Spread axle

Pros

Lightest net weight.
40k on spread.
No kingpin law concerns

Cons

Deck height
Tire wear when compared to a tandem

 

What he said ^^^ though not sure what he is comparing deck height to??
I'll add it rides better than a tandem and hard to overload a spread axle trailer, but not impossible.

 

I enjoyed the Ravens 10 foot spread covered wagon, one of the better purpose built flatbeds among several that were just adequate but with tandems a pain. You don't have to slide a #### thing when it's 20K on each axle back there 40,000 and it rides better with that than you would expect. Although doing some pivoting on the forward axle with the dump valve has be done very carefully because you weigh about 40,000 until you get that rear axle bags refilled.

Being 96 wide allowed you to get into many places that ban 53's and 102 wides. It's not even a thought.

Never a weed burning exhaust on a tractor. (Between frame under the sleeper...) You have to clear your roof top by a foot or a little less to get a good air situation in your cab.

A little 350 m11 was a good engine for that work. Speed is not it's forte but rather being able to be agile and light on the feet without tippy is the best thing ever. Although today I would not accept anything less than 500. It's not going to work.

 

I'll argue that the tire wear was immaterial to me. I ordered a virgin set of all 18 tires mid to end October each year. And so my company put them on. (Trailer is permahooked with a special pad so that it can stay hooked a year and not require grease)

I was always gentle on the very hard pivoting.

The one thing I did not like would be in big rain. That covered wagon had a habit of locking the right front spread brake first then pull the entire flatbed to the right when empty. I'll see it coming up the ramp onto a stop sign from a interstate and shes already at jackknife level. All I did was take the brake off and get on trolley carefully and then back on. The ABS on the tractor usually helped out to keep it all straight. But being able to stop prior to traffic from right and left? Well... it's not always possible and would be turned into either a hard right or a hard left that others might consider abusive. (They were called J turns in the old training tapes. A particular problem with loaded decks. but useful when empty or with a very light load you want off.)

I lean towards telling stories. I'll leave it here for the time being.

I'll get in touch with the Ambulance company and see if it's ok to requiestion the airride wagon for me. I don't think I can stand another transport to the hospital on all those old concrete plates vs modern steel arch suspension. They usually keep the airwagon on hand for really big patients who have a unique need of them.

 

Understatement of the year!

 

Most likely comparing to a step deck.

 

Never pulled anything except 40, 42, & 45 foot trailers until around 1990. At that time I started pulling a 48x102 air ride spread. Having a dump valve on the rear axle allows for better turning radius getting into a tight spot, forwards and backwards. Less concerns with maximum axle weight versus a closed tandem as well. The extra width of a 102 versus a 96 is well worth having at least in my opinion. I have my own authority and own a 48x102 with a conestoga. Although not real common, I have seen some brokers request 102’s only.

 

We have a customer that will only use 102 flats with tarps. The product fits side by side. A curtain or Connie will hit the product.