Bought a new tilt bed 9999lb. gvw

[atgreene]

I finally ordered a new trailer. After a run-in with DOT this winter with my tri axle and no class A license, I had to make a change.

After looking at a pile of trailers and not finding the torsion ride axles that I wanted in a tilt, I settled on a Cam-Superline split deck w/o torsion ride. I really wanted the Moritz, but didn't like their tilt, and they won't tag it 9999 lbs. with heavier axles.

The Cam is 19' of deck: 4' is stationary and 15' tilts
LED lights
7k dexter axles
Stake pockets
Spare
10k jack
Hydraulic cushion tilt
Pallet fork carrier under the front section

I've never owned a tilt, so we'll try it and see how it works out. The 4' stationary deck should leave plenty of room for my buckets and fuel tanks etc...

Here's the link http://www.camsuperline.com/splittilts.html

It'll be 4-8 weeks before it comes in. I'll be sure to post some pics when it does.

 

[Jeff D.]

:thumbsup Looks good.That'll be a nice easy trailer too load,I bet!!

Do they have axles with that much drop,or are the springs somehow above the frame?

 

[atgreene]

Thanks.

I believe that the springs are under the axles.

It is going to be nice to load. The only drawback I see with the tilt is that every now and then I need to haul 2 pieces of equipment, but it looks like it will be low enough to be able to crawl on over the rear with the excavator if needed.

 

[cat320]

Alan your gonna get a 16K trailer and they will re-tag so you tow it with a class B cdl ?

I have one question on that , if you get a dot guy that says hey that excavator is X amount of weight and your stamped for less than that weight won't they still write you up?

I have a cam dump 5 ton and it holds the weight well i think .

 

[atgreene]

If I don't overload the trailer with lots of extra's, I'll be just at 10k. I plan to get my class a, but for now I really don't need it. It's not likely their going to scale anyway, but if they do it will be close.

 

[2004F550]

good trailer...we have 2 of them...a 6 ton and 7 ton....only complaint is the paint doesn't hold up well...2 year old trailer looks 15 years old...oh well its goos in all the other respects

 

[Jeff D.]

How well does that Hemlock decking hold up to the elements?Is Hemlock a hardwood or softwood?

My beef with wood decking is when they use pine or other soft wood,and it rots out in 4-5 years.

Oak seems to hold up pretty well,but adds too the price.

 

[2004F550]

its holding up fine...no rot...i believe its a soft wood..not positive....not as big a deal on little trailers as it is on lowboys and bigger tags....we only use oak on those

 

[Ford LT-9000]

If its the same Hemlock we have here on the West Coast its crap if its not pressure treated. If its raw expect to be replacing decking in 2 maybe 3 years it rots fast. Hemlock is also very heavy it soaks up water like you wouldn't beleive. The reason why manufactures use it is its cheap.

What most people around here use is rough cut Fir which is the full 2"s thick not 1 1/2 like wood you buy from the lumber yard.

I think you will like a tilt trailer no ramps to deal with the only thing with a tilt deck is you need to keep enough weight forward so the latch that holds the deck down isn't bearing all the weight.

 

[thejdman04]

Some words of wisdom

The compnay I currently work for has a few of those trailers, and make sure you get an extra Toggle Clamp as they call them. Get some extra u clamps that hold the bed of the trailer down. They tend to rust up good and snap when you go to adjust them. Of course, commom disassembly and cleanign with a wire wheel will cure this however sometiems that doesnt get done. The reason I say get some extra ones are theyh are an odd size that the local, lee, advanced, napa advanced etc didnt carry and of course we needed the trailer that night. Also, be careful about driving over the edge loading 2 pieces of machinery. Have had a few guys try to load like that or unload unchain it get in a rush and dont undo theclamp and suprisingly thyey arent hardend steel andg et bend out of shape easily. Good luck wiht your trailer.

 

[BKrois]

You still need a Class A CDL if you will be towing the trailer behind your topkick.

 

[2004F550]

yea its pressure treated because they sit outside and we have had no problems.

 

[atgreene]

Update

:Banghead Well Cam is beginning to give me a run-around. Originally the dealer told me he thought it would be in with a shipment the first week on June now their saying it'll be Mid to late July at the earliest. :Banghead

I've called the local Towmaster dealer to see what they have. Anybody got a Towmaster or familiar with them?

I'm also going back to Moritz to see what we can come up with.

If anybody comes across a quality built tilt bed 9999lb. trailer, 6000lb axles, 16' of tilt and 2' + of stationary let me know. I'm borrowing my fathers trailer now but hay season is coming and he's going to need it back.

 

[atgreene]

Omfg

Just got a quote from Towmaster. 18' trailer, 4' is stationary, 14' tilt, torsion ride, led, d rings, 6k axles= $8380.00

That's $3500.00 more than the Cam! WTF! And, the Cam was a foot longer and included stake pockets, rub rails and fork carrier.

Now the Moritz dealer called me back. I was there back in mid April trying to get them to build me a 9999lb. trailer with 6k axles and they said no. I called today and they've decided that they indeed can build a 9999 lb. trailer with 6k torsion axles.:thumbsup
Thank god!

He's going to let me know, but it looks like that's the way I'm going. I really loved my last 23' Moritz, the only reason I got rid of it was because I couldn't haul it with the dumptruck because of the gooseneck. I've regreted selling it ever since.

What a PITA this whole deal has been.

