Triple Duals

[bsmith]

Guys, the major objection about doing a heavy haul with a one ton truck seems to be about braking issues. Many of you have cited examples with lesser loads than I have described and how horrible the setup felt. I too have felt uncomfortable with my bumper pull 7x14 dump trailer (two 7k axels with singles, only 4 tires) almost fully loaded with 1 1/2 gravel. But I'll bet none of you have ever pulled a gooseneck triple duals trailer (3 axels, duals, all 12 trailer wheels braking). Such trailers are rare in gooseneck form. It's a lot of extra money for the extra axel, brakes, and tires to get just a little more capacity. These trailers are all custom built. The guys who pay the extra amount for this are doing it more for the increased braking effect. They are not trying to get another 10k capacity from the extra axel and neither am I. I want to net another 5k capacity for all that extra money, but mainly I want the brakes. I will write some more later about how these setups work, but really, if you have never pulled a triple dual gooseneck you can't have an informed opinion of how well they work. Your are just guessing based on pulling heavy loads with much less trailer.
Bill

 

[90plow]

If you feel you were not in the wrong then why did you take offense? I wasn't aiming it anyone in particular but it just seems rediculous to even consider...It is still a pickup with pickup components brakes and motor. I jsut don't see why with the price of the trailer beign so much you wouldn't hire someone to move the machine if you don't move it that often.
-Eric

 

[Jeff D.]

If you feel you were not in the wrong then why did you take offense? I wasn't aiming it anyone in particular .

If this is the case then I apoligize.

I may have jumped to conclusions, but I thought you were referring to my post.

It is a tremedous amount of weight behind a pick-up, and things could end up very badly, if things went wrong.

I can understand why he'd contemplate it. It's nice to use the tools you have already, and there is a big difference between goosenecks/5th wheels, etc. and trailers that hook to bumpers.

It just the weight extremes in this case that are so scary.

 

[bsmith]

Been pricing 36' GN triple dual trailers with pierced frame (lowers the deck 5"), torque tube (handles uneven weight distribution better), and flush level ramps across the entire back (makes the dove tail like a flat deck). The 31 + 5' dove length allows for the Texas legal 4' overhang when carrying 40' structural members and rebar while keeping the trailer shorter and easier handling for normal equipment hauls. 90Plow wonders why I don't just hire the equipment moved if the need is infrequent. That is in fact what I have been doing for the past five years. But my needs for all kinds of miscellaneous hauling (mainly building supplies and pipe for fences) have grown so much that I really need a heavy trailer for many reasons. A normal tandem dual would do fine for all that stuff, but for about $2,500 more I can add a third axel with 4 wheels and brakes, heavy 30k coupler, and torque tube and then do some occasional heavy equipment hauling (20k plus loads) on short trips on rural roads away from heavy city traffic. For about $9,000 total, I can get such a trailer custom built by Jim Bray at www.texaspridetrailers.com

Rather than buy a larger truck that has to be specially licensed and insured, and is inconvenient for normal ranch use, my non-commercial, limited use situation seems ideal for stretching what a one ton truck can normally do by using a very beefed up equipment trailer.
Bill

 

[greywynd]

You're not going to like what I say, but to me it looks more and more like you were hoping that you would post this here and get an okay from people to do it, but really everyone has said that either you shouldn't do it, or that it might be ok for one time trips around the farm....

My suggestion? Go ahead and get it, do it, and even though I'm not normally much of a praying man, I pray that WHEN (not if) it goes terribly wrong, no-one gets hurt, including yourself. Yesterday I was riding in a friends truck while he was pulling a 20ton tandem float with duals. Even in a tandem gravel truck, even I (while riding) could feel the trailer behind us. Empty this thing weighs about 5 ton. Put another 10 on it, I just can't imagine tryig to pull this with a one ton truck that in itself will weigh around 3 tons. Trying to pull 5X your vehicle weight with a tow vehicle just sounds extreme in itself.

Inb the future, rather than wasting our time trying to get an okay to do something that is over the limit (not just pushing it), don't bother coming to ask, just do it....it will save your time and ours.

