Let's talk trailers.....again.

4x4dually said:
I wished you would have....then I wouldn't have a box of all new brakes and seals in the shop waiting to go on because the cheap ass Alko hub seals leak.
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Trade you my 20' lol

I'm free saturday if you want a hand. no homo.
 
Yeah I would be too.. Wonder is wrong inner seal was put in...
Found this on the crossman trailer.. ~20,000 miles.. Just started knocking the drum... All the others barely look Used
11220907_10206373180461924_647324694815164119_n.jpg
 
Does anyone make a small trailer axle that DOESN'T have inboard drums from the 1930's? I mean come on, am I the only one that thinks pulling the hub to replace brakes is idiotic?
 
jfaulkner said:
Does anyone make a small trailer axle that DOESN'T have inboard drums from the 1930's? I mean come on, am I the only one that thinks pulling the hub to replace brakes is idiotic?
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We may not agree on tow mirrors....but I completely agree with that ^^^^^ . ;)
 
A little late to the thread, but I just recently looked closely at a Big Tex 24k lb gooseneck dual tandem that a guy brought to Dad to fix. I couldn't believe how flimsy it was built. The design was great, but the materials were sub-par IMO. For instance, the " 3-inch c-channel cross braces" are not the same as structural steel c-channel...they looked like 1/8" flat that had been rolled into a c-channel shape. Everything on the trailer followed this pattern, from the braces on the goose neck, to the ramps, etc.

The trailer was rolled hauling a little D3 dozer that shifted going a round a corner. The little pin that holds the coupler to the ball bent and released the trailer. Both safety chains snapped at the cast iron attachment point. Trailer was being pulled with a 2nd gen dodge dually.

I've not seen other brands of new trailers up close, but I hope they all aren't like this. I suppose it works for some applications, but I was appalled at how attempts at cost savings has driven down the quality of construction materials.

--Eric
 
ENafziger said:
A little late to the thread, but I just recently looked closely at a Big Tex 24k lb gooseneck dual tandem that a guy brought to Dad to fix. I couldn't believe how flimsy it was built. The design was great, but the materials were sub-par IMO. For instance, the " 3-inch c-channel cross braces" are not the same as structural steel c-channel...they looked like 1/8" flat that had been rolled into a c-channel shape. Everything on the trailer followed this pattern, from the braces on the goose neck, to the ramps, etc.

The trailer was rolled hauling a little D3 dozer that shifted going a round a corner. The little pin that holds the coupler to the ball bent and released the trailer. Both safety chains snapped at the cast iron attachment point. Trailer was being pulled with a 2nd gen dodge dually.

I've not seen other brands of new trailers up close, but I hope they all aren't like this. I suppose it works for some applications, but I was appalled at how attempts at cost savings has driven down the quality of construction materials.

--Eric
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The big tex that is owned by the farm I help I think was picked up from the Toys R Us Christmas catalog a couple years back. 2yrs and maybe 15,000mi and it looks 100x worse then my 08 Brute with 150k+ on it.
 
I kinda understand and don't mind folded sheet metal in spots to save some weight. My trailer is heavy as hell and feels loaded even when it's not. The entire deal falls on the driver. If you corner too fast with a D3 freakin' dozer on a 1-ton truck and you roll....you can't expect the trailer not to fold up. $.02
 
Wow! Sounds like Big Tex isn't building them like they used to. My ten year old 12k Big Tex has structural steel cross channels. I see they sell for about 50% more now than when I bought mine, so they are making them cheaper but selling them for more. :doh:

Anyone have any experience with Gatormade trailers? I'm looking at picking up a 10k skid loader trailer.
 
I have a buddies brand new 14' Big Tex Dump Trailer. It looks like a diamond from a distance. Check out the workmanship and you will be surprised. When it says rated for 9300 lb payload...by god it means it won't dump a pound over it. I've shoveled more effin sand in the last two weeks than I want to. I tell the sand pit to give me 4 tons....I end up with 5 to 5.5 everytime. Jerks. LOL
 
Hell my Kauffman was built better then that actually had squared C channel..
 
4x4dually said:
I kinda understand and don't mind folded sheet metal in spots to save some weight. My trailer is heavy as hell and feels loaded even when it's not. The entire deal falls on the driver. If you corner too fast with a D3 freakin' dozer on a 1-ton truck and you roll....you can't expect the trailer not to fold up. $.02
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Yeah, I understand from a cost perspective too. It was just disappointing to me to see what a modern $10,000 trailer looked like. The craftmanship was good, design was great, most welds look good, etc...I guess it is just the modern mentality of profit, and "how light can we go on the metal and still rate a trailer for xx,xxx".

