Category Archives: hauling

Buying a trailer for hauling your heavy equipment

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A trailer is an unpowered vehicle towed by a powered vehicle. It is commonly used for the transport of goods and materials. There are different types of trailers for carrying equipment. The choice of trailer depends on the size and weight of the heavy equipment. While selecting the trailer one should also consider the purpose, type, brand, price, future maintenance and quick availability of replacement parts.

Hauling of heavy vehicles such as cars, trucks, bulldozers, excavators, and heavy equipment is not an easy task. It is necessary to choose the right type of trailer with a proper payload capacity. It requires careful planning and execution in order to be successful. If care is not taken then it will lead to accidents and loss of heavy equipment.

 

A special type of trailer called as Lowboy trailer (LT) is used in securing of heavy equipment. It is a low bed trailer or a semi trailer that has two height drops in the deck and sits very low to the ground. According to Entertainment Transportation Network Inc, a lowboy or double-drop trailer refers to a type of flatbed trailer that has a well or middle section that is of lower height. They are very low and flatter and, are legally allowed to carry load upto 12 ft in height. They are also called as Heavy Haul Trailers since carry bulldozers, industrial machines and other hefty material. They are popular in Canada, South Africa and Australia.

 

Lowboy trailer comes in several types for a wide range of tasks such as the Fixed Gooseneck (FGN), Hydraulic detachable gooseneck (HRGN), Mechanical detachable gooseneck (MRGN) and mechanical folding gooseneck (MFGN). Among these the HRGN is the fastest and easiest to detach and is most common and versatile of lowboy trailers. Thus, choosing from different types of lowboy trailers may be helpful for hauling heavy equipments. Some additional things may be also considered while purchasing a LT, such as the electronic brake controller, spare tires and tire carrier, lighting accessories, proper hitch hardware, trailer ball, taillight protector, trailer utility rack, ball mount, pin, clip, and coupler lock, and receiver tube.

 

Only trained and experienced drivers should secure load safely and operate the hauling of equipment. The load should not exceed the trailer or the truck capacity. The load should be secured and distributed properly over the trailer before it leaves the place. In US, securing of heavy equipment falls under the regulatory requirements of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) when transporting across the borders. Hence, one needs to be familiar with regulatory requirements to allow smooth transport of the equipment.

 

Overall LTs are expensive and only fit to carry heavy cargo material. Hence rather than purchasing a new one, one can even buy a used LT. The price range for used LT is based on year of manufacture, make, size type and general condition. One should choose the right type of trailer to save money and time. It will make reliable business and lead to less of frustration in future.

How to move heavy equipment on a low boy trailer?

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When you are done with your work in a construction site, the next thing that you do is move the machine to another site. You are always in the need of heavy equipment in all your sites as long as you have your projects running. Therefore, it is very important that you always keep the machines on move whenever they are done with one site or are sitting idle. At the same time, you also have to be ultra cautious when you are loading the machine in a trailer and moving it to a different place. So while loading the machine on the trailer, you need to check if the surface of the trailer is indeed low or else it may some cause damage to the equipment. In numerous occasions, while loading the equipment on the trailer, a side of the equipment gets dented by brushing across the edgy surface of the trailer. The problem is not that the machine was not lifted properly but the real issue is with the height of the trailer. The deck of the trailer needs to be extremely low so that while loading the machine, it does not come in contact with the deck of the trailer and thus avoid any sort of damage.

The lowboy trailer is one such trailer whose deck is not much up from the ground and allows carrying load up to 12 feet. Equipment this tall can’t be ferried on other trailers. Heavy equipment like bulldozers, excavators and other heavy duty equipment are hauled using a lowboy trailer. The first lowboy trailer was made somewhere around 1920s. It had a riveted gooseneck and the tires of the equipment were of solid rubber.

It is not advisable to load heavy equipment without the supervision of an expert. This will simply ruin the equipment and what you’ll get is just scrap. There are lot of accidents happened just because of improper loading of machines. For instance, if you are loading an excavator, then you have to first pull the excavator’s bucket and then lower it. If you fail to lower it down, you will only invite some very serious problem. It is recommended that you first put the boom facing the back of the trailer and the bucket of the excavator attached below the boom.

Other than that, it is equally important to chain the heavy equipment properly. If it is loosely chained, then there are high chances that it might just slip away on the road while the trailer is on the move. It may cause to very serious accidents. There are also chances of it hitting the vehicles coming from behind as they may not anticipate a disaster like this to happen.

Concurrently, check the weight of the machine before you load them on the trailer. If you overload the trailer with machines that it can take, then it will be a cause of worry. Avoid overloading the trailer and that will help in safeguarding the machine as well as increase the life of the trailer.

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Top 10 hauling questions for heavy equipment

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Transporting heavy equipment from one to another is a big headache for the construction company. At the same time, they also can’t keep the machine idle in one place when they already need the machine in some other site. The reason why many find hauling heavy equipment as a difficult job is because that kind of work requires 100% accuracy. You just can’t afford to do a single error and if there is an error, the consequence of that could be immense. There have been numerous instances of accidents that have taken place due to improper loading of machines and while it is hauled, either the chain breaks loose or it tilts to the front of the trailer leading to some or the other complications.

Loading of heavy equipment should always be done under the supervision of an expert. You being a layman may not know the correct way to load the machine and haul to the new destination. An expert on the other hand will provide his expertise on this issue and will ensure that the loading is done properly and it can be hauled without endangering anyone’s lives. Alternatively, the expert also understands the capacity that can be hauled and will never advise you to tow anything that exceeds the designated limit. Alternatively, please ensure that you have the right guy to drive the vehicle for you. If you hand over the work of hauling heavy equipment to a driver who has been driving only SUVs then he may not be the right choice for you.

We would be jotting down few important questions that often arise in the mind of a newbie.

The most generic question that people have is to know the towing capacity of the vehicle and where can they know about the limit.

The best way to know about this is to check the user manual. You’ll get the information there.

People want to know about the functions of trailer signal wiring?

It is nothing but a device which will work exactly the way as it works when you stop your car. It just emits light signaling the car behind you that the trailer is to stop now.

What do we exactly mean when we say payload rating and what is vehicle weight rating?

It is simply the weight of the trailer without any substance or thing on it.

Trailer has anti-sway control, what is that?

It is an electronic sensor system that signals the driver if the trailer is moving exactly behind the driver. If not, brake pressure can be applied to bring it in line.

How can an oil cooler system assist in towing heavier weight?

It becomes cumbersome for the engine of the trailer to pull extra weight and it tends to become hot in short span. Therefore, the automakers provide a package of oil cooler system that enables to cool the heat in the engine and allows the trailer to pull more weight.

Where can a person weigh his trailer?

You can weight it in any repair shop or go to a truck dealer/truck stop to do so.

Integrated Trailer Brake Control, what is it?

It is an advanced system that not only put brakes on the vehicle that you’re driving but also brake the trailer.

Switching the transmission to “tow” or “haul” mode. How does it help?

This quality of the vehicle will pay off for road steepness and eventually lets the vehicle consume less fuel.

Heavy duty rear differential helps us a long way while towing, How is that possible?

The larger or heavier rear differential helps the truck to tow heavy loads. The heavier rear differential can take the pressure coming from the axle and from the load thus helps the truck to pull more loads.

Why vehicles with diesel engines are used to tow heavy vehicles?

Diesel engines don’t have high hp but have torque figures that tell the weight a vehicle can tow.

How expensive will be the maintenance of vehicle that indulges in hauling heavy things?

Ideally, it should not be expensive if the vehicle is maintained at regular intervals. However, if it’s not done then the costs could be higher.