I met a guy from MN who hauls up to 32 horses to Montreal and then picks up cars on the way back to MN in his custom built horse hauler

 

What's amazing is Tracer's bank keeps loaning money.

 

I haul steel coils in my dump trailer

 

Banks hate people who use cash. If you borrow and pay back, they will love you Naturally, they don't do it for free ... Speaking of banks, I just sent an email to the GE guy asking what the contract total and monthly payments would be for the new trailer. For now we just did a spec sheet with the Wilson dealer and got an approval in principle. I haven't signed on the dotted line yet because the dealer needs to take a look at my current step to determine the exact trade-in value... I"ll post his reply here so you guys can continue polishing your naysaying skills. BUT: if the deal smells funny, I'm not going to do it. Like I said, we just did the spec'ing. And the only reason I started this post was to talk about the new FLATBED SPECS. But so far not a single person said one word about the new trailer design itself!

 

Your post contained two pieces of info, the specs AND the fact that you're planning on buying a flat. Since you didn't specifically ask for comments on one or the other, it's reasonable to get feedback on either. Considering that flats are common and uncomplicated, it's not surprising that the bulk of the feedback is on the item that most surprises people; the decision. Besides, you did get some comments on the specs. Price and the fact that it's a new trailer are components of the spec and you got a few comments on that. Somebody with a lot of knowledge about operating in that region also advised that steel isn't nearly as durable. Sounds like a critique of the design to me.

 

So, you are not with DANA anymore? How come?

 

that's pretty cool.

 

Yeah but what else would we talk about?

I read book on stock trading a while back. I think it was "Market Wizards". Some of the discussion revolved around why so many people lose money trading stocks. One guy in particular consistently shot himself in the foot and lost money by doing the exact opposite of what his advisor told him to do. Finally one day, the advisor asked him if he wanted to make money or not. The trader's answer was no, he just wanted to fool around. Apparently, the client/trader didn't have a very good relationship with his wife and resented the fact that she spent the money that he earned from employment. His solution was to lose it in the stock market, which seemed a better alternative to him than giving it to his wife. The advisor concluded that everyone gets what they want out of life.

 

Something's wrong with our load board All the high paying FLAT loads are gone and the top positions are taken by either SD or DD trailers. What the heck? I'm telling you just last week I saw a whole bunch of loads paying over 4 bucks per mile and they did NOT require a step. Now I see stuff like this:

Origin: USA
Destination: Western Canada
Load: tracked equipment
Dimensions: 24 ft long x 12 ft wide x 10 ft tall (needs a step!)
Weight: 46,000 lbs
Miles: 2,700
Revenue: $10,500 (incl. permits)

OK, so it does need a step. The tricky part about this load is that this machine can only be put on the lower deck. 10'1" axle spread does not work very well in Western Canada, so to haul 46,000 lbs legally - without overloading the trailer axles - the only way to go is to have a TRIDEM. But the agent who posted the load just wrote 'SD' for step, instead of 'SD3' for 'three axle stepdeck. Agents know little about what trailer is required for the job and you cannot trust dimensions and weight posted on the load either.

 

Tracer, why would you think that a piece 24' long would require a spread axle? There's more than enough room on the lower deck to load a 24' long piece of equipment on a closed tandem trailer and scale it. Look at your tare weight(s)...the proof is there.

One thing I haven't seen you include in your new trailer thoughts is when you either slide an axle forward or purchase a spread axle you automatically transfer more weight to the rear of the trailer. Have you done your math on this? How much weight do you think will come off your drives when you open up the spread on your newly proposed trailer?