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jedeka

Posted 5/2/ 19:58 (#)
Subject: need to learn about lowboy trailers

Boone, Iowa

I started looking for a lowboy trailer to haul a CAT trackhoe, tractors, hay, etc.  The trailers I look at are ground bearing or non ground bearing.  Can someone explain this to me?  I am undecided on a fixed neck or a detatchable.  I am thinking it would be easier loading onto a detatchable, rather than one with a beavertail and ramps.  Ideally, I am thinking a mechanical detatchable trailer.  This way, I would not have to put a wet kit on my tractor or find a trailer that has contained hydraulics.  Thanks for the help. MOjeeper

Posted 5/2/ 20:05 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

NEMO

NEMO

Ground bearing has the big cylinder in the middle for unlatching and non ground bearing drops the trailer right on the ground... Ground bearing lowboys don't work good on soft surfaces from what I've been told. One of the negatives of a detach is that they don't have much ground clearance and it's pretty easy to get hung up on something. laxfarmboy

Posted 5/2/ 20:16 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

Va

i would agree that detachable low boys have a couple inchs of clearnce normally not good for getting of the main road there good for hauling equipment that are tall i have a 30ft eager beaver trailer with a beaver tail haul tractors on it all the time its just not long enough to haul an volume of hay on i bought a cheep flat deck trailer to haul the hay on plowboy

Posted 5/2/ 20:22 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

Brazilton KS

Brazilton KS

It is definitely quicker and easier to load over the back of the trailer rather then take it all apart, however it requires more care and is potentially more dangerous.

On the RGN front, for lots of short moves, you want a hydraulic trailer. The mechanical detach is intended to be loaded and run for a thousand miles...it's lighter but takes more time and work to detach or put back together. A hydraulic detach you just detach the neck from the trailer and load, then reattach the neck. A mechanical you have to unhook the truck, unlock the neck, hook the truck back up, detach the neck, load, reattach the neck, unhook the truck, lock the neck, reattach the truck. You are also lifting the entire weight on the front of the trailer by ramping it up the frame and 5th wheel.

Load bearing trailers are basically similar to a mechanical detach with a big hydraulic jack to do the lifting so you don't have to hook and unhook the neck to lift the load with the 5th wheel. A non-ground bearing trailer uses a linkage in the neck to lift the load by arching the neck, so that you aren't dependent on the ground to support the jack to lift it. ChrisTN

Posted 5/2/ 20:27 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

Ethridge, TN

Ethridge, TN

Rubber tires/tracks aren't bad on ramps. Steel tracks, especially muddy steel tracks, can make it interesting. Have had drop decks with ramps, have there place, but if it has steel tracks, I much prefer the detach. Our has a Honda power unit, and is non-ground bearing, 60 ton trailer. The hydraulic detachs are much nicer than mechanical, plus you do have the option, if you get somewhere where you are to low to the ground, you can raise the trailer. Jordan SWMI

Posted 5/2/ 20:33 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: need to learn about lowboy trailers

Berrien County Michigan

Berrien County Michigan

We bought a hydrualic detach this past winter after dad decided to slide our dozer off the side of our drop deck last fall. Ours is a 50 ton, we have it unhooked, something loaded and hooked back up in 10 minutes easily. We've dropped it in tilled fields and have zero problems hooking back up and picking it back up. Our truck already had a wet kit so we just had to add a second line to it. We've found ourselves usuing it alot more then we thought, whether its the dozer or the excavator or whatever else we can fit on it its handy to have.

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Posted 5/2/ 20:45 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

Depending on the size of the trackhoe you might want to be get a trailer with outriggers if you go with a fixed neck. I recently bought a move all trailer with a hydraulic dovetail. I haul a 320 cat trackhoe on it and the outriggers are really nice when you climb the ramp steel on steel. Without the outriggers my machine would have to be perfectly centered on the trailer and thats not the easiest thing to do. Im not a pro at loading it and dont claim to be, but I can load it up and take it down the road. Your mileage may vary

Tom
NE ARK Essman

Posted 5/2/ 21:08 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

NE AR

I prefer our fixed neck for what we do, short hauls around the farm. Short wheelbase, plenty of ground clearance, outriggers for that extra width, fast to load & unload. mmaddox

Posted 5/2/ 21:19 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

All of our trucks have two line wet kits, just use the single line for dump trailers. Have always had double drop Muv-all's, with the winch on the front of the trailers for dead units. Outriggers are used for combines and wider loads, however in Indiana, ag loads can be overwidth without permits, unless the outriggers are up. I have folded them up to load, and then dropped them. Steel ramps, even with additions to aid traction, can still be fun in cold/wet conditions. The 15" tires are not as good as full sized ones. If hauling more, smaller units, it works better..... can load the neck, plus stack a bit closer. One big unit works better on a front loader, be it a detachable neck or folding neck. Rear loaders can be positioned better, front loaders offer a longer lower deck. scarecrow

Posted 5/3/ 05:48 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

One other type you could look into is a fold down neck trailer. I don't know much about them but have saw several priced similar to lowboys. The deck over your 5th wheel plate hinges down and you drive on the front with very little incline. When attached to the truck the upper deck can be used for payload also. btruck

Posted 5/3/ 06:50 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: need to learn about lowboy trailers

MN

MN

You can also side load a non-detachable.

