tilt beds

[coopers]

So I've been browsing tilt bed trailers for a 580 backhoe up to a 120 excavator. Which trailers do you guys run with and how are they working for you? I've always been around Trail King but I wanted to get other opinions.

Thanks

Blake
WA

[nedly05]

I don't personally have any experience with tilt beds, but I have heard they don't ride so nicely due to the forward placement of the axles. I would take a look at a 20 ramp trailer myself. There are a ton of good trailer mfgs. these days, Good Luck!

[Kgmz]

We have a TrailMax TRD-50 tri-axle which we haul our 310D backhoe, 490D excavator, Cat 928G loader, Cat CS-563 roller, or D3C-LGP and D3G dozers.

This is one of the best trailers we have owned, and if you talk to people in the northwest they will also all agree. Popular trailer up here.

We have owned Trail King's, Eagar Beaver's, and this TrailMax trailer.

The TrailMax TRD-50 is not made anymore and has been replaced with the TRD-54. The only difference between the two is the axle spread, the TRD-50 has a center to center spacing of 49" while the TRD-54 has a spacing of 54.5". This longer spacing allows more weight for bridge law. The TRD-50 has a capacity of 49,000 and the TRD-54 has a capacity of 54,750.

The TRD 50's and 54's come with 22.5" or 17.5" tires, it it has 17.5" tires there is a T designation added after the number i.e. TRD-54T.

As for tiltbeds not pulling well, that is only on the short tiltbeds that don't have the extra flat deck in front of the tilt. The TDR 50 and 54 have a 5' deck in front of the tilt. We had a tilt deck tandem before that just had the tilt deck and I hated that trailer, it was bouncy when empty and just never towed well even when loaded. Not enough room to get the load forward.


Also the TrailMax TRD-54 has a longer axle spread than the Trail King TKT50 tri-axle. Something to consider up here in the NW with our bridge laws, and depending on what your trucks wheel base and axle combination is.

And of course you may not get to load the trailer to actual capacity because of the bridge laws and again depending on your pulling vehicles axle spread, etc.

Example: I have been hauling 20 2000lb Kelley Blocks to a jobsite, and this is the most (40,000lbs) I can carry and be legal on the tri-axles. If I could get the weight forward then I could haul more since I only have about 25,000 on the trucks tandems.


Our TRD50 behind the Peterbilt

[coopers]

KGMZ,

Thanks for the input, that really helps. I'll look into that.

Blake
WA

[CascadeScaper]

We were looking at a 20 ton Trailmax tilt last summer. If I was to buy a brand new trailer tomorrow, that's what I'd buy. Trailking is good, Eager Beaver is good as well, but everyone I've talked to that has a Trailmax loves it. Trailmax definately has a strong market hold in the PNW, that's for sure.