My smallest mini and my track loader will fit (weight wise and size wise) on the flatbed of my F550. I have a spare 12,000 winch with wireless remote that I figured I'd use to assure no slipping as I drive each up onto the tilted bed, then chain them down. Both are running rubber tracks, but I still don't think I'd consider loading them on the bed without the winch. I backed up to a hill and loaded my mini excavator to check the height with it loaded. It looks like it must be right around 12'6 on top of the bed. I'm fine on weight for the truck's rating with either. Anyone use this method to haul their equipment? Am I missing something I should consider? The winch is just to assure that either machine doesn't go anywhere if it slips, and not to actually pull them up onto the bed. Thoughts?
The driving around part should be fine if you're within your weight limits. If you're close to the limit, you'll feel the higher center of gravity going around corners. Safety concerns aside, it sounds like a slow and awkward way to go about day to day operations. The loading and unloading could be a little hairy when the tracks are wet or muddy. If the bed already tilts, what would it cost you to have ramp made up so that you can load at a safe angle without messing around with the winch?
I made ramps long ago for a different truck, but they are so large and heavy that they are not really practical to use, especially if loading a track loader or skid steer. The only reason for the winch is to be sure that there are no 'issues' of the rubber tracks sliding on the diamond plate surface. The winch really isn't needed, it is just a safety thought. It doesn't sound like many haul any equipment this way. I'm just so long with truck and trailer that it is almost impossible getting into some areas with both.
Aluminum ramps are your friend, I have 12'ers from Discount Ramps. For the excavator: http://youtu.be/k--otEiyuFo http://youtu.be/USlsAE1UMN0
In a former life I worked for the first West coast dealer to sell mini-excavators, we used a flatbed for demos and deliveries. Welded a flat bar across the back for the tracks to catch on and two small angle iron uprights on the rear side corners just in case they wanted to slip sideways. Put the bucket on the truck bed with the blade facing the truck, power down to get the blade above the bed, drive forward so the blade catches. Lift the bucket, spin around, get a good holt on the ground with the bucket and power down while pushing out. Once the machine is about level and slides forward to where the tracks will grip, drive slowly on while pushing out with the arm and boom down. Piece of cake. Mind you more than once after a demo with the machine and truck wet and muddy, it was a bit of a rodeo. But I was young and didn't know better. Track loaders are a whole 'nother story though.
I'm not sure how small your equipment is, but how do you manage with the weight rating on the tires, most don't have heavy enough tires on them to scale anywhere near what the truck is rated to carry, the other thing that bothers me is you have two axles with brakes instead of four if you pull a trailer, that and I hate the leaning feeling when I take corners when its loaded on the truck.
The tires on the 550's I've owned are rated as high or higher than the axles' ratings.
Buy a dump trailer. best $10,000 you will ever spend. They come with tiedowns in the corners and loading ramps, can be and will be used for hauling everything from fill to brush/stumps and your equipment. I use to haul my mini all the time on a F450 with a swap loader (roll off bed).
What equip do you have? And a dump trailer is terrible for hauling equip once you have a real equip trailer. It is a nice stepping stone to a real dump truck or a poor mans roll off or just a backup to the dump but the ramps suck and its higher and harder to chain up
My dump is a consistent money maker, but I've only used the flatbed for the ctl thus far
I have used my equipment trailer for going on 20 years and find the little dump trailer fills a big void when hauling small equipment. Now instead of firing up the 10 yard dump truck and hooking up to the equipment trailer to haul anything under 7000 lb i find it a lot easier to use an F450 and the small trailer. Sure use to look funny hauling a TB016 behind a 10 yd truck with a 26' trailer. Hauling brush along with other trash and 2 or 3 yards of dirt also renting it out has paid for it in less then 3 months.
