Thinking about a 100% custom trailer idea for my construction company

[Wobblin-Goblin]

I do concrete foundations and everything I use to do them (footing planks and wall panels) is towed to jobsites on trailers behind my F-350 and Dodge 3500 dually. Some trailers are traditional bumper pull and some are gooseneck.

My 8' tall panels are towed on a gooseneck 12,000lb GVW tandem axle trailer. See picture of trailer below. What I don't like about this setup is you have to climb on to the trailer to grab each and every panel and at the end of the job you have to do it all again (climbing on to the trailer) to put the panels back into their cages. This is a wear point on our bodies and is time consuming.

Years ago, my father had this business and used a single axle 26k truck with a custom panel body to haul the panels. The racks were canted in slightly to use gravity to help hold the panels on the truck (there was also an angle iron that slipped over some hooks to keep the panels in place, but the cant did most of the work).

What I'd like to do is make a hybrid of the two systems: stay with a trailer, but go with the style body my dad's truck had with the panels canted in at the top. Here's the stickler, though, I'd like it to be a single axle dually gooseneck with no deck, just the frameworks (12,000lb. GVW).

There doesn't appear to be anything like that in existence. I've looked everywhere online and can't find one. If I could have one built, I'd finish it by fabbing our own body.

This clearly is a rare concept, but I think it would fit my needs perfectly. Anyone ever seen anything like it?

 

[MossRoad]

Something like this but only 1 dually axle?

 

[Wobblin-Goblin]

Something like this but only 1 dually axle?

View attachment 744247

Pretty much that, yes, but with a gooseneck.

 

[amhicks21]

I haven't seen that exact purpose built setup but a guy i know used to have a beverage truck that was converted to a form hauler. Have a look at beverage trailers. you'd have to cut quite a bit of stuff off and either convert to a 5th wheel or convert the trailer to goose neck but with the cost of steel and the amount of fabrication you'd have in to custom building something it might be a viable option. Otherwise, everyone else i know in my area runs knuckle boom trucks. I guess the one thing im not sure about is how much weight one of those beverage trailers would put on the truck since the axles are at the very back. Also, most of those would have air brakes so something would have to be done about that.

 

[4570Man]

I haven't seen that exact purpose built setup but a guy i know used to have a beverage truck that was converted to a form hauler. Have a look at beverage trailers. you'd have to cut quite a bit of stuff off and either convert to a 5th wheel or convert the trailer to goose neck but with the cost of steel and the amount of fabrication you'd have in to custom building something it might be a viable option. Otherwise, everyone else i know in my area runs knuckle boom trucks. I guess the one thing im not sure about is how much weight one of those beverage trailers would put on the truck since the axles are at the very back. Also, most of those would have air brakes so something would have to be done about that.

A beverage truck typically has a custom fabricated frame that’s 3 pieces and lower to the ground. They’re typically useless for conversions but for this use they could be ideal.

 

[Wobblin-Goblin]

Basically, I'm looking for the following:

1. Gooseneck trailer with GVWR of 12k
2. Single axle dually axle like you'd see on tandem dually trailers with 16in. wheels
3. 16' long frame from the vertical gooseneck supports to the back end of the frame with 4' of frame behind the trailer tires
4. I would finish the trailer by fabbing the structure that holds the panels and supplies

 

[dodge man]

What about goose necks I see for hauling large round hay bales two wide? I have no idea if that’d be a good starting point or not.

 

[Fxfymn413]

Most of the form companies around here have gotten away from a dedicated truck to haul forms and have gone to a roll-off body with the roll-off custom built to store the forms. It may be worth looking at one of the goose neck trailers that are designed to haul small dumpsters and then build a roll -off for that which will meet your needs.

Besides being able to leave the roll-off on the job it brings the forms down to ground level for easier handling.

 

[Xfaxman]

There doesn't appear to be anything like that in existence. I've looked everywhere online and can't find one. If I could have one built, I'd finish it by fabbing our own body.

What about goose necks I see for hauling large round hay bales two wide? I have no idea if that’d be a good starting point or not.

Some round bale GNs from an image search:

From Hay Trailers and Buggies - Gobob Pipe and Steel presents our Hay Trailers on Gobob Pipe.com

 

[Wobblin-Goblin]

Most of the form companies around here have gotten away from a dedicated truck to haul forms and have gone to a roll-off body with the roll-off custom built to store the forms. It may be worth looking at one of the goose neck trailers that are designed to haul small dumpsters and then build a roll -off for that which will meet your needs.

Besides being able to leave the roll-off on the job it brings the forms down to ground level for easier handling.

Except they are not easier to handle that way. They are significantly easier to handle when off the ground by about 12-16" or so. That's part of the problem with my current trailer. The bottom of the panels should be about a foot or more higher than where you are standing.