Upper Deck Length for a Step

they bend easy, holes punched thru, screws poped. just didnt hold up well to machinery hauling. not to mention @$%#@@ FORK LIFT operators who insisted on dragging forks on the deck! Alum side rails are another issue with hauling machinery and over sized loads there never seems to be enough cleets in the right places to hook to and the rail is just about usless to chain to. I just didnt care at all for them, like i said didnt hold up very well. but again itcomes down to use and prefrence. i have a buddy that hauls light loads pipe isulation and small machinery alot of farm equip and loves his alum trailer. My trailer is an 06 and im just now ready to put a floor in it. (WOOD)

 

I prefer an 11' deck. With an 8' upper deck you won't be able to do much with it and the trailer will likely need to move far back so that the wheels clear when turning. It is pretty much useless for hauling freight. On the other hand, an 11' upper deck can haul what I need on the truck to secure freight, spare tires, etc., and still have room for freight, although I rarely use the upper deck for freight. I can usually get everything on the lower deck, which is 42'. And I prefer wood and steel to aluminum. Some shippers won't load an aluminum trailer.

 

Landstar's new SD trailers are 11' uppers and 40' lowers. I agree with G/MAN, when i pulled a SD I hardly used the upper-deck except for when I was with Pape. Since they did John Deere loads, they used it for tires, or an extra skidsteer. it comes in handy when doing LTL's as well.

 

There is nothing wrong with combo trailers, I had mine for 5 years hauled oversize,machinery,equipment,cylinders,drums,etc... and my aluminum floor was fine not beat up or full of holes. Sides rails those hold up fine to in aluminum,just make sure the guy on the fork or crane is not beating the crap out of your trailer.
I would also go with a 11' top deck with a 24" king pin setting. The 8' top decks have a shallow kp and don't axle out as well.

 

Too bad Fontaine does not make the same siderails for their SD's as they do on the Revolution flatbeds. These things are industructable !!!!

 

Exactly right! Your 5th wheel will be way behind center of your drives and you'll never have steer axle weight.

 

we used to run spread axle refers with a very shallow pin setting. with a cat and a long frame your steer weight is plenty enough. besides thats the point of the spread being able to put most the weight on it. this is mostly a coolness factor. its not easy being cool. lol

what is it they say, if you have to ask why you wouldnt understand?

 

Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought of it as a tool and didn't purposely rely on the spread, I loaded to the front of my trailer as much as I could so I was not dragging everything on the back.
A lot of people I have known seem to think I have a spread so what does it matter and load heavy to the back beacause you can legal 40k back there.

 

The Revolution Hybrid step does have the same siderails. And I agree on the bulletproof!!!

 

Chapparal makes 48 step deck w/ 8' upper deck and 40' lower. I've spoken with Mac and Fontaine and they do not.