I've loaded that way with my mini excavator many times before I added the dump kit. Now I can load my track loader the same way. The winch with the keyring remote is just insurance against a slip on the diamond plate. I have no issue being able to load on my trailer, but with a 14' flat bed 4X4 F550 pulling the trailer, it's hard to get into some places; impossible with a gooseneck trailer since they don't track nearly as well. My smallest mini is a Tak 145. With a Dana 135s rear axle and G rated tires all the way around, I'm fine on weight and stopping power. Since I'm getting to be an older guy, I have no leaning on corners issues; I drive too slow. My smallest trackloader is a Tak 150, so I don't have anything that is very small. Sometimes having jobs that are only about 4 miles out country roads from me, I can load the 150 on the bed and the little TB145 on the trailer and get both pieces of equipment there in one trip. With the bed tilted a bit, if I throw a scrap piece of plywood on the bed under the trackloader bucket, (so it can slide on the bed without doing any damage), and I can easily load it on the bed without any ramps. I guess I just like the ability to load up a piece of equipment and get into small subdivisions without worrying about a trailer taking out stop signs when people are parked all along the side of the roads. With my "X-Treme Duty" 4 in 1 bucket on my TL150, it's about like having a JD or Case 450 dozer and high lift at the same time. After finding out how hard the 150 would push with that bucket (it's made with 1/2" steel and 3" hydraulic cylinders on the clamshell), I sold my old 450 dozer. I've seen guys haul in the beds of their dump trucks, but personally I never like taking that tailgate off my dump truck. My steel ramps weigh far too much for even 2 guys to handle so, unless an excavator is involved, they just can't be used. With the ease, and backup safety system of the winch, I don't need any ramps with the bed tilted a bit, so I don't need to spend money on lighter weight ramps. With 5 kids and a few collector vehicles, I already have 17 plated vehicles and 3 trailers. If I could eliminate a trailer or vehicle, it would save me some. I just wish some of these country power companies would get their dang lines more than 12' off the ground! I thought they were supposed to be 13'6", but some around where I live definitely are not.
Whats the gvw of your 550? 19.5? Doesnt the tak 150 weigh around 12 k lbs? Youre pretty close to the limit therr
I have a 33k gvwr rollback truck (like a flatbed car wrecker, but bigger) I occasionally haul my D21 Komatsu on it. I just winch it up on the deck (20k winch, no remote). It works fine loading it this way.
Rollbacks are designed to give a flatter load angle which is great. The problem with excavators and almost all skid steer/CTL loaders is that they're hydraulic with safety spring applied brakes. Pretty near impossible to load without a remote control winch, unless you just drag them on. Then you still gotta get them off safely. Okay if you got another set of hands around.
That baby dozer is the only thing I own small enough to move with that truck. I have moved my brother's Tak mini-hoe, about 10k. I just drug it on, then rolled the bed back, stuck the bucket in the dirt, unchained, got on and walked down the deck curling the stick in. Be nice to have a remote, it's in my file of stuff to do someday. Using a dumptruck, you'd about have to have the remote.
It really doesn't seem too bad hauling my Tak 145 on the back of my F550. I ran across some scales today and was 300 pounds under my mfg weight limit and all feels fine. Here is a pic of it on my truck instead of being hauled on a trailer.
Your flatbed is lower than I imagined. You can climb on and off without the winch and without putting the machine at an extreme angle and without tilting the bed The dipper is sticking out more than 3 feet past the bumper. A flag tied to it should make it legal (I'm not sure of the law in your state). You might want to verify that because it "LOOKS" overweight. Some cops feel it's their duty to write a ticket for something once they've pulled you over.
Yair . . . lantraxco . Sorry but I just don't understand this thread. It is common here for small contractors to run an excavator into the body of a tipper (dump) and have a skid or a CTL on a trailer . . . they just jack knife the trailer and run the excavator on or off with aluminium ramps . . . what is the issue with spring the safety brakes? Cheers.
What was your front axle weight?
You just have to remember not to take a fat co-driver along. LOL
I should have mentioned that I pulled the red flag out of the dipper as I walked around the back of the truck. A friend was working and weighed me. That's why I had to turn it around with the stick out the back. The other way, with the stick over the cab (and counter weight towards rear), I was over on the rear axle. Good points, thanks.
In response to Old Iron, ROFL!! I did have it weighed with a full fuel load in each machine. Not much to spare, but that is probably obvious.