Is Flatbed Trucking the way to go?

[nrvsreck]

You forgot one quirk about backing flatbeds, spread axle tandems, dont you just love em, felt like I was a rookie first time i started backing them and you sure cant jack them like a van. Drivers have been know to jack them to sharp and push them over. Or make to sharp a corner and pull the tire off the rim.
I wouldn't say that flatbedders are the elite of truckers but we sure have more difficulties to contend with than most.

That's why TMC uses dump valves for the rearmost axle. :wink:
It dumps the air in the rear suspension taking the weight off that axle. It has the effect of shortening your wheelbase a LOT thus enabeling us to turn on a dime. OK MAYBE a quarter.
And IMO, I WOULD call us the elite. :twisted: 8) hahahaha

Also helps to save the front tires. Seems when you don't use the dump valve on a regular basis it basically destroys the front tires of your spread-axle.

Oh, and shadowsknight, you can keep your dadgummed tandem-axle Wilsons. My God, those things are crap! I don't why Wilson even bothers building trailers. They're the most God-awful, worthless heaps of junk I've ever had the displeasure of pulling. Almost as bad as our Reitnouer thingamabobs. Well... maybe that's an exaggeration. But I hate them all. One thing I really miss about TMC is my good old Benson!

[Justruckin]

What about using a sliding curtainside system like Rolltite?

Obvious cons would be: can't do OD, forklift operator could drive into rolling system.

Obvious pros: Speed, no climbing other than for load securement.

Other less obvious pros & cons?

That is what I have, a real nice Conestoga with a full size door built into the nose of the trailer. I have never thrown a tarp, and hopefully will never have too! God willing.

The only cons that I find with them is that they add about 1500 pounds to the trailer, and you cannot use all 48 feet of the trailer, at least with my system. You need two feet at both ends of the trailers interior to release the slider. Other then that, it's a keeper, and worth every penny I paid.