[RostyC]

How do you have your step spec'ed and why? Also,what would you do different on your next purchase? and why?

48 or 53? or other?
Length of top deck?
Dove tail?
Steel frame or combo comp?
What type of floor?
Fixed spread or sliding?
Container locks?
Recessed Chain ties? (not sure if there standard)
Kingpin location? 18,24,36
Coil package?
Ideal weight?
Anything else throw it in there but please state why.

Thanks 8)

[GMAN]

I bought a 53' step deck. I wanted to have 11' on the upper deck and also to be able to haul a 40' container on the lower deck. At the time I made my purchase, there was a broker who was to have high 40' containers coming out of the West Coast which paid well. I had container locks installed since California was putting a law in place where all loaded containers were to have container locks on the trailers. They are only available on a steel trailer. I prefer steel and wood because of some of the freight I haul, even though they are a bit heavier than a combo or all aluminum trailer. I also have the recessed chains in the floor. I chose the 255/22.5 tires rather than the smaller tires so I could have the heavier brakes. Another consideration was that the smaller tires heat up more and running in the desert in summer there is a tendency to blow more tires with the small ones. I can haul anything up to 10' tall without permits. I have lost a few loads because of the height, but it hasn't been a problem with most. With the smaller tires, you can haul most anything a double drop or RGN can haul. A dovetail would be nice, but that would add a lot of unusable length to my trailer. I have also lost a few loads due to not having either a dovetail or ramps. I will probably buy some ramps that are also elevators at some point. Everything adds weight to your trailer. My step weighs about 13,200 without any chains or other things I need on the trailer. I can only scale 44,500 with one truck and about 46,500 with the other truck hooked to the step deck. Weight isn't a problem most of the time. The container locks add about 800 pounds to the trailer. I can haul most anything I want on this trailer. I bought the sliding rear axle to be legal in California. It also saves tire wear when you close the tandem. Unless I need it open it stays closed. I would not want an all aluminum step deck. They don't seem to hold up as well as steel. I also would not want a combo. The main reason is that when you haul machinery you can easily bend the deck. Some military loads will not work on anything but a wood and steel deck. You have less chance of product moving on a wood deck as opposed to aluminim decking. It is easy to punch a hold in an aluminum deck. I don't haul a lot of coils on my step deck. There is other freight which pays more.

On the down side, there are a few plants that will not load a step deck. It isn't a problem most of the time. You can do most anything with a flat as you can a step deck. The main advantage is hauling over-sized loads. I do some LTL freight which can also work better with a 53' step deck. If I were to buy another flat, I would probably stay with a 48' or possibly 50'. I don't recall where my kingpin is set.

[RostyC]

In relation to weight distribution what does sliding the rear axle effect? (ex. sliding a set of tandems forward puts more weight on the trailer and vise-versa).

What's the reason for different kingpin settings?

GMAN, why did you want 11' on the top deck? what advantage does 11' have over 10?

I will probably buy some ramps that are also elevators at some point.

By elevators you mean load levelers? I saw these not long ago, looks like a good idea, kill two birds with one stone sorta.

[GMAN]

Sliding the rear axle will force you to put more weight in front of the tandems. When you close the tandem you reduce your capacity on the rear axles from 40,000 to 34,000 pounds. With a 53' trailer, you can't put much weight behind the rear axle. The advantage of the extra length is when you haul LTL or lighter loads which are long. I got the 11' upper deck so that I could haul a car on the upper deck. There are other considerations for having 11' rather than 10' on the upper deck. There are other types of freight which go better with the longer deck. The different kingpin settings can affect weight distribution. Elevators and load levelers are the same thing. I like the idea of having something which will work for more than one thing, such as ramps. There are some loads which you won't be able to haul on a step deck without having load levelers or elevators.

[RostyC]

If I were to buy another flat, I would probably stay with a 48' or possibly 50'.

Do you think the extra weight of the 53' trailer is not worth the extra length in the long run?

In other words do you find yourself not using the extra 3 (50')to 5 (48')feet of trailer more than you do use it?
I'm not sure what the difference in weight is for 5 feet of trailer but with a shorter trailer that's more weight you can load.

That brings me to another question......With a 48 or 50' trailer would you still want the 11' upper deck?

[GMAN]

I prefer 11' on the top deck. You cannot haul a tall 40' container in California unless you have that much lower deck. They don't want you to hang off with a loaded container. It is my understanding that it doesn't matter if the container is empty. For me the extra length was worth giving up some hauling capacity. As it is, I can haul most anything that comes along. I don't really want to haul anything really heavy anyway. The better paying loads tend to be the higher paying ones, unless you look at heavy haul, and you would need to add axles for some of those. 10' on the upper deck will work for most applications. I prefer the added flexibility that the extra length offers. I spec'd this trailer for my personal applications. Yours may be different. Some people prefer a 48' step deck. I just pulled a load out of Savannah which required a 53' step deck. I would not have been able to carry the load with a 48'.

[Bigmon]

Gman,

If you put a car on the top deck do you use ramps or a forklift?

[RostyC]

First off, thank you for using some of your time on a Sunday and answering my questions. Having said that, I got some more.

I'm a little confused, you said if you bought another step it would be 48 or 50 but in this last post you said you like the added flexibility of the 53. Plus if you like an 11' top deck that means you would need a 53 for the containers.

I spec'd this trailer for my personal applications.

I kind of understand this but, let's say I have a few local shippers that I use to get out and for that application I only needed a 48' with a 10' top deck. However, once your out and need to pull a load off the board or one of your own broker contacts to return it seems to me the more versatile the trailer the better, which in my opinion would be 53' w/ 11' top.

Please bear with me, sometimes I apply what I've learned in construction to trucking, one of which is being as versatile as you can.

The better paying loads tend to be the higher paying ones,

Truer words have never been spoken! :lol:
Did you mean to say higher ones as in height?

[wot i life]

Originally Posted by Bigmon

Gman,

If you put a car on the top deck do you use ramps or a forklift?

I,ve put tractors on the neck of a step frame before and just drove side-on to the ramp; get the neck as close as you can, lower or raise your suspension accordingly and simply drive your vehicle on. Doing it this way you can pick up a tractor or car(whatever) whilst you are already part loaded and no need to move things around.

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by Bigmon

Gman,

If you put a car on the top deck do you use ramps or a forklift?

Bigmon, I have used both. I have also used a roll back to put vehicles on my trailer. I have hauled tractors and have been able to simply drive them up on the upper deck. Sometimes it is good to use dunnage.