 

[2004F550]

towmaster are aheavy duty trailer but you pay for it...our Cat dealer sells them in our area so it was even more than the average price, so we ended up with the cams.....no compliants yet....maybe try another dealer? or was it a special build?

 

[Jeff D.]

When I was shopping for a trailer last year I noticed that for a similairly spec'd trailer,the prices had a very wide range.

It's trying to find one that's not a piece of junk AND is priced within the range you can afford.Also,finding one manufactured close enough so the transportaion cost's aren't too high.

Some are built and given weight spec's that are questionable(small channel,etc.) ,and some are built with weight spec's that are conservative(and could really carry more).

Since you've owned a Moritz before,you'll atleast have a good idea of their quality,and that's a real plus!:thumbsup

Good Luck,hopefully this one will come through for you.

 

[cat320]

Just got a quote from Towmaster. 18' trailer, 4' is stationary, 14' tilt, torsion ride, led, d rings, 6k axles= $8380.00

That's $3500.00 more than the Cam! WTF! And, the Cam was a foot longer and included stake pockets, rub rails and fork carrier.

Now the Moritz dealer called me back. I was there back in mid April trying to get them to build me a 9999lb. trailer with 6k axles and they said no. I called today and they've decided that they indeed can build a 9999 lb. trailer with 6k torsion axles.:thumbsup
Thank god!

He's going to let me know, but it looks like that's the way I'm going. I really loved my last 23' Moritz, the only reason I got rid of it was because I couldn't haul it with the dumptruck because of the gooseneck. I've regreted selling it ever since.

What a PITA this whole deal has been.

Alan Have you tried landoll? the last time i saw one and asked how much it was around $5K now I don't think it could of went up 3-4K in a year for there tilt. Tomaster is very pricy i think have good stuff but $$$ try big tow they are the same as tomaster just different name. there is also hudson bro, kaufman trailers, millieum,Felling , foster, just to name a few can see all online to get specs on them .


Here is the felling one :
http://www.felling.com/trailers-specs.asp?Group=TiltBed&Series=IT-Series&Item_No=FT-10IT-SP

 

[atgreene]

The Cam is being built to my spec, as they have a backlog anyway, they said it would take the same ammount of time as a stock 18' tilt.

Your right on the spec being different and the prices all over the place. Everything from the primer and # of coats of paint etc... really varies. I don't mind paying for quality, but I would prefer not to be bent over by a greedy salesman. $3500 difference is crazy. Towmaster is nice, but not that nice. There's no doubt they build a nice trailer, but not for that much more.

I've had 2 Hudsons (my fathers, but I used them more than he) and neither was very good. The paint is aweful and they weaken the main frame rails to make stake pockets. The one I'm using now bent this winter when I hit a frost heave. It took some 3/8" plate and some welding to repair it. Even the dealer said it was a common problem. They're a simple little trailer, but not very rugged.

The Moritz is overbuilt and they use the torsion ride. My gooseneck I bought new, drove to Ohio to pick it up from the plant ran it for 6 years and sold it for $500.00 less than I paid for it new. I went through 1 set of brakes and 1 set of tires. 14 K rated and I could haul 300 bales of hay out of a hayfield without tieing it down and the torsion allowed it to ride so smooth we never worried about loosing bales. Also, Moritz is one of those companies that adds little extras here and there like steps, heavy duty hitches, oversized sping loaded jack legs etc.

Just for giggles I'll check out Landoll. Hopefully I can get this resolved so my father can get his trailer back.:nono

 

[imjustdave]

I have to ask, why torsion axles? especially if its for equipment? Also the DOT finned you for being over the 26K licenced limit or somthing else? because my concern is you will be over your 9999K limit quick, trailer must weigh about 2200 - 3K lbs, especially with the tilt that only leaves about 6K, add on some forks, 750- 1000 lbs, chains, binders, 100-200 lbs, that leaves about 5K left for machine, - mud, and what ever else you decide, given you will have some on the ball but not a lot.

Also you mentioned never going to be scaled, is that because you will never pass by a scale house or you don't stop?

Also what kind of truck are you going to be using to pull this. I guess if it was me I would just get a 14K trailer with ramps and call it good. assuming your mini-ex wil fit.

 

[atgreene]

Dave, if you ever have the chance take a torsion ride trailer for a spin. The ride difference is amazing and there's no banging or bouncing on frost heaves, further there's no springs to break.

The Hudson broke all the springs on Wed. when I hit a bad culvert:Banghead . I had about 8000 lb of excavator and buckets, a grave stone and 1900 lbs. of trailer weight. Well within load limits. The springs are 3 years old and are 3000lb. rated each (4 of them).

The trailer I ordered is 3100 lbs. roughly. There are no scale points around me, only portable scales. Occationally I will be substatially over the 10k, but not on a daily basis. Most of my travel is within 15 miles of home.

It's being hauled with a 1986 Topkick reg'd for 36000 lbs.

Here's the deal, if the trailer is rated for 9999 DOT is happy. If it's tagged for 10000 or more you have to have a class A regardless of whats on the trailer. Not to be sneaky or anything, but I'm trying to get around the hassle of getting my class A immediately. I fully plan to get it, I just need the right truck to do it in. Mine isn't user friendly and would perhaps not impress the tester on race day, if you know what I mean.

Further, I don't want a big trailer because it's nice to be able to haul it with my pick-up to save fuel when I don't need the Topkick.

This is a common problem around here. Most smaller trailers are now coming through with 6 and 7 ton axles but are tagged 9999 lbs. All the salesmen I have talked to say it's a daily request.