I've got two detach trailers now and am wanting a tri-axle fixed neck deck over trailer to go with my detaches. I've got so many places my detaches can't get into due to the low ground clearance, I'm hung up all the time, that and with the poor shape of these secondary roads, my detaches are helpless. I don't really need a tri axle but for the little cost difference, I might just as well have it in case I'd ever need to haul my larger equipment. I've all but given up looking at used, all I've seen so far are complete junk, rusted out hulks of scrap iron way overpriced for what they are, been considering new, and an absolute must is hot dipped galvanized which limits the makers pretty slim who would do it. Interstate tells me they will hot dip the deck over trailers, but know nothing about them and there is one in Minnesota that will as well, can't recall the name right off hand. Any suggestions?? We've tossed around the idea of building one ourselves, the only plus side of that is, I could build it exactly the way I wanted it. Anyone built one themselves??
I worked for a guy and we built 2 trailers. He got some T1 some were we built the main frame I beam from that i dont remember if the rest was T1 or not. We stick welded it with 11018 rods i think thats what they were. You cant weld any thing with them if its not laying flat so we rolled it over several times. It took a long time to build one but they were used to the extreme . He told use how long and we look at others no prints or drawings.
I've got 2 20+ year old Interstate 40dla trailers...only issue is corrosion. I've got several Towmaster 5&6 ton trailers between 8 & 20 years old..again, only issue is corrosion. Definitely considering the next one to be galvanized. Towmaster (Minnesota) offers galvanizing, too. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a trailer from either one again.
It's not so much what your hauling but more important where ya gotta go with it . Many times happy is a short tandem drop deck lowboy on narrow county roads with short curves & rail road crossings . https://www.truckpaper.com/listings/trailers/for-sale/21413299/1974-rogers-flat-bed
If I ever took a notion to use a detach trailer in my area it would be one like member Lowboy uses . Sets high in the rear & low in the front . Imagine he can " jack " the neck when needed to get over & around obstacles . HeavyEquipmentForums We did something similar with fixed neck 10 wide . Left the rear low & raised the gooseneck in the front . Be surprised where a feller can go with a trailer that aint on the level . LOL!
We have so many banked highways, so when you need to turn down a gravel road, even with the neck as high as it goes, your hung up in the belly. Most farm drives are about impossible to get into or out of with a triple axle detach, if not the length, it will be with the belly being hung up. I've seen the style where they angle the deck from the ground level to driving over the rear axles, kind of like the best of both worlds, some call them oil field detaches. This rust issue thing is getting bad, with the liquid salt they spray on the roads today, I've seen some five to eight year old trucks in so bad of shape with rusted frames, they are junked out due to being unsafe to drive. Was in the local repair shop this past winter, and an almost new truck, had the radiator so bad, the fins fell out between the tubes and the front bumper had fallen off due to the rust in the frame rails, they were fighting with warranty to determine who was supposed to pay the damages, since the truck was still under warranty. Towmaster, thanks for the name, I couldln't remember it, they had a trailer frame being dipped the last time I was at the galvanizing plant having some small parts being dipped. I priced an interstate trailer a few years back, the plant they have that does the smaller trailers will dip any trailer they build, the plant that does detaches is in another state and they won't dip those, they don't have any galvanizing plant nearby to do it for them. Landoll will dip the deck portion, not the neck portion of detaches, but their claim to fame is the lowest frame height in the industry for their detaches, not really what I was after at all.
The other issue with detaches I've noticed with every single used one on the market and even my own, they sit so low and the gravel dust and debris sit so badly on the main beam rails due to being so low in the first place, they rust the main beams out so badly. On my own trailers, we solved this issue somewhat by leaving a gap in the deck boards on both sides of the main beams, so you can wash them off from the top side standing on the deck, before with the solid boarded, you'd have to lay under them with the neck as high as it goes in order to reach the inside of the frame rails to wash off, then blow the debris in your face as you wash, which usually ended up never being done. Now with a six inch gap in the boards on both sides of the frame rails, it takes a few minutes to wash the entire main beam assembly from standing on the deck and blowing the debris down and away from you. On the trailers with an open center section, never seen one yet that didn't have bent cross members in them. So by putting a few boards down the center seemed to help that issue. When we did the last deck on my tandem detach, we also left a gap between the side rails and the boards, so I have six gaps in the top deck, so I can also wash the cross members of the entire trailer by standing on the deck to do it, it also helps with air flow and the deck seems to last longer as well. Otherwise I was putting a deck on every other year, since there was moss growing on the bottom sides of the boards and rotted the deck out of the bottom up. A friend of mine asked when he saw my trailer, why we left gaps in the deck, told me it looked bad, explained to him why and then drove the trailer around the shop and pulled the pressure washer hose out and started to wash the main rails and cross members off by standing on the deck, two weeks later his lowboy wasn't solid boarded either.
