Let's play guess the weight.

   / Let's play guess the weight. #1  

podagrower

Silver Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
217
Location
Eustis, FL
Tractor
NH TC 40
I don't know the answer, so there is no prize, sorry.

One of our local companies is a concrete manufacturer. They make concrete beams, poles, and bridge sections. Ordinarily, they move the large stuff (like bridge sections) at night, to avoid messing up local traffic during the day. Lately, they have been hauling near our house, during the day, and I have been caught up in the parade twice so far. I would love to get a picture of one of these rigs, but can't get far enough back to get a decent picture.

Heavy haul semi, 2 drive axles + a tag axle, trailer starts there (like you would expect), with 5 axles (all dual tandem), then about 75' of trailer with another 5 axle setup. All the way at the end is a little platform with a steering wheel. I don't know how much you can move the rear trailer axles. So, if you kept count in your head, that's 52 wheels on a big rig!!! Anybody wanna put in a guess for what these rigs weigh?

I had wondered what was tearing up the shoulder of the road near me, and after I got caught in the parade the other day, I realized it was because these guys can't make the corner. And they're using 6 lanes to corner.
 
   / Let's play guess the weight. #2  
An 18 wheeler can legally gross 80,000 pounds on a 9 ton road. A 9 ton road means 9 tons per axle. I'm not sure how the front tractor axle is figured, since it's not a dual. Anyway, 80,000# is the legal limit here in Minnesota. Count the axles, multiply by the ton limit of your road.
 
   / Let's play guess the weight. #3  
250K lbs?

eh.... the standard low boy hauler that delivers to the cat proving ground (were i work) its 5th wheel hitch is rated for 150K pull.... I know because they were doing some heavy haul testing (150K) on one of CAT's OTR trans.
 
   / Let's play guess the weight. #4  
A normal semi can haul 12k on the steer and 34k on each SET of tandems. 34k+34k+12K= 80,000 lbs. A single axle can go to 20k, but you need dual or super single tires. If you have a single axle they must be 8 ft apart(center to center). Before someone says 12k and 4axles at 20k is over 80K, you can be legal on all axles on a set of doubles and be over gross(total weight). These are the laws here in the midwest (Ia,Ill, In, MO)

As for your question.......No Idea.....Sorry
 
   / Let's play guess the weight. #5  
With 5 axles, a jeep and then tractor...I am guessing 60-90k in concrete. Another reason for so many axles is the bridge law and in Florida, they are strict on the bridge law. Got a co-worker that use to haul Concrete beams for years, I'll see what kind of weight he guess's.
 
   / Let's play guess the weight. #6  
I don't know the answer, so there is no prize, sorry.

One of our local companies is a concrete manufacturer. They make concrete beams, poles, and bridge sections. Ordinarily, they move the large stuff (like bridge sections) at night, to avoid messing up local traffic during the day. Lately, they have been hauling near our house, during the day, and I have been caught up in the parade twice so far. I would love to get a picture of one of these rigs, but can't get far enough back to get a decent picture.

Heavy haul semi, 2 drive axles + a tag axle, trailer starts there (like you would expect), with 5 axles (all dual tandem), then about 75' of trailer with another 5 axle setup. All the way at the end is a little platform with a steering wheel. I don't know how much you can move the rear trailer axles. So, if you kept count in your head, that's 52 wheels on a big rig!!! Anybody wanna put in a guess for what these rigs weigh?

I had wondered what was tearing up the shoulder of the road near me, and after I got caught in the parade the other day, I realized it was because these guys can't make the corner. And they're using 6 lanes to corner.

When the power company was installing 110 ft concrete utility poles, the poles were stamped at between 18,500-and 19,500 lbs each. Seems kinda light for the length and size of these things. I know they are probably a 3' in diameter at the bottom and taper down about 1' at the top. Maybe that will help you start figuring out what those bridge supports weigh.
 
   / Let's play guess the weight. #7  
80,000 LBS is the legal limit, but with permits, you can just about haul anything. The trick is, there is only certain routes you can take depending on what the bridges along the route are rated. Sometimes the beams aren't always over weight, just oversized, but I bet the rig you are talking about is over weight also.
 
   / Let's play guess the weight.
  • Thread Starter
#8  
These guys have a fleet of highway patrol for escort (probably 8 cars), so i'm betting they've got all kind of permits. These hauls have been taking the route by my house for about a month now, and the patch of grass they are running off into on the shoulder is probably just 3 feet wide, they are hitting the same spot every time, which is pretty impressive with a rig that is probably 85 or 90 feet long.

My brother in law was trucking water for FEMA after Katrina. When Wilma started bearing down, they were ordered to top off and run. He hit the first scale out of town at 100,000 lbs plus. Standard 18 wheeler. When he said FEMA, they said "Have a nice day"
 
   / Let's play guess the weight. #9  
When the power company was installing 110 ft concrete utility poles, the poles were stamped at between 18,500-and 19,500 lbs each. Seems kinda light for the length and size of these things. I know they are probably a 3' in diameter at the bottom and taper down about 1' at the top. Maybe that will help you start figuring out what those bridge supports weigh.

Yea, if you are right about the lenght and "guess" of the diameter, then those weights are WAY off.

A 3' down to 1' taper (lets just call it an average diameter of 2') and 110ft long is almost 13 yards of concrete. So closer to 50k would have been what I would guess. Maybe they arent that long of big??? Or maybe hollow??
 
   / Let's play guess the weight. #10  
80,000 LBS is the legal limit, but with permits, you can just about haul anything. The trick is, there is only certain routes you can take depending on what the bridges along the route are rated. Sometimes the beams aren't always over weight, just oversized, but I bet the rig you are talking about is over weight also.

160,000 here in Michigan, Yea we have crap roads. CJ
 
 
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