RGN 53' Lift axle vrs 48' Flip axle

Tennessee,Florida, Illinois,Indiana, South Carolina,Pennsylvania,New York plus many more you can't meet the kingpin law.
Do they all enforce their laws, no, but.

 

Yes, you can't meet the KP law in any state that has one with a 53, you also can't make most king pin laws with a 48' DD, but you are exempt.
Depends on where you run if the hassle of a 53 fixed is worth it,
My trailer is 53 on 2 axles and I carry a few annuals and I will permit it out of New England , otherwise just take a chance when empty.

 

Always thought kingpin laws were for trailers that are longer than 48'.

 

The way TN law reads, anything over 50’ from the kingpin to the rearmost axle needs a permit.

We’ve got a RGN that measures 51’ 6”. Never got a permit and never been questioned about it, your mileage may vary.

 

I would go ahead and get a tandem with a 3rd flip axle for resale, although you are mentioning a 27' well which would hurt resale if it is a smaller capacity mechanical detach double drop. That deck length would hurt you worse on resale then a fixed tridem. I like the fact that if you don't need the 3rd axle it can shed some empty weight. Also because of the "pitch" or "drop" the engineers will put in the wheel area a fixed tridem will have a slightly taller deck height then a tandem when empty. Also if you are height conscience and you have a light load where you don't need a 3rd axle then with a tridem you will not be able to run with the 3rd axle lifted because you are trying to drop the suspension height to get the deck height down. Also if you don't need the 3rd axle then with a fixed tridem you will be over 75' and even possibly over 80' with a long w.b. truck. There are a few states like mentioned in previous posts where it may get ya from time to time.

 

Idaho has some goat trail highways that trailers over 48' aren't allowed. Also need a permit for over 48' when off the national network. Some roads you can permit for over 48' but some you can't. They have some tricky witchcraft colored maps and math calculations that I figured out once, and realized I was nowhere close to meeting their requirement for the permit, Offtrack I think?

Myself I'm lazy, I much prefer to turn a switch and have my axle come up than have to deal with the fuss of flipping it. I've got a 50' 3 axle.