New to the field (Dually & 53' Wedge)

I hav a year and a half expierance with a 1 ton dually pulling a gooseneck as a hot shot and im telling u they are not meant for commercial work. Even the brakes arent adequate...i remember going down that steep moutain near LA called the grapevine with 15,000 lbs on and i did not think i was going to make it down alive! I sold that truck and bought a 96 model single axle volvo with a m11 cummins that had300,000 miles on it. I paid 12,500 for it and used it i think 4 years(?) and it did a 100 times better then that 1 ton dually and it was a lot more safer...so i do hav a little bit expeirance with both and know what is better between the 2.

 

Also a single axle big truck in most cases hasnt hauled a lot of heavy heavy weight bc of the single axle issue but it was still built to handle the heavy weight and so the truck in a lot of cases is still in really good shape...

 

I'm just wondering why is it nobody mentions OOIDA? They sims pretty good at rates...

 

They don't have auto transport insurance.

 

I don't know if they just start covering car haulers but I bought my premium 2 weeks ago. And I'm very happy with the price.

 

Not sure if anything has changed or not, but do remember years ago their insurance was listed as Risk Retention Group & NOT accepted by several large (auto transport) brokers.
It has been a few years since looking into it, so may be some thing has changed?

 

OOIDA won't insure new drivers either. They're quick to take your membership money and talk about how they help the O/O, but when I needed insurance as a start up all I got was a wall. Maybe now that I got over a year wirth no incidents I can check them out again, but it can be hard rebuilding a burned bridge

 

Obviously this is my first post but I could not let this pass.....

First of all a single axle is not made to carry the heavy weights like the dual axle tractors. Why do you think they are so much cheaper? It's not the missing axle. There is also a huge difference between 280 - 350 hp vs 475-550. So much more torque on the drivetrain and the frame itself. It may look like a duck and quack like a duck but believe me, in this case it is NOT a duck.

Yes it will carry more weight than a 1 ton but so will a 5500 dodge. For the best safety, go one size over on the tractor... i.e. if one ton will work get a 2 ton, if a two ton will work get a single axle, if a single axle will work get a dual axle. After that you are into some heavy crap.

The new 2 tons come with exhaust breaks that really help on the downhill travel. They may be putting them on one tons now but I am not going to buy one so I don't know.

The reason that the single axle tractors do not haul the heavy weight is because they can't (legally).

For me because of the distances that I have to travel, 7 car and a dual axle tractor are the only way to go. With 500 hp and a 7 car trailer, you will never be the one pushing the truck up the hill/pass.

Don't make the single axle out to be something it is not. There is no way you can carry 20 tons of cargo unless the trailer is lined with axles or you are under a dolly.

You always hear of people making a double axle into a single but you NEVER hear of a single axle being converted to a double axle because the truck itself is not designed for that kind of weight.

Now the reason for the 7 car vs the 9-12, well that is simple, if the car hauling gig slows down I drop the trailer and pull a stepdeck. This allows me to haul other cargo as well as machinery such as tractors and graders if needed.

 

I definitly disagree. Add another axle the single axle can handle anything a tandem axle can handle. The single axle has not been worked as hard since it cant handle the extra weight the tandem truck can handle only because of the extra axle. And people have made single axle trucks into tandem trucks. Just saying.

 

Hey CobraJay, ran across this forum as Im researching things. How has business been? My husband I are looking into hauling cars with a dually and wedge.(Please no bashing..lol) I understand its hard work and alot of time but its something we think will be a good thing. Our location is great. So, if you or anyone else would like to give pointers, that would be great. Thanks!