Just make sure you know your road can accept delivery of your new tractor

[dannoGT]

Why don't they make the undercarriage of lowboys with a set of low profile/low clearance rollers similar to the anti-scalp wheels of our mowers? If the truck goes over a humped road, the rollers simply keep the trailer up that last 1-inch allowing it to roll free. There has to be some void space under those decks.

I like this idea! So a lowboy with a 55 ton payload and approx 16 ton trailer weight and basically a point load on each roller when it goes over the hump add in a little safety factor for the dynamics of the load and the fact it may get caught on edge of track or pavement. So each roller should be capable of roughly 120 tons. And there would need to be a row of them down each side of the trailer. Go really basic with no roller bearings just a plain bronze bearing with a pair of grease fittings on each side of roller. Only place them in the middle 20 feet of the trailer were you need them. So approx 40 rollers down each side of the trailer. So about 80 rollers that support 120tons a piece approx $500 a piece? So an extra $40,000 on to the price of trailer. I think every lowboy owner would love this idea!

 

[cabinhollow]

It just not that the trailer is stuck, it's also that most of the weight has been took off the drive tires.
Have you ever tried to back a trailer up a hill,that has a dip at the bottom, with a truck that has two drive axles. Half the truck drivers that come to my shop, do not believe me when I tell them they can not back up my drive. They have to try it and get stuck. The good thing is that the weight of the trailer will push them back down.

 

[4570Man]

I like this idea! So a lowboy with a 55 ton payload and approx 16 ton trailer weight and basically a point load on each roller when it goes over the hump add in a little safety factor for the dynamics of the load and the fact it may get caught on edge of track or pavement. So each roller should be capable of roughly 120 tons. And there would need to be a row of them down each side of the trailer. Go really basic with no roller bearings just a plain bronze bearing with a pair of grease fittings on each side of roller. Only place them in the middle 20 feet of the trailer were you need them. So approx 40 rollers down each side of the trailer. So about 80 rollers that support 120tons a piece approx $500 a piece? So an extra $40,000 on to the price of trailer. I think every lowboy owner would love this idea!

Here’s a more practical option. Build the air ride with more travel or use hydraulic if needed and if you get stuck just lower the axels to lift the trailer up.

 

[ovrszd]

Why don't they make the undercarriage of lowboys with a set of low profile/low clearance rollers similar to the anti-scalp wheels of our mowers? If the truck goes over a humped road, the rollers simply keep the trailer up that last 1-inch allowing it to roll free. There has to be some void space under those decks.

Kinda like the Winter Texans have on the backend of their oversized travel trailers??? Cause ya know they only pull a trailer twice a year.....

 

[ovrszd]

Here’s a more practical option. Build the air ride with more travel or use hydraulic if needed and if you get stuck just lower the axels to lift the trailer up.

Here's a better idea. Revoke the CDL of any driver stuck on any public roadway. Personal responsibility....

 

[YLee Kioti]

The other thing I noticed was how quickly the tractor came off of the trailer! I would have thought that with a good set of chains that the tractor and the trailer would have stayed together longer? Maybe chains had been taken off to unload?

Potential energy of tightly bound chains turn into kinetic energy the moment 30 tons of rolling steel hit it at 30 mph!
Snap...kinetic energy in motion.

 

[4570Man]

Here's a better idea. Revoke the CDL of any driver stuck on any public roadway. Personal responsibility....

It doesn’t help much to prevent getting hit by trains though. I saw this genius a few weeks ago. Somehow she got her truck stuck in a fence trying to back in the parking lot. To make matters worse that’s a dead end road and I was on the dead end side.

 

[bcp]

Potential energy of tightly bound chains turn into kinetic energy the moment 30 tons of rolling steel hit it at 30 mph!
Snap...kinetic energy in motion.

More like 3000 tons hitting it at 30 mph.

Bruce