Spread axle ratings

THAT looks really good. It's too bad you aint got a icecream box on the front. But it is very good. Well done! If you got that fitted with the aft axle air dump to pivot on the front axle you might get into places I cannot with a tandem.

 

I'm a stepdeck trucker. I've never pulled a box. What is the reasoning why boxes normally don't have spread axles but flatbeds do? Seems you can legally put more on trailer with spread axle.

 

Spread axle with a 10 foot distance allow 20K per axle. There is nothing to slide back there. Load em up. Total of 40K which is a HUGE advantage over standard 34K trailer tandems. I love them.. not just love them, but really WUV them...

They also ride a bit better. They don't beat you bad on tough bridges when loaded ### end heavy.

 

I love them too. I just don't understand why boxes don't have them.

 

48 foot flatbeds are common. A spread axle can have the rear axle all the way at the back. If you want to run California (which most trailers might have to do at some point) your rear axle, even on a spread, can't be more than 40 feet behind the kp. Which means the front axle is darn near in the center of the trailer. You see a few flats set up that way but a lot of dry van shippers and receivers want you to put your axles all the way back at their docks, which you can't do with the CA legal spread axle.

 

There was a post somewhere about this topic as relating to flats. A guy posted a pic of a flat with the back axle tucked. I replied it looked like a Cali legal spread. The back axle is tucked 5' from the rear, with a 36" KP. The problem with that setup is most loaders don't take into consideration the load center has moved and they will be over on the spread.

 

There are some. I had a box to choose if I wanted at Ethan Allen in Vermont loaded to the max with heavy hardwood furnature. I took the other load tandem trailer instead leaving the spread for the next guy. Due to a 24% grade between me and New Hampshire. Both trailers were loaded just about the same weight. Heavy. I did not want to chance that 24% grade with a ### end heavy trailer being light on my drives. Not with that.