Today, the world of trailers used in transportation has enormously grown.
There are quite a number of inventions that have come up and the design process has been vital in defining the expected performance of a trailer at the end of the day.
When buying a lowboy/low bed trailer, there are quite a number of factors to consider and the design and specs of the trailer should be one of these considerations.
Lowbed trailers have different capacities, such as 20 T/tons, 30 T/tons, 50 T/tons, 70 T/tons, 80 T/tons and 100 T/tons, 120 T/tons. Each type use different number of axles from 2, 3, 4 axles to 7, 8 axles.
A robust low bed trailer is very useful in many ways. When you get a good quality trailer, you will definitely have great work efficiency and good performance.
Ultimately, it helps you cut down on transportation costs and most importantly, enhance the safety of your operations.
How to Choose a Right Low Bed Trailer
Now that you have realized the need to have a low bed trailer, it is time to look at your operations and what you need to meet them. What type of cargo equipment do you have?
How much are you willing to spend on the low bed trailer and what strength considerations are you looking forward to achieve? You will need great stability and maneuverability for your low bed trailer.
Low Bed Trailer Ultimate Guide – What is a Lowboy/Lowbed Trailer?
Download Free Now!
Table of Contents
Know the common capacity, dimensions and specs of low bed / lowboy trailer
The lowboy / low bed trailers have many models includes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 axles and different capacities. The maximum load can be up to 120 tons. A larger number of axles means that the low bed trailer has a higher loading capacity.
you can learn the detailed parameters, dimensions, capacity of the trailer in this section.
| 30 T Low bed Trailer | |
| Rated Load | 20T-30T |
| Tare Weight | 9.5 T/tons |
| King Pin | JOST brand 2.0 or 3.5 inch
(bolted or welded type) |
| Main Beam | Height:450mm-580mm |
| Side Beam | 16mm-30mm “I” Steel |
| Tire Specifications | 1200R20, 8.25R20, 1100R20 |
| No. Of the Tires | 8 |
| Axle Brand | FUWA (BPW optional) |
| No. Of the Axles | 2 |
| Axle-load | 13 T/tons |
| Suspension | Mechanical, air suspension |
| Outside Dimensions (LxWxH) | 10000-15000X 2800-3600X1500-3000 (mm) |
| Material of the Main Beam | Q345 manganese plates, automatic submerged arc welded |
| Brake System | ABS (optional) |
| Brake Air Chamber | Four double and two single chambers |
| Ladder | Manually operated or Hydraulic type |
| 50 T Low bed Trailer | |
| Rated Load | 40T-50T |
| Tare Weight | 10 T/tons |
| King Pin | JOST brand 2.0 or 3.5 inch
(bolted or welded type) |
| Main Beam | Height:450mm-580mm |
| Side Beam | 16mm-30mm “I” Steel |
| Tire Specifications | 1200R20, 8.25R20, 1100R20 |
| No. Of the Tires | 12 |
| Axle Brand | FUWA (BPW optional) |
| No. Of the Axles | 3 |
| Axle-load | 13 T/tons |
| Suspension | Mechanical, air suspension |
| Outside Dimensions (LxWxH) | 10000-15000X 2800-3600X1500-3000 (mm) |
| Material of the Main Beam | Q345 or Q460 manganese plates, automatic submerged arc welded |
| Brake System | ABS (optional) |
| Brake Air Chamber | Four double and two single chambers |
| Ladder | Manually operated or Hydraulic type |
| 80 T Low bed Trailer | |
| Rated Load | 60, 70, 80T |
| Tare Weight | 11 T/tons |
| King Pin | JOST brand 2.0 or 3.5 inch
(bolted or welded type) |
| Main Beam | Height:450mm-580mm |
| Side Beam | 16mm-30mm “I” Steel |
| Tire Specifications | 1200R20, 8.25R20, 1100R20 |
| No. Of the Tires | 16 |
| Axle Brand | FUWA (BPW optional) |
| No. Of the Axles | 4 or 3 axle-lines |
| Axle-load | 13, 16 T/tons |
| Suspension | Mechanical, air suspension |
| Outside Dimensions (LxWxH) | 10000-15000X 2800-3600X1500-3000 (mm) |
| Material of the Main Beam | Q460, Q550, Q690 manganese plates, automatic submerged arc welded |
| Brake System | ABS (optional) |
| Brake Air Chamber | Four double and two single chambers |
| Ladder | Manually operated or Hydraulic type |
| 100 T Low bed Trailer | |
| Rated Load | 90, 100, 110T |
| Tare Weight | 12 T/tons |
| King Pin | JOST brand 2.0 or 3.5 inch
(bolted or welded type) |
| Main Beam | Height:450mm-580mm |
| Side Beam | 16mm-30mm “I” Steel |
| Tire Specifications | 1200R20, 8.25R20, 1100R20 |
| No. Of the Tires | 16 |
| Axle Brand | FUWA (BPW optional) |
| No. Of the Axles | 5 or 3 axle-lines |
| Axle-load | 13, 16 T/tons |
| Suspension | Mechanical, air suspension |
| Outside Dimensions (LxWxH) | 10000-15000X 2800-3600X1500-3000 (mm) |
| Material of the Main Beam | Q460, Q550, Q690 manganese plates, automatic submerged arc welded |
| Brake System | ABS (optional) |
| Brake Air Chamber | Four double and two single chambers |
| Ladder | Manually operated or Hydraulic type |
The quality of what you are purchasing comes in as a very important consideration too. Assess the quality of the construction and the type and source of accessories for your equipment.
