any help on loading flatbeds ( axle weights )

Besides its kinda hard to count stake pockets with a sidekit.:toothpick:
Shhhh.. your embarrassing the real flatbedders...LOL
 
You ever switch from a flat to a step deck and you'll have rookie marks until you learn to remind yourself that they are loaded completely different.

Trust me I found out!
 
Real rookie here, but what is a sidekit. that is just one of many ?'s to come. But as they say knowledge is power, we all could use a little power there.
 
You ever switch from a flat to a step deck and you'll have rookie marks until you learn to remind yourself that they are loaded completely different.

Trust me I found out!

Why? The center is still the center, no matter what type of trailer you have.
 
Tire wear will also depend on how you run your equipment. Drive it like a closed tandem and they won't last. I got 270k out of a set of tires on my spread. I also rotated them twice a year.

I find it interesting just how many people don't rotate their tires. Or even pay attention to proper inflation. And adjust that inflation by measuring tread depth, watching how the tire wears and correcting the pressure accordingly.
But when your grossing 120000 pounds you take a half mile to make a turn!:bicycle:

Well Yeah!...

Ok not quite but I sure do take up all the room I can.

Don't any of you have a switch to dump the air in the bags on one axle so when you have to make a tight turn it is easier on the tires and suspension?
 
Don't any of you have a switch to dump the air in the bags on one axle so when you have to make a tight turn it is easier on the tires and suspension?
After almost ripping the tires right off the wheels a few times, I made it a policy to never touch that switch. If you know for sure you are on level ground, it's ok. If you aren't it is unbelievably hard on everything.
 
After almost ripping the tires right off the wheels a few times, I made it a policy to never touch that switch.

How can dumping the air from the airbags make it easier to pull the tires off of the rims? When you dump the air from one axle then most of the load is carried on the other axle.
 
You ever switch from a flat to a step deck and you'll have rookie marks until you learn to remind yourself that they are loaded completely different.

Trust me I found out!

I get a different trailer every time I pull out of the yard. (I know, I'm just a lowly company driver.)

A 48' or 53' flat, sometimes spread, some adjustable, some fixed, sometimes sliding tandems, sometimes fixed, and a couple that are stretch setups (very heavy). A 48' or 53' step, sometimes spread, some adjustable, some fixed. A 48' or 53' Quick Draw (Y'all back East call 'em Conestogas), some step, some flat, sometimes spread, some adjustable, some fixed, sometimes sliding tandems, sometimes fixed. A 48' double drop. A 48' double drop extendable. A 48' or 53' curtainside, some step, some flat, some spread, some tandem, some adjustable, some fixed.

And they even have a couple dry boxes (I know, I know!) because the largest account they have has the occasional odd load that absolutely must be moved in a box, and they don't want to broker it out. Makes for a nice change of pace.

Some of the older trailers are all steel, some are combos. Most of the newer trailers they are buying are all aluminum.

Having such diversity of equipment makes it a real challenge sometimes. And if a driver is new to flatbed work, they won't be a r00kie for long. You learn quick or go back to boxes.
 
I,m a box hauler thinking of going flat. What is this axle bag dump thing? And isn't refilling a bag with a load a no-no?
 
I,m a box hauler thinking of going flat. What is this axle bag dump thing?

On spread-axle trailers, they can dump the air bags on one axle to take the weight off of it so they can turn corners and back into docks without pushing the axles sideways.
 
So instead of the wt. being on both axles it is on one! How many tires get blown with that wt. sift?

It's just for turning corners. They don't go down the road like that. But yes, it does double the weight on the other axle.
 

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