Hey T-Bone

I'm looking for a gn trailer and remember you saying that you got a pretty good deal on yours. I'm looking for a 30' or 35' plus 5' dovetail... 12k dexter axles, etc. Any info, links or websites you could share would be appreciated! (I need this to haul my TRACTORS!!!) ...D

Hi wyod,

Are you sure you can use the 35+5? That is a huge trailer. If your not going to add a sleeper at the front of the deck over, then I sure would cut back on my length as even my 27+5(40ft overall) can't be loaded full of tractors and keep with-in the GVWR. Add larger tractors for max GVW then you will have allot of vacant deck space left over. So you just can't win either way.

W/o a sleeper(mini-RV) then a 20+5 would be ideal for length for both Interstate use and chasing new stock. You won't believe how many "farmers" have small driveways too there ranch... lol

Then there's the GCWR problem if your trying to use a 1-ton DRW. 30kGCW is just too much load weight for a 1-ton DRW as far a being cost effective. My clutch is the weakest link on my F350 DRW and Ford uses that clutch even on the F550.

If your going to OTR full time, you may start out with a 1-ton DRW but you will quickly find you need a F650 or more for OTR use too keep costs down. You can buy a real OTR tractor with double OD for less than keeping a 1-ton OTR.

Call the guy for his current inventory and pricing as none of those mfg keep rolling stock available. They all ship too there dealers just as fast as they can build them.

Be sure too get the Dexter forward self adjusting brakes. Get the 3rd ramp as you can't build it for what he wants for it. You'll really like them

T_Bone
Legend Trailers

Thanks for the info... definitely a lot to consider. As far as my truck... F550, psd, allison auto. I've pulled a lot of weight with this rig, 110k miles... so far, no problems. Thanks again for the shout!!! ...D

Hey D,

What allison model number do you have? I'm having to give that some thought as my wife will not drive my 6spd manual, so I've been thinking of dropping in a automatic. If I go that route, then I want to try for a double OD, .65, .85, 1, would seam like a good combination. I would really like that 9spd Eaton autoshift but that would require cab modifications.

Your what, about 6k max pin weight?

I also changed over to a 5th wheel. You can buy a conversion stem for the Bulldog GN coupler. This makes hitching/unhitching a snap and without the safety chain requirement of the GN. I'll never go back to GN or tag hitching.

T_Bone

Hey T-Bone just wanted to throw in a few cents about the Allisons. Dad runs a "97 C6500 under his service bed. It"s equipped with a 3116 CAT and the AT545 Allison. Being a service truck he hauls around somewhere in the neighborhood of 19,000 to 20,000 lbs full time. He had some problems with it around the two to three year mark but the reman has been going strong since. My Freightliner runs the MD3060P Allison "World" transmission. It"s 4 speed to direct with 5th and 6th both being overdrive. It hauled a 30" box in it"s former life to nearly 400,000 miles and since being loaded with my service body now hauls around close to 30,000 lb full time. It ran fine until giving up the ghost around the 450,000 mile mark due to a leaking cooler filling it with glycol that caused the clutch facings to debond. Even then I got an extra year out of it after replacing the cooler.

The lifeblood of our transmissions is the LE oil we use. We had run both trucks for awhile before changing over to the LE so we pretty much knew how they ran temp wise. With the higher grade oil both ran much cooler than with the "regular" transmission oil. Dad"s cooled to the point that even in a long pull up a steep mountain grade, in the middle of the summer, it wouldn"t make it past the middle of the "green" where before it had run to the high end of the green on the same pull with the other oil. On mine the oil is the only cause anyone could come up with as to why mine ran an extra year after the failed cooler. Everyone I talked to said that when the cooler failed the transimission was already wasted. Still I got another year and close to 15,000 miles out of it that no one could explain beyond good oil. Basically what I"m saying is if you run an Allison give the LE oil a look, it"s well worth the little bit of extra cost.

Hi Wayne,

Well I've been doing some more reading on the Allison's and it seams none of the newer models will not work w/o a TCM (tranny control module), which costs more than the transmission new.

This will not be a easy swap. ug!!!

T_Bone