Next section is detailed information of how to choose the best low bed trailer for your operations.
1. Consider your Cargo Equipment
It is important to choose a low bed trailer based on your cargo equipment. The choice must be the right type for your business. After knowing the weight of your cargo, you can now choose between the Axle-lines model and the common axle model.
Different axle configurations carry different cargo equipment. For your trailer to be more efficient, the weight should be evenly supported and distributed over the trailer.
Therefore, you should know how your cargo equipment will be loaded on your trailer and then choose the design that matches it.
What Is Axle-Line Model?
The Axle-line low bed trailer has two short axles side by side in each row.
This model design can reduce the length of the trailer. Ideally, a 2 axle-line is equal to the common 4 axles low bed trailer. However, it is shorter and expensive at the same time.
axle line low bed trailer
2. Cost versus Performance
Are you torn between what you have to spend and the trailer performances you anticipate? Well, there are a number of options to consider.
You can choose between these two based on the material used for constructing the trailer, the type of cargo platform for the low bed trailer and the type of trailer designs available in the market.
- Material
Low bed trailer come in different construction materials. You can choose carbon steel and high-strength steel. For carbon steel, it is easy to process and highly affordable.
However, it is important to consider the weight of your cargo. Ideally, overweight cargo needs high-strength steel trailer. In Frigid Zone, most trailers used there are made of high-strength steel.
This ensures good strength in the low temperature conditions. Steel is arguably the most common used material in engineering around the globe.
Most metal constructions are made of steel and there is a reason for that. Well, more than steel being a cheap material to produce, there are other useful properties that make it the number one choice in trailer constructions.
It is important for you to know the different grades of steel available in the market. Manufacturers may consider using a low grade to cut on their production cost and compromise on your trailer quality.
Therefore, ensure that it’s the correct grade of carbon steel high-strength steel. This will give you a lightweight construction without a compromise on the strength requirements.
This will be a cost-saving experience for you.
Material components
- Cargo Platform
The cargo platform is also something important to consider. A lower cargo platform is usually more expensive than the other options. Again, it is difficult to work with but provides you with a more stable and safe application.
If you are dealing with heavy weight cargo, it is important to have a lower cargo platform in place. A stable construction enhances the safety of your operations.
At this point, you can’t compromise by going for a cheaper trailer construction that does not meet this requirement. However, you may go for any other cargo platform if you won’t need to carry heavy weight cargo.
- Removable/Folding Gooseneck or Common Low Bed Trailer
You can also make a choice between removable/folding gooseneck and common low bed trailer. If you don’t need to load from the front of trailers, the common one is a good choice for you.
However, you will need the removable/folding gooseneck low bed trailer for complex operations. If you will be working on rugged terrains, you need a low bed trailer that can be stable in such conditions.
They are the best option to keep your trailer from rolling over.
folding gooseneck trailer
Get Detailed Specifications!
3. Safety Features of Low Bed Trailer
What safety features are included in your choice of low bed trailer? Along with other factors of cargo weight and rugged nature of the terrain where your operations will be carried out, will the trailer guarantee safe operations?
This is a very important consideration to make. As a safety precaution, check on the crash barrier. See whether it has enough strength to absorb impact.
You should also confirm whether the front overhang and rear overhang (axle position) is reasonable and good enough to a point where it can prevent your cargo from falling over.
Are there other accessories to fix the cargo on the trailer? This is a very useful safety check. You will be sure that your cargo will be in good position during transportation.
See whether there is a load binder and how well it is designed to keep the cargo intact after it is loaded. Does your trailer come with heavy-duty chains perfectly designed to control cargo and enhance efficiency during tie down applications?
There are different grades of load binders and you must establish the ones suitable for your application. Remember that there are some load binders that are cannot be used for overhead fitting.
Should you need binders for applications that require extra strength, check for that too because there are options available.
There are also specialized load binders that can withstand environmental hazards such as excessive heat and chemicals. Choose between these options based on the environment and the type of cargo you will be handling.