Sure understand that Randy . You got to spec the truck & trailer to the environment it's working in I reckon . Long & low don't work to well in my neck of the woods .
Last I checked, landoll will dip the neck and frame on their traveling axle trailers. Almost as much clearance as fixed neck and no ramps.
There are a lot of heavy single drop tri axle's, for sale around my area, they all come out of the oilfield in oklahoma. Some are in good shape, some have been used really really hard. Holden, Nuttall, and Atoka are all made around here. Holden in Missouri, atoka and nuttall in Ok. I'm not sure what brand your current detach is, but my talbert will lift the neck at least 4' off the ground. I've never done that loaded, I think it would get a little tippy on the 5th wheel, but I've done it empty to get turned around in a crooked spot. I know what you are saying about field driveways though. I've thought about a shorter detach for my smaller crane, just because my tri axle is so hard to get turned around in some spots. A local big dirt contractor has a big detach, but they move a lot of stuff still with their single drop short trailer, just because they can't get the big trailer in to a lot of spots. For what they want for used detach trailers, a single drop looks pretty reasonable in price. I recently saw a nice 10 year old single drop for sale for around $16,000, and it looked like a new trailer. Beat up detaches seem to mostly be in the 25-35,000 range around here. Unless they are ground bearing witzco, etc.. Those don't bring much.
My tandem detach is a Talbert, my triple axle detach is a Rogers, and I've raised them up as high as they go loaded, do it all the time, puts quite a bind on the fifth wheel plate when turning, but there are plenty of places they are still hung up on the banked highways. In those areas you have to creep along to see if they clear, if you gun it and try to ram through, you find out your trucks drivers are dangling in mid air and then your forced to side unload and use what your hauling to shove the truck and trailer off the hang up. I've talked to Holden in the past, they will hot dip, but since they are so far from a plant, it added I think 16k to the top of the price. The other two I've talked to but never got an answer really if they would or not, think I must have been the first to even ask and they were not prepared, never heard back from either. I haven't found any single drop trailer worth taking home yet, bid on a few online that looked pretty good, but didn't have the time to go look in person so I wouldn't pay what it took to own them. I once thought about rebuilding a used trailer and then having it dipped, but by the time I was done, I might as well just order a new trailer dipped. Those ground bearing detaches, not sure who would even want one, in my area they'd be worse than hopeless to the point of dangerous might be more of a term that describes them best. Can't recall of any place I'd been in the past two years I could even use one, with the soft roads, yards and fields around here, I'd never be able to unhook or hook one back up, once hung up, the cylinder would never touch the ground, heaven forbid they'd unhook while hung up. Some of my help in the past, has gunned the truck with my Rogers to avoid the whole truck drivers dangling in the air only to find, those will unhook once the weight is off the neck, to tear the air lines and power cord right off the front of the trailer. My Talbert has a lock pin to keep the neck on, but if you ram it hard enough, that too tears off the front of the trailer along with everything else, especially if your loaded, as they say, some put that little bit of extra effort into causing destruction and expense.
This thread reminds me of a job we were on at a Church . They had added on a big fellowship hall and we were going the grade work . Church has a big cemetery so pretty common to have a Funeral at the new fellowship hall . It's on a hillside as usual in south Indiana and My concern was ….. " Will the hearse have adequate clearance with it's long & low wheelbase given the grade transition going from flat to downhill ? " OK …. Myself and Pastor Jimmy went knocking on the door at the funeral home …... " Hey , how's it going and buy the way we need to measure the wheelbase & ground clearance on the Hearse ." We were fine with the grade and the hearse had 3 inches to spare .
