We are in the process of moving up from a 160 to a 200-250 size excavator. We do a lot of residential, so access can be tricky. What setup is best, rigid or rgn trailer? Would like to haul multiple pieces of equipment at times . As well
For that size of machine, I would still stick with a rigid. Detaching neck is way too slow and difficult in residential areas. BWS, Arne's make nice units with air flip ramps and beavertails which are better suited then a regular lowboy that isn't great for loading smaller equipment.
rgn you can get 2 pieces of equipment on
It seems like rigids have more deck space. I am in kansas, 34 k on rears, can I scale a 56k machine with 2 axles or do I need 3?
You’ll need three. Depending on trailer it will be 16,000-20,000lbs. Tractor could be anywhere from 15,000-20,000.
There are hard to find used, but 45' triaxle hydraulic dovetail trailer works slick.
Unless you’re going to end up 24k empty you’ll need a permit to haul 56k. You’d need one for size anyway. Might as well get a KS annual. If your machine weights 56k that’s all you’ll be able to carry on a permit. Can’t permit an overweight created by multiple machines as they see it as divisible load. I agree a 3 axle with a hydraulic dovetail would be ideal. That being said...with a 200 class or bigger hoe I’d rather side load than crawl up a dovetail if I was in tight quarters.
They are nice but $$$. Trailer is pricey, wet kit on truck, and the extra weight adds up. I don't even think you'd get 56k on one legally with tandem truck and tridem trailer. I've loaded on one once, I still prefer my tilt deck with ramps and beavertail, it's a quicker and safer load.
Side loading doesn't work in residential areas here. Most of the time unloading on side road and walking down the alley, or spanning the ramps/beavertail over the sidewalk if going in the front. The thing I like about the beavertail/ramp setup is a much better angle to load then a RGN with that really short steep beavertail that can be sketchy if mud or ice is involved. I can walk my 200 up with iced up tracks on a icy deck and not even flinch because the angle is so shallow and there is virtually no break over point.
This is the kind of trailer i'd buy. Same as what I have, just mine is a tag tilt deck. 9'6" wide so good for a wider hoe, only 42' long so lots of deck space but will get into tight areas.
56k payload on six axles in KS is no sweat.
If you are not planning going up in machine size anytime soon I vote tri acle dove tail I move my 314 on a tandem dove tail its fast you can reach across a sidewalks and other things you dont want track across and handy for any other equipment you want to move
You could here with a traditional trailer, but not with a wet kit and a hydraulic dovetail. I had my 210 hauled on one, and with 1 extra bucket it was just legal and it only weights 51000 with extra bucket and it was only 9' wide. IMO for a 10'6" machine being hauled all the time, you want 9'6" deck.
We haul a PC200-10 Komatsu on a tandem fixed with ramps. It’s like a paved style trailer so the angle isn’t bad but I still don’t like the break over when loading. As said can be sketchy if wet or muddy. We basically won’t load in those conditions. That’s where an RGN shines but we work in the woods mostly and they’re not good for getting into steep or hilly areas because of the very low ground clearance. A traveling axle trailer is the best scenario imho but expensive
Do you really need a 250 size machine to dig basements? IMO If you can work it out to haul on 2 axles you are better off. Don't forget that 3 axle trailer itself is quite a bit heavier as well.
I had a 50 ton tri-axle belly dragger with flip ramps for years. I absolutely hated that trailer as there were two break over points on every load or unload. The day I slid the excavator off sideways, 15 minutes after getting the belly stuck in the highway while loaded, I still had to load out in the same spot with better results on the second try. After that, I learned to loathe that trailer with a contempt I've never had for anything else. At over 36" to the ground, the sideways drop was an unforgettable smack down and it was hard on the hoe. I then moved to a 50 ton Dynaweld NGB RGN that I ran for many years. The belly would lift up over 60" to clear RR tracks and other high obstacles. The hookup was fast and easy every time. If I was to ever slide off sideways, it was only 12" to ground. I never had any problems getting into areas that were any worse than what the shorter belly dragger got into. Just my opinion and experiences but no one would ever convince me of anything less than an RGN if I was to ever purchase another lowboy. I dislike loading onto high trailers. These days, I just call someone to move my bigger stuff and that is almost always an RGN. It was not cost effective for my business model to keep the big semi on the road so I sold both pieces. You just need to figure out what works best for your location and what any safety is worth.
