Used Lowboy Semi Trailers – Trailers With Above Ground Bearings vs. Without Above Ground Bearings

Lowboys are great trailers for hauling heavy loads or oversized cargo. Lowboys provide a low ride height that gets taller loads under bridge laws and street lights or power lines. Lowboy trailers come in a variety of sizes, but most are either 48 or 53 feet long. The type of pit and the length of the lowboy trailers are critical, as they determine what size and type of equipment can be transported in it. Lowboy trailer shaft lengths can range from as little as 20 feet to as long as 30 feet. Extendable lowboys can add even more length to the well for extra long loads. Some wells may have mid or flat bridges or boom wells over the rear axles, so it is essential that the type of well suits the type of equipment you will be loading. Most lowboy trailers will be 102 inches wide, but have outriggers or slider outlets along the side that can make the width of the trailer wider to help haul your wider wheeled or tracked loads. Most lowboy trailers do not come with winches on the sides, and truckers use chains and tie downs to secure cargo being transported in the semi-trailer. In general, most lowboy trailers are made of steel framing, steel crossmembers, and a steel exterior construction with wooden floors. Lowboy trailers come in a mix of different axle variations, from tandem to trike to quad and more. Folding axles, jeeps, and propellers are common accessories that help the lowboy trailer haul larger, heavier loads. Some heavy-duty lowboys may have multiple axles, jeeps, boosters, spreader bars, neck extensions, and other add-ons to help with hauling heavier cargo. Lowboys have many different neck variations to help with loading and unloading gear. Mechanical takedown lowboys have a neck system that manually engages and disengages with a system of locking pins, levers, latches, shackles, and semi-trailer assist.

Lowboys are also manufactured as hydraulic disconnect lowboy trailers that primarily come in two different styles: ground-supported and non-ground-supported lowboys. The ground-supporting lowboys are self-explanatory. Hydraulic rams use the ground to push to raise and lower the height of the lowboy, as well as to connect and disconnect the neck of the semi. If you see a low bed trailer that has hydraulic rams that use the ground beneath it to push the trailer up and down, then it is a ground resting low bed trailer. Lowboys that don’t sit on the ground have hydraulics that don’t use the ground for propulsion. These lowboys push the trailer or work with the trailer’s fifth wheel to connect and disconnect to load and unload the trailer.

Many different types of lowboys work, attach, and detach in different ways depending on how the manufacturer has designed the process of attaching and detaching the neck of the lowboys. Hydraulic disconnect lowboy trailers work with either a wet line kit that is attached to the semi-trailer or a pony motor system that is attached to the trailer to help with hookups.

Lowboys are rated in different capacity variations of 35 ton, 50 ton, 60 ton and much higher tonnage rating. The price of these larger capacity trailers can be very expensive. You pay for what you get in life, and semi trucks and trailers are the same thing. If you’re shopping for a high-capacity lowboy in the twenty thousand dollar range or less, then chances are it’s old and in need of some TLC, love, and care.

There are many places to buy a lowboy trailer online. As you shop, you want to make sure that it is the right trailer to meet your hauling needs. Capacity, pit length, wheelbase, GVWR, GAWR, turning clearance, crossmember spacing, ground clearance, header height, detachable configuration, and many other factors can be significant factors in your ability to run loads effectively and generate revenue. If you don’t know exactly what you need, then it might be good to call other lowboy trucking companies to humbly ask for advice. You can also call dealers or manufacturers of low decks to clarify the specifications you will need to legally transport your target loads. You can also call permit companies for advice on what type of trailer is required to legally pull specific types of cargo. As well as reading multiple sites or online forums for help from other experienced traders. Quality lowboy trailers can be very expensive, so doing your research could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of time and headache before your purchase instead of after your purchase.