equipment trailer - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Cole82 · 09-06-2009, 05:35 PM

I have been finding myself needing a larger trailer lately. Looking for some thing around 18' and a bumper pull. What are your guys trailers like for all purpose. When at the trailer store they had some with a lip around the edge and others that were flush with the deck. Also had some with the deck all the way to the outside of the tires and others with the deck inside the tires. Some have a bar at the front some have a curb etc.. So many options what is every one useing and likes a lot.
What style does most every one have or wish they had.
http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/d...B66A1B30&dlr=1

BCConstruction · 09-06-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole82

I have been finding myself needing a latger traler lately. Looking for some thing around 18' and a bumper pull. What are your guys trailers like for all perpose. When at the trailer store they had some with a lip around the edge and others that were flush with the deck. Also had some with the deck all the way to the outside of the tires and others with the deck inside the tires. Some have a bar at the front some have a curb etc.. So many options what is every one useing and likes a lot.
What style does most every one have or wish they had.
http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/d...B66A1B30&dlr=1

Is the trailer mainly for Plant equipment?

Cole82 · 09-06-2009, 05:47 PM

Any thing from a pallet of bricks to a 4,000 jd tractor and some times a car.

HusqyPro · 09-06-2009, 06:08 PM

www.trailmax.com

Best trailer money can buy.

BCConstruction · 09-06-2009, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HusqyPro

www.trailmax.com

Best trailer money can buy.

They sure are nice.

I like the tilt bed one. I tell you what i have noticed though is the guys with the trailers with the high wheel arch covers have issues when getting stuff loaded on pallets and the guys with the high bed have no issue because of having no obstruction. Might be something worth thinking about.

HusqyPro · 09-06-2009, 06:18 PM

I've been to the plant where Trail Max builds it's trailers. Fanatical attention to detail. Everything has to be just right or it doesn't pass go. Really friendly staff. Engineers on standby to tweak an existing model any way you want or to build you a custom trailer.

Spendy, but you get what you pay for. Especially in resale down the road if you feel the need to sell your Trail Max.

Cole82 · 09-06-2009, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCConstruction

I tell you what i have noticed though is the guys with the trailers with the high wheel arch covers have issues when getting stuff loaded on pallets and the guys with the high bed have no issue because of having no obstruction. Might be something worth thinking about.

That is the type of advice I am looking for.

What ramps the fold up ones or the slide under the bed ones specific features people use and like.

digdeep516 · 09-06-2009, 06:59 PM

interstate, eager beaver and just recently i purchased a kaufman which im quite happy with... but deffinitley a deck over... cause that lip on the smaller trailers just makes life harder. And deffinitley fold up ramps, purposed built for equipment unlike there weaker fold up ones...

tgeb · 09-06-2009, 08:30 PM

Cole, the link you posted....with that trailer you would only be able to load 1 pallet wide.

With a deck over trailer you could put 2 pallets wide, all the way from front to back.

A beaver tail trailer with flip up ramps will have stronger ramps and be easier to load something like a tractor or skid steer, than would one with the self stowing ramps. If you have long material or over length machine you can strap the flip up ramps to the load if need be.

I'd pick Eager Beaver over Interstate, but both are well built.

My most recent trailer is a 7 ton, 2 axle with single wheels and I got it from Cleveland Trailers, in Ohio. They put together a pretty decent deck over, beaver tail with ramps and the pricing was good.

They will deliver to you for a fee.

There are plenty of good trailer manufactures out there, decide what you want then start interviewing some of them. All the big names have web sites with the trailer specs, so you should start there.

HusqyPro · 09-06-2009, 10:00 PM

Am I the only one that prefers a tilt deck over ramps?

I find tilt decks to be much easier to load, rattle less, and tow nicer.

woodchuck2 · 09-07-2009, 07:01 AM

I bought a Cam-Superline last spring that is 18' 12k lb bumper pull. It tows decent but can jar the hell out of yah when empty on long trips. It has the lip you speak of around the outer edge which i prefer, less chance of an item sliding off than if you used a flush mount. If you can get a deckover then i would go that route, easier to load and you have more room to boot. As far as a tilt bed?? A friend of mine has one, it is an 18' Cam-Superline also and it cost $1200 more than mine. It works good for his tractor and mini-ex but he cant put a car or a truck on it, by the time the rear axle comes even close to the deck the bed has already started tilting. He has been regretting buying it as he still borrows my car trailer, at least with my equipment trailer i can get a truck on it.

