Starting to look at new for an RGN type trailer and these seem to be reasonably priced and can be customized when built. I'm needing an RGN trailer with pullouts for agriculture implement hauling. There is work for it, but I've not found anything I'm willing to pay for in the used market, so starting to look at new. From their internet website it looks like I can get a decent 35T rated trailer with the pullouts option as they offer the package: Detachable Gooseneck Ag Trailer - 30' Well | Order Now 35 Ton Detachable Gooseneck Ag Trailer. This 30' well trailer is perfect for hauling your agricultural equipment. www.kaufmantrailers.com I've not talked to them at all but if I was to go someplace along the route of a new trailer it would be a 35T rated and I'd have it set up for a pin on, or "flip" third axle. Don't really need that now but it would be something easier to have added upon build rather than later. I don't know the about a need for a covered gooseneck so really not looking there. Any experience with either the trailers, or the company. I like doing business with the small business myself. Thanks,
"Jet" is another brand I'm going to be looking at. Cousin has three of this brand and all have served well in his operation. Two he purchased new and the third from a retiring farmer. As Truck Shop and I were discussing earlier they seem to build a pretty decent hopper trailer.
I have a friend that bought a new 50 ton Kaufmann about 5 years ago. He and his brother farm and have a dozer and an excavator. They don't do much custom work mainly just for personal use. So it gets pretty limited use but he is very happy with the trailer overall. FWIW the equipment they have does not even come close to it's rated capacity though.
Thanks Bam. That is the kind of info I'm looking for. Implement dealer is nearing end of run owning trucking equipment and them, and two others along with much of their customer base is willing to contract me and my equipment for the heavier/larger hauling purposes. This in turn would serve my personal needs also and justify the cost of the trailer, licensing, and insurance(s). I cannot justify the cost as a personal asset without an income producing backing. Nothing I have or would pickup would exceed the needs of a 35 ton rated trailer with a "flip" rear axle. Implement dealer always says I can have a stall to park out of the weather too. My experience with the Kaufman brand was limited to car haulers and their "hot shot" rigs pulling them from the salvage pools. The brand was plentiful in Chicagoland in those days in the three, and four car variants. Always heard good reviews of those trailers however. Thanks,
Talked to both Jet Trailers, and Kaufman today having received quotes for both products. Both manufacturers are willing to customize to desire but in attempt to compare "apples to apples" I kept the inquiries similar to both parties. As best they could, selections above a basic trailer are listed as line items. Both have returned pricing quotes for their products so I need to present these figures to the parties affected to ensure this is going to all hold together.
The place I work for has a Rampant 50 ton. It is considered an “off brand” trailer, seems very well made and serves our needs and was priced substantially less than the major brands. A local equipment hauler looked at it before we purchased it and said for our needs it would be fine. We do not move equipment everyday, sometimes not even every week with it. We also have a tandem axle 35 ton gooseneck deck over with hydraulic ramps that we move our smaller stuff on. The biggest excavator we have is a 300 and it seems to handle it well. May be worth a look.
We have Rogers Brothers trailer company nearby, extreme west end of Pa (within 5 miles of the state line) and only 10 miles south of I-90. ROGERS Trailers - Construction, Dedicated and Mining Trailers ROGERS Trailers: fixed gooseneck trailer, detachable gooseneck trailer, tag along trailer, lowbed trailer, lowboy trailer, equipment trailer, construction trailer, paving trailer, heavy hauler trailer, front loading trailer, rear loading trailer, blacktop trailer, specialized trailer. www.rogerstrailers.com
I have heard of both of those names. One of the heavy haulers that worked with Daily Express had one of the Rampant trailers but didn't keep it too long going to a Talbert like he had prior. Don't think he had any problems, just liked the Talbert design a little better. Rogers is an old name in heavy hauling and there are a few around here, but I don't know anything about them.
Guy here that does custom implement hauling-binds and rubber bands- has a Aspen, spendy but he likes it allot. IIRC it's a 35 ton with slide outs.
I’ve bought 3 Kaufman trailers over the years with the most recent being a 22k tandem dual pintle hitch. They are a very good trailer for the money, I’d gladly buy another. I’m only 2hrs from their NC factory so you see a lot or their trailers around here.
I own two Kaufman trailers myself and have bought two for my employer as well. Best bang for the buck I've found and they will do nearly any customizing you're willing to pay for. My trailers aren't near as heavy as what you're looking at, 25K and lighter but their build quality is on point. I'm really impressed with their wiring harness, it's all sealed with zero crimp connectors.
