got me a new trailer

RDrancher · Jun 3, 2013

We just painted my 20+5 work trailer and two others with Sherwin Williams Sher-Kem. Nice shootin' paint, good price and it hardens pretty quick. Way faster than the paint from TSC...even with the added hardener. I also picked up a roll of DOT tape from O'reilly's. It ended up working out better for me than buying the packs of short pieces.

There's a couple photos of the trailer on my thread.

LD1 · Jun 4, 2013

Well, after all of this, I am starting to think that the trailer IS closer to 6200lbs.

I was (barley) able to make out a MFG and VIN on the trailer. It says WTM for the manufacture. So I googled them, and low and behold it looks JUST like the one they show pictured here as a 10 ton gooseneck. Pro Series Dual Tandems

Scroll down to the specs and they list a 12t 18+5 trailer as 6200lbs., Having two 12k axles. So yea, it is a tad heavier than I was guessing, but they also said oak lumber. Which is about twice as heavy as I was guessing. So that would make my initial guess for trailer at about 4000 or a tad more not counting the axles. And the I took a closer look at the axles again...man they are beefy. Figuring if the tires/rims are 100# each, I would say the axles are 1k each. So yea, I can see the 6k now.

Ironic though that they list the GVWR at over 30k with two 12k axles??? And the loaded capacity as 24t. How do they manage that unless they expect to put 6k on the pin and only leave 24k supported by the axles??

Also, another quick question. The GAWR of this trailer is also listed and barley ledgible. But it is 11,2xx. Yet still listed as a 12t. Are newer trailers like this, or do they actually show 12,000?? And does it make a difference in specs of trailer weight??

LD1 · Jun 5, 2013

Well, hopefully those of you knowledgable trailer folks are still following this thread.

I called around today to get some lumber prices and wanted to see how they stack up.

White Oak, rough sawn 1.5" x 8" x 20' long......$30 each ($1.50/bf) and I would need 11.

"............"..........."............"...... x 10' long....~$10 each ($1/bf) and I would need 6.

Just wondering how that sounds??

I know I am paying a premium on the 20' boards, but the way the cross members are, if I used standard 8,10,12, and 16 foot lengths, I would have alot of waste. Currently, the boards on the 20' deck are 14.5' and 5.5' to make the 20' run, and staggering the short board from the front to back. But the problem now is, trying to hit a 1.5" wide cross member puts screws right in the end of the board. They split out, and cause the whole board to come loose over time.

Total with the 20' boards (an 10'ers cut in half for the 5' dove) would be ~$400 to deck it all.

Going with 16's and cutting to 14.5 and 12's and cutting two 5.5's out of it, would save me $90.

Personally I think the full length boards, and not having seams is worth it. Am I crazy in my thinking? Do these prices sound about right??

Diamondpilot · Jun 5, 2013

LD1 said:
Well, hopefully those of you knowledgable trailer folks are still following this thread.

I called around today to get some lumber prices and wanted to see how they stack up.

White Oak, rough sawn 1.5" x 8" x 20' long......$30 each ($1.50/bf) and I would need 11.

"............"..........."............"...... x 10' long....~$10 each ($1/bf) and I would need 6.

Just wondering how that sounds??

I know I am paying a premium on the 20' boards, but the way the cross members are, if I used standard 8,10,12, and 16 foot lengths, I would have alot of waste. Currently, the boards on the 20' deck are 14.5' and 5.5' to make the 20' run, and staggering the short board from the front to back. But the problem now is, trying to hit a 1.5" wide cross member puts screws right in the end of the board. They split out, and cause the whole board to come loose over time.

Total with the 20' boards (an 10'ers cut in half for the 5' dove) would be ~$400 to deck it all.

Going with 16's and cutting to 14.5 and 12's and cutting two 5.5's out of it, would save me $90.

Personally I think the full length boards, and not having seams is worth it. Am I crazy in my thinking? Do these prices sound about right??

Go with the 20' boards. Time is money and you will spend two or three times the time making cuts and staggering. Plus it makes for a sronger floor.

Chris