Mark

 

[bsmith]

Greywnd, I appreciate the fact that you will be praying for me. And I appreciate all the comments I have received in this forum. Keep in mind though, that this forum has not been my only source of info in deciding to go with a triple dual trailer. Several trailer builders in Texas have put me in touch with guys that use a triple dual on one ton trucks. It's not like it has never been done. One guy has even pulled a 30K motograder successfully with circumstances like my own. One goal of coming to this forum was to see if some of those stories could be corroborated. The trailer builders, since they want to sell you a trailer, will often be very optimistic. The respondents in this forum have not been so positive to the concept. That has been good for me to see. As I have mentioned, I need an equipment trailer for many uses, mostly for normal sized loads. And I think even you will admit that triple duals are safer than tandem duals given the same load. So the question for me will be how much load will I be able to safely haul with a triple dual trailer and a one ton truck? I will experiment carefully in some big open spaces before I head down a public road. I will find the limit for my loads that I feel comfortable with. If the limit is too low for my needs, I'll look into a bigger tow vehicle. I will report back in the future with my findings. I believe there are many out there who have an interest in how this concept works. I am sorry if you feel like I have wasted your time in this thread, but I will continue to post as I see fit. I have learned form this thread and I believe that others have as well. Thanks to you all for your input.
Bill

 

[Steve Frazier]

The purpose of this forum is to exchange information and ideas regarding heavy equipment and relate topics. The question you posted here fits that description, and the comments here are valid in my opinion. I've done some towing with my F-350 beyond the rated capacity of the truck, but no where near what you are proposing. With a gross trailer load of about 18K, the truck is VERY twitchy and I've had the trailer push the truck when trying to manuever job sites. I wouldn't attempt a move in bad weather, it's just too risky. I hope everything works out for you, but I tend to agree with the negative comments here based on my experience.

 

[brock302]

for BSMITH

Bill,


A buddy of mine has ben in the dozer buisness for several years now... and he has the same trailer set up ( or close to it) that your looking at...He pulls a CASE 850K (20,000lbs) with a 1999 Ford F-250 4x4....and he has never had any problems ...at least that he has talked about......he brought his dozer out to my job site to help me out and he seemed to have no trouble....

I am looking into getting in to the dozer buisness my self with either a CAT D4 or D5...they both weigh around 18-20k...and I am looking at the 30' gooseneck with the dauls and a Dodge 1ton dually with flatbed....

if you get something up and running let me know how it works out...

 

[Countryboy]

Welcome to HEF brock302! :drinkup

 

[bsmith]

Working Great

Brock, I have had my 31+5' dove GN triple duals trailer since Feb 2007. Got it with three ramps, pierced frame low profile, and square coupler for $8750 from Texas Pride Trailers in Madisonville, TX (936-396-3241). Remember, I am pulling my trailer with a 96 one ton long bed chevy truck with singles (non-dualie). The triple axel is really needed to help with braking. And the braking is so good with 12 trailer tires working for you that the truck brakes themselves can go completely out and you can still stop just fine. Have loaded my dozer, but not yet my big 23,000 lb Condor man lift. I have been waiting to report back with pictures after I have a need to move that largest item. The trailer manufacturers were all telling me this setup would work fine for my infrequent heavy hauling needs using a non-dualie truck. But of course they want to sell a trailer. I consulted with this forum as a counter balance and a number of guys indicated such a setup would not be safe under any circumstances even for my very controlled infrequent use. So it was with some trepidation that I ordered this non-returnable trailer. Well, the results are in and I am very pleased with this trailer and how well the truck and trailer handle with large loads. Everybody who advised me earlier had no experience with such a setup (a triple dual GN is pretty rare) and so it was left to speculation based on their experiences with other trailer-tow vehicle combinations as to how this might work. I think a lesson learned here is that even professional daily heavy haulers should acknowledge some uncertainty in their opinion when they comment on a specific trailer/tow-vehicle/load combination that they have never tried themselves.
Bill

 

[thebobcatkid86]

So bsmith how do you like your Texas Pride trailer? I see that they do alot of business on ebay. Anyway I have been thinking about buying one of their dump trailers in the future and was wondering how they were as a company to work with?

 

[bsmith]

Bobcatkid, I really like the guys at Texas Pride. Jim Bray is the owner and I happen to also own a 7x14 bumper pull hydraulic dump trailer. The price on that beat everybody else by nearly $2,000 and it has worked great for me for several years. Just keep in mind though, that as a software company owner and part time rancher, I only use the dump trailer maybe once a month. So I can't vouch for how well the trailer would hold up on a daily basis, but I still think it was one of the best buys I ever made.
Bill