I think I am close to ruling the Jet brand of trailer out. Their initial quotation was quite a bit higher than the Kaufman, and Jet does not seem to be as "customizable" as Kaufman seems to be. I happened to see one of the Kaufman trailers at at truck stop the other day and talked to the driver for a bit. Although not an agriculture trailer, he does have swing out extensions and hauls general lowboy work. Though he didn't have it with him, the trailer was set up for a third "flip axle" just as a new one for me would be. Said he's really not had any problems other than the original wiring harness was bad, and paint could have been better initially. Kaufman shipped him a new wiring harness complete that was updated and sealed under warranty. This one is a repaint but was blasted prior to remove the original coatings for the most part and a new white oak deck installed. From what I could see it was not rusting badly and had above average care given to it. This trailer was new in 2006. On the slightly negative side the fit and finish is not, (or was not) up to what a Talbert, Fontaine, or most of the other name brands of trailers are. The welds are strong with good penetration, but look to have been done by semi automatic means meaning "by hand". Several of the fillet welds on the neck were interrupted in travel which again is not detrimental but doesn't look as good as something lain down by automated welding procedures. That is a cosmetic thing only. I did notice a couple of strengthening gussets welded not quite 90 degrees to their base having a slight acute, (or obtuse) angle in the transition. Again this is not really detrimental to strength, just shows the amount of manual operations incorporated into building their trailers on a production type schedule. I was into the implement dealership yesterday and they have received a B&W "Turnover Ball" in bed hitch I'd requested last week to install into their 3/4 ton Chevrolet pickup truck. I will install this later today. We are on the same page with pressing this truck into the gooseneck trailer pulling unit and selling off the F-650 truck I'd put together for them a couple of years ago. That F-650 truck is just too expensive to license and hard on fuel, (V-10 gasoline) to have only the single purpose it's allocated to with the limited usage it sees. They have to bill at 4mpg where I will probably get double that loaded with a pickup averaged out with the runs I do. This whole scenario is what is driving the possible acquisition of a new agriculture trailer. I have a meeting tomorrow morning with another implement dealer we work closely with that is also looking to downsize in expenses and evaluating contract hauling. Yet another, (though not formally) may cabbage onto the idea. If I can get several parties to obligate their hauling to me, I'll expend the funds for the trailer as have a pulling unit ready. This trailer of course would serve my personal and growing needs also.
I’d agree with your analysis of Kaufman’s fit and finish, although I will say they have gotten better over the years. Everything is soild, good welds, good paint, wiring is excellent(as long as you get the sealed harness) but you will find little things that could use attention. For example on my new 22k trailer one ramp would catch when sliding it side to side, a minute with the grinder and it was fixed. Also the axles needed adjustment to get it to track properly, everything was welded square, but they just installed them as they came from Dexter without adjusting the alignment screws on the bottom of the spring plate. That being said, I’ll gladly do a little Q.C. myself to get a solid trailer for the price they are selling them at. They would take care of any of that stuff under warranty, but it’s quicker to just fix it myself than drive 2hrs down there and back.
I spoke with Kaufman yesterday morning again and I have come up with a wet kit for the trailer they would install. This one is virtually new, the price is right, and Kaufman would have no problem installing the pony setup as it meets their specs. I called them first to ask about the system requirements. Did get that gooseneck hitch installed. No problems really as they are pretty straight forward. First GM product I've done with the bed still attached and think I'll go back to popping the bed clear of the frame again for the next one. So much easier to do that way. Going to deliver a new mini excavator this morning over to Vincennes, IN so should be a nice checkout cruise for the hitch and truck.
Smooth sailing on that mini excavator delivery. Kind of lengthy with the twisty, windy roads of Indiana. This delivery was NE of Vincennes, and SW of Terre Haute, IN about 40 miles. IN 41S was a speed trap south of Terre Haute and I seen no less than eight traffic stops with none being a collision. Truck really had no problems at all and I do believe the economy is better on the pickup than the F-650 offers; especially on the return trip. Going to upline this information later in the morning as it will be used in evaluating disposing of the larger truck.
Nobody caught that error, or didn't care. Terre Haute, and Vincennes are almost directly in line with one another in a vertical plane. The delivery was southeast of Terre Haute, and northeast of Vincennes. Sorry for the mistake.
