Hot Shot Hauling and Full-size Backhoe

[RayCo]

I love the spectacle of the hot shot haulers I see on the road. There's something quite satisfying about seeing a "one ton" truck hauling three or four other vehicles. Man, light duty pickup trucks sure have come a long way. But, it makes me wonder why it is that I never see these "civilian" trucks hauling something such as a Case 580 Super L. That's always pulled by a class 6 dump truck or greater. Per Case specs, a Super L in its heaviest configuration is 15,761 pounds. With modern duallies having rated capacities of over 30,000 pounds, I'm surprised I've yet to see this combination.

 

[deezler]

I always chuckle at the sight of a normal-ish pickup hauling 4 cars, too. Of course a lot of the time the truck is actually a F450 or Ram 5500.

As far as backhoes, well thats not really a hot-shot type of load, is it. It's a local transport, and it makes sense that you might also need a dump truck for such a job.

But my other thought is the type of trailer. Behind a backhoe you just have a pintle hitch. A "pickup" truck can't haul a backhoe purely on the bumper - you would need a gooseneck trailer, which becomes a bit more specialized and expensive.

Nonetheless, in farm country you do see a lot of pickups transporting large equipment from fields/farms using gooseneck setups. I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to move a backhoe the same way if needed.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

You could, with a modern 1 ton and a gooseneck legally haul a backhoe within manufacturers limits, but it’s going to be cdl territory. Most hotshotters are non-cdl. I could haul one within 150 miles of my farm legally, and I’m non-cdl. But i have no need. I plumb and pull a mini x and have to stay 26k or under, as my farm tags dont cover non ag hauling. I personally know an a guy that digs for plumbers and builders with a case 580. He pulls with a f350 srw/goodeneck And has for 20 plus years. He does have his cdl though.

 

[Hay Dude]

I talked to a guy yesterday who had just started hot-shotting for a living. After talking to him for about 10 minutes, I knew he wouldn’t last in the business.
He had a new Ram 2500 Cummins, very loaded with luxury. Behind it, he was towing an all-aluminum EBY gooseneck dual tandem flatbed. He paid $50,000 for it! It was the nicest trailer I’ve ever seen. So he’s got about $125,000 rolling down the road and NO CDL. So his legal payload limit was only 8,500lbs.

Now how’s anyone going to make a living and make those payments?
Hope he’s got a rich girlfriend!