I've stumbled across some photos on this site in the past, and now I can't find them again...but I'm wondering who's running a single axle tractor with a step deck, or double drop, and how you like it? We've gotten to the point where moving equipment with our tandem dump truck is getting to be a hassle because we need it for dump truck things. I considered another tandem, but people want stupid money for them used, and I can't justify the 200k+ new they cost right now. Seems like single axle day cabs go super cheap, and on paper, will do what I need. Same for used step decks and 'lighter' lowbeds. Everyone wants a 40+ton RGN these days. I don't need that. Light weight traveling axle trailers also seem to be somewhat affordable. Main use is so I can haul our 10ton shovel, skidsteer, and associated attachments in one trip. Roughly 30-35k weight. On a trailer that weighs 10k, and truck another 10k-ish. I'm not opposed to twin screw, but they sell for way more, and by my math, I don't think I actually need it. I'd also like to keep this rig as small as possible because we work in town quite a bit. Who's got one? Post pics? Thanks!
Another beauty of having a prime mover like that is it can tow a semi tipping trailer if you fit hydraulics.
The only thing about a single axle tractor is with the wrong trailer or improperly loaded the tail will wag the dog easily. I had a little single axle with a short 3 axle trailer that had been converted from pintle to 5th wheel. Improperly loaded in the right conditions it would $hitwhip that little truck like an explorer pulling a Uhaul.
I've found an 09 international 8600 with a 385hp Cummins that seems like it would be a hot little truck. I figure the ideal trailer is a 35-40ft step deck. Long enough to adjust the load, not so long that it'll crush the truck.
There is a large road builder here that has a single axle tractor with a short step deck lowboy set up to move around their smaller equipment.
Here's what I found for under the price of six tires in CA a few years ago. 1971 KW, Rebuilt 335 Cummins, rebuilt 13 speed, Peterbilt air ride rear end, Special, 28 ft. drop deck. Using it for a toy hauler for the shows. There was a lot of nice trucks selling reasonable out there as they got banned. Not sure what is left. I have found a older gravity tilt bed drop deck but haven't sealed the deal yet.
That would be a perfect setup! Shame the border is closed, and California is 3,000 miles away. What does that 212 weigh? 20k lbs?
The Cat 212 grader, the smallest moterized grader Cat built weighs in at 14,000 lbs without V-plow and wing. Nice light load.
A local farm bought a FL Freightliner single axle. Problem with that was it would not go anywhere in the mud. They had a locker installed. It does fairly well now.
Special ordered a 2003 International 4300 single axle 14' dump with a 23K locking rear end and 6+1 trans. Lock the rear end in, put it in 1st and it was "almost" like having all wheel drive, amazing the difference the locking rear end made.
I would like to find a trailer like yours or i may have to build one. I found 2 old lowboys but they are heavyer than i need and i need a platfourm on the neck to much work . I am steal thinking about making a step deck out of a flat bed.
That's a nice machine you still have it?
Dear friend of mine had a Corn Queen 2375 SA he pulled a tandem lowboy with a 931C Cat on, at a bad spot of load he found out how bad would tail wag, we actually had to paint marks where to set the crawler to keep bridged functionally.
I've been there! Widish had a 78 KW water truck with the 318 Detroit, and a 60K 3 axle tilt. The match made in hell. I had only one thing to do with it, mobe a 200 excavator on and off the freeway to set/replace jersey barrier. It took a couple of miles to get up to 50 MPH and it was OK. One day I let it slip on up to 55 and then all hell broke loose. After that I fine tuned the position and also never exceeded about 48 MPH. One day I broke a hydraulic line on the 200, and told the boss that a 160 would work fine. No more wide load signs and the whole setup was so much happier.
Makes my hands hurt looking at that Mechanical Drive Dog Clutch bouncing beater!!
I like this set up it rolls every day just about primarily with a backhoe and a full set of 5 buckets a hammer a wheel and I can carry a vibratory plate attachment and I added a 30 gallon fuel tank up on the gooseneck All said we have less than 35 thousand invested into truck and trailer if I needed to for 50 grand I could set up something really close with a little better truck today The trailer is a 01 load king 25 ton there are a handful of manufacturers that make simalar trailers brand new are around 30 grand tops that said here in the southwest this lowboy is not an easy find used but besides a set of brakes and tires about every other year it's been no maintenance in 15 years of service for us I would stay with a beaver tail lowboys there redundant and I can put 2 backhoes on that rig if I had to we did it once to save a 5 hour round trip its tight but workable The only draw back is the drive over tires we have talked about making fenders fo years but never got it so skid steers are a little rough to load and the ramps have a 40 inch gap between them slid all the way in so my 17 mini ex has jump on witch is no biggie
The Ex is pushing truck axle limits at right at 30K, then adding tooling and fuel in neck tank.