Had an impromptu meeting at the implement dealer yesterday morning and one of the other dealerships probably cannot be counted upon to risk involvement with/in this new trailer purchase. Not that it matters too much as two are confirmed and willing to put some money up, but the more the merrier in this scenario. I'll continue the search but would like to have a total of four parties involved to spread the burden. My daughter scans FB each night as I don't have that medium, and I search craigslist and several machinery sights looking for a good used trailer with pullouts to start with. Everything I find used exceeds half the cost of a new Kaufman so to me the purchase of the new trailer will be justified.
As a general rule I’ve given up on finding used trailers, everyone I find needs tires, brakes, lights, deck boards, etc. Even some of the ones that look decent in the pic had lots of little issues, people tend to just let trailers go. I was finding lots of 25’ 10-12t pintle hitch trailers in the $5-8k range, but every one of them needed at least some work (often a lot) to be serviceable. My Kaufman was $11k new so it was a no brainer. Not sure if you are aware or not, but you can browse facebook marketplace without an account, you just can’t respond to them as the phone numbers are usually hidden. I don’t have a FB account but I do find things on marketplace all the time, then have my wife, BIL or one of my friends message them for me and get a phone number.
I have no experience with Kaufman. From what I have read and anecdotal information from other folks that haul equipment they are a mid to low end trailer, but far better than Witzco. For every day commercial hauling manufacturers like Aspen, Trailking, Cozad, etc. are obviously worth the high price or they wouldn't sell, but for moderate use - and especially since you are entering into this market without knowing for sure what your revenue potential is, it may make sense to go with a mid-range manufacturer. If things pan out you can always upgrade at a later date. You might also look at Felling based in Minnesota. They appear to be very well made but do not have the name of the big manufactures. I have a 96 Aspen 50 ton to haul our equipment and occasional for hire hauls. Even as old as it is, it handles our 345D excavator with ease, which weighs 96,000 without the counterweight on. Even close to max rating the deck has a touch of camber. One word of caution: I'm sure you are aware, but if you don't have it, you must get your authority and cargo insurance to haul for hire if you cross state lines, and you may have an intrastate authority that is required depending on the state. We have a local contractor that was hauling an excavator for one of the dealerships that hit an overpass. I believe they ended up buying that excavator immediately as they would have ended up paying for it anyway because their insurance only covered rented/owned equipment. We carry $500,000 cargo, and often have to bump that up temporarily when hauling new equipment for hire. Our construction insurance handles anything we rent or own.
Same thing up here, asking price way too high for clapped-out junk…. We were looking for a small deckover bumper pull trailer (14k); finally found one locally, less than a year old used a couple of times for half price of new…but took a couple of years to find.
Yeah. Witzco was/is for asphalt only, does not like torsional twist, even then low rate. Local mover-moves allot of combines-I think he told me he carries 1 million cargo.
Used tag/lowboy trailers most often are in the same shape as a used forklift--extremely tired. How often do low slung equipment trailers get inspected for cracking on the bottom side? Probably never, unless it is real obvious it's overlooked, very few have tight suspension if it did they probably wouldn't be selling or asking whore house price.
I remember that happening. I heard they got the paperwork together showing they were renting it in a hurry.
Angling connivers/burning both ends of the candle.
You guys are on the same page as I with the used trailers and such. Have been looking for someone that really needs out of the payment for their trailer but not found one yet. Have found a couple that if agriculture trailers I would take as I need to have the pullouts for this arena. One of the implement dealers moves several combines per year and has them hauled from the manufacturer to their dealership and this is a target market. All considerations sell combines but they sublet the hauling of them which I'm looking to grasp onto. I let my DOT numbers and operating authority go when I exited the salvage car transportation market. Most everything is easy to put back into place if this looks feasible into the future. I always carried half million cargo insurance with an umbrella policy up to two million but never had any accidents over the duration where it was needed. Witzco has not been a consideration at all. I've seen their trailers in heavy haul service and repaired several welds that tended to crack about the bolsters, and some of the xmembers. From what I gather they are good for parking lot to parking lot but not so good in construction sites. Don't think I've ever seen one of their NGB trailers myself. Most agriculture trailers I've seen are the mechanical detach type requiring no hydraulics. I'm really not interested in those as want the trailer to serve more than a single purpose. A third axle flip would not be required but if I go with new, it will be set up for this as again the trailer will see more than a single duty. The pullouts are aluminum and don't weigh much but can be removed if running that close in weight. Really don't think that would ever be a problem but the option would be there.
