Justifying a step deck

[Ethan Chamberlain]

Hello
I have been tossing around the idea of getting a step deck trailer to haul my old machinery with. In the winter when im not working, i like to work on my older machinery.In the past, I have been known to get three or four pieces of machinery at one place that I have had to haul back one by one with my 3/4 ton ford and a gooseneck trailer. I have been putting alot of miles on my nice ford, and am afraid that I"m wearing it out with the heavy loads and don"t want to have something bust or let go on it. I have an older semi that I could pull a trailer with, it"s not the most powerful or the quickest, but I like it and it will do whatever I ask it to. I have been thinking of getting a trailer to put behind it, but am having a hard time justifying the cost of one because I only plan to use it in the winter season. Do you guys have any ideas for me that I could do with one that would help to pay for itself? I am not a trucker, I"m a hired man on an irrigated farm here in eastern Mt, so I do not plan on running a truck all year. For those of you who have gone to the truck/trailer setup over the pickup/trailer version, how have you justifyied it? Do you rent it out? Haul some tractors for a couple buddy"s? If you have any ideas, let me know. Thanks
 

[showcrop]

The big obstacle to hiring out to haul is the insurance. Interstate coverage costs a lot. Montana is a big enough state that there would be a lot of intrastate available. You might check with some small excavation companies, that go from site to site but don't have a trailer large enough for their excavator or 'dozer.
 

[Jim in Ma.]

With the cost involved, I would look around.
Here in the North-East most construction cos. are shut down and their equip is setting.
You may find someone to haul at a reasonable rate and avoid the CDL headache.
 

[ericlb]

for what your doing you cant justify the cost, first when you step up to a real truck a class A cdl drivers licence is required, then you have to pay the bare minimum of 1 million dollar liability insurance for the truck, you will also have a additional tax on heavy vehicles depending on what state you live in, if you cross state lines you cant run a wd tag on the truck which is the cheapest tax rate for miles drivin, you will need to step up to either ir tag [ interstate regulated, or fr tags [ freight regulated] either way its a tax you have to pay for every mile you drive, then there's the fuel permit so you can buy large amounts of diesel, also the motor carrier permit for the state you live in, then you must pass a medical physical and keep that card with you , by the time you pay for all that there wont be any money left for you, and your the one doing all the work, which is why i sold my truck , these days you cant just fire up a class 7 or 8 truck and hit the road, it aint that simple
 

[bobs old iron]

if you already have a big truck [semi] licensed, insured, i would go with a bigger g/neck,, to rent out, no, as showcrop says, insurance/liabilty, rerpair factors would be a dieaster what some one could do to/with your equiptment,,, my t/g-n goes with me to haul any thing for any one, [profit or friendly],,or depending on year of truck, could trade it for a heavyier 1-ton, avoid other cost, [plates,insurance,liences,dot, etc]
 

[scotc]

Since you work on an irrigated farm and have the semi, I'm guessing that insurance, tags, and CDL are already paid for.

Keep an eye out. If you're patient you can pick stuff up for a decent price. Just got to stop that urge to grab the next good one you find.
 

[caterpillar guy]

Just go to a 2ton truck and hitch to your trailer with a place to haul the second trailer behind it that gives you 2 pieces for the one trip and is legal in MT as a set of doubles. there are length limits 28ft for each trailer and the first needs to be on a fifth wheel not a pintle hitch or bumper ball.
 

[41Frank]

I bought an 87 Transcraft 48" DD for $3500 but put a beavertail on it($3K), tires and rims($1600), paint($1200), and patching and welding flooring. It was a lot lizard and is heavy but rusty. Some places I go I can"t get it in so I bought a 34" hyd tail GN. I haven"t used it but I can haul more than my car hauler rated at 7K. BUT I had to put air bags on my 2011 F250 SWS. I also don"t know how low my mileage is going to go. I get 10 - 15 with light work now!
 

[larryanderson]

Insurance and proper licence plus upkeep on an older vehicle add up fast.We have a diesel gooseneck plus some decent farm semis that we occasionally use with a borrowed step deck.We still use our farm insurance and licence but only haul our own farm stuff.One ticket can ruin several months profit if you dont have correct authority.The out of state stuff can be hauled at a reasonable fiqure if the trucker can plan his loads ahead of time.