ok guys.. first off happy holidays.

in my quest to make it doing my own thing i think i have something that might turn in to something. a friend of my family has a big repo yard. from what i'm told they get big money to bring the repo'ed cars to the auctions. with that said, i was looking at a few duallys. the used truck is in the mid 20s then a trailer another 5-15k. witch really isnt that big of a deal really. but the laws are confusing. people are running up to 30k on a dually! anyway, i was thinking. could i fit 4-5 cars on a step deck? if so.. would it be a hassel or not really? what would be needed?

as far as the truck goes.. i'm looking at a 2000 volvo for 12k. s60, 10 speed, and 3:55 rears. shouldnt be bad at all. i figure i can get mid 7's out of the mpgs. the people with the pickups are getting9-12. anyway... thoughs?

 

4-5 cars on a step is a ltall order. A typical 48' step has 37' on the bottom deck. A 53 will get you 42' on the bottom deck. Sounds like you need a Landoll with a winch.

 

i was thinking of that also. then when down time with the cars maybe i can get in to heavy hauling? my dad had a landol years ago and was a nightmare. didnt even make a load kept breaking down blowing lines and what not.

right now i'm looking the cheapest way out. what i was thinking is the volvo i was looking at is around $12k the dealer told me the oil analisis came back perfect, has no blowby (for a detroit), no leaks and great oil psi. i found used step decks for like another 12k.

the way with the dually.. 25k (about) , 5k for a trailer the dot is just dumb with these things and honestly i dont understand how it works weighing these things out!

 

You will usually be able to haul 3 cars on a 48' step deck. If they are small you may be able to get 4 on the trailer. Extenders would help. I don't think that you will be able to get 5 cars on a step deck unless they are very small or you have some of those ramps that attach to the step deck. Tarasport and Cherokee both make step deck trailers specifically designed for hauling cars. Both have pop up ramps for the top deck and build in sliding ramps for the lower deck. I believe they both make a step deck with extender on the front and/or back. For normal day to day business I would only count on being able to put 3 cars on most step decks. As I previously stated, you should be able to get 4 smaller cars on the deck. If you plan on doing inoperable vehicles a winch would be good for the trailer.

A Landoll would be good for hauling RV's, trucks and buses. They do tend to be heavier than some other types of steps. I considered getting one when I bought my step deck. It is easier to haul some types of machinery with a Landoll, but they are much heavier than I would want for other types of step deck freight. If you want to do heavy haul then you should consider an RGN or double drop with a flip. The down side is that you will limit yourself in how many cars you can haul. It is really two different markets or applications.

I would suggest sitting down and think about what you really want to do and then find a trailer that will best meet your needs. You can't be all things to all people. Using a dually is different than a class 8 truck.