Western canada stepdeck.

View attachment 105824 I'm looking for some feedback please. I've been running up to northern Ontario, Canada lately with a normal 48' 102'' spread axle flat. For a long time I've been watching some really good paying loads going to Alberta and B.C. With cheap lumber coming right back to my home 20. Looking like $2.25 to $2.50 round trip would be pretty regular deal.
I know my spread flat is a no go. My tractor is 260" wheelbase. That opens a big can of worms. I can permit the tractor length but no oversize and max overall length is 75'
According to my research the Kingpin to center of trailer group drops to 40' 4'' in B.C, Sk, Ab and Mb. 40' 3'' in Ontario . I'm looking to sell my 2 flats for a step deck. I've never weighed my truck bobtail but with a 06 Utility 48' 102'' combo flat. Steel beam and cross-members, alum deck and rails. Half fuel tanks and all gear I'm 30,500#. I need to scale 48,000# with a step deck so thinking it needs to be all alum. New all aluminum is out of the price range. I would need a spread axle in the states. A 48' front axle slide [Into a closed tandem] all that I've found are 41' Kp to center of tandem. A hair to long and a needle in a haystack to find good used. A 53' with a California legal rear slide would put me just over the 75' overall length law. [With my moose bar on front.] I'm thinking a 51' alum rear axle slide is the ticket. Which is an even bigger needle in a hay stack.
Lets say you have 34000# on your rear axle 51' sliding spread. If you close it up how much more will it be as a closed tandem?
Lets say your picking up some plate steel. 48,000# It has to go on the bottom deck.
If you load tight to the neck how long of plate could you haul before your over 34000# on the trailer with it slid to a closed tandem?
I've been rolling this around in my head for years, but I'm thinking about finding a used 48' all alum normal 10' 2'' spread and putting a 3rd axle in between the spread. As long as I can keep the empty weight to 34000#. The states will give you at least 42000# on the tri group. The weight of the 3rd axle should be less than the 2000# extra your given.
Canada you'd never worry about being over on the tri. About 39' on the trailer wheelbase.And I think I could do it for a lot less $ than a 51' all alum. sliding spread. Maybe hide a manual shutoff valve to the 3rd axle air bags. And a home made ratchet spool to lift it up when not needed?
Shoot some holes in my plan. I Know a 244" truck is the answer but not gonna happen. Thanks for reading my bible here.

 

I found this one 150 miles away.
08 Fontaine 51' combo. 10' top 41' lower deck. Rear slide. It should pass the gauntlet of length laws. Not to sure about the weight. I need to weigh my truck bobtail but do you think this trailer will weigh 1,500# more than my 06 48' utility combo flat. Most of the cheap lumber calls for 48k in reality I usually end up 46 to 47k.

 

Thanks for the replies. I'm kind off sitting on the fence .Pretty much everything I haul could go on a stepdeck. It seems like I'm always going after a piece of machinery for a neighbor or myself. That means using a 1954 fixed neck lowboy that shouldn't leave the farm. Or dads 10' wide detach. Kind off looking to kill 2 birds with one stone. Get more into machinery and be able to run western Canada. But I need to scale 48k. The only way I can run Western Canada is basically a California legal closed tandem. 40' King pin to center of tandem. I might just stick with a flat. Go backwards and get a 48' closed tandem with a slider. I could always use it around the farm.

 

Thanks for the reply. I know western Canada doesn't recognize lift axles. I was thinking of a normal tri axle. But hiding a manual shut off valve for the center axle air bags and just using a strap or chain it up in the states. Just run it as a normal spread. Center axle would be down for Canada only. A 48' triaxle would work on the Kingpin to center of axle group laws. I've never been around one of the single axle sliders. When the pins get some wear on them does it throw the axle alignment off? I've Pulled some old tandem sliders that were so bad they'd trail 4'' to 5 '' inches off to the side depending on the last sharp corner you took.