Advantages and Disadvantages of mechanical vs hydraulic neck on RGN

Mechanical Neck is on average 1500lbs lighter including the ramps on the tractor
It is possible to shim the neck on a mechanical neck to gain 2 or 3 inches of ground clearance
Hydraulic is normally less physical effort for the driver.
Hydraulic normally has more range of clearance available.
On extra heavy loads it is possible to end up with not enough lift capacity if improperly loaded although most operators now how to work around that. Most manufacturers engineers plan a 50% safety factor as well as a 25% WWL.

 

I went with a mechanical detach on my trailer because I only detach a handful of times each yr. If I was detaching everyday, multiple times each day, I'd have hydraulic's. You do have to watch ground clearance with the mechanicals. I've drug in a few spots when I get 55k + lbs on my trailer(5 axles-total weight around 90k). Most of what I haul with a lowboy is loaded by crane or forklift.

 

Most heavy haul folks have suspension that can be over inflated on the tractor and the RGN to raise it a few inches for extra clearance .

 

And of course, a mechanical be can be a little harder on your drivetrain, depending on angle of ramps and such things. The 40 ton trailer I pull almost every day is a hydraulic. I have a 60 ton flat floor that is mechanical on the jeep. Just gotta make sure that fifth wheel is lubed up really good so everything comes apart nice. Also have a 50 ton beam that replaces that flat floor with a hydraulic neck on the same jeep. it works quite a bit better with heavy loads.