I don't suppose that one of the dealers that wants to get away from hauling has a trailer to sell?
None of the concerns have anything in possession any longer and all have smaller trucks and trailers. They are utilizing sublet for hauling the larger items. This is what kind of started this venture. Doesn't much matter to them who does the hauling but I see them all several times per year so kind of known. This has gone on long enough now the "trust" has been built and we are trying to help each other out. Ultimately, cost savings for them through no dead equipment setting costs, and a way to keep busy for me and utilize some of my equipment. I'm taking measures to ensure each party only pays their share of operating expenses. A couple of examples: My Mack tractor is set up with an electric fuel tank selector valve so each party would pay for it's own fuel usage out of the tank. I bulk fuel at the shop so would leave my shop where truck and trailer are parked with full tanks and only draw from the one tank when pulling for hire. I would then invoice for fuel burned in operational status for the end user by refilling once back at the shop. Sure there are deadhead miles and that has yet to be worked out but typically I'm bringing a check back to the dealerships after deliveries, so that would be a dead issue. On the new trailer purchase everyone realizes the third flip axle setup is not needed for their application. I therefore have spoken with Kaufman and had that upgrade cost broken out of the price quote as I'll need to fund that myself. Aluminum outer wheels will be the same though I could probably push and get this covered as necessity. Any options above a basic trailer I would need to fund.
I would just bill milage like your truck gets 4-6 mpg, much easier to just keep track of miles.
Ultimately I'd wager that is how it will shake out. However there is this option. I used to carry off road diesel in the right saddle tank, (80gl) and on road in the other side consistently. Haven't done that in years and all the red fuel is gone but sun bleached decals left their impression in the aluminum. Electric selector valve is in the cab and difficult to see the fuel routing from under the truck unless known what you're looking for. Don't know if you'd get by with it these days but never had any problems in the past.
Hmmm, I see lots of problems arising, even with the most honest people involved. I think if it were me I would assign an hourly rate for your tractor, and an hourly rate for the trailer. Assuming that (for example) you have three equal parties involved in the ownership of the trailer, one of which being you, and there is no way that each of you will utilize the trailer the same amount, then I think the most equitable way of handling the accounting is: Invoice your tractor time for each customer separately. Invoice the corresponding trailer time to whomever you are hauling for, including yourself. At the end of each month, divide the total trailer revenue less maintenance and repair costs by three, and each party will receive a third. This way each party is paying an equitable rate for the use of the trailer, and each party receives a third of the revenue that the trailer produces. I would work hourly because on short hauls you will still have a considerable amount of time loading/unloading. It would seem that you would want to set up an LLC including all ownership parties, and that the trailer would be purchased through this LLC. The revenue received would pass through the LLC as well. The LLC would invoice the dealer(s) or yourself for use of the trailer, and then the LLC would issue checks to each party for a third of the revenue each month, or quarter, or annually, or whatever works best. By going about it this way nobody would have a reason to feel that other parties were getting more use out of the trailer than they were. You will need to come up with a method of determining who gets priority if two parties want the use of the trailer at the same time. Then, if for some reason you are not available or your truck is down and they have someone else available to pull the trailer, you will have to address how that shakes out. All that said, I believe if you structure it so every party is treated equitably regardless the circumstance, you may wind up with a good working relationship. You will have to be careful to represent the dealer that you are hauling for at the time. Just my two cents worth, but some extra effort spent resolving all the contingencies in advance will be effort well spent.
And possibly bill on a radius.
Yeah a contract time is great for billing, comes out in the wash
You are very much along the lines of my/our thinking. The LLC Articles of Incorporation are at the attorney's office already but not finalized for filing. We are setting up much as you reference following many of the alignments suggested. I will not be making purchase myself as a personal asset, but as president will make many of the final decisions. We are looking for everyone involved to reduce expense(s), yet have ready service when needed. I think as suggested, this can be spread equally and all can share the positive hopefully with little negative. There are seldom times when something has to be done without schedule with exception of harvest operations and breakdowns. Most times this requires field service which would not be an impact to my availability. Based on this assumption I don't really think there would be too much confliction between the entities for my time and tractor. Most runs are fairly local and really would not be further than 500 miles distant. Never any overnight stays I've seen need for. I could very easily just purchase the trailer wanted and then quote the hauling for these guys but that opens up the need to keep the truck and trailer running. I'm not looking to go into the trucking business at all full time. Liking the part time nature of what I'm doing, and with the parties having a vested interest in the business, eliminates a lot of the interference. Basically as stated I would be invoicing for my equipment and time enough to include wages, maintenance, upkeep and incidental overhead. Not certain how far to drill down into loaded and empty, deadhead, etc. at this point, but we will all come to conclusions with agreements sometime this month. While looking to incorporate just after the first of the new year, operational status will probably not start until July 1, 2024 for final alignments, adjustments, and tuning prior to commencing. Nobody involved has done anything like this in the past so we are all learning and all seem to want to be fair. Thanks for the input.