If you need some customization to be done on your load binders, that option is still available. Adjustable and standard load binders can be designed for configuration in various ways to make sure that they meet you lifting needs.
4. Rational Design
Your low bed trailer doesn’t have to be too complex to deliver. All you need is a reasonable design that can function in a manner that suits your operations.
For instance, you can reduce the weight of your trailer by choosing the stripped down design of a low bed trailer. There is a guarantee of increased strength in key position.
More than that, it can produce lower cargo platform to fit the height restriction when you transport an over height cargo.
Remember that there are rules and regulations that govern the trailer industry and therefore, all your choices must meet these considerations.
Your rationale should be based on weight, size and height requirements. Should your cargo need more height, then the stripped down design can give you some options.
There are different types of cargo that can be loaded on a low bed trailer. If you need a trailer for to fit different load requirements, choose the most versatile option to cater for all without any constraints.
5. Manufacture Quality
Check on the quality of welding done on the trailer. Good quality welding can guarantee strength to your low bed trailer structure. The welding joints contribute a lot to the fatigue resistance of your low bed trailer.
The sharp geometry created by welding joints largely reduces the fatigue resistance of that section when compared to the base material.
There are residual stresses that get introduced during welding as a result of the heat used during the process. However, there is a way that these stresses can be minimized. You can tell by observing the quality of weld on the trailer framework.
welding line
Your focus on fatigue resistance should not only be based on the micro-structures of the base material, its hardness and the heat affected zones.
Actually, the main cause of weakening occurring in welds is due to defects and local stress concentration.
Ask about the post-treatment methods used for the welded sections as an effort to reduce the residual stresses and enhance the weld geometry.
The transition radius and weld angle should be smooth if your trailer will be able to retrieve good fatigue resistance.
Standard practices for trailer applications consider welding distortions very critical than the static weld strength. This type of distortion can be minimized by maintaining the heat as low as possible.
Check to ensure that the cross sectional region of the weld is minimized. Conventionally, the parts to be welded should be clamped and pre-bend to compensate for the anticipated shrinking and get rid of irregular root gaps.
The welding should be symmetrical with optimized throat thickness for all fillet welds. Again, the welding should be done from the rigid regions towards the loose ends.
The cutting of the plates should also be done at a high precision. The quality of all cut edges is also an important consideration to enhance high quality fatigue resistance.
CNC cutting
Different methods used in cutting lead to different edge qualities. When cutting is done using laser, the edges tend to be better than those cut using mechanical methods.
All cutting should be made in a way to achieve good fatigue strength. The only way to achieve mechanically cut edges with good fatigue resistance is if the visual defects like cracks were first removed.
There are contemporary thermal processes used for cutting metal such as laser and high definition plasma. These usually produce edges that result in good fatigue resistance.
Basically, laser, plasma and mechanical gas cutting abilities to resist fatigue ranks in that order with laser cut-edges having the best fatigue resistance.
Manufacturers place start and stop-positions in low stress regions in an effort to deal with fatigue issues. Another way to produce a positive effect on the issue of fatigue resistance is to blast the steel structure.
Therefore, substantiate whether this was done.
Confirm whether the accessories are from a reputable brand and quality. Through research, you should be able to establish the quality of every accessory that comes with your low bed trailer.
This is a sure way of having confidence with your equipment and an assurance of efficient operations.
The Bottom Line
A lot comes in your choice of a high-performing low bed trailer and the design is one factor that can determine the performance of the trailer you have chosen.
This low bed trailer buying guide provides useful information on how design affects the performance characteristics of your equipment. The axle configuration is an important feature that determines the type of cargo you can take.
In that case, there are such types as the axle-lines and other common axle models to choose from based on your cargo requirements.
A lot basically rides on the design decision. You can’t just pick any type of trailer. The manufacturing can be done to quite a number of specifications and therefore, you will have to research well prior to making a decision.
Each design comes with various options of the raw materials to be used. Every material choice has its own capabilities and properties that define the performance characteristics of the trailer.
Still, there are a lot of considerations based on the load requirements and geographical application. The designer also factors in different top speed needs. That means, you should know the speeds at which you need your cargo transported.
There will be hundreds of different axle configurations to choose from. These are particularly founded on the type of loads to be used for each of the configuration.
When buying a low bed trailer, you must have this objective in mind – to choose the ideal trailer that will be suited to take up your specific loads.
To choose the right trailer, it is important to understand the design configuration of what you need. A good design of a low bed trailer should meet all the requirements of an excellent trailer in general.
It should be one that does not need high maintenance otherwise it will not be a feasible option considering trailer applications.
More than that, the design should provide you with the greatest lifespan and provide you with a very high return on investment.
Reference:
Low Bed Trailer Ultimate Guide – Solve Your Problems About Lowboy Trailers
The Difference between Removable Gooseneck Trailer and Folding Gooseneck Trailer