53 foot spread

Mine is 2013 53' Fontaine Infinity step deck. 10ft upper deck. 43ft lower deck. I find this to be the ideal deck configuration for what I do. I rarely use the upper deck with the exception of partials or the typical load of 3 pieces of equipment or vehicles. With my spread open I have a 41.5' king pin to center axle length. It has an 18" king pin set back. This makes for a long length, but gives ample room for 3 - 4ft front over hangs when needed.

The 53" step is in my opinion the most versatile trailer to be able to cover almost any kind of open deck load. Being able to cover more types of loads has afforded me the ability to be more choosy and helps with negotiations when asked if you can cover a load and the answer is yes.

I personally wouldnt bother with a 53ft fixed axle spread. Even if its Cali legal,.. thats going to be a lot of weight on the back when loaded and it will chew through some tires. The ideal 53' spead will have a sliding axle with either a lift axle or where one of the axles can be dumped when needing to make a tight turn. This will save on premature tire wear. Also will want to look for the lowest deck height possible with out resorting to 17 or 19.5 wheels. Mine has a 39" lower deck height.

Sliding axle is the way to go. This not only makes it legal in states that use the 40ft king pin to center axle law, Cali, Ct and Fla come to mind. But when needed it makes it much easier to maneuver in tight areas with out resorting to riding over a curb or scraping a pole or fence post.

As for states with the bridge law,.. I roll with my axles spread 99% of the time and go everywhere like that. Fla is the only state I have been hassled and for $20 you can buy an annual permit to shut them up. My home state,.. go figure right? I've been in and all over Cali with my spread open as well. Never bothered. Not saying they cant give you a hard time over it. Just that as long as you are on specified truck routes and not on one of the routes with restricted length posted, you should be fine.

Hurst

 

Mine is not. But a fixed axle that is cali legal would be.

I wouldnt want one. Anything loaded behind the rear axle will be prone to being bounced and jarred a lot more than with axles farther back.

Hurst

 

Depends on where you plan to run. If mainly the east coast,. then yeah,.. Fla is the only one I have a permit for.

CT has the same law,.. but (Dont quote me on this) I believe there is an unwritten law where as long as you stay on truck routes they wont bother you. I do a lot of east coast and New England from time to time and I have never in the 3.5 yrs I have been pulling this trailer been bothered or questioned in CT.

Hurst

 

The Hurst Encyclopedia strikes again lol

 

Thank you.


Hurst