I did speak with Felling Trailers yesterday afternoon and they really don't make anything longer than a 22' lower deck well without the cost escalating. The Kaufman trailer being evaluated utilizes a 30' well and this is appealing to me although the overall length of the trailer is a detractor if staying with that length. I have enlisted the help of an outfit that surveys and evaluates business plans and streamlines along with suggestions for improvements. My attorney actually recommended this action citing we are not operational yet. They are completely neutral in any decision process and are only consul in nature. While we conducted a telephone interview yesterday, there is a face meeting next week to further evaluate and discern future actions. Though I could be very wrong, I feel it's best to bear the expense up front learning what I can rather than jump in both feet first without experience. The education very well may be less expensive that way.
My air tag is a Witzco, new in 2020. Aside from the ramp assist springs that don't last more than a couple months, I haven't had issues, but I probably only run a couple thousand miles a year. What should I be keeping an eye on?
I’ll be honest, the way you are describing everything with the business side makes me a little nervous. There are a lot of moving parts to that deal and a lot of people involved. I personally don’t like partnerships of any kind in business, often it adds an unnecessary level of drama that simply would not exist with a sole owner. If you can swing it I’d just buy the trailer outright and offer your services to these businesses, keep it clean and simple. It sounds like even in that situation you should have no trouble keeping busy.
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You are correct. In reality, this is three confirmed entities that are not really struggling but looking to survive into the future. The best way to do this in any business is to control your costs best able. In house trucking with the way expenses run rampant and then not use that equipment near every day is unnecessary overhead that can be reduced and this is a single way being explored. Nothing in concrete as of yet, no funds expended, and only ideas being floated at this time. In the end it is being staged that I can purchase the outstanding assets should things go awry at fair market value and disassociate the professional/business relationship. However with that being said, these are not "start up" operations with two being two generations deep in the family business. Statistics lean that small business typically fails during the third generation and only the one dealer I help out now is there and they are in no shape to falter anytime soon. I could order a new trailer of my choosing easy enough and go into the trucking business, but really not my desire. Again, I like the part time involvement seen so far and really don't want to get much deeper into business dealings meaning "have" to run. I could bear the complete burden myself but the expenditures and liabilities spread across a corporation lessen that exposure. I'll know more next week as we enter into meetings and tentative paperwork phases. Again right now it is just ideas being passed around but so far the serious parties are very interested in moving forward. For the most part, (in layman's terms) are the expenses will be spread four ways all inclusive with the LLC being the responsible party to ensure all stay current on their respective liabilities. I don't know how to word that contractual language, but will enlist the help that do once basic agreements are reached. Again, everything is tentative at this writing. Thanks,
I agree with MG84. When you have a number of partners in a business venture, any one of them can walk out of the marriage and leaving you holding the baby. The only way you can ensure you don't have the rug pulled from under you, is by making sure it costs any particular partner to leave the marriage. Dealerships worldwide are under pressure as manufacturers continue to look to ways to cut costs, and cut out the "middle man", and sell direct to end-users. When GM pulled the rug from under Holden, it stunned dozens and dozens of dealers who all lost huge money overnight as Holden ceased to exist. The lawsuits over the Holden dealership losses are still ongoing, and quite a few Holden dealers have actually won their lawsuits against GM. But a lot of dealers ended up wearing huge losses. Some of the dealers were GM/Holden dealers since WW2, and their businesses were worth big money until GM whipped the rug from under them.
You say you don't want to start a trucking business, but that's exactly what you are doing. With three other partners. I have no idea why any of those three would want to partner with you, and assume the liabilities of wiping out a school bus with a old mack truck. When right now they just call someone else and its X $'s per mile from one place to the other and the trucking firm takes the liabilities, and break downs and risk. Who buys the tires?, who buys the insurance? who buys the engine or rear end? Instead of one guy going into trucking, now we're talking about 4 guys going into trucking together. No one wants to invest that kind of money into a trailer without it working and making $$$. And I don't see the other investors, wanting their half million dollar combines delivered by a 1976 Mack. Because they are partners now, and your truck becomes the face of their company, vs just contract hiring. Get a newer daycab and your new trailer if you want. With what the insurance is going to cost, I think you will need to truck all the time to make it work. But I still can't see why the dealerships would ever want to invest in a new trailer and a new trucking company and all that risk, for your hobby retirement job. When right now, they can just pass that cost right on to the customers, hiring it done.
