Bought a new tilt bed 9999lb. gvw

[atgreene]

FINALLY GOT IT! But......

Well, the dealer called me today to say my trailer was in. I ran right down to pick it up and headed to the local truck garage for a sticker.

Tows great, handles great seems to be well made except......

I decided to load the excavator at a job I'm on to see how it looked on the trailer. Evidently your not supposed to load on crowned or uneven surfaces? As you can see from the pics, the tail of the trailer bent with the crown of the driveway. I can't say as I'm impressed. This thing is rated for 16100 lbs and I bent it first day with a 8000 lb. machine. WTF over? Anyone else have a tilt trailer where this is an issue?

 

[atgreene]

A couple more. Treated the deck with Thompsons water seal.

 

[Jeff D.]

That sucks!!

Could you weld something across the bottom to strengthen it?
Will it really be an issue,if it is bent,other than the fact you noticed it,and it's your "new" trailer?(and that's why it bugs you.)

Since you'll rarely have the center section of the rear with weigh being transferred across it,I'd think eventually it would get distorted anyways.

You just sped the process up,alittle.:yup

I've noticed steel decked trailers eventually get the plate curved over the cross members.Being that trailer needs to be thin in the back,so the rear can drop to near ground level for loading,it probobly would be hard to reinforce it enough to prevent any distortion.

Hopefully it'll serve you well otherwise.

 

[Ford LT-9000]

I would just cut that beaver tail off you don't need it or keep part of it and cut it above the clearance lights and weld a price of heavy box tube under the lip of the cut off beaver tail.

 

[Jeff D.]

I've a question Atgreene,

You've a tray on the front of the trailer,for chains,etc.Did you specify that be added when you ordered?

I've noticed them on other trailers too,and wanted one on mine,but the manufacturer said they couldn't mount one without a top/lid,stating it was now illegal to haul chains,binders,etc.loose,without being completely enclosured.

Were you told anything like that,or was I being fed BS?I'd weld a piece of expanded metal under the "V" and make my own,if it isn't illegal too use.

 

[Ford LT-9000]

Some body was pulling your leg and feeding you a line of bull. How in the heck is chains supposed to fly out of a box. We have low bed guys just throw their chains and cinches in the middle of the lowbed and take off the chains don't move.

Every tilt trailer in this area has a bottom welded in the V part of the hitch where chains and cinches are kept.

You can use expanded metal its not that strong your better off finding some gravel screen if you go to any gravel pit they will have used screens out of screening plants. Best of all you may get it for free :thumbsup

 

[CascadeScaper]

Hmmmm, if it's illegal to carry chaings without being enclosed, I guess all those lowboy trucks are illegal since most of them hang their chains on their headache racks. Currently, that's where I'm hanging mine on the F450, but when I had to leave chains with the trailer I'd just throw them on the deck and go. Maybe if I was going a long way, I'd bind the chains to the trailer across the deck, but I'd have to be driving a good distance to resort to that nonsense. :bouncegri

 

[atgreene]

Maine DOT is actually citing people for "loose dunage" (spelling?) for chains and binder left on the deck. Not sure if in the "CHAIN POCKET" falls under the same as the deck. Sounds like DOT really has nothing better to do than to bust the back of guys trying to make a living. God knows we don't pay enough to be allowed to "play" already in taxes and fee's.

As far as bending, it's just irritating. The day before I got stuck with the Topkick and bent the left side of my Hudson trying to offload so I could use the excavator to pull myself out. I didn't notice that the left rear tire wasn't touching the ground and put about 3" of bow into the frame of the trailer. :Banghead :Banghead :Banghead

Welder guy is coming today to put a new frame on that side.:Banghead :Banghead

What's really ironic is that my new trailer was in yesterday, but they neglected to call me because the salesman was off. Had they called me I wouldn't have bent my fathers trailer, but bent mine a day earlier.:thumbsup

 

[Grader4me]

Here is a link to the NSC for cargo securement in Canada. Scroll down to section 8 and it talks about securement of chain, binders etc http://www.ccmta.ca/ENGLISH/cargo/pdf/interpretationguide.pdf

Hope I pasted this this right.....first time I tryed it

 

[murray83]

nice trailer.

by looking at the first set of pics the bever tail really hangs low,is this normal on most tilt trailers?

i'd be worried about running a trailer like that up a hill or such,nice new trailer and hearing the sound of steel on pavement

as for chains too bad you couldn't rig up a box on the front say a truck box from wal mart or such on the front to lock up and secure your binders and chains or even small tools.

hmmmm ford if he was to cut off his bever tail that couldn't that void his warrenty or change the specs?

mom always said too many questions would get me in trouble

 

[norrodbh]

I've a question Atgreene,

You've a tray on the front of the trailer,for chains,etc.Did you specify that be added when you ordered?