RGN's are very handy for other things tho'. You can buy and some come with portable power units so you don't need a wet kit. Illinois John

Posted 5/3/ 17:45 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

Crawford County, Robinson, Illinois

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit low bed semi trailers.

ChrisTN - 5/2/ 19:27 Rubber tires/tracks aren't bad on ramps. Steel tracks, especially muddy steel tracks, can make it interesting..

Interesting is the key word.

Wife's Uncle Ralph ran a welding shop, he made a semi trailer to haul a friend's D8 Cat.  They loaded the cat on the trailer, both stood on one side and looked at how it was sitting on the trailer.  One of them said, "Let's check out the other side".

When they both got to the back on the way to the other side, the D8 slid off the trailer, landing on its side.

Nobody to this day can figure out how or why the D8 slid off, and why it waited until they were out of the way to do so.

They drove the trailer out of the way, brought the other D8 the guy owned, hooked on to the sideways D8, and pulled it back on its tracks.

No damage, but they were very careful about how they loaded after that first experience.  Most of us figure they must have been too close to the one side, but nobody had seen the other side.

Perhaps some of you might remember Llamas, he posted here until somone made .him mad.  He told a story about stopping at a stoplight and watching a Cat slide sideways toward a car in the lane next to him.  At the last moment, the rigging went tight, and it didn't go off the trailer, but the gal in the car in the next lane sure had a strange look on her face.  He said he had not checked the D rings when booming the chains, they snapped up and gave the Cat a chance to move a few inches.

As you say, steel tracks can do some strange things when loaded on a trailer.

peach

Posted 5/3/ 19:32 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: need to learn about lowboy trailers

Greensburg, IN

we have a detachable, ground bearing trailer. works great for around the farm or long hauls. if you get into a spot where you might bottom out just lift the trailer up with the hydraulics. Put a pony motor on ours since there was no wet kit on the truck. had a load over the back would not have it back now, it is easy to load on the road or in a field. kenworth-man

Posted 5/3/ 21:48 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: Re: need to learn about lowboy trailers

We have a ground bearing and haul all kinds of equiptment on it. I would say thats your best bet, easy to drop and hook back up.

When maintaining your tires, inflation is the most important thing to check. Carefully and regularly check the tires on your low bed trailer. Purchase a pressure gauge that you can trust to give you an accurate reading of the inflation level.

Check the inflation after the tires have cooled down. At the heaviest load a low bed trailer can carry, the tires can be inflated to the maximum atmospheric pressure limit. However, this limit should not be exceeded no matter how heavy the load is.

Use valve stem caps to maintain air tightness at all times. Valve caps also help keep dust and moisture out. Even if a tire is properly inflated, its sides may bulge.

Bulging is caused by low tire pressure, which is the worst-case scenario for trailer tires. After checking and inflating your tires, check the pressure again within 48 hours. To avoid crashes, don&#;t forget to inflate your tires in a safe cage.

Due to the increased temperature, the tire pressure will rise when using the tires. It is possible for the pressure to rise as high as 10 or 15 psi. such a high pressure means that the tire is underinflated, overinflated, or the wrong size.

High pressure also indicates that you are driving too fast. When several of these conditions occur at the same time, it can cause inflation to exceed healthy levels.

Always make sure that all drive lines have the right size tires and that the load remains within the specified limits. Don&#;t drive too fast, especially if the trailer is fully loaded.

Make sure the axles are aligned in place. If the wheels are not properly aligned, it can make the road rougher. Because of this, tires wear out faster and more severely.

You know the reasons why tires are under or over-inflated. Make sure you fix the problem before you travel. Don&#;t rely on past inflation records.

Air pressure should be checked with a good gauge before each transport or at least once a week. When checking your tires, don&#;t forget to look for cracked, warped, and rusted rims.

In other words, if the rims are bent or cracked, don&#;t weld them. Instead, repair the rims the way the manufacturer tells you to. If you weld a broken rim, you may cause more damage to the tire and wheel.

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