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Any suggestions on a detach?

Allis Nut

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2012
Messages
9
Location
Economy, IN
Does anyone have a suggestion on a good, cheap, reliable detach trailer? Need something that can haul at least 30 tons. Going to use it for hauling our construction equipment. Would appreciate any input.
Allis Nut
 

johndeere123

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
176
Location
Nova Scotia
as far as buying, any ground bearing is the cheapest way to go. We had a challenger 50 ton and it did the job. There are also alot of headaches with a ground bearing especially with soft ground. I would recommend a truck bearing trailer. I've used the trail king, Paron, JC, Truck bearing trailers and they are all fairly reliable. Not to sure on the prices though.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
Don't know how much you plan on spending, or how much you plan on using the trailer or in what conditions, but non ground bearing is the only way to go, get a good brand of trailer, avoid the cheaper lines of trailers, rodgers, talbert, trail king, etc would be my recommendation. Get as long a bed as you can, go bigger and heavier if you can afford it, nothing with a pony motor on the trailer, run it off the truck, have a sloped angle back onto the rear axles so you can back something over them to sit on the rear of the trailer, if possible get ramps on the back of the trailer to load out the back as well, hows that for a want list, as to where to find it, good luck hunting and looking over all the junk trailers on the market, also some form of 22.5 tires, either low pro or super low pro would be nice. If anything I described doesn't make sense just ask what needs clearification.
 

Scrub Puller

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
3,481
Location
Gladstone Queensland Australia
Yair . . . Randy88. I just started another thread about this style of trailer. We don't use them much in Aus. why are they so popular 'Stateside?

It seems a lot of complexity when most times you just need a set of ramps.

I think I have asked this question before but I had computer issues and the thread just sort of died.

Cheers.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
Scrub puller, why so popular here, because a non ground bearing detach trailer is simply the nicest trailer to load, unload and pull, I"m not sure what type of terraine your in, the climate, your load widths, trailer widths or a host of other factors, but I've got both detach and also deck over trailers, I'll spend the extra money on a non ground bearing detach any day of the week. As for what exactly is the difference, I could type pages on that topic, but for me it gets down to several key things, loading height, load angle, versitility, machine size, loaded center of gravity is lower on a detach, there's no hinge point to roll the machine over like on a deck over trailer, personal preference, drivrs safety while loading and unloading machines, these are the first things that popped into my mind when discussing the differences, for some like my wife, there's no arguement or anything to discuss, its either one of her non ground bearing detaches or someone else can do it all, she's not touching a deck over trailer, not pulling one, loading or unloading one, nothing end of discussion, maybe thats the reason I've got two detaches right now and have sold most of the deck over trailers. I guess it gets down to personal preference, I personally prefer detaches, always have always will, to me I can't see why anyone would ever own anything but a detach trailer, like for example you folks over there, why not spend a few dollars more and have the nicest type of trailer ever made, instead of tossing ramps all day long and pivoting machines on the hinge point and put yourself or others at risk from a machine sliding around or going off the side. Seen a few that did just that, been in a few that did it for me personally, right there and then any detach justified itself in cost.
 

Scrub Puller

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
3,481
Location
Gladstone Queensland Australia
Yair . . . Randy88. Thanks for reply. I guess that pretty much covers it . . . the fellers have gone into a bit of detail on my other thread too.

Looks like you have youself a very handy Lady there!!

Cheers.
 

Allis Nut

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2012
Messages
9
Location
Economy, IN
Randy 88,
Would it be possible to buy an older non ground bearing trailer for around 5 or 6k? Looking to use it for hauling around my dozers biggest dozer is about the size of a D8 CAT.
Much appreciated,
Allis Nut
 

buckfever

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Messages
813
Location
southwest pa
When we were looking to buy a lowboy i don't think we found one that was useable for less then 12,000. Don't know why but big trailers seem to hold there value. Check your transport hight and see if a step-deck trailer like Scrub Puller talked about in a other post will work. Those I could see you getting for that price and the few I have seen seem to work well. Also look around and see if there are any trailer rental companies around. There's one about a hour from us and we wish we would have rented the trailer first before we bought it.

I know it's out of your price range but a 50T Fontain Magnitued is going on my list to Santa Clause.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
Allis nut, your not going to find any detach of either ground bearing or non ground bearing worth pulling home for that kind of dollars, if your hauling a D8 around you need at leat three axles to do it legally, maybe even a triple on the back of the truck as well. Like I said before I have no idea how much you plan to move it, how far or how often, but if your price range is 5-6k, just a suggestion here, but hire someone to move it for you, by the time you have the trailer, truck, permits, everything dot legal and the insurance, your yearly buget for just owning the trailer will be more than 5-6k, not to mention fines if you get caught by the dot, and I don't care how legal you think you are, they'll find something wrong and educate you big time on how they want it done.

