What do you guys think of this set-up?

If I was to guess I'd say it would have axled out alright or very close, if it was me I would have went ahead and loaded starting at the neck rather than leaving the gap you did, but either way I say you were good. Also pay close attention to those block cubs even with your V boards over time they will be prone to walking out.

 

Looks like a crap load, what did you do to deserve that? Looks heavy on the ### end. I don't like that empty gap either, I'd run them tight agin the bulkhead.

 

I haul a lot of stuff like that.. Palletized brick block stone and often mixed oddball slabs or stone steps and things. Its hard to be confident without front and back air gauges and a bunch of scale trips at first to correlate psi to axle weight. Once you have it figured out you can get really close.

A 4x4x4 cube of palletized stone [multiple pieces] is gonna range from 3000 to 6000 depending on density.. But typically 3800-4400 id say covers most of the denser full pallets of flagging or cobbles or ruble strip. Block being so fluffy i will guess is down to the low 3k or maybe even 2500 per pallet.

With a flat flatbed its easier to learn. You can belly load or split load. Meaning one group or two. In belly loads every pallet is jammed together consecutive and you are learning where to locate the whole pack on the trailer, in the saddle between front and back.. Aka the belly of the trailer, not head or tail. A 12" move of the united 46k pile is a big difference on axle weight. 46k of brick or thick slab stone wont take much area.. 14-16 pallets usually .. I will start that at the landing gear and go back.. Whether flat or step. However i haul spread axles [40k allowed on the spread end] so i have a lot more room for error at the tail end than your 34k tandem.

So thats belly load. The alternative is split load where a cluster of pallets go all the way up front over the drives and a cluster all the way at the back edge of the trailer. Lack of winches over the wheels will give you securement grief if you dont have drop in pocket winches or 4" hand ratchets. I have a ton of both now which creates positional freedom. For me with full pallets on a split.. 5.. Maybe 6 can go up front. The rest have to go around the back but i have wiggle room back there for like 9 pallets, you kinda dont. Remember youll need a penalty strap everywhere there is a gap. So belly can run less straps.

I hate split loads personally and id get the weights wrong if not for my gauges. The trailer has an arch. Its an upside down leaf spring. A belly load will ride nicer IMO than a split because the arch is no longer a part of suspending the load. Only your air bags dampen the inertia of the mass. In a belly load the arch dampens too, altho that may use up your trailer faster.


I would have probably put those slabs on your top deck and belly loaded the block tight and consecutive right against your drop wall which is basically like belly loading from landing gear back and just always seems to work.. I will go thru atleast 3 scales on every trip and never been over this way.. Always close to 80 gross. Get air guages on or get a spread. You were probably real close or over on the trailer tandem. Good question tho, thats how youll learn.

 

Just coincidentally snapped a pic of the weight table at triangle brick a few mins ago. 1 pack of banded brick [unpalletized] weights between 1800 and 2500lbs depending on which style.



I find it helpful to know roughly what your materials weigh so that when you are really cutting it close and have mixed loads, you can distinguish the heavy from the fluffy. Concrete castings and thick stone slabs are like twice as dense as block or flagging but it looks light by size at a glance.

 

I don't like that load. (Dispatcher would give me a CRAP load like that... UGH... anyway... moving on)

I don't like that gap. I don't like just one strap over the smaller slab on top of big slab towards the back. I don't espeically like that huge CUBE of blocks aft of your trailer wheels. They are going to rattle bounce and want off back there especially. Put them into the gap. I hope that #### thing is airride to give you a fighting chance. I don't like how the straps are close to the top edges of the blocks on all of them. Move them in a little more please. Them things want out, your straps get worked loose and bingo! someone is not going to be happy.

Ive hauled MUCH worse, grey hairs on my head prove, Im not getting into story telling but this load is less than motivating Imatell you.