I've noticed them on other trailers too,and wanted one on mine,but the manufacturer said they couldn't mount one without a top/lid,stating it was now illegal to haul chains,binders,etc.loose,without being completely enclosured.

Were you told anything like that,or was I being fed BS?I'd weld a piece of expanded metal under the "V" and make my own,if it isn't illegal too use.

Atgreen , that sucks on a new trailer.

A DOT agent caught me at a weigh station last month and told me that I needed a lid on my storage box. He'll let me go today, but I need to do something about it.

My chain box is homemade.

 

[Electra_Glide]

Currently, that's where I'm hanging mine on the F450, but when I had to leave chains with the trailer I'd just throw them on the deck and go.

True story...a few weeks ago I was riding with a friend of mine to pick up my machine while my truck was out of commission (that's another whole story that I won't bore you with...:Banghead ) One end of his chains was attached to the trailer, and the other end was just laying on the deck. Sure enough as we're going down the road, I hear something, check the mirror, and one of the chains is being dragged along the road, just in front of the trailer tires. Don't want to think about would have happened had the chain been long enough to get tangled up in the wheels.

For me, I take the few extra seconds and store any unused chains (usually just throw them in the back of the truck). The way my luck runs, it's better to be safe than sorry...

Joe

 

[2004F550]

are cam superlines bent in the same way but not quite as bad....it looks like that crown was the perfect size to cause the problem....these mini x's can be quite a bit of weight

 

[CascadeScaper]

For me, I take the few extra seconds and store any unused chains (usually just throw them in the back of the truck). The way my luck runs, it's better to be safe than sorry...

Joe

I totally agree, I never said my bad habits were good ones, but sometimes you just don't stop and think. Now that my truck is the only one that does the hauling, chains and binders are either holding equipment down or hanging on the headache rack. Makes things alot easier when it comes to keeping up with chains.

 

[T Red]

I think you would have been ok with 10K GVWR. The federal law states "in excess of 10,000 lbs GVWR you are required an A license. You only need an a C to pull up to 10,000 lbs GVWR.


Classes of License:

The Federal standard requires States to issue a CDL to drivers according to the following license classifications:

Class A -- Any combination of vehicles with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.

Class B -- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds GVWR.

Class C -- Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is placarded for hazardous materials.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/cdl/cdl.htm

 

[cat320]

I think they should raise the class B to a 20K lb trailer weight.

 

[erthmover]

I think they should raise the class B to a 20K lb trailer weight.

I second that

 

[atgreene]

I fully agree with you on the 20 k. If you can haul it with a 1 ton you should be able to haul it with a class B truck as well. The fed regs have failed to keep pace with the technology and equipment being produced today.

As to modifying the trailer, I spent nearly $7000.00 and got a two year warranty and the first day on the job it bent. When a 4 ton machine bends an 8 ton trailer I really question the integrity of the materials and craftsmanship.

 

[cat320]

I was just thinking about some titlt trailers i have seen that have like to ramps at the end vs the full with.I always woundered why they did not do it like the cam or landoll maybe that is why because it can't take the weight when loading on the crown.

 

[Jeff D.]

I fully agree with you on the 20 k. If you can haul it with a 1 ton you should be able to haul it with a class B truck as well.

Although most on this forum might be ok at those weights,I am very nervous when driving around the "general public" pulling heavy trailers(even less than 15k) with a 1 ton pickup and a bumper type hitch.

A gooseneck doesn't worry me though.:thumbsup They go straight down the road just fine loaded heavy, even when I'm passing them at a higher speed. The bumper hitch trailers are all over the road half the time, and when I pass them they can really get wiggling around.

I've wondered if they make a weight distributing hitch for equipment trailers, with pintle hitches. The 2 5/16 ball hitches w/Eq. springs I've found are only rated to 10-12k. My trailer has 1500lbs tongue weight empty.Too much for my class 5 reciever without Eq. so I can't even use it behind my pick-up.

Atgreene,what are your options with the trailer? Have you decided what you're going to do? Have it repaired, or just live with it?