53 foot spread

lester · May 25, 2017

That's with livestock on board. We are special

Longhaul_T · Aug 15, 2017

Hurst said: ↑

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
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bulldawg trucker · Aug 15, 2017

Well since someone dig it up, the fixed 53 hasn't been to bad. Luckily I have a pretty decent turning radius with the short nose Pete. It did get me in a predicament in Florida, trying to swing wide into a field to miss an foot drop off levy making a right turn. Funny thing is it would have been a lot easier if they would have just brought everybody in from the opposite direction. Other than that so far so good. Got the permit for Florida but haven't had to show it yet.

cnsper · Aug 15, 2017

Lots of wusses in this thread. This trailer is 53 feet long with an 8 foot upper deck so the 5th wheel is all the way to the back.

Then you pull one of these and wonder how people hit anything with a 53 foot trailer. Stretched to 70 feet with the tandem all the way to the rear

reverendhandy · Aug 17, 2017

DDlighttruck said: ↑

What region are you running it in? Ask if they have either dump or lift valves on either axle. What size tires?

They pull like any other wagon. You need to watch out for sharp u-turns, and no more 90 degree backs into docks or parking.
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Also consider that they don't load the same as a 48 flat. You already have a weight deficit of 2500-4000 lbs of extra weight on your spread, depending on trailer manufacturer.

kylefitzy · Aug 17, 2017

cnsper said: ↑

Lots of wusses in this thread. This trailer is 53 feet long with an 8 foot upper deck so the 5th wheel is all the way to the back.
View attachment 190419
Then you pull one of these and wonder how people hit anything with a 53 foot trailer. Stretched to 70 feet with the tandem all the way to the rear
View attachment 190423
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Here's the best part about those guys that can't pull a 53' with out hitting everything. If they some how stumbled into a gig pulling a stretch trailer they probably wouldn't make it out of the parking lot. Lol.

mc8541ss · Aug 29, 2017

Yeah, we have 9 stretch trailers and pull them pretty regularly. But that doesn't mean it's not a pain in the ###.
But, if it makes you feel good or you think someone is a ##### because they say it's a PITA then so be it.
I stand by my statement, they are a pain PITA as compared to ones that are set like a 48.

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