Today’s construction site trailers are tough, versatile, and designed to meet the increasing demands of the job site as well as transportation regulations.
Talbert Manufacturing has endeavored to respond to the ever-changing needs of the industry—including regulatory changes—to help contractors meet compliance challenges and job site needs, notes Troy Geisler, vice president of sales and marketing.
As the transportation industry moves to meet evolving emission standards, contractors are seeing an increase in the weight of trucks and other equipment, he says.
“Trailers are an essential variable in the overall weight equation. To accommodate the added weight of truck and equipment, Talbert is designing trailers incorporating advanced technology and material to reduce weight, and we are working to find ways to better distribute the weight across all axles of truck and trailer.”
The company works with contractors to develop designs that meet their particular needs, says Geisler.
“No two trailers are alike,” he adds. “Where they haul, what they haul, and how they haul varies. We are constantly working with our designers and partners to develop custom solutions that address the individual needs of end-users that help them achieve maximum safety, compliance, and productivity.”
Talbert’s approach works up from a base model to take into account load to road variables. A recent example: the company’s traveling axle trailer design (TA Series) is based on end-user feedback.
Recent updates include adding a remote-controlled in-deck winch to the 50-ton Bus Hauler (50CC-BH), allowing users to load equipment from the front or rear of the trailer without assistance, addressing the need to haul a variety of equipment.
Talbert also reduced the center spread of its 55-ton Raised Center (55SA-RC) to 46 inches from the previous 48-inch center and shaved an inch off of the 15.5-inch loaded deck height to create greater versatility for those hauling smaller equipment.
Upgrades have been made to Talbert’s 55-ton Roller Paver (55CC-RP) to enhance load versatility and minimize permit costs.
“The trailer offers dual kingpin settings, which allow drivers to operate empty without a permit in states with 43-foot kingpin laws,” points out Geisler. “It also comes with longer ramps and other optional features that can be adjusted for equipment with various widths and heights to maximize versatility.”
The company’s most versatile trailer is the Talbert 60CC/55SA-LD, a hydraulic detachable gooseneck trailer featuring a non-ground bearing hydraulic gooseneck design, 108-inch swing radius, 26-foot deck length, and 8-foot, 6-inch deck width.
Its optional East Coast-style E1Nitro axle extension allows for 60-ton capacity with a close-coupled configuration or a 55-ton hauling capacity with a spread axle configuration.
The E2Nitro uses a combination of hydraulic fluid and nitrogen to equalize axle pressures, providing a proportionate weight distribution of each axle grouping, says Geisler.
The 60CC/55SA-LD allows users to operate as a 3+1 spread-axle with the E1Nitro and can also function as four-axle close coupled.
The design gives end-users flexibility to switch between configurations to meet differing hauling regulations, Geisler points out. While maintaining a 60-ton rating at half the deck length, the 60CC/55SA-LD offers a 6-inch ground clearance with an 18-inch loaded deck height.
The E1Nitro axle extension, which enables the 60-ton capacity, uses a combination of hydraulic fluid and nitrogen to equalize axle pressures, providing a proportionate weight distribution of each axle grouping.
“This optimizes the range of suspension movement, which minimizes stress and provides a smooth ride,” says Geisler. “Additionally, the E1Nitro features a bearing pivot and pivot lockout for backing the trailer.”
Users also can hydraulically lock in axle loads regardless of the terrain. The E1Nitro comes standard with two-speed dual landing gear for optimal stability when disconnected from the trailer.
“As loads get heavier and heavier and contractors expand their operating territories to cover more states, there’s greater demand for trailers that meet requirements in a variety of locations. We’ve eliminated that hassle and the extra expense of another trailer while offering additional versatility,” says Geisler.
“The versatility of this trailer and the functionality to switch between a close-coupled and spread-axle configuration gives operators the ability to meet the many varying state requirements. This added flexibility reduces costs by eliminating the need for additional permitting.”
To increase safety, durability, and return on investment, Talbert has designed its trailers with heavy-duty T-1 100,000-psi minimum yield steel for extreme durability and longevity.
Fontaine Heavy Haul manufactures low bed heavy haul trailers applicable to three different construction market niches: gooseneck style, rear-load hydraulic tail, and the Excaliber extendable flatbed.
Fontaine Heavy Haul recently conducted a study that revealed contractors want a trailer with a high degree of flexibility and that could be loaded and unloaded quickly. Some contractors are handling up to six hauls a day, says Greg D. Smith, vice president of marketing and business development for Fontaine Heavy-Haul.
“Obviously, time is money,” he adds.
Fontaine Heavy Haul gooseneck trailers are designed to be disconnected and reconnected on either flat level ground or uneven surfaces.