I feel the same way and if we keep our rig I’ll get an rgn. Every time we load our excavator on our rigid I feel like we got away with something. Ours isn’t 3’ of the ground but it’s pretty high. I’ve never measured it. We have 8.25x15 wheels/tires on it. I bet it’s at least 30” I’m going to measure it next time I can lol
It's not the height of the deck, it's the loading angle. I would rather load a hoe on a 10' high deck with a 10 degree angle then 2' high deck with a 45 degree angle. I don't think i've ever seen a company moving a 200 hoe on a RGN that owns the equipment and truck. Anyone who runs a RGN it's either bigger stuff, or a trucking company hired to move it. It's just a odd pairing. I use to load my 225 Deere on a 8'6" wide stepdeck, beavertail was about 4' ramps and 4', was probably about 45 degree angle. THAT was sketchy and nearly went off the side once when it was icy.
Even slight angles have break over lol. Ours is minimal with long ramps but at the Break over u just don’t have any control really. Like I said before we don’t load when it’s wet and I couldn’t even imagine loading an icy one. I’m older now 64 and I’m skeered hehe. Been loading and unloading equipment and driving trucks most of my life. In my teens ida drove up anything wide open and never thought about it. Funny how u learn what will hurt hehe
I use a rgn but do not have to be in residential areas, and I have the truck and trailer for other equipment. If using a tilt bed or other deck, what about adding steel guides, so it forces the hoe centered and can’t slip sideways?
Guess that’s possible. It’s make it pretty wide though. I believe our 200 is 10’3 wide
I have seen guys put guides on the trailer that are in between the tracks, they work good when it is slippery
That’s an idea fosho!
That’s how I was thinking to do it.
Heavy Angle iron or a small I beam/H beam on side anything to guide.
Yes but the lesser the angle the less the breakover is. My trailer has virtually none I don't even worry about it. 2 winters ago I was loading in the pitch dark icy tracks and I was in a rush and loaded faster then I should have I pretty much walked the machine up full speed and it didn't slip anywhere and wasn't even sketchy at all. There is a few reasons for that, loading angle is so low and the ramps and beavertail are angle iron so there is grip and no place for ice to form. If you're only loading when it's dry none of that is even a factor, I can't imagine how loading would even be a concern then? Even loading at 45 degree angle when it was dry on my old trailer didn't bother me at all, or the big breakover point. If everything is dry the tracks aren't going to slide around.
Yep that would definitely work to keep it shiny side up. The biggest thing with the breakover point is keeping momentum. The worst thing you can do it go too slow, or keep stopping. If you're really worried about it, put the bucket on the deck until you're over it, then let the front down no more breakover point.
Yep familiar with alll that. I don’t usually load it my son Does. He goes slow and your right worse thing is stopping. Break over and keep moving that’s the key. But sitting up in the cab is a much different view than from on the ground. He usually does extend the boom and let it down with the bucket. I’m just worried always about it sliding off. From that high it could be bad and at the very least cause some damage and once it starts sliding your done not much of a chance to stop it. I keep telling him to drive it on like he drives it off. Go up ramp and just before break over swing around and lift that end with the bucket and back it on. No break over whatsoever.
Like I said when I was younger non of that would have crossed my mind. I’d load it and get gone. I see things different at 64 lol
Worse aspect of any steel track machine is SLICK, no matter how dry or gritty or painstakingly clean, the machines have Low Ground Pressure just before and just after breakover, at pivot they have the least contact with anything. All too easy for just a Few degrees of side angle to slip away. May weigh tens of thousands of pounds to multiple 10s of tons and will slide like on marbles.
I've never been a fan of swinging around to pick up the rear, you can't see where the front is going and very easy to start going sideways, the other is the motion of swinging the house around could cause the machine to move if things are slick. For me once the tracks hit the ramps I don't stop until it's were it needs to go. If the pads are frozen up badly, I tie the machine down before I swing the house around after loading. With the bucket on the deck or near, if it slides at the breakover it's easy to catch it, as long as the boom isn't way up in the air and the person loading is paying attention, the worst that could ever happen is one track going off the side and the machine won't go over. Yea you can watch videos were they go over, but it's totally operator error, or trying to load something stupid. Heck if you were really worried, you could weld on a really hefty piece of steel on the deck that you could grab with the bucket to pull yourself over the break over point even. But I think at a certain point if you don't want to load it, you might as well just pay someone to move the equipment instead.
Watched a guy 'Who had done it a thousand times' loaded a median sized American house and root boom section(Only enough for some weight) pulled onto a trailer, proceeded to swing the house around to point cabin to the back, as soon as counterweight was square to trailer Off it slid. Only had about 3-5 degrees side angle, not hardly enough to see the gravel road crown, weight of counterweight caused suspension to 'Lean' just a tad more, was on its back and engine smoked.