HusqyPro · 09-07-2009, 01:31 PM

I guess that would make a difference. Lawn mowers generally have a short wheelbase. I was able to get my Super Cab Long Bed F-150 on a tilt deck, however that was only because I had sufficient ground clearance that the deck didn't high center the truck and sufficient gearing to climb onto the trailer.

There is an aluminum car hauler trailer at the rental shop that's a tilt deck. It has a jack mounted underneath the deck to tilt it and keep it tilted. Does a great job of defeating the purpose of a tilt deck, which is speed and ease of use.

A deckover is great if you're not going to be hauling tall things. Remember the maximum height you can be at is somewhere in the neighborhood of 13'. A deckover can be around 4' off the ground, depending on tire size used. Do you haul anything taller than 9'? Plan on stacking lightweight materials (insulation, foam, etc.) taller than 9' before you leave the yard?

woodchuck2 · 09-07-2009, 04:24 PM

You bring up good points of the deckover that i never gave thought of. My plan for my next trailer is a deckover gooseneck, i will have to check the hight of my off road truck and my mini-ex before i decide to purchase. No one wants to be hitting bridges, overpasses or powerlines.

HusqyPro · 09-07-2009, 04:32 PM

If you keep up with the latest in compact equipment you'll have noticed this trend over the last few years. Big names like John Deere, Caterpillar, and Bobcat now have 10 ton compact excavators under 8' tall folded up for travel. Designed specifically to be hauled on deck over goosenecks in the 4' height range.

Part of the trend towards larger compact equipment since most diesel 1 tons on the market are capable of hauling a 24,000lb gooseneck trailer.

The John Deere 85D is right at 8' folded up for travel and it's a decent sized machine. Put it on a 4' deckover rated for 24,000lbs and you'll be able to tow it with a Chevy 3500 (Ford F-350/F450, Dodge 3500, GMC 3500) and still squeeze under bridges and powerlines.

Cool stuff.

HusqyPro · 09-07-2009, 05:08 PM

There's tons of different trailers out there for a reason. Different needs.

If you have a piece of equipment that's 8'6" wide you'll likely need a deck over to haul it. It won't fit between the wheelwells of a conventional trailer. The disadvantages of a deckover are that the load sits higher. This reduces your overhead clearance and raises the center of gravity. The advantage of a conventional trailer are the load sits lower. This allows you to tow a taller piece of equipment and gives the trailer more stability.

The same goes for tilt deck versus ramps. A tilt deck lets you load faster and easier. However it's difficult to impossible to load multiple pieces of equipment on a tilt deck or a piece of equipment with a long wheelbase. A trailer with ramps requires more room to set up and takes longer to load. However if you need to load 2 skidsteers or a pick up truck the advantage is towards ramps. If you only need to move 1 skidsteer at a time then the advantage is towards a tilt deck.

The best thing to do is to look at your current inventory, the equipment you plan to purchase in the future, and how you plan on moving that equipment and what with. That will determine what trailer best suits your needs. Just because I use a tilt deck conventional trailer doesn't mean that you shouldn't get a deck over gooseneck with ramps. Maybe that trailer is better suited to you.

There are also hybrid trailers on the market. Tilt deck trailers where only the rear half tilts. This allows you to load 2 skidsteers on a single tilt deck trailer. Fast loading and the ability to haul multiple pieces of equipment.

There are also dump trailers with ramps that allow you to haul equipment. So you can pack your skidsteer to a jobsite without having to go back for the dump trailer or buy a dump truck to tow with.

Lots of options. If you subscribe to Compact Equipment (it's free) they have a blurb on trailers in every issue. Lots of cool stuff to check out.

Also stop in to your local John Deere, Bobcat, or Caterpillar store to see what trailers they sell. They tend to sell topshelf trailers like Trail Max with new equipment purchases. It'll give you an idea on what's high end in your area.