TD did you measure the ground clearance on the hearse when it was empty or loaded? LOL They did the same thing around here years back, as soon as the cement was poured, the funeral home traded hearse's and the new one was slightly longer and it rubbed loaded, so jack hammer all of the cement back out and do the landscaping again, a couple other churches they have to park on the street and carry the casket into the church, same problem with it rubbing and getting hung up.
Didn't know if you've found a trailer yet or not, but I saw this this weekend and thought of your search, its tri axle, but only a 35 ton. $16,900 Doesn't look like a real heavy built trailer, but I'm not sure what exactly you want. It is single drop and tri axle. https://stlouis.craigslist.org/tro/d/red-bud-35-tn-3axle-lowboy-trailer/6889946658.html
Crane Operator, I'm still in the market for a trailer, but I'm needing a 50 ton triaxle, but that 35 ton is nice looking trailer thought, just a little light for my needs.
What are you hauling Randy ?
60,000 lb plus dozer and excavator, but am willing to haul each separately LOL.
Cool …. Sounds like 30 to 35 tons . 35 ton trailer should handle that fine .
Almost every used 35 ton trailer I've looked at had a twist or bow to them for some reason, thinking 50 ton is more durable.
Trust me Randy … The shorter the trailer the better . Long trailers will bend & bow . Old school short tandem 25 ton single drop lowboy will move that equipment where it needs to go . Turn in the driveway & over Rail crossings like you own them . https://www.truckpaper.com/listings/trailers/for-sale/21413299/1974-rogers-flat-bed
When I first looked at your photo, I thought I need to take a closer look. I want a pintle hitch that can do that. Then I zoomed in and realized it has a fifth wheel. I have never seen a truck set up like that. It seems like that machine would break that trailer.. I notice the main beams are straight.
I think the problem with the heavy old tandem axle lowboy is that it won't make axle weights if he needs to go across a scale td25c. Any one that wants a lowboy like td25c shouldn't have to look terribly hard for one. They were sold surplus from the military. They are built stout, but you won't be legal with a 60,000 lbs dozer on it. Here's one for sale, if I remember right, they are 9' wide trailers. $6,900. Not many guys are interested in 20" rubber anymore either, but that could be changed. https://tulsa.craigslist.org/for/d/westville-lowboy-trailer/6902179778.html
I'm pretty sure I can't haul a 30-35 ton load anywhere in my state legally on a 25 ton tandem axle trailer or any tandem axle trailer for that matter. I think the fines would exceed the value of the trailer and that's before they even warmed up in writing tickets. As they say, been there done that, and if I recall, it was painful enough I'm not going to do it again.
Most states won't allow trailers over 8 foot six to even be registered let alone pulled, my state included. Nobody near me will even touch the older tube tires anymore. The axle weights are one issue, the tire weight rating is a real killer, then comes the issue with the gvw of the trailer which is only 25 ton, then they go into the whole bridge law thing, since the trailer is too short and the list is endless.
The fifth wheel is mounted behind the boom mast . It's also about 8" behind the truck tandem centerline so when loaded more weight is on the drivers and steering axil lightens up a little . That KW will paw it's way up any cow path road . Trailer is a 1951 model . She's built short & stout . I did modify the gooseneck to fit the taller fifth wheel on the truck . My take on truck & trailer rigs..... They have to match up with the environment they will be working in . Randy has two detach trailers already if he wants to " Scale Out " . However they won't go just anywhere without getting stuck . That's why I suggested the short tandem single drop lowboy . Will go places no others will .
I have hauled my 215c Cat on my 1951 Freuhauf single axle single drop a few time, but I'd never admit that in public.
What would you guys think about some thing like this? $6000.. 50 ton would this haul and 325 cat? legally?
In MI you can gross 39,000 on the triple, 32,000 on the tandem and 18,000 on the steer. Your state may vary lol
In my state (mo) for weight, you would still have to buy a daily overweight travel permit. I don't know georgia permits and if you can buy a annual overweight permit there. You would be around 100,000 gross. 16-18,000lbs for the trailer, 18-22,000lbs for the truck, and then a 60,000 lbs excavator.
I forgot the annual permit. In MI you can buy an annual permit for construction equipment. But there's one for the state highways and you need to get one from each county you operate in. Or a trip permit if it's a 1 or 2 time in a jurisdiction. Each trip permit is "To and return".