I'm not going to say I'm in favor of partnerships in any shape or form. I've done most of my professional life in a "sole proprietor" type atmosphere citing this belief. This venture however is not to be operated with the motivation of being a "for profit" type arena and I hope the responding parties are not thinking this is to be operated as a profitable entity. It is to be an "as needed" service that is not profit based. I look at things a bit different as I know the parties involved but each are willing to expend a small amount now to lessen their burdens into the future. The purchase of a new trailer fitting the needs and upkeep spread up to four ways looks inviting if it can be made to work. Lots still to hammer out and I enjoy reading other perspectives. I'm of the position if someone wanted out, they would be cashed out and involvement terminated without delay. At that time the LLC would be purchasing the outstanding 1/4, (instance) of a used trailer.
Opposing views are both expected, and welcomed; thank you. I don't do anything with debt and haven't in over 30 years. Not going to change and/or deviate that course at all. This is a way to ensure all involved have an interest in making it work. Expenses will be borne by each involved party and split accordingly through accurate accounting.
I'm referring to RNG type-those have to be watched for cracking on super structure and around suspension.
That's an expensive hobby . . .
My hobby has been heavy trucks, (Mack) for a lot of years, but sometimes shelter from the storm is beneficial.
Amen brother, preach. I've got no interest in doing investing, and exposure to risk, that we're not making money on. I sure don't need the practice. Every football game has ads from 3 different lawyers, looking for people involved in accidents with trucking companies. I can see a trailer for hauling around show trucks or antique tractors, if that's your hobby. But I don't see any way shape or form that this makes sense. I must be missing something. Why would any or all of them want to expose themselves to the risk of a trucking company, and not make any money doing it? i.e. support your hobby.
Maybe I should state this a different way. I think if you want to have a trailer, and haul combines and equipment, that's a great opportunity, and might be a nice semi retirement job. I just think the whole partnership/LLC/ 4 different investors and splitting costs 4 ways, is dumb, and a recipe for disaster.
About the only advantage that I can see versus just buying the trailer and hauling for them is that they are somewhat captive and "should" use him exclusively as long as rates didn't get out of hand. Were I in the dealership's position though I would prefer to just hire outside trucking and pass it on to the customer if I thought there was too much overhead in owning their own. Kind of like our business; we really don't make anything to speak of off our trucks relative to the hassle of owning one, but the cost savings in support of our business in convenience alone is worth a lot, just hard to put a number on it.
With my years of experience in the trucking business covering most types of hauling, IMO. It's bad enough running OTR with all late equipment, it's bad enough with construction rigs, but hauling/moving oversized over width with the types of ******* drivers on the roads these days--the lability is much higher than just 5 to 8 years ago. Only takes one.
I make my money with my excavator, for the most part the truck is an expense associated with hauling it around . . .
Anyone on here buy a NEW 50/55 Kaufman in the last few years ? I'm not heavy hauling, not going far, hard to justify a new high end trailer but don't want junk. Have a 35 Roger's now but well length and being long enough for a bigger buncher / forwarder is an issue.
I was just at Kaufman of NE and looked at their smaller pickup sizes trailers. They looked really good and built on the heavy side. Has 17.5 tires been in common use for the last 5-10 years? They had a lot of trailers with them on there, looks like the tire might actually last rather than the 7k axle tires
17.5's are the only way to go; they last a lot longer than 16's, and don't go flat every time you run over a nail. Vastly superior in every respect. The only time I have ever changed a 17.5 except for being worn out was putting a piece of metal through the sidewall on a job.
I opted for the 17.5 wheels on both the equipment trailers I bought over dual 16s. Less weight and total cost and easier to change if necessary. I agree with Acoals, they're the way to go.
Single 17.5 vs dual 16?
Yes. Standard was dual 16s on two axles for a total of 8 wheel/tire combos. Four 17.5s offers the same weight capacity.
I've often thought about that but I think I prefer the extra flotation of having 8 tires. I don't always stay on firm ground with mine.