"You have 48 different sets of rules and applications to apply," Bill Staddon, sales and product manager of Etnyre Trailers, told ROADS & BRIDGES. "Just about the moment you think you have things figured out in a given region is when a state changes it and you go back to square one and start all over."
And there is more than one side to every square. On top of the difference among states, the highway construction industry also is forcing manufacturers to take another look at their product. Machines carrying more weight and height are calling for lighter trailers as to not to exceed weight restrictions. Staddon uses excavators as an example. In order to meet the demands, Etnyre has had to "skinny the deck height down to lower the height." "That allows us to stay within the legal parameters," said Staddon. "Over the last five or six years, the industry has driven us to the lighter empty weights."
The tradeoff is safety.
"What has happened is the safety factors in the trailors have been reduced," he added. "It isn’t right. We don’t have the same kind of trailer we had 20 years ago. It’s not as heavy and there isn’t as much mass material in it. If the safety factors are reduced, guess what happens? It breaks."
As a way of dealing with the weight issue, Staddon sees more and more companies going with spread axle trailers in the near future.
"That appears to be much more popular," he said. "If you had four axles consecutively maybe (states) would only give you 20,000 lb an axle, and if you spread them apart they might give you 25,000 lb an axle."
Spreading their wings
Giving machine rides for Etnyre, Oregon, Ill., is the Blackhawk Series of 35- and 50-ton production series trailers and the Falcon Series of live bottom trailers.
Standard features of the Blackhawk lowbed line include the non-ground bearing gooseneck with over 32 in. of vertical travel on the 84-in. gooseneck radius models and over 38 in. on the 108-in. gooseneck radius models.
The 50-ton models are 8 ft, 6 in. wide and include a 24-ft standard deck length, with optional deck lengths of 25 and 26 ft. The standard flooring is a full 11/2-in.-thick apitong, and 12-in. swinging and removable outriggers extend the width for wider loads.
Equipped with a Ridwell air suspension, the trailers come with 255/70R22.5 low-profile radial tires, 161/2-in. x 7-in. air brakes and a 2S/2M anti-lock brake system.
A full-length boom trough between the tires accomodates most excavators.
Etnyre has labeled its Falcon Series as "the fastest unloading live bottom trailers in the industry."
A 42-in.-wide conveyor belt, which is directly supported by the trailer frame, provides for quick unloading. The trailer also has a planetary reduction gear box with low friction features.
The units are designed to haul and unload larger aggregates, asphalt and recycled materials. Standard models are 31 ft and 41 ft.
Other features include 11R22.5 (G) radial tires and air brakes and an anti-lock brake system identical to the Blackhawk trailers.
New to Etnyre is the Hydraulic Removable Gooseneck Paver Special Lowbed Trailer and the Rear Loading Paver Special Trailer.
Far from extinct
Flow Boy, Norman, Okla., has entered the "Dumpasaurus" Age.
The "Dumpasaurus" trailer has a suspension design that allows all the wheels on the rear-most two axles to remain firmly planted on the ground at all times during the dumping cycle, providing increased stability.
The three-axle version, for use in areas where gross weight regulations allow for increased payloads, utilizes a premium grade of abrasive resistant steel imported from Europe called Hardox 400.
The half-round body shape creates a rigid structural design that allows sand, asphalt and demolition material to be loaded and carried.
The CB-5000 is the company’s newest addition to its advanced modified horizontal discharge semi-trailer line.
The trailer has the Flow Boy conveyor system with "load n’ lock" planetary drive retention system, and is "lighter, stronger, has less wind drag, better weight distribution and better axle tracking," according to the company.
With Eze
There are a lot of them out there. Trail-Eze trailers, Mitchell, S.D., offers a large and diverse group of carriers.
The SP30/35H spread axle hydraulic ramp trailer can meet federal bridge requirements to scale a full 80,000-lb gross legally.
As the rear axle slides back to a full 10-ft spread on the trailer, the tail rises to transport position. The distributed capacity on this model is 60,000-70,000 lb, while the concentrated capacity is 30,000-40,000 lb.
The trailer also comes with a 10-ft, 6-in. ramp with a 20-in. air approach, air-ride suspension and 121/4 x 71/2 air brakes.
Trail-Eze’s folding goosenecks can be converted from a winch-operated to a hydraulic-controlled unit. The neck lies flat on the ground, providing full length support for loading. The trailer comes with carrying capacities of 50,000-100,000 lb, a deck length of 17 to 21 ft and a deck width of 8 ft, 6 in.
