Why Do The Nice Trucks Have Spread Trailer Axles?

Spread is a way of life driver

 

There is always somebody willing to pay a lot for spreading something.

 

My big tractor is 310 in wheelbase and if I am full of fuel, I am over weight on the steer axle. I have never been bothered by any scalemaster for it, but to actually be legal I have to hook on to a trailer, it does not matter what kind of axle group it has.
I like spreads for two reasons, the weight is spread better on the trailer, and they ride sooooooo much better than a closed group.
I am talking flat and steps. I bought a spread dry van once, I actually liked a closed group on a box trailer better. A lot of the guys that run reefer to Alaska use a sliding spread. Canada allows more weight on the drives, so they can load it spread and close it when they get to the border and come out better on their weights.
I had a flat set up like that and it worked well, It wasn't mine but I pulled a step with a sliding spread and it worked well for that purpose too, except for it was a 53 with the back axle slide, which made it too much rear over hang in BC. I was lucky and got through with the load, and not caught till I was heading back empty. I could spread it out and get legal. lol

 

I've pulled trailers like that and the turning radius is like driving with your tandems all the way to the rear on a 53 foot trailer. I had to use every inch of space to make some turns work and still got the rear tire up on a sidewalk on city streets.

 

One needs a suspension air dump valve on front and rear axle. That makes them super sweet to pull and back up.

 

On a 45' spread flat, the best setup seemed to be dump on rear suspension and liftable axle on the front. Dump rear when making a tight turn and raise front when running empty.

 

Back in the day we didn’t have lifts, had the front and rear dumps, I had this place in Phoenix with a big time lumpy lot I had to toggle between the 2 axles to get it into a hole. Fun time to be had by all.