These heavy equipment transport trailers play an important role in towing huge and oddly shaped freight. Most industries such as defense, construction, and agriculture greatly depend on these trailers to transport heavy machinery.
When it comes to choosing trailers, there is a wide variety of options, each distinctly designed and constructed to accommodate specific purposes and various freight capacities. The key is to choose one whose capability matches your towing and delivery requirements.
Major Types of Heavy Equipment Transport Trailers
Flatbed Trailers
Flatbed trailers are the perfect option for towing compact loads. There are several reasons why these trailers are quite popular in the logistics industry. For one, they are extremely versatile and have a weight capacity of up to 48,000 pounds.
Generally, their length is between 48 to 53 feet. Therefore, they are capable of hauling cargo up to eight and a half feet long. Best of all, they have a flat, level surface, which means that your load can be safely loaded, secured, and unloaded upon arrival at its destination.
Cargo can be easily and quickly loaded from the rear end, sides, or tips. Unfortunately, this type of trailer doesn’t have a dropdown feature, so you will need loading docks, forklifts, and cranes to load your cargo during pickup. Some examples of cargo that can be loaded onto flatbed trailers are steel products, tubing, construction equipment, and agricultural equipment.
Removable Gooseneck Trailers
RGN trailers come with a hydraulic-powered gooseneck that can be detached from the main body of the trailer. Once disconnected, the front portion drops to the ground, forming a shallow slope that makes it easier to load and unload heavy equipment.
These Removable Gooseneck Trailers can secure your heavy cargo closer to the ground. They also offer an additional trailer option, which can extend the length of the trailer up to 74 feet, providing more space for huge cargo.
As a result, this can resolve any issues associated with height permits and limitations. Additionally, it will be easier to load the heavy cargo onto the trailer without requiring forklifts and cranes, making it an economical and safer option.
Removable Gooseneck Trailers are extremely versatile since they can be used for transporting various heavy and oddly shaped equipment. In fact, these RGN trailers are commonly used for towing loads such as off-highway trucks, mining machinery, boats, combined harvesters, as well as specialized vehicles. These trailers can also be used for transporting forklifts, tanks, and different types of construction materials and equipment.
Step Deck Trailers
Step Deck Trailers have several advantages compared to flatbed and RGN trailers. They are immensely versatile and capable of transporting a wide variety of heavy equipment.
Step Deck Trailers do not have restrictions on the roof or sides and can conveniently load cargo weighing between 45,000 lbs and 62,000 lbs. One of the greatest advantages of Step Deck Trailers is their ability to haul taller cargo without the need for additional permits.
This is because these trailers are mainly designed and constructed to carry heavy equipment lower down, avoiding problems with height restrictions. Additionally, being closer to the ground means there is no need to lift the forklift extremely high while loading or unloading freight from the trailer. This can make the loading process safer, more convenient, and easier.
Lowboy Trailers
Lowboy trailers come with low-riding platforms ideal for carrying tall loads. Unlike other trailers, which have a height of about 18 to 24 inches, lowboy trailers allow you to safely transport items that exceed the legal height limit without worrying about overhead clearances.
Nevertheless, these trailers can also be used for standard-sized loads. In the middle of the trailer’s bed is a well where tall cargo can be loaded. The surrounding surfaces can be used for loading other items as long as the trailer has not exceeded its maximum capacity. Extendable lowboy trailers are capable of extending the well for more space.
Dump Trailers
As the name suggests, dump trailers come with a hydraulic lever found at the bottom of the trailer bed, which is used for tilting the trailer backward and carefully dumping your load.
Additionally, all sides include enclosures, making them perfect for loading loose items such as job site waste or construction scraps. Almost anything can be hauled by a dump trailer, just like a flatbed trailer. It is a cost-effective option since it has a double-duty feature.
For instance, if you are hauling construction equipment between job sites, you don’t require any additional trailers. Some dump trailers include different options for loading gates which can make your specific load more secure. For instance, if you’re loading loose rocks, you can install a landscape spreader door so they can gradually roll out upon unloading.
What Is Heavy Haul?
Heavy hauling refers to using a specialized trailer to haul overweight or oversized cargo and deliver it to its intended destination. Heavy haul is something that should be considered when transporting oversized things or anything that is extremely heavy or wide.
These overweight items can vary from airplane parts to construction equipment. Furthermore, heavy hauling plays a significant role in most industries.
Heavy hauling is an important task and poses a great challenge for the driver. It is essential that the driver is well-experienced and has a steady hand. To learn more about heavy haul, let’s examine how to determine if it’s a heavy haul.
How To Determine If You Need a Heavy Haul
A heavy load refers to anything that exceeds the standard limit for cargo loads. Although these regulations can vary from one state to another, generally anything that goes beyond 80,000 pounds, 53 feet long, 13.6 feet in height, or 8.6 feet in width can be identified as a heavy load.
Loads that are extremely tall can be hauled by a step deck trailer, a removable gooseneck trailer, a lowboy trailer, or double drop hauls. These types of trailers specialize in transporting oversized cargo loads.
Although each of these trailers can accommodate various types of cargo in different methods, overall, each of them can be used for heavy hauling. Ultimately, there are many things that require the use of a specialized trailer, but for now let’s focus on construction equipment.
Different Types of Construction Equipment that Needs a Heavy Haul Trailer
Bulldozers
Heavy haul trailers must be used in hauling bulldozers since these are extremely heavy and large vehicles. Additionally, it would be exceptionally challenging to haul them if specialized heavy haul trailers were not used. The weight of a bulldozer is about tens of thousands of pounds. Additionally, they are excessively heavy and have an awkward proportion. That is why only a heavy haul trailer is capable of handling this type of cargo.
Cranes
Cranes are another type of construction equipment that must be hauled by a heavy haul trailer. Just like bulldozers, cranes are extremely large and have an awkward shape, aside from being excessively tall.
Since these are considered oversized loads, specialized trailers will be needed to transport them between job sites. Most likely, a specialized trailer designed for tall loads can carry a crane. Additionally, it would be quite impossible to move one without heavy haul trailers.
Backhoe
A backhoe is another type of equipment that looks similar to a crane. Just like the two vehicles mentioned above, a backhoe is extremely heavy and has an awkward shape, making it more challenging to transport. Usually, these pieces of equipment are commonly used for excavation, which is why they are large and complex vehicles.
Van Raden Industries LLC specializes in manufacturing and repairing heavy hauling vehicle trailers. If you require a heavy haul custom trailer, you can contact us at 503-288-7878 or write to us at wvanraden@aol.com.