13 Axle Setup?

Have you priced a 13 axle setup, just the trailer rig?

 

Yup...quote sitting on my desk...

 

That was directed to the OP but would you be willing to share the price?

 

Not yet, I have several different variations spec'd and designed. I'm not sharing for public consumption until I make the final decision and pull the trigger...

If and when I do it, I'll post pics and such here. Be patient, I don't make around half million dollar decisions quickly! A mistake at this level is usually life altering...drastically to the negative, especially financially!

 

With the big expense of heavy haul rigs, trailers in particular, how much work is there to do? For example flatbeds there tons of loads but stepdecks for some reason the level drops a lot. Will that $300k and up expense pay off?

 

It will if you have the freight. When was the last time you saw a 13 axle load on a load board? You can get away with buying a flatbed and building a business from scratch (altho it is still difficult) but you don't go buy a $500K trailer and plan on driving around dropping your business card off to find work.

 

Even after you have established yourself as a HHer and even work directly with customers how much work is there? I'm sure that the better rates would allow for some downtime between loads but just how much time?

 

If I was going to go big heavy haul, I wouldn't go all the way to a 3-3-3. They're immensely heavy trailers for the small amount of payload you gain. Down here in Colorado they're never seen, you're over 100,000lbs empty and now you're looking at super-load permits for anything over 100k, and you can axle out an 100k machine here on a 4-3-1(4-axle tractor, 3-axle main deck, single axle booster) with an annual permit.

3-3-3's have use up in Wyoming.

Also, pilot cars anytime it moves because of length.

If you wanted to go big (which, I wouldn't start that way), I'd go with a 2-2-2 for OTR heavy haul work. 2-2-2 gets you heavy in plenty of states, keeps your short enough you're not decking out every time you're empty, and keeps your empty weight low enough that you can still get a fair amount on the deck in most states.

I'd start with a three-axle RGN, add a stinger later on if you'd like, get a jeep if you want to get even heavier. Now you're running fairly heavy with less than half the investment.

 

Thanks for the advise CG...I already own a California 9 axle, 2-2-2...
Machines are getting heavier all the time and I'm not expecting that to change anytime soon.
If your not seeing them in Colorado, maybe your not on the high route enough, cause they're out there...I'm not concerned with just CO, there are 58+ other jurisdictions out there...

 

How well would a 3 axle rgn with a 4th axle flip? If needed would a 2 axle jeep or 2 axle stinger be better.