I have a 24' triple axle that feels loaded even when it's not as well. But I know it's not the weak link. There are a lot of dynamic loads that WILL occur and need to be accounted, that can not be simply calculated statically. The Big Tex very well may be able to gross 24k safely with a low center of gravity and well distributed load. But it's NOT an equipment trailer. The guy who bought it didn't understand this, and is paying for it now.

I understand the empty trailer weight/payload/fuel cost/etc trade-offs. Personally, it makes me uncomfortable to be on the ragged edge of "good enough". Anyone who has used a trailer knows that there are times that the standard rules get pushed, and you don't have the option of balancing a 6-10% tongue weight, etc. It's good to be able to have some confidence in those situations that someone didn't skimp on building your trailer.
 
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4x4dually said:
I have a buddies brand new 14' Big Tex Dump Trailer. It looks like a diamond from a distance. Check out the workmanship and you will be surprised. When it says rated for 9300 lb payload...by god it means it won't dump a pound over it. I've shoveled more effin sand in the last two weeks than I want to. I tell the sand pit to give me 4 tons....I end up with 5 to 5.5 everytime. Jerks. LOL
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I've had to explain how well this crossman is built... People think is on par with avg tandem 20-24k trailer... I'm like no this was designed with/for 9k pin and 15k tandems.. That's a big tex 30XN with full bridge options, peirced frame and 22ppf I beams
I wouldn't have a problem grossing the current trailer with 12k axle out at 33,000lbs that's roughly 25,000lbs on deck capacity.. My dually can't handle the 9,000lb pin Weight...not enough axle/spring capacity, I have had 7,000lb pin weight on the crossman and no sign of struggle to handle the weight...
Most companies won't go over 26,000lb gvw due to FET tax.
I've yet to find a steel trailer manufactor be able/willing to tell me their GN neck's are designed/rated for XXXXlbs..
 
malibu795 said:
I've had to explain how well this crossman is built... People think is on par with avg tandem 20-24k trailer... I'm like no this was designed with/for 9k pin and 15k tandems.. That's a big tex 30XN with full bridge options, peirced frame and 22ppf I beams
I wouldn't have a problem grossing the current trailer with 12k axle out at 33,000lbs that's roughly 25,000lbs on deck capacity.. My dually can't handle the 9,000lb pin Weight...not enough axle/spring capacity, I have had 7,000lb pin weight on the crossman and no sign of struggle to handle the weight...
Most companies won't go over 26,000lb gvw due to FET tax.
I've yet to find a steel trailer manufactor be able/willing to tell me their GN neck's are designed/rated for XXXXlbs..
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How does your Kauffman compare to the Eby's?
 
My personal Kauffman isn't on the same Level... It started life as a light duty tandem 10k with 8k axles put under it.. Kauffman started marketing 8k tandems to fill the gap between 7k tandem and 10k.. It has a 14lbpf 10" main beam frame. A solid built 10/12k tandem trailer will have min 12" 19 or 22# beams
LD will run heavy 10" x19# or 12x16# frames

Kauffmans tandem 10k is rated for 25900. That's 20k on axles and a 5900# pin load rating.. Most want you to have 12k for that..
http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/gooseneck-trailers/flatbed-gooseneck-trailer-2/deluxe-25900-gvwr-30-ft-tandem-dual-gooseneck-trailer/#t1

Both EBY and Crossman start their Trailers with a 19" peirced frame.. Crossman runs a ~13.8" neck EBY 12" neck and have at best torsional support.. That said for what I do.. I'd take the EBY over current steel Trailers... Granted EBY literally just released the trailer to market this spring.. Crossman has been out couple years and has 20+ years of Wilson trailer engineering behind it..
If I'd where to rate the
Crossman
Eby
PJ
Gatormade
Load max
Big tex
Kauffmans

All are flexible rankings to who could spec a trailer out to my needs.. Kauffmans is at the bottom cause your stuck with E brakes, and eye/slipper suspension
All the other have 3 brake and 3-4 suspension options
 
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A buddy of mine bought a 30 + 4 kaufmann. It ate all 8 tires and 2 wheel bearings in 500 mi, after 4 more wheel bearings he bought a new set of dexter axles.

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Well, Dad finished up the trailer. He ended up putting in a torque tube using a 14' piece of 6" sch 40 (roughly 6 5/8" O.D. and 0.28" wall thickness). He put in a piece of 8" structural C-channel at each end and tied it into the main frame rails. The difference it made is incredible...it definitely took the flimsy wobble out of the trailer!

Kindof odd...the guy who owns the trailer was on the phone with someone at Big Tex ordering replacement small parts and mentioned what we were doing. The guy at Big Tex warned strongly against putting in a torque tube, saying that it would weaken the trailer. My confidence level in them dropped another notch :(
 
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