I scaled that load I was 6 thousand from gross weight I had 2 to spare on the drive and 4 to spare on the trailer an easy fix is slide the ex back 8 inches quite noticeably different never to pics and it was on an old single kenworth with that trailer we hauled a 325 5 miles because that was the only thing that would make the 2 switch back corners that was about 12 or 13 years ago we hauled machine to a wide spot threw out some tires hoped it off a 16 tire Murray and put it on that load king yes it was a massive overload but it was what could get the job done In a safe manner at about 15 miles an hour up the side of a mountain in a subdivision But I really dont haul an ex with that since we set up our 35 to lowboy on another truck cause it's just easier on everything
That's a really nice trailer. It wouldn't be that hard to put some plates over the wheelwells. You could arch the plates/ have them rolled, if you need clearance. Is it spring ride or air ride? Of course its easier to comment on other peoples "I need to do this sometime", as work on my own "I need to do this sometime" jobs. Because the "I need to do this sometime" jobs don't pay very well, and if the phone is ringing- I'm sure you're like me and we go to work on a paying job. I've got a short wheelbase tandem international, and I replaced it with with a similar age pete. I haven't got rid of the international yet, because it will get around in places that you can't get a longer wheelbase truck.
That is a slick setup. I wish I could get a setup like that for 50k. I'm going to test drive a nice 5 year old T370 next week, 50k for just the truck! I'd be happy to have a rig like that for 100k canadian. How much hp and torque that International got? I'm thinking I want roughly 350hp, and 1000 torque to gross 60k.
That is an 06 int 8600 370 hp I think cummins ism that truck I can buy all day for about 20 or less with between 4 and 6 hundred thousand miles it's got a 10 speed by no means is it my favorite truck but its functionality for price was the winner I hate dealing with financing for support equipment so I pay cash it makes me look for a deal Crane op it's never been a question of getting it done its always been at the not a priority on the list right now I bet in a good saturday me and dad could mount it all if I had the plates rolled out ahead of time it's just been that way Spring suspension it's just easy I like airside but the way that's built the trailer is to low to make a good air ride setup plus airbags drywrought here pretty fast 6 years is a long life especially on a lowboy truck has air suspension tho
I had a old Hyster that someone welded covers over the tandems. The fellow I sold it to uses it for a track hoe and a dozer. He took the covers off the tandems and said it loads a lot better without the covers. What you gain for hauling skidders you may not like for the hoe.
A set of bolt on covers would be nice. Set it up so they sit on beds and are bolted with vertical bolts to just secure. Make each one two piece so you could just rattle them off and move by hand if needed.
We had a similar trailer years ago it had been covered over the wheels of was handy for most thing excavators didn't like it
Yes, I still have it. It has been a very nice little machine. I also have a original, one private owner, Model 11 with V-plow and wing, that is very clean but could use new tires to really make it shine. I have copies of the original purchase order paperwork from 1937 for that one.
The lowboy drivers for the company I retired from had a book of cheat sheets for all the equipment and crane parts with dimensions on where to set them on the lowbeds. The older rounded crane counterweights pulled a lot easier if they were balanced on the trailers, so when they had a good pulling load they would measure and make a cheat sheet. It wasn't long before they had a book in all 12 lowboys.
If the rollback on that other thread is what your using now and used to then any truck over 350 hp will be a big improvement for you Biggest thing is dont get in a hurry and if I were shopping for newer I would go to 2011 or newer and get away from the dpf systems to me they have less problems or go before 03 and no egr
Very cool! I have fond memories of the cat 112 that they had at the Union School. I can handle a little knuckle busting if all I'm doing is tuning up a road and plowing a little snow.
That Hino is what we use for the small stuff, works great for our non CDL driver to move the smaller stuff around, buckets, attachments, etc. Great little truck, but I rarely ever get to drive it! For our bigger gear, I'm towing a 25 ft tag behind our Volvo tandem dump truck. It's got a Volvo D7 in it, not super fast, but it gets it done. Bigger issue is that I'm close to max length. I'd love 40ft of deck space, but I can't tow that behind a dump truck without being over length, and I don't want a tag that long in the city anyways. I'll probably end up buying a newer tractor, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for something 3-5 years old with the right specs.
My Model 11 has had light enough use that the blade controls still stay engaged when you push them in. Not much wear to speak of. It is my understanding that when the early Model 12 came out with the D4600 engine they made the knuckle busters with a slight bevel on them to kick out when released. Before that they stayed engaged until they were engaged. After they became worn they would have to be firmly held in like most knuckle busters are today. When I bought it the big brass pinion gear below the floor boards had the teeth stripped off a section of it. The story I got from the family was that the elderly son of the original owner was driving it in a parade and engaged the side shift. He was waving to the crowd with it engaged and when it hit the end of the gear travel, it grunted, puffed a bit of smoke, nothing on the blade worked after that. They rolled the shaft with a wrench to get the blade centered under the machine to drive it home. I replaced the broken pinion assembly from my parts machine. The later machines have a woodruff key in the vertical shaft driving the control to give them a safety joint to shear.
The 112 I ran would stay in OK, must have been fresh.