Yea that's always my fear if it's icy. A dry deck i'm not worried about it, especially because the trailer is spring suspension i'd be more worried with air. Also why you need to have the stick out to make sure the weight is more balanced.
These days I hire out all our moves unless it's our D5 or 953 that we can throw on the tag and move it short distances locally. For what we do it's just cheaper to hire out the mob and build it into the job. Actually we usually make money on mobilization as a line item in the contract compared to the cost. The best trailer to move equipment 70K lbs and less is a tri-axle Landoll or other traveling axle trailer but that's the most expensive as well. The next best trailer is a RGN and the third is a rigid deck with a low angle beaver tail and long hyd ramps like the old 104" Birmingham Lowboys. Now the trailer I hate with a passion to load on is one with just a hyd beaver tail, the break over is brutal on a trackhoe or other tracked machines. Fortunately we have 4 wrecker services here that have both Landoll's and RGN's in their fleet. One way around the metro area for a 60K trackhoe is $250-500 depending on distance. I can't own a lowboy for that. All of the above is just my opinion - your mileage may vary.
Well at that price it would make more sense. The one time I moved my 210, it was almost $800 and the actual moving time was maybe 30 mins. I do some one day jobs and charge $2000 for the hoe when I can bring the hoe with me, do the work, and load it back up and be back at the yard in 8-9 hours it's very good money that I couldn't do if I didn't move it myself. The one time I had it moved it was on a 9' wide Landoll and I felt safer loading on my tag then it, part of it was the width though. I don't like having to get out with the machine still on the steep angle not tied down, be worried about it sliding off when you're putting the deck back, or when you raise the deck to unload if the tracks are iced up.
I agree with @CM1995 that a traveling axle is best for tracked machines, but a hydraulic tail trailer is better multi-machine loads. Trail-eze makes a hydro tail trailer where the main deck can pivot like their sliding axle trailers.
That’s a nice trailer right there. Yes I also sry the traveling axle is the way to go imho. If I were in icy conditions I’d want an rgn safety wise. Like said it’s very important to have the trailer as level as possible. We get in and on no problem it’s just always a concern of mine. We also chain her down before we swing around to lower the boom. We try and take all the safety precautions possible. No reason to be in a hurry
We have a 20 ton tag trailer for small stuff and a 55 ton lowbed that I use for anything I can fit on it. This includes our pc 78, 88, 170, 200, and 300. I'd much rather run the lowbed than the little tag trailer. That being said, the tag trailer is also an essential part of our gear.
A friend just did the same thing last month ,50 ton American tipped on its bum. They had blocked the bed and dumped the bags,the block shattered and off it slid as he swung around. Called me in a panic on how to get it down after they wiggled the bed out. I told him him find 9 old 24.5 s and stack them under the track then nudge it over with the hoe they had on site. Came down nicely then just spat the tires out as he walked back. They reloaded and chained the machine first before swinging,no prob after that. Lowbeds are slippery dry wet or icy. I always bring lots of belting when im loading. I had to load my 75 ton crawler last week in the middle of a busy highway with traffic held by flaggers.It always goes on my lowbed guys 10'6" bed like a dream because we strip the counterweight.He couldnt move that day ,so they sent a 10' bed ,you would never think 6"of width was so important . Took me 2 tries ,slide a bit sideways the first times and then made it. Great fun with a mile long line up of tourists watching while they are bent on going now where in a hurry. I must be on You Tube somewhere now haha.
Yea that makes sense considering you have a 300 too which is more suited to a trailer like that. I meant a company that only owns up to a 200 in size. One company here has about 15 200's, hauls them with a regular beavertail and ramp fixed neck trailer. You just can't beat the speed and ease of them. Tag is super nice for jobs needing a dump too but not enough to justify sending a separate truck out.
The other type of trailer that could work would be a scissorneck with beavertail. For dry ideal loads, go over the back, anything else you can fold the neck down. No wet kit needed which is nice.
Contractor I worked for had one, Trailking, was sweet as to no real breakover at the nose but labor intensive to raise/lower and one heavy beast.
Ya. In Connecticut we are also constantly dealing with low bridges and towns that apparently don't own chainsaws to keep their trees trimmed up. Moving our loaders and some other taller machines it is always a plus to keep as low as possible. The tag we pull with either our tandem tractor or 6 wheel dump. It is a must have for some of the beach communities we work in. The roads through there are usually quite a squeeze, even with the super short 6 wheeler hooked to the tag. I would love to have a travelling axle landoll style trailer for the versatility and deck space. Unfortunately they're just so expensive that it's hard to justify considering that we can do it all with the trailers we have.