In Iowa, I'd need an oversized permit, that takes care of both over weight and over width, then I can run 60,000 on triples and 40,000 on tandems, but the tires still need to hold those weights, which is close depending on the size and age, then you need to be able to place the load so its not heavy on either the truck or trailer axles. I'd have to know the distance between the tandems on the truck to the triples on the trailer, even permitted I'd need to abide by bridge laws, so if its too short, that might cause issues even with a triple axle trailer. To haul that in my state, I'd be good to go legally once permitted and chained down if the deck was at least 20 foot long ahead of the trailer axles or 18 feet if it had a long neck on the trailer, which most older trailers didn't have. If your lucky to live and work somewhere no DOT roam and your insurance company doesn't care, well then............................
Mitch, I've seen a few years back where a local hauled a 312 cat excavator on a skid steer trailer behind a dump truck, I was so shocked I didn't have time to get my phone out and take a picture, but then again it made it a few miles and then I was later told the trailer was junked out due to axle, tire and frame issues, who would have guessed that one?? My first thought was, dang, those four 16 inch trailer tires held up pretty well for the weight they tried to put on them, if they were mine they'd have blown as I tried to load it, let alone make it a few miles first.
99% of a successful oversize move involves 3 things . 1. Route planning . Take the path of least resistance to the job site even if it's a little longer journey . 2 . Timing ... 9:00 AM to Noon is generally good for moving as school buss has passed & anyone that's going to work is at work . 3 . Last but most important is ….. A good "blocker car " driver . Blocker runs ahead on secondary roads stopping traffic at a driveway or intersection . Blocker hang's on the lowboy's tail on the highway and in heavy traffic . This keeps the crazy car people from trying to slip in on the right hand side when the truck is making a right hand turn . In the event of an accident / incident the "blocker Driver " shows up in court as a witness to testify . Not anything to do with truck or trailer ratings but more about risk management and understanding human nature .
Damn rebel truck driving outlaws .
Might work if you don't have a DOT officer that lives right out of your driveway and spends his spare time just driving around sight seeing. Also for what its worth, Sunday mornings are really good too, most are either supposed to be in church or sleeping in. Depending on the time of year, Saturday evenings are also good, several churches have services that time, especially if you know who to call ahead of going out on the road to find out if certain individuals are attending service there, a donation every now and then helps loosen peoples lips, you know, just calling to see how the offering plate is filling up and if they need any help with church expenses this year?? Rainy days work good too, usually late in the day, near supper time after 5 pm. Couple that with embargoed roads in the spring and life gets really interesting as to what and where you can go.
Thank you Randy for the explanation . Got it Bro ! This falls under rule # 3 & blocker driver acting as a witness . My advice is a second helper in the " blocker car " with a camera and record this fuzz nuts when he's trying to pull the " bully routine " . Aint got no use for them myself . Nope !
I'm " Pro Trucker " just in case anyone missed it . People call & Truckers Haul ! If ya really want a good laugh …… Being the DOT knows best on how to move product why not let them do it for a couple of days & see how that works . LMAO!
LOL. Geez TD you could be my brother!!! but you forgot the scout pickup . send him 5 miles ahead of you down the highway, if he meets the HP, you duck off on the gravel roads.
Scout pickup ? I Would have farmerlund flying recon up ahead in the Stearman .
" 10-4 farmer about the checkpoint chickie at Turners Grade " " Will take alternate route over & out "
That reminds me when we had a couple " Frog Cops " trespassing on the farm to set up an electronic Deer so hunters would try to take a shot at it . Get the hell off our property and take your limp deer with you punk ass toads !
Scout pickup reminds me of one of those (hundreds) times I may have skirted the edge of that "rebel outlaw trucker" thing. A good customer needed me to go pick up a Navy landing craft from a nuclear power plant about 300 miles away in the mountains and bring it to the port of Georgetown. I had 2 tractors at the time, one with farm tags, one with regular. My truck with the apportioned tags was down, and when I called to get the "over-width, over-length, over-height" permit the lady said she couldn't issue it on a truck with farm tags. I thought fast and said I was bringing this 60 foot boat back so I could dig a pond on my farm and raise catfish, I was gonna use it to harvest them. She issued my permit and off we went. Came back and parked the loaded truck at my shop. Got up the next morning and realized my permit was from the plant to my place- not the port! We headed to Georgetown with my helper in the scout pickup and me a mile behind. He called me and said DOT was in their usual place, in the shade under the bridge, where they could cover the entrance to the paper mill and the port. He told me to go over the bridge and turn around so I would be coming the back way and beep my horn when I was coming down the bridge and he would take care of it. When I did, I drove across a T intersection about 50 feet behind the DOT car and the lady standing behind it never looked my way! He had walked up and started an in-depth conversation and then argument about what lights are required; then we he saw me drive in the gate, he just said: "Thanks, bye!" hopped back in the pickup and drove off!
