I purchased a D5m that should weigh about 28,500. I have a excavator that weights about 31,000. I really need to be able to haul at least the dozer up to 25 miles. I have a mack rd688 Mack it’s a 2000 model and have had the rear suspension replaced. Truck has a pintle hitch but no air line hook ups at pintle. Of course I have very limited funds so no way I can buy another truck with lowboy. If I have a pintle that’s rated for 40,000-50,000 lb load and get a 20 ton pintle trailer can I haul my equipment that 25 miles. Im really wanting to haul gravel and spread gravel with dozer and build shop pads. Every now and then haul excavator to dig up big stumps or tear down an old house. My limit will be 25 miles from house. Is this doable?
You need air hookups on the truck. Get those and a 3 axle tilt trailer and you would be good to go.
I haul a 39,000lb excavator every day on a 20 ton tag. If I have the excavator where I like it on the trailer my trailer axle weights are a bit over, but otherwise it handles it well. You won't have any trouble running 31,000 on a 20 ton tandem tag behind that Mack. You WILL need to get air back there though, as well as electric for the lights. I am in Wisconsin, looks like you are way down south, maybe somebody down there can shed some light on the legalities down there. Up here you would be 100% legal with a 20 ton air tag. I really ought to have a tri axle trailer for mine . . . But, I have a tandem ...
Do you have a trolley brake and or more than one air valve on the dash? Have seen trucks where they removed the rear air fittings but the lines were there.
No this ole mack just has a parking brake for the truck itself. More than likely need one added for the trailer. Thanks for the replies. I’m going try and find a 20 ton tag trailer
What part of Arkansas? I've only been in the north west part and thought that was pretty rough country. No long grades, but lots of short steep grades with turns. Do you have enough power if you double the truck weight?
I’m in the south west part and it’s pretty flat. Not like those mountains up there. Lol.
Even if he has a 237, he will be fine.
I don't try to haul the iron and a box of material at the same time.
Since every state has it's own "bridge gaps" and/or "bridge weights" each state has different laws about what weights are allowed on a certain number of axles with a certain distance between them. I suggest that you contact one of the Ports of Entry to your state. The PoE is usually along the highways at state line crossings (major ones anyway) where commercial vehicles must check in and often must cross a scale to ensure that they are in compliance with that state's laws regarding weight. They have to know what the specifics are for your state, and what you would need to be legal within it. As to what has been said above, I would tend to agree. I haul most of my equipment behind my ten wheeler dump truck. I am using a tri-axle 25tn trailer but I could use a tandem 20tn trailer for most of my loads. I have to use a lowbed service for my 60 & 64k# 'hoes, but I can haul my 40k# (up to 50k#) on that 25tn trailer. I would feel comfortable with a 20tn. With that light of a load on it the 25tn handles like a dream but a 20tn would be fine as well. In my state I can legally haul up to 40,000# on a pintle hitch tag trailer, as long as I can place the load upon the trailer in a way that doesn't make any one axle (or tandem axle set) carry too much weight for it's rating. Again, some states don't allow the same single axle, or tandem axle weight as others, and some may require more distance between axles to achieve the maximum possible weight rating for said axle, tandem axle set, or even tridom axles set (check with you local authorities -i.e. the Port of Entry). I would not be very worried about having enough power on your old RD688 Mack. Every one of those that I have ever driven has had plenty of power because of how well the gear ratios were suited to the application. You may likely suffer at top end speed but should have plenty of torque to climb whatever you encounter (in my experience). That being said, you MUST get some air out back to haul that much on a trailer....To be legal, and also to be safe. Many people want to jump to whether, or not, a truck has enough power to pull something when the much more important question is whether, or not that truck has enough brakes .