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Originally Posted by geomon
Gman wrote:
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The side kit enables me to haul some loads on the flat that I would not be able to get with a regular flat
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What are examples of loads that you could get with a side kit that a regular flat could not? Which is more versatile...a side kit or a sliding tarp system?
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I haul a lot of nursery stock during season with a side kit. They will sometimes load a regular flat in the spring but won't during the fall. I can also haul things like copper pipe in a side kit. Some shippers will not load copper pipe on a regular flat bed. I also usually get better rates with the side kit than the flat. With the kit up you can haul just about the same thing with either a side kit or Conestoga. A Conestoga or similar setup would be well suited for lumber where as a side kit would not. I think most everything else was covered previously as far as the advantages are concerned.
When I mostly pulled my side kit I rarely took it down. It can be a pain to constantly take it down and put it up. Some shippers will not load a Conestoga, but will load a side kit. You will mostly see the Conestoga's hauling steel around. In reality you can haul about anything in one of these that you can in a van. The difficulty you will find with a side kit is the height. If you have something that is more than about 4' tall you will not be able to use the kit unless it is one of the tall kits. The Conestoga doesn't have that limitation.
The main advantage you have with either the side kit or Conestoga is the tarp time. With my side kit, I can usually be tarped and gone by the time someone else gets his tarps out. I like pulling a side kit. A friend of mine bought a kit for his trailer and later decided to not use it most of the time. He prefers to tarp.
A side kit costs from about $1,800-3,600. A Conestoga kit costs around $17,000.