Damned D O T
Extended neck, tri axle, 22.5 rubber. If you really don't want the long neck, you could cut it down. Would have to put something like a angled deck/ beavertail/ ramps on the rear. Maybe bolt some conveyor belting to the steel deck to keep from sliding around? If its built like most oilfield trailers, you would have to work at it to hurt it. Not breaking the bank at $14,000 either. https://tulsa.craigslist.org/hvo/d/hallett-97-nuttall-oilfield-trailer/6921418590.html
Ok guys, some more questions, since starting this tread I've looked at more junk trailers than I knew existed in my area, and also out of my area and priced both new and used. One of the largest debates I've come across is weather to go with fabricated main beams or milled main beams, and how much camber to put in the trailer beams or no camber at all?? If a trailer is rated at a certain tonnage, does it matter to anyone of you guys how the trailer is made? is T1 absolutely necessary for the added cost to fabricate the main beams, or do you guys think milled beams, meaning those H or I beams right out of the mill are fine to use, most are grade 50 steel and they either put a camber in them or use them flat. Next option is, two or four main beams on the trailer, myself I've only run trailers with two main beams and the side rails are just channel irons sides, but several makers out there will put four main beams and the side frames are actually two more identical beams that help reduce the sag or bow in the trailer when loaded. Fixed neck trailers, tag and those higher off the ground are generally not made with a camber in the beams, they use flat beams, some detach makers are again offering flat beams in their trailers as well, which shocked me when I started asking about it, it really cheapens the price considerably and takes some of the bounce or spring out of them when loaded is the reason they are using milled beams I'm told by those that like the four milled beam design along with the cost savings. The whole reason behind using fabricated beams is weight savings, you can use stronger metals that are lighter weight but will carry the same load? ok I get that whole idea, but its a lowboy, I'm over width, weight and usually over height anytime I'm loaded anyhow, so where does a thousand pounds save me in the long run and pay many thousand more upfront for the trailer in the first place, then once rust starts, it actually rusts out and is weakened faster due to less steel to start with? Anyone want to toss their two cents into the discussion as to how you'd view this topic?
How about some out of the box thinking? A tri axle tilt deck? Came out of north liberty iowa by the sticker on the neck, but a paving outfit most likely, so no winter use, and the underside in the pictures looks pretty good. Low loading angle. Not breaking the bank at 14,500 either. It would turn short with those set ahead axles. https://joplin.craigslist.org/hvo/d/grove-talbert-equiptrl-tilt/6966458225.html
Thanks crane operator, I've checked into it, the cross members were shot so those are new and the new owner is calling me back on some specs on it this morning.
Just a thought but look into hydralic tails used right now you can find a good one under 30 if you go hunting you can find one on triples with 22.5s on it Just start checking rental outfits there is one here local dumping a triple axle I think it's a 50 ton and if I remember right they were asking 35 grand for it not that it's cheap but it's not terribly expensive
Went to look at a sewer tank job today, and the plumbing excavator had this tri axle, tilt deck, trailer. Were hauling what looked like a 16-20,000lb excavator. There was no wet kit, so the cylinders under the trailer are just to slow down the tilt action. 60,000 gvw
I'm currently pulling a talbert 55 ton trailer, and on the first day I was with the company, my boss lifted the trailer all the way up with a 336 Cat on the deck to clear a rough construction entrance. My jaw dropped at first, but I have had to do it several times as well since then, things do feel a little tippy and you have to be easy with it.
Just got home from buying a used triple axle fixed neck deck over, have to go back in the next couple weeks to get it and bring it home. Then start the task of tearing it apart and doing a complete rebuild of it from end to end. Its not exactly what I wanted, but was close and in my price range. As they say, it will at least add one more trailer in an attempt to have what I need to move certain machines to certain area's in which a detach can't get to.
