buying flatbed trailer new vs used pros and cons

I have a mix of both 48 & 53 'ers , 48' is what is needed 99% for what we haul , if you hauling steel building kits , towers , crane booms 53" is nice , coils , bricks 48' will do.

Lot of places its tight getting in & out on job sites so that 5' makes a difference

 

Where in NY are you based? We have been, and will continue, to run up that way quite a bit (3-5 trucks per week). Do you ever have extra freight heading back to Western PA or further west?

 

Up in the NW area past Watertown do a lot of ARMY loads for the base up here.

 

I see loads all the time for flats that require a 53', I have a 48, that leaves me out... The only time I will book a 48K load is when I HAVE to. IOW's trailer weight shouldn't be that much of an issue, unless your stuck hauling heavy loads all the time.

 

does 96 wide make a difference one way or the other over a 102 wide? I see used flatbeds from time to time listed as 96" wide vrs 102 does this 7 inches make you unable to haul certain loads? i cant imagine with making any difference in maneuverability. the only advantage i can see to a 96" wide is that you could have stake pockets or a accessory rail attached on the outside edge while still staying legal with.

 

102" wide trailers still have stake pockets, you dont lose them.

 

I have 3 trucks delivering to Ft Drum next week, 1 to Gouvenor, 1 to Cazenovia.

 

The only people I know that have bought 96" wide trailers in the modern era are steel haulers or wall board haulers. Even then they have to be doing this pretty exclusively. I can't imagine any advantage besides a minor weight savings. I believe you would get killed on resale. I am not sure why the industry uses 102s almost exclusively because very few flatbed loads are out to the rubrail.

Specialized hauling is a different story. When you are oversize the further out you can move the rub rail the better off you are. Even three inches can make a big difference when you are trying to angle a chain out to the rubrail. For example, you can chain around the rear axle of a farm tractor and down to the rubrail. On a 96" trailer, I don't think this would be possible as your chain would be rubbing the tire. You also have the times when only half the tire is on the trailer. Move it in 3 inches and you wouldn't be able to haul the load. Same story with a crawler track.

 

i always had assumed that all flatbeds were 102" till i started looking at some for sale and a few were 96". i see no advantage to a 96" even though they would still carry most loads, besides maybe a slight weight savings.

as far as resale, that doesn't concern me much because iv been looking at used trailers, buy cheap, sell cheap or 102" buy at a higher price sell at a higher price when your buying used re-sale value difference is a wash

if i do end up buying a flat bed trailer, there is a lot of agriculture in my area so possibility of hauling some oversize equipment loads is there so 96" probably wouldn't be the right choice although that is not what i would be setting out to haul. I'm considering buying a flatbed for hauling oilfeild pipe/flyash. and thinking of hauling these loads because the same equipment can be used for hauling other freight with the ups and downs of the oilfield.

 

i hauled a 96 while my 102 was in the shop. never again will i use a 96. too many pallet loads stick over the edge. and makes it very hard to strap. unless you don't mind going over the rail instead of through the rail.

i was worried about getting tickets for beiong oversized.

save yourself the misery. the extra 6 inches is well worth it. specially when you need to walk along the trailer for whatever reason. such as tarping. can't do that on a 96.

i'm guessing 96 was the normal. till 102's came out.

just like 43 ft was the normal. then came 48. and now we have 53.