“The gooseneck comes in both hydraulic and mechanical detachable models,” says Smith. “Hydraulic tends to be for people who take the gooseneck on and off a lot. Mechanical tends to be where they are doing farther distance hauls and not having a requirement to disconnect and reconnect a gooseneck.”
Excavators are most commonly hauled on a hydraulic detachable gooseneck trailer, says Smith.
“The excavator is a tracked vehicle with a large crane boom—sometimes a knuckle boom—that folds underneath itself,” points out Smith. “You have to find a place on the trailer to be able to get it low so you can move the bucket around and be able to drive the excavator up on top of the trailer.
“You detach the gooseneck to make it as low-entry as possible and be able to position it on the deck. Then you reconnect the trailer, lift it up, and can fold the boom in such a way to get it so that the clearance of the boom will go underneath things as you are going down the road.”
Fontaine Heavy Haul recently introduced its Magnitude 55L, a hydraulic detachable gooseneck trailer with an 18-inch deck height designed to be used in either a three- or four-axle closed coupled condition.
The predominant haul for a mechanical detach trailer is an agricultural type load, such as a combine or cultivator, says Smith. “They oftentimes take the wheels and tires off and put them up on top of either the gooseneck platform or the rear bogie platform. They haul the product with the wheels off because they are big and bulky.”
A typical use for a hydraulic tail trailer is hauling rental equipment, says Smith.
Fontaine Heavy Haul’s hydraulic tail trailer is a rear-load style trailer with a hydraulic tail that flips out and provides a low angle. It has another hydraulic platform that raises from the deck up to the gooseneck.
It is commonly used to haul backhoes, light towers, and standby generators.
“Anything that a big rental company rents and they have to go out and drop them off or pick them up at a construction site and might haul a combination of equipment,” says Smith.
The typical load on the Excaliber extended flatbed is a bridge beam.
The extendable flatbed comes in different models.
“The deck portion of the trailer is maybe 29 feet closed and maybe 50 feet open, so typical use for them is to haul bridge beams,” says Smith. “A crane loads a bridge beam on top of the trailer as it’s fully extended and then they haul it to the job site, crane load the beam off, and collapse the trailer, which now makes it less than a 53-foot overall length. It can now meet federal highway standards for length and be driven back to wherever it’s at without having to be permitted.
Smith says contractors who purchase Fontaine Heavy Haul trailers are looking to keep them for many years.
“They are going to load it to the maximum and want to make sure they have a trailer that’s capable of lasting,” he says. “Our 55-ton trailer is designed to carry 55 tons every single day.”
Air-tow Trailers offers more than 30 models of trailers fitted with ground-loading technology designed for simple and safe loading of any type of equipment in any situation, notes Dakota Behr, a company spokesperson.
Trailers range from 8 to 16 feet long with payloads up to 12,000 pounds. Air-tow’s fenderless design gives the bed an extra-wide 75 inches of deck to accommodate multiple scissor lifts and other large equipment.
The trailers are available in flatbed, utility, enclosed, gooseneck, dump, and dock height models.
“Loading equipment that is difficult to maneuver or equipment with low ground clearance—even loading with a hand cart or dolly—can be a daunting task with traditional ramps or tilt-beds,” says Behr.
Air-tow’s deck lowers flat to the ground in less than 30 seconds.
“The load remains level throughout the whole loading process, so equipment stays right where you want it,” says Behr.
Air-tow trailers are also equipped with suspension systems consisting of swing-arm axles that are mounted with large tapered roller bearings and fixed to rubber springs.
“This rubber suspension can withstand severe shock loads at maximum capacity without bottoming out, which greatly reduces forces transmitted to the trailer frame and cargo,” says Behr.
“For a truly luxurious ride, you will want to upgrade to the air suspension system,” says Behr. “Instead of rubber springs, the swing-arm axles are fixed with pressurized airbags. This system automatically adjusts for the exact weight you are carrying. It even compensates for any side-to-side weight difference so you always have a level ride.”
The 3D drop-deck/dump has full dump capabilities and ground-level loading. The DH-10 dock height can be loaded on the ground or from any dock up to 60 inches high.
End-users seek a trailer that will both last a long time and get the job done, whatever that job may be, points out Behr.
“Air-tow trailers are certainly both tough and versatile,” says Behr, adding that the trailers are designed with all-steel construction for sturdiness and to help make the equipment they transport last.
The trailers are inherently versatile through a design that enables operators to load from the ground or curbside (even from a dock with the dock height model) in even the most adverse weather conditions without fear of injury or damage to equipment, says Behr, adding that it also can be safely loaded while uncoupled from a tow vehicle.
Jay Kulyk, president of the Rogers Brothers Corporation, notes that his company has designed in its trailer models a variety of features that enhance their capabilities and versatility
“For our Tag-Along Series trailers, we have recently introduced models with longer deck lengths—24 feet from the previous 22 feet—and our newly-designed EZ-AIR air-operated rear loading ramps which take the heavy lifting out of loading and unloading machinery.”
