How to regularly move 12,000 of equipment?

[john_bud]

Hi, thought I'd tap the brain trust and see what options people have to move a 12,000 piece of equipment around.

14' long 6' tall 70" wide and 12,000#.


Options? Opinions?

jb

 

[Egon]

Low boy gooseneck/fifth wheel rated at about 15K+ with three axles and a 3500 series in front.

Ramp of your choice.

 

[RobS]

Loading and unloading may have some bearing on your decision. Wheeled? Tracked? Other? Do you want it enclosed or open? How often are you moving it? Already have a suitable tow vehicle or not?

 

[Kahuna]

I bought a goose neck trailer last year, a similar one would fit your needs. It is a 25 foot flatbed with a 5 foot dove tail and three fold down ramps (commonly called a 25 and 5). The trailer has two 10,000 pound axles for a 20,000 gross weight. The trailer is 6000 empty so that would give you a net load of 14,000 pounds. If height is a concern (legal height in IL is 13.5 feet) a low boy version is available but will only lower the deck by about 6 inches and cost you a bit more. The standard height trailer would be in the $6500 range.

I am in south central Illinois and if you are looking for a good buy on a trailer, people go to Sikeston, MO (about 120 miles south of St. Louis on I 55) where there are several manufacturers. I paid $6500 for my trailer and similar one at a local dealer was over $10,000. They will do custom orders too, we had a few more supports added to ours and upgraded to the LED lights.

 

[RobS]

Here ya go, up to 15,000 pounds:

Lift-a-Load Elevating Platform Trailers and Lo Riser Inclining Platform Trailers by The Advance Metalworking Co., Inc.

 

[Diamondpilot]

John

Like the others have said. I have a 3 axle trailer with 8,000 pounders under it and a 1 ton diesel truck that I would not be afraid to do this job with. I pull it loaded to the max a few times a year. The folks at Sikston have the best prices period. I got mine from there and live 6 hours away. They brought it all but the last 75 miles for $75. I could not drive down and back for that. Bought it over the internet and phone and they set up the delivery with only a deposit. I meet the driver at a truck stop and hitched it up to my truck, gave him a Cashiers Check for the balance, and we did the paperwork. Smooth transaction and good people. The trailer was about 40% more back home, same brand and everything, just cut out the middle man buying from the factory.

Chris

 

[hosejockey2002]

Depends on how often and how far. Occaisonal short moves, a 1 ton dually with gooseneck trailer. Every day and longer distances, I'd go for a single axle day cab Class 7 truck with trailer or a 26K or better GVWR ramp truck. Better yet, for construction work a 5 yard single axle dump. IMO it would get too expensive wearing out pickup trucks towing that kind of weight all the time.

 

[hudr]

Getting a trailer to haul that regularly is no big deal. I wouldn't put a 1 ton under that every day. Something like a 4500 Chevy would certainly last a lot longer. A 1 ton truck is still considered light duty. Remember all the hot shot rigs in the 80's? Those trucks (yes, I know improvements have been made) were not designed for that kind of duty cycle. It really wasn't so much a power issue. The trannies, rear ends and wheel bearings just weren't designed for that kind of stress over that kind of mileage.
But once again, are we talking every day? Or maybe just once a month?

 

[Builder]

Hi, thought I'd tap the brain trust and see what options people have to move a 12,000 piece of equipment around.

14' long 6' tall 70" wide and 12,000#.


Options? Opinions?

jb

With only that information, there's lots of options.

Need to know frequency it will be moved, how far the trip will be and what the piece of equipment actually is to narrow the choices down.

 

[john_bud]

Guess I was too scant in the information areas.

I am investigating getting into some land clearing, to go along with food plot development and pasture renovations. The "problem" is that any decent equipment for clearing is heavy. 12,000# is about the practical minimum. It would be for short (10-50 mile) day hauls.

Right now I have a 12k trailer (18') and a 3/4 ton duramax to pull with. That won't do. So, a much larger larger truck and trailer is needed.

It's probably just going to remain a pie in the sky idea as the equipment cost is way out there and the support equipment (truck, trailer, fuel hauling, etc) adds a major layer to it.

 

[wushaw]

Early to mid 90's day cab class 6 or 7 single axle truck can be had for cheap and the appropriate low boy trailer to do the carrying.