I started with a deck over trailer, they are cheaper by far, it worked for years, till we slid a machine sideways off the side in the winter with an icy deck, not something I'd ever want to do again, even slid one sideways and down the ramps in the back and almost laid it over as it hit the ground, came off the tracks on one side as I was about to dive off the upper side and onto the trailer when it came back down onto two tracks, but it hung there a minute or two, I was sure it was going to roll over but didn't, my wife witnessed this the second time around and told me, enough was enough, she didn't want to be widow anytime soon, or ever have to load anything ever on a deck over trailer, she even refuses to pull one, just because when she gets to where she's going she'll have to unload or load it. I guess its what you get used to, or can take as far as mishaps and things going wrong, do deck over trailer work, yes, but your 3 plus feet higher in the air and you have the hinge point, where the machine transisitons from the angle up to the the level deck, all the weight is on the hinge as it tilts down flat on the deck, thats usually where things happen, it can slide slideways, or spin around depending on where the cleats on the track are located to the deck, if both sides are equal on the deck or if the deck itself is level, we load on a lot of sloped area's and that isn't a good thing, best advice I can give is to either borrow a trailer, rent one or hire someone to haul your machine and "you" do the loading and unloading, everyone's idea from the ground is different than it is from the seat of the machine. I've seen an older d7 go off the side of a trailer before, the guy didn't have a seat belt on and luckily it only rolled onto its side, if it went any further he'd have been killed, since the roll threw him off, I"ve seen combines go off the side the same way, the truck driver in the seat didn't get killed that time either because it went over the side opposite the cab and the cab was up in the air, seen another dozer a d5 go off and that smashed the operators hand and crushed it as it was under the corner of the rops as it went over and heard of several that were killed because they kept rolling, either into a ditch by the side of the road or whatever. It also depends on your insurance company and who's actually doing the loading and unloading and what machines you have, now on my insurance it made little difference, but have been told by business owners their insurnace went down when they went to detach trailers, not sure if its true or not, but I still have both styles of trailers, so mine wouldn't drop in cost.

As they say if I could back up time and do it over again, instead of a deck over trailer, I'd pay a little more and buy a ground bearing trailer, just for the added safety of not going over the hinge point and when that became too much grief, I'd later update to a non ground bearing trailer later on, but that's me, I don't like big machines or any machines going over the hinge point, in my terraine, and adverse climates and conditions, but if you live in a dryer area of the world, have level ground or always load on the level and have rops on every machine you own and are careful, it might make a difference to opt to a deck over trailer.

And for what its worth, I've slid mahcines off the side of me detach as well, but it didn't go far, I always load along a road so there's a driveway beside the level portion of the deck, not a ditch just for that reason, its never a fun ride no matter what machine or trailer you have at the time. Best of luck on whatever you decide or get
 

Allis Nut

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2012
Messages
9
Location
Economy, IN
I show appreciation for your help. Just wanted some idea on what I should buy. Probably going to end up renting trailers along with using my tractor to haul the equipment around. The tractor helps because you are able to avoid DOT regulations.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
If your going to use an [ag] tractor to pull a trailer, you may or may not be exempt from the dot, first off construction equipment isn't ag exempt in all states and cases, but if it is, go for it, second if your using a dolley setup to pull the trailer, a detach takes considerable talent and patience to hook the neck back onto the trailer, try it out first before you buy a detach to see if you have the patience for it.

Also have you thought about a tilt trailer instead of a standard deck over, especially if you "might" be dot exempt on weight regulations, I never mentioned it before since most tilts are tandems and won't carry the weight you were wanting and pass any bridge laws, but if you might fall outside of dot regualtions, then hey, its something to consider, they work pretty slick to load and also unload, I have no idea what one would cost, new or used, I needed a triple axle and the axles are too far forward on the trailer to pass my bridge laws here to carry the full weight. Just a suggestion to ponder.
 

Allis Nut

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2012
Messages
9
Location
Economy, IN
In Indiana anything we can pull off as ag equipment is not under DOT regulations. How much do you think a nicely built tilt trailer could handle though?
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
I really dont' know for sure, first you'd have to find one at all, the military has had some heavy built trailers over the years come up for sale, and they haul D7-8's on and then if thats the case and your exempt, you can even pull wider than a legal trailer as well, some call them off road trailers. A tilt was never an option for me, the axles are too far forward to bridge anything of major weight. Do some google searching and see whats out there and what axles are under them, your in such a grey area most here won't be able to help much.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
GPC, are the new talberts hook up the same as the older ones, with eye's that hook over the prongs that stick out the front of the trailer and then a cylinder that latches down onto the trailer off the back of the neck or did they finally improve their hook up design? My older talbert has this design and its a pain sometimes to hook the neck back up and also unhook it, the cylinder will freeze in the winter and you can't get it to latch or unlatch and you have to hit the trailer with the neck just right or it won't latch either, if they changed it how so?
 

GPC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
51
Location
North Carolina
Occupation
Lowboy Driver/Dispatcher/Mechanic
GPC, are the new talberts hook up the same as the older ones, with eye's that hook over the prongs that stick out the front of the trailer and then a cylinder that latches down onto the trailer off the back of the neck or did they finally improve their hook up design? My older talbert has this design and its a pain sometimes to hook the neck back up and also unhook it, the cylinder will freeze in the winter and you can't get it to latch or unlatch and you have to hit the trailer with the neck just right or it won't latch either, if they changed it how so?

No it's pretty much the same.

I guess the cylinder on the back of the neck that you're talking about, is the little air operated one that locks the neck onto the trailer? If it is I've never really had any trouble with the ones on ours. The only thing with it is you have to have the neck at just the right angle for it to latch. As for freezing up I don't ever really recall having a problem with the cylinder itself unless I didn't drain the air tanks before I parked it then the whole trailer may be frozen in the winter.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
On my trailer that tube the cylinder is in is open on top, so you can see down into the cylinder and it will freeze the pin either up or down and we have to constantly pour antifreeze into it to keep it thawed out in the winter, we carry a few gallon jugs of used antifreeze along all winter long just for that purpose. I"ve also got a rodgers, and everyone wants to take that trailer first, I never really knew why until I asked, whats the difference and was told the rodgers is so much nicer to hook and rehook, with its design, I guess it is far easier and takes less fuss to get the job done, and in the winter nothing caused probelms with the rodgers. I was just wondering if talbert ever changed this design at all, I haven't seen a new talbert in years, but the last one I saw it was identical to mine.
 
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