Fifth wheel height and overweight on drives

Not true. Illinois, straight from the ILCS:


"...34,000 pounds on a tandem axle with no axle within the tandem exceeding 20,000 pounds;..."

In other words, your axles can be 14K/20K for 34K total and you're perfectly legal in Illinois.

 

Well then after you get the steer/drive balance corrected by moving the 5th wheel, start looking into how much the 5th wheel needs to be raised to shift another 1000# or so to the trailer. Shouldn't take much.

 

I'm a bit cornfused?? What is the 2nd platform, and why is it only 7140#? I get the steers on #1, and the trailer on #4, but why the 20,000# difference in #2 and #3? Is this not a standard 5 axle configuration?

 

Or slide the seat forward a couple of notches.

 

Now I have a different issue. I just went from a 47" fifth wheel to a 51" fifth wheel and I am constantly over on my drives now. I scale right at 12,000 on steers, but usually 35ish on my drives grossing 79,000. I never had this issue when I was at 47". I can't figure it out for the life of me.

Only thing I've done is raise the fifth wheel (higher pedastool, not tubing) and I added a hydropak. I used to be able to scale 46,500 and be legal.

 

How about just haul lighter stuff?

 

You would think raising it would put more weight on trailer.

 

Not all of us can be a well paid LTL hauler.

 

I thought exactly the same thing. I'm thinking of going back to the 47" actually, but the higher pedastool helps with heel, so I don't really know what to do.