Described as rugged and tough by the company, the hydraulic ramp series has a distributed capacity of 70,000 lb. The deck length is 40 to 48 ft and the width is 8 ft, 6 in. The trailer also features an 8-ft hydraulic ramp with a 4-ft fold under the tail.
A 50-ton detachable gooseneck trailer is specially made to haul heavy equipment. The load deck length is 22 ft and the width is 102 in., and the trailer also comes with a 12-ft x 8-in. detachable hydraulic neck. Axle spacing is 50 to 60 in.
Dumping sideways
The latest creation from Trail King, Mitchell, S.D., is the TK SSD Steel Side Dump Trailer, which is capable of dumping a load to either side of the trailer and is controlled by the driver inside the cab.
The TK SSD has a frame capacity of 60,000 lb and is manufactured in a two-axle and three-axle configuration. The tub length is 34 ft on the two-axle and 36 ft on the three-axle model.
A rounded bottom and angled corners in the tub eliminate the sticking of material during dumping. The rounded bottom also allows material to be thrown further and faster from the tub, according to the company.
Hydraulic support arms, a ‘V’-shaped alignment guide and no need of ground-bearing pads has improved the loading and unloading process on Trail King’s Hydraulic Detachable Gooseneck trailer.
The trailer is standard in capacities from 35 to 60 tons and offers a tapered deck option for loading paving equipment.
The TKBDU bottom dumps are manufactured using combination 100,000/ 80,000 psi high-strength steel in a one-piece, web-gusset design. An optional "highway package" offers additional weight savings of up to 600 lb.
Large gate openings, combined with nearly vertical hopper side walls, allow for complete dumping, according to Trail King, and the gate opening can be set at any one of seven settings for a variety of materials applications.
The TK SHR comes with an externally mounted inverted hoist, wide-spaced draft arms and an air-operated high-lift tailgate with 81 in. of dump clearance. Body lengths are 24 to 39 ft.
Marked for asphalt
In an attempt to stay close to asphalt paving equipment, Henderson Manufacturing, Manchester, Iowa, has created the Mark One Asphalt body.
The body incoporates a built-in asphalt lip that won’t hang up on paving equipment, and a sloped tailgate allows a clean material cut off on partially dumped loads, even at a 50° dump angle, claims Henderson.
The company also says the body "improves clearance of paver hoppers by up to 10 in. and nearly doubles extension into the hopper compared to standard dump bodies.
Rogers’ neighborhood
In the world of Rogers Brothers Corp., Albion, Pa., the Ultima Series trailers have been redesigned to accomodate longer, wider and heavier loads.
The line includes standard 35- and 50-ton capacity models, with the 50-ton model featuring four main beams.
Patented Croucher body styling enables the trailers to run low to the ground to clear overhead obstructions, according to the company, and a 12° approach angle makes the loading of oversized equipment safe and easy. A 30° riser simplifies loading onto the rear frame.
The trailers also come with Rogers’ No Foot non-ground engaging goosenecks, which faciliates deck height adjustments without a ram foot touching the ground. Swing clearances range from 80 to 98 in.
Air ride or severe duty spring suspensions create a stable ride with optimal load equalizing to satisfy axle weight regulations.
Useful tail
Landoll Corp. and the tail trailer—the two are attached. The Marysville, Kan.-based company announced the introduction of the Model 930, claiming it offers "the best in load distribution and useable deck space for the rental and construction industries."
The 35-ton, two-axle tail trailer is 48 ft long, 102 in. wide and comes with a traction plate and a 15,000 lb winch.
The Model 930 has a 12-ft tail that loads construction equipment from the ground at a 15° angle and can dock load to a maximum height of 58 in. The operator can control the tail tilt with one hydraulic function.
In the tub
A new round of bottom tub options is one of the main highlights for the new line of side dump trailers at SmithCo Mfg., Le Mars, Iowa. The tub option features a full-length, seamless, one-piece bottom design which "increases strength and improves the appearance over competitive designs."
A new side dump frame design is a fabricated I-Beam which uses a combination of 80/100 ksi yield strength steel. By combining T-1 steel flanges and engineering each frame beam to individual trailer specifications, SmithCo believes the maximum frame strength is achieved while minimizing trailer tare weight. Another highlight is the rear push-block, which is now a bolt-on attachment that allows removal or the ability to quick-change to push-block or pintle hitch options.