The company’s Ultima and CobraNeck Series detachable gooseneck trailers feature CobraNeck gooseneck design and the Gentle Riser deck design.
“Our CobraNeck gooseneck is the newest style of Rogers detachable gooseneck design and is the defining feature for the CobraNeck Series models that are available on trailers of 50-ton capacity and higher,” says Kulyk.
The non-ground bearing design utilizes a “hook and shaft” connection to secure the gooseneck to the trailer frame for transport that provides optimal durability and ease of operation.
“The CobraNeck also has the ability to adjust the gooseneck height easily without the need for shim blocks or tools,” says Kulyk. “Also part of the CobraNeck is the fact that the beam hooks on the front of the trailer frame are designed to be below the load surface of the front slope as opposed to hooks that stick up into the loading area of the front of the trailer deck, requiring the machine to be able to straddle the width of the hooks in order to load or unload from the trailer.”
The Gentle Riser deck design provides a 16- to 20-degree incline load area (depending on the model) from the trailer platform onto the rear frame of the trailer for easy access to additional load space.
“This feature allows the operator to carry multiple small to medium machines without sacrificing the capability to haul a single large machine when needed,” says Kulyk, adding that the Gentle Riser deck design is available with Ultima Series 35- to 65-ton-capacity trailers as well as CobraNeck Series 50- to 65-ton-capacity trailers.
Towmaster designs its trailers on a stout frame and offers a limited lifetime warranty on the frame against materials and workmanship.
“This gives contractors the confidence our trailers will haul what we rate them at,” notes Shane Zeppelin, Towmaster’s marketing manager.
While Towmaster trailers can be both versatile and tough, “we find contractors want a trailer to haul specific equipment,” says Zeppelin. “While most trailers can haul several different types of equipment, people buy a trailer to haul the equipment they specialize in.
“But if a trailer isn’t built strong and it breaks down, that can cost money. If you’re unable to haul your equipment to the job site, you aren’t making money on that equipment. Versatility is okay, but durability is king.”
“Any time you’re moving material more than a mile, it makes more sense to do it with trailers than it does excavating equipment,” says Andy Grylls, sales manager of the Western United States for Manac.
Manac manufactures a complete line of dump trailers, including bottom and end. They’re designed to be strong yet lightweight, run with specific truck types, and feature an optimal strength-to-weight ratio.
For contractors getting paid by the ton more than the load, Manac trailers provide more tons per load, notes Grylls.
The company’s end dump trailers are designed to flow out of the bottom rather than to dump one side or the other, which could cause the trailer to turn over, says Grylls.
Manac’s trailers can haul anything from small aggregates such as pea gravel to riprap and boulders, Grylls says.
The dump trailers feature heavy-duty materials and suspension components as well as high-end 16-ply tires that come standard on equipment along with 11R24.5.
Manac uses marine-type epoxy paint coating from PPG.
“We use reverse impact primers so that when they load the inside of the trailer, those large boulders that hit the inside of the trailer don’t pop the paint off on the outside,” notes Grylls.
The company’s half-round end dump trailers are constructed with bolt-on shock-mounted fenders, a high lift tailgate with an 87-inch opening, and a front nose and tailgate made of Hardox and AR 450 steel.
They also feature a 12-inch-by-4-inch top rail made of high-strength steel with an integrated shredder, an 8-inch five-stage trunnion-mounted hoist, an oscillating coupler plate, heavy-duty outboard mounted draft arms, and internally stiffened extra-wide body braces.
The trailers are 102 inches wide with 25,000-pound-capacity axles.
The newest trailer models offered by XL Specialized Trailers are the 110 Low-Profile HDG 15-inch loaded deck height and the 110 HDE Mini-deck.
“Both of these models offer some of the lowest loaded deck heights in the industry,” says Garet Earles, regional sales manager at XL Specialized Trailers. “The XL 110 HDG’s 15-inch is the lowest flat deck, standard package, 55-ton construction lowboy offered currently. Usually, it takes a drop side style deck to achieve a 15-inch loaded deck height on a 55-ton capacity trailer, but we have been able to achieve that deck height with a deck that is the same height all the way across.”
The 110HDE Mini-deck is designed as a low-loaded deck height 55-ton extendable lowboy, offering a 15-inch loaded deck height.
“This trailer is easy to open and close, as the deck operates on rollers and the 110 HDE Mini-deck has the ability to connect a booster to achieve a 3+1 axle configuration with optional kingpin or manual force steering to maneuver in tight situations,” says Earles.
“Trailers need to be tough on the job site but light on the road, so a balance is required,” adds Earles. “Lighter trailers provide the ability to carry higher weight payloads compared to a heavier trailer with the same axle configuration, giving customers a leg up in payload capability.”
