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Dock height trailer..

SeymourDumore

Diamond
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
Location
CT
Guys

Can someone please point me to a place where I could possibly find a trailer that fits ALL of the following:

Flatbed, deckover
Loading dock height
Pintle connection, compatible with standard pintle hitch on a standard receiver
20' to 24' long
14,400# capacity


I may be Google-retarded, but can not find anything of a sort...

And yet!!!

Just today I've passed one on a very busy highway on-ramp, that was towed by a plane-jane RAM 2500.
It was empty and at least 30' long, but it was EXZACTLY what I need in every bit other than the length.
I could not find any marking on it, but it was not at all home-made looking in any way.
In fact at a quick glance it looked like something made by Cam Superline.
No beaver tail, no tilt bed, no ramp attachment. Rather, it was exactly what a flatbed tandem big-rig trailer would look like, but for "little" rigs.
It had 2 axles in the middle, and had manually cranked support legs on font and back.
 
What do you consider dock height? For large trucks and trailers it is usually about 54". I don't ever recall seeing a pickup sized trailer that tall.

If you just want a deck-over at a more reasonable height for a pickup, I know they are made by PJ (company post sale quality suspect), as well as other manufacturers.
 
What do you consider dock height? For large trucks and trailers it is usually about 54". I don't ever recall seeing a pickup sized trailer that tall.

If you just want a deck-over at a more reasonable height for a pickup, I know they are made by PJ (company post sale quality suspect), as well as other manufacturers.

PJ lists exactly what Seymour wants, but 33" high. I posted a link here last night, don't know what happened to a few posts including mine.
 
Yeah, sorry about the double thread start ...:dopeslap:


Yupp, the one I saw was an honest-to-god dock height ( 47-50-ish inches ) trailer, even had the ICC bar.

A standard deckover won't do as I'll need to load and unload pallets with the pallet jack, and
ride the forklift onto this to drag off up-to 24' long extrusions as well as to side load with another lift.

If it wasn't for the congestion the other day, I would have chased down that truck/trailer guy and ask where he got it from.
 
Did it have 22.5 wheels or 15"or16" wheels with a lot of space above the tires? I've looked at a lot of trailers but have never seen one like you describe so far.
The 2 sets of landing gear and the height makes me think it was a special purpose rig custom built. I've seen box bodies with jacks like that that can be detached from the truck.
 
Those Gator pintle trailers look close, but this one had larger wheels, just like the big rig tandems do, little space between platform and top of tires.
Also, the axles were much more in the middle rather than near the tail end.
 
They are probably expensive, but there are low trailers that raise to dock height.

Lo Riser and Lift-a-Load Trailers by Advance Metalworking – Lo Riser Inclining Platform Trailers (tilt-bed trailers) and Lift-a-Load elevating platform trailers (drop deck trailers) manufactured by The Advance Metalworking Company

Google Image Result
 
A guy brought a new rider floor scrubber to our warehouse with a pretty neat trailer. I don't know who made it but it was pretty slick. the axles were hydrualic. he could set the deck flat on the ground or raise to dock hight. Said it was a must of delivering floor sweepers and scrubbers, becuase they can handle hardly any ramp angle at all and some places only have docks (no ground level door). I bet it cost a bunch though.

Here is something like what he had.
 

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Those Gator pintle trailers look close, but this one had larger wheels, just like the big rig tandems do, little space between platform and top of tires.
Also, the axles were much more in the middle rather than near the tail end.

I'm sure that they can make those simple changes.

But why would you want 22.5 or 24.00 tires ?
 
A guy brought a new rider floor scrubber to our warehouse with a pretty neat trailer. I don't know who made it but it was pretty slick. the axles were hydrualic. he could set the deck flat on the ground or raise to dock hight. Said it was a must of delivering floor sweepers and scrubbers, becuase they can handle hardly any ramp angle at all and some places only have docks (no ground level door). I bet it cost a bunch though.

Here is something like what he had.

oh, those are $22,000 trailers
 


Doo you have experience dragging a trailer like that - with a pintle? (or ball)

If I never have another heavy trailer hooked to my bumper aggin - that will be just fine.
Goose or 5th all the way!

Puting your load 2' higher than "normal" will only compound any fwd/bkwd gee and haw.
A longer deck will help with that.
I have a 30' deck, and I would still have that - even if I knew that I would never haul anything over 15' long - as long as it was still going to be that heavy.

A trailer with 14,400 net will have a 20K gross.
That's a lot to have hooked on back there!
(And I don't trust rear hitches anyhow)
That will be a case of tail waggin' the dog.


------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
Doo you have experience dragging a trailer like that - with a pintle? (or ball)


Puting your load 2' higher than "normal" will only compound any fwd/bkwd gee and haw.

That will be a case of tail waggin' the dog.


------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

That's true, but my main concern is the ability to get shit into my shop.

The extrusion bundles I get are ranging from 12' to as long as 24' in lengths.
Up-to 15-16' long, I have no problem slinging it in the middle and get through the 10' overhead door.
Anything over that requires some serious finesss and juggling with forklifts inside and out while moving around multiple dollies.
I don't know how much space you guys have inside your buildings, but lemme tell you, it ain't that easy to swing around with a 24' long bundle of #2000 load in mine.

With the trailer, I can load it at the customer's site that's only a few miles from me and drag back only what I need at one time.
OR
Offload the full semi ( typically #30K or more ) in my lot, cover it and use the trailer as a dock extension to bring in stuff if/when/as needed.

Basically the #14K load rating is not for a full load to haul, rather that so I can drive onto it with the forklift and drag the bundles inside.
 
Is there another way to skin that cat? I realize PM is notorious for answering questions not asked, but would you consider an alternative? How about buying a cheaper used standard trailer and building a 2' high platform on it just for that use? Maybe add some trailer landing gears front and rear? Doubt it would be all that much heavier total than the trailer with 22.5" axles under it, and you could even make the platform removable for other purposes.
Sorry, just had to belch this one out. :)

Edit - More twaddle - For that matter you could jack the platform/dock up on the landing gears and drive the trailer out from under it when not needed and leave the dock in place to unload at your convenience.
 
Mud

By the time I build a platform heavy enough to take the abuse a forklift with load can dish out, I'll be a much, much older man than I am now.
However, thinking of a different way of skinning a cat ...

Yes, I'd loose the road worthiness - as in will not be road legal - but.
How'bout getting a semi flatbed trailer ( 24' ish range ) with a trailer dolly that's hacked to fit a pintle?

Won't go for pickups with it, but can be moved around on the lot and out of the way when not needed.
It surely will have the weight capacity and will not task the truck or the hitch at all.
 








 
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