spread axle

IMO, the best of both worlds would be a setup where you can either have it as a spread or close it up for a sliding tandem. I have seen this setup before.

 

Fireman, back in the 90's Ontario gave you more weight for a 60" spread (40,000 lbs) so everyone ran it.The 54" was only good for 38,000 lbs. Nowadays everything up to 60" is the same rating. They still give more weight for a 72" (42,000 lbs) but the loss of tire life makes it hard to justify it. Most trucks built after 2000 have the smaller spread.

 

Every trailer I've seen like this are always spread. Probably thought the same thing when they ordered them, then figured out how much better the spread is and never slid them back. I unloaded beside a guy with a sliding spread flat. He had the rear axle slid forward to make a closed tandem. I asked him why and he said "tire wear" then I pointed out he came from Ontario and was in Ohio right off I-75. Only had to make 2 sharp turns in 200mi. Tire wear my butt!

 

Jfaulk I'm using the same one and it's quick enough for me. The "quick dumps" that drop air in the split of a sec suck.

 

Yep you can have 40,000 but 20,000 per axle. I've had to move a few coils in Co because of that

 

Certainly better than the 18k per axle with a tandem. Question though, how much were you over on an axle that you had to move a coil? And I'm trying to figure out how a spread axle trailer with air ride would be over on a particular axle when they even each other out? I mean I'm sure there's some variation but enough that you had to move a load? just thinking out loud.

 

2,200 over on the front tandem, I moved it forward, I was light enough on the drives to take up the slack. Fortunately the coils were on pallets

 

has anyone ever heard of running 2 different size tires on a spread? i bough a 1993 transcraft with 11r 24.5 on the rear & lo pro 24.5 on the front of the spread.i also have had a problem with the dump valve not keeping air in the rear bags.they sometimes don't pump up til i pull the trailer brake dash valve out.

 

Bypass/unhook the dump valve for the back axle to see if there is air passing thru. I've had them go bad and not let air get to the bags. Transcraft had a dump for both bags set up on the brake valve. As soon as you pulled the red button the air would dump out.

 

the guy i bought the trailer from claimed it had a new dump valve on it,but u know how far that goes.my suspension does the opposite,when i put the dash valve it pumps the bags up.i'm going to put a regulator on it,but i don't know where to set the pressure to.