super singles will save you roughly 120 lbs an axle, your cost is 20-30% higher. Your fuel savings are between 3-5%.
The draw back is down time if you blow one, replacement cost on a super single recap is around 500, 3-400 on a used, upwards of 1600 for a new. Damage the rim that's another 500.
They have a larger foot print so they are more likely to hydroplane.
They have less traction in the winter time.
So do you spend more on tires to save 3-5% and take a 15% decrease in saftey, or do you stay with duals use a little more fuel.
You also have to account for the extra expense of tire chains. Super single chains average about a 100 more a set, not to mention when chain laws are I'm effect, most states require all super singles be chained.

 

Some of you numbers are off, first a new super single is no where near $1600, second they typically have a smaller footprint than duels so hydroplaning and traction aren't that much different and really a little better depending on the situation. I'm no fan of super singles and the won't help me much in my line of work but you should post true numbers. Such as where do you come up with "take a 15% decrease in saftey"? Seems you're a little off in some of this.

 

Thanks for that analysis. When I began hauling flatbed to the oil field, I was driving another man's truck and trailer. He had super singles on the drives, and duals on the trailer. I quickly told him to get back to dual drives:

1. The risk of getting a flat miles from nowhere without phone service was real. Could you imagine trying to power through ruts, mud, and steep hills with one tire gone with a max load of drill pipe...just to get to somewhere that allows you to text, but not talk?

2. The spare tire rack on the trailer wasn't big enough to hold a super single. That meant that rack was used for a single regular tire for the trailer, and the spare super single was strapped to the front of the deck. Often I needed every inch of deck space. The super single spare was mounted, and HEAVY. A major PITA.

3. I nearly got stuck in a BAD situation on a muddy hill. Super singles and sticky mud are a bad combination.

He took them off and we went back to duals. The mounted single dual was under the deck, we lost "El Puerco" on the deck, and life was much better.

Can't say as I have seen anyone running super singles off road. Good money to be made if you take a load that requires it, but better be equipped to handle it.

 

I just HAPPENED to spend some time in the tire department at the TA in Lake station today and asked lady behind counter how much for a brand new popular sized super single. $900-$1000. So knowing that I'm sure a local dealer could be much cheaper than that.

 

Lepton ,the guy is looking to buy a trailer.
Information on SS for drives does not help him.