How rough of shape was it in
Structurally it was fine, the only rust was surface rust where the paint was gone, nothing rusted through or even partially rusted through so a good sand blasting job will take care of that and get it ready for either a new paint job or hot dipping. The deck boards were beyond shot, many missing which is no big deal, they are all getting replaced anyhow. The brakes and drums were looking great from what I could see but we'll tear them apart to put new seals and check over the bearings anyhow and do a full inspection of the undercarriage at that time. Its spring suspension, which is what I wanted, so that's a huge plus, from what I saw, everything was there and in good shape and not even the hangers had rust on them or any holes, another plus. Its got a full set of outriggers on both sides, but I'll need to add something for over the axles, not sure yet what that will be or how to go about it. Now for the bad parts, the beaver tail is too short and far too steep, the ramps are heavy duty but also too short and too steep. It was decided a long time ago, hydraulic ramps were what was going to happen, so those things need to be done, I think we have a plan to be able to add onto the beaver tail and basically just put an extension in to change the angle and length of that, shouldn't be too hard to do, mostly time. The ramps will probably be a do over even though they are in great shape, its not really feasible to change what is on there now, far faster and easier to just take the similar pattern and build new from scratch. The lights and wiring are a complete do over, just rip it all out and start from scratch, about like any other trailer I've ever bought used so I was expecting it anyhow. Tires were tubeless, so at least we didn't have to junk the tires and the rims from day one, some of the tires will need to be new, but all in all, I'd say most are in good shape and usable. The rims were far newer than the trailer and without being in salt, I think from what I saw, I shouldn't have to buy new rims right off the bat. It needs far more tie down hooks, I think I counted three to a side is all. I don't think the outriggers had much use, they moved, were all there and all straight. Its an older trailer with dayton wheels, which for me is probably better, dayton's are easier to change and I have spares on hand at all times anyhow. There's bound to be some surprises once I get it home and torn apart, but its a used trailer I wasn't expecting it to be in new condition ready to use. To answer your question as to how rough it is, most would just take it home, put a few lights on it, patch the wires, slap a coat of paint on it as is, new deck boards and put it to use.
Glad you found a trailer. The first lowboy I bought didn't have a beavertail or ramps on it. It was previously owned by a rock quarry and I think they just backed up to a pile of gravel to load and unload it. So we added a beavertail and ramps to it. I don't know if this will work in your situation but one thing we did that I think turned out real well was when we built the beavertail we made it so tipping point was over the back axle. Basically the tracks rolled over the back tires as the machine came over on the trailer instead of tipping on the steel behind the back axle. Where we screwed up was on the ramps.... I didn't want to mess with hyd ramps so we built them so we could handle them fairly easy which was fine for awhile but as time went by they would get messed up and reinforced a few times to the point that they were all one person wanted to do to flip them over. Then it wasn't long until I traded it for a detach. Good luck on your project. Sounds fun.
This trailer has heavy steel plates welded over the wheels, not my first choice but after I get it home, I'll determine if those will stay on or not, if they stay on, I won't gain anything in moving the hinge point farther ahead. Right now I'm thinking about welding pin holders near the center beams so I can have three or four inch diameter pins sticking up to help keep things from sliding as a machine hinges over to flop down on the deck. I'd also thought about having two pins per side and pin them through a H beam or large tube to create a trough to keep the tracks in line as I go up the beaver tail. Have several bushings welded into the trailer frame to allow different widths of machines to be guided up the beaver tail. I do plan to bolt down conveyor belting to the both the deck and also the beaver tail to give the tracks something to bite to in wet or cold weather, I'd done this before to a different trailer I had years ago and it didn't work too bad.
Glad you found a good trailer. I too prefer daytons on the side of the road, over changing a set of budds. How long did you end up getting? Getting kind of late in the winter for bringing home a project isn't it, or are you hoping to start on it after the crops are all in, to have it ready for fall?
The deck length is about 33 feet long, give or take. As for being late in the spring, your absolutely right, but since I've been looking for a few years now, can't really be too fussy when something comes along. Right now I'm thinking it will sit till we have time this summer, at the moment I really don't even time to go get it, let alone do anything to it, but who knows, spring might be two months off yet..........or start in a week. It seems we always have projects sitting waiting their turn in line to be worked on, we might just as well add a trailer to the lineup.