Unusual Trailer

[Rancher Ed]

The other day I was driving and this truck and trailer hauling square bales passed me going the other way. It was a gooseneck, deck over, looked to be 25 to 30 feet long, nothing odd there. What was really odd was that it had FOUR axels. We were both driving so I couldn't see what rating they were, but they looked like standard 7k axles like you would have on a 14k gooseneck trailer. Now, it they were really 7k axles, that would give the trailer a GVWR or 28-30k. Even if they were only 5.2k axles, that would still give it a GVWR of 21k. (The tires were definitely bigger than what goes of a 3.5k axle) If that was the case, why not use either three 7k axles, or two 10k dual tandems?? I mean, you aren't saving tires or anything.
It was being pulled with a 99-04 Ford F-350 crew cab long bed, diesel. We were both driving, so I didn't get a picture though I would loved to have gotten one.

Anyone ever seen anything like this or know why they would do it?


Ed

 

[mjw357]

Maybe make it harder to get stuck in a soft field?

 

[rambler]

Homemade out of moble home axles? Donno.

--->Paul

 

[Rancher Ed]

Maybe make it harder to get stuck in a soft field?

That's an idea. Hadn't though about that, but it would be better....(I think anyway)

Homemade out of moble home axles? Donno.

--->Paul

I don't think so. We passed each other in a small town, so it was going slow, and they looked like standard 5.2k, 6k, or 7k axles. Now that isn't to say the trailer isn't homemade, cause passed going the other way (we now had hay the it was unloaded), and it looked like it was made to have a wood deck but then they had put metal down where the wood should have gone, so the center of the trailer was 1-2" lower than the 8-10" nearest the edges of the trailer.

Ed

 

[Soundguy]

did the trailer look real heavy duty.. like 4-6" hannel.. like it might have been a tag trailer at one time?

 

[Rancher Ed]

Not really.....with the hay on it, it looked like 'bout any other gooseneck you might see going down the road behind a 1 ton truck, it just had four axles. Seeing it coming back unloaded, however, it looks a little different. About the best I can describe it, is look at the picture below...

...but pretend it is a deck over, so the whole deck is flat, just the outer 8 or 10 inches is metal. Then take all the boards off, and put a metal deck, or even expanded metal down where the boards were, but right on the cross members, so that the center of the trailer is 2-3" lower that the edges. It was really weird. It wasn't nearly enough to be able to put another row of hay there, it was just a little lower.

Anyone have any other ideas on why it was this way? Or anyone ever seen a gooseneck with 4 axles before?

Ed

 

[bcp]

There are lots of manufactured deckless round bale trailers on the road. Someone may have converted a flat bed, maybe added axles, too.

Bruce

 

[farmboy12]

Sounds to me like an old boat trailer converted to this hay hauler. Between the gooseneck, 4 axles, and low center...this is my bet. But not your average boat trailer, the kind that you hire to move your yacht to storage every year. Usually these are pulled my single axle Freightliners or the like.


Kyle

 

[Diamondpilot]

Yep, lots of boat trailers I use are 3,4,&5 axles. More axles, more weight capacity with smaller wheels so taller boats clear the 14' bridge requirements.

Chris

 

[Rancher Ed]

There are lots of manufactured deckless round bale trailers on the road. Someone may have converted a flat bed, maybe added axles, too.

Bruce

Definitely wasn't one of those. I really wish I had been able to get a picture of it, it is so hard to describe, but once you've seen it...

Ed