 

[jdbower]

I've always wanted to see someone driving around with an International XT Series Used I think they're not much worse than a decent new pickup, $40-50k or so.

 

[Builder]

Guess I was too scant in the information areas.

I am investigating getting into some land clearing, to go along with food plot development and pasture renovations. The "problem" is that any decent equipment for clearing is heavy. 12,000# is about the practical minimum. It would be for short (10-50 mile) day hauls.

Right now I have a 12k trailer (18') and a 3/4 ton duramax to pull with. That won't do. So, a much larger larger truck and trailer is needed.

It's probably just going to remain a pie in the sky idea as the equipment cost is way out there and the support equipment (truck, trailer, fuel hauling, etc) adds a major layer to it.

12K probably falls above the realistic GCWR of a 3/4 ton, but not by much.

I'm guessing you think you need a bigger truck because you need bed space for tolls, debris from clean-up, etc. The way I started was with a 1979 IH S-1700 4x4 dump with a gas engine. I bought a trailer and towed my Ford 555 backhoe with it. That worked great because I could get the truck across wet pasture & across trails to me barn building projects.

Start out with old equipment and see if you can make a go of it with your business. If thigs work out, you'll be in newer equipment within a few years.

You can get a very serviceable used dump for $7,000, a used trailer for $2,500. I don't know what piece of land clearing equipment you're looking for.

 

[PBinWA]

I've always wanted to see someone driving around with an International XT Series Used I think they're not much worse than a decent new pickup, $40-50k or so.

They're around $90K around here:

Trucks For Sale at TruckPaper.com

 

[john_bud]

Builder - Rayco C87 Loader version with forestry mower. Also a grapple, root rake and maybe a shear. That would be all that is needed to clear. I have tractors and attachments for working the ground. It's just clearing off the stuff over 1.5-2 inches. It's rough on smaller tractor attachments.

The economy sort of makes it a spooky time to even consider it .

jb

 

[Builder]

Builder - Rayco C87 Loader version with forestry mower. Also a grapple, root rake and maybe a shear. That would be all that is needed to clear. I have tractors and attachments for working the ground. It's just clearing off the stuff over 1.5-2 inches. It's rough on smaller tractor attachments.

The economy sort of makes it a spooky time to even consider it .

jb

If you do decide to buy the Rayco C87, just get a dump & trailer that's adequate to get the job done. Let's face it, when starting a business, you can't spend $200,000 on equipment and expect to be able to make the payments and make a profit. The truck & trailer are just needed to get your "tool" to the jobsite. You can always upgrade in a few short years if things go well.

As far as the economy goes, I know what you mean, but if it keeps getting worse, you're going to see a lot of cheap equipment available for sale from businesses going under. You got to look at it as an opportunity, too.

 

[john_bud]

Yeah, there is a used C87 relatively local at a fair price. Has me thinking. Ya know? But all the other stuff gives me pause. I called around to some foresters and there were some guys doing this work, but they lost money and moved to greener pastures. Still some around, but not many.

What are some "good" choices for --> cheap but good <-- dump trucks in the correct size?

jb

 

[Builder]

Yeah, there is a used C87 relatively local at a fair price. Has me thinking. Ya know? But all the other stuff gives me pause. I called around to some foresters and there were some guys doing this work, but they lost money and moved to greener pastures. Still some around, but not many.

What are some "good" choices for --> cheap but good <-- dump trucks in the correct size?

jb

If you see guys fleeing the business you want to get into, that would give me reason to rethink.

Dump trucks? Ehhh, they're all decent. You'll be more affected by the previous owners' level of care than any particular brand being better than another.

IH, GMC & Ford make a nice, basic, easy to care for chassis.

You definately don't need a CDL-size truck, heck, you might be able to get by with a smaller dump, a 450 or 550, a GMC 3500HD, etc.

Just get the best bang for the buck and forget brand loyalty.

 

[john_bud]

I was looking at flat bed dumps and regular flatbeds and dumps.

I don't get the comment that I don't need a CDL type truck. (must be slow) If the truck weighs 10,000 and the equipment is 12,000 and it rides on the truck, then I get it. But if I buy a 10 ton dual tandem axle trailer, boom even a ford ranger pops it into CDL turf.

jb

 

[wushaw]

I was wondering about that one also....