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In a time where people are trying to
consolidate, save money, and generally be frugal, there are
many uses for flatbed equipment trailers that are being put
back to use. I receive more and more calls from
manufacturers of different products that want a shorter
flatbed trailer to mount their equipment on, and generally
provide a mobile platform for the various kinds of equipment
that they manufacture or sell.
Some of the equipment that I see being
mounted you may not have thought of. Generators are one of
the most mounted pieces of equipment. I have seen them used
for government applications, disaster relief, power outage
situations, and back up power for many homes and businesses.
Sand spreaders, salt spreaders, water storage, mobile fish
tank trailers, helicopter trailers, and mobile advertising
sign platforms, are all some of the uses for flatbed units.
I have even seen them used to haul tiger cages for trainers,
parade floats, Hollywood advertising trailers, and many more
uses. I am sure there are many more that people will think
of that I haven’t covered.
Here in North Florida, we get many
requests for watermelon hauling trailers. There are many
areas of the country where the same unit may be adapted for
cantaloupes, crated fruit and vegetables, peanuts, or hay.
One of the most common mistakes I see buyers make when
buying trailers of this type, is buying a unit that does not
have the capacity to haul the largest load they plan on
hauling. The most important thing to remember when carrying
maximum weight on a trailer, is that no matter how great the
trailer is structurally, you must have the tire capacity for
the maximum load, or you will end up replacing tires
constantly. Buying the right trailer initially will save
lots of headaches.
Pine straw haulers are also requested
in this area. Lots of guys will rake pine straw from public
and private lands where they have permission, bundle it and
sell it to landscape wholesale and retail outlets. In North
Alabama, there were many rock haulers, as Tennessee
fieldstone, river rock, and Blount county sandstone are
highly regarded home building and landscaping materials.
Sturdy reputable trailers are needed to haul these heavy
loads on flatbed trailers. Flatbeds are also utilized for
retail delivery units for lumber, crated parcels, and
general freight. Most of the hitches in this area tend to be
gooseneck hitches, because people are hauling more and more
with �, 1 ton, and larger pickup type vehicles. The
advantage to a gooseneck, is that it spreads the weight of
the trailer and load over the bed of the truck, rather than
weighing down the bumper.
Many towing and recovery businesses are
utilizing tilt bed trailers to compliment their businesses.
They mount winches on either the truck, or a stationary area
of the trailer to pick up junk vehicles, equipment, scrap
metal, tires, and other machinery. A new business that I
have worked with on trailers is people recycling building
materials from homes and businesses that are being renovated
or demolished, and refinishing or repairing items and using
them in new homes or homes that are being flipped or
renovated. This can be very lucrative, as windows, cabinets,
copper wiring, heating elements, electrical boxes, lighting
fixtures, bathtubs, ceiling fans, and many other items have
appeal not only for price, but many for classic design
features.
Cable reel trailers are also in high
demand. With high tech wiring in demand nationwide,
companies seeking more broadband access, and cable TV
companies expanding, cable installers are ordering reel
trailers to feed cable into pre-dug cable ditches. Reel
trailers are usually capable of hauling 1-3 cable reels, and
reels can be raised into the operating position by means of
hydraulics.
Agricultural companies sometimes buy
trailers for mobile feeding stations for cattle, deer,
horses, antelope, and other domestic, and wild creatures.
Particularly in heavy snow prone areas, these units can be
parked full of hay, oats, or other feed, for the various
animals to eat when forage is covered.
Oil and gas companies are always
utilizing trailer units for pipe, and related machinery, for
delivery to remote oil fields. We have really seen a rise in
the number of units going to Nebraska, and North and South
Dakota lately.
As you can see there are many uses for
trailers, and I have really only scratched the surface with
this article. If you would like to contact us with strange
and wonderful uses that you have seen or done, please do so,
and we will use them in future articles.
Tom Kendrick
[email protected]
Sales Manager
www.rollsrite.com |
