Guide to the Different Types of Heavy-Haul Trailers

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When transporting delicate or abnormally large loads, you must ensure you can do so legally. Heavy-haul trailers allow drivers to haul oversized loads anywhere in the U.S. with the proper permits. In this guide, we&#;ll explore the most common types of heavy-haul trailers &#; and when to use each &#; so you can make the most informed decision.

What Is a Heavy-Haul Trailer?

An oversized load is any freight that exceeds a state&#;s maximum legal size or weight limit. Because they are so large, they require special equipment for safe and legal transportation. Heavy-haul trailers are semitrailers specifically for carrying oversized loads such as:

• Heavy equipment
• Prefabricated homes
• Construction materials
• Agricultural machinery
• Boats
• Aircraft

Manufacturers have designed many types of heavy-haul trailers to meet different equipment requirements. Choosing the appropriate trailer for your load can make a significant difference in helping you overcome the obstacles of your haul.

How Big Are Heavy-Haul Loads?

While specific dimensions vary by state, it&#;s generally safe to assume that any load meeting or exceeding these numbers will need a heavy-haul trailer.

• Width: 8.6 feet
• Height: 13.6 feet
• Length: 48 to 53 feet, depending on state
• Gross weight: 80,000 pounds

Before beginning any haul, check the laws in the states you&#;ll be driving through. Usually, you&#;ll need at least one escort vehicle to travel with your load. You&#;ll also need to attach flags or flashing lights to your trailer to alert other drivers &#; specific signage may vary depending on load size and state.

Additionally, you must obtain the proper permits for each state you visit if your haul is a multi-state trip. While the federal government does not issue these permits, you can find information and links to each state&#;s permitting office on the U.S. Department of Transportation&#;s website.

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5 Heavy-Haul Trailer Types

You have many heavy-haul trailer options, and the correct one depends on the load you carry. Here&#;s a brief overview of the most common types of trailer for hauling heavy equipment on the market today.

1. Flatbed Trailers

Heavy-haul flatbed trailers are ultra-versatile, so they&#;re the most popular trailers for heavy equipment. Their features include a flat, open bed without sides or a roof. This design allows for easy loading and unloading, as you can avoid the awkward maneuvering involved with fitting loads on an enclosed trailer. You can also use different areas of the trailer to maximize your available space.

The amount of weight you can carry depends on the number of axles your flatbed has. Generally, more axles mean you can haul more weight &#; and additional features like railings or gooseneck hitches can help you increase safety and loading efficiency even more.

2. Lowboy Trailers

Lowboy trailers feature low-riding platforms that are perfect for transporting especially tall loads. Because they&#;re only about 18 to 24 inches high, you can safely haul items that exceed the legal height limit &#; usually up to 12 feet at the tallest &#; without worrying about overhead clearances. They&#;re also helpful for standard-sized loads.

These trailers feature a well in the center of the bed where you load the over-height cargo. You can use the surrounding surfaces to put other items if the trailer has not reached its maximum capacity. Extendable lowboy trailers allow you to elongate the well for additional space.

3. Step-Deck Trailers

Sometimes called &#;drop-deck&#; trailers, step-decks are open trailers that feature two decks of different heights. The lower deck works like a lowboy trailer, allowing you to haul freight that exceeds state height regulations. It also enables safer loading and unloading, as your forklift must only elevate the freight a short height.

While step-decks typically have the same load capacity as flatbed trailers, they&#;re often wider, longer and taller. This extra space provides greater flexibility, as you can maximize your trailer by placing smaller items on the higher deck at the front of the trailer.

4. Dump Trailers

As the name implies, heavy-haul dump trailers use a hydraulic lever underneath the trailer bed to tilt backward and safely &#;dump&#; your load. They have enclosures on all sides, making them ideal for carrying overweight loads of loose items, like construction scraps or job site waste.

You can haul almost anything that fits in a dump trailer that you would on a flatbed. This double-duty feature makes them cost-effective &#; for example, if you&#;re transporting construction equipment to and from a job site, you don&#;t need as many additional trailers.

You can also find dump trailers with various options for loading gates, which can help you increase safety for your specific load. For example, if you&#;re hauling loose rocks, you can position a landscape spreader door to allow them to slowly roll out when unloading.

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5. Removable Gooseneck Trailers

RGNs are more of a feature than a specific type of trailer, but they&#;re an excellent option for hauling heavy-duty freight. The gooseneck refers to the front end of the trailer, which curves up and over the your truck frame like a goose&#;s neck.

Here are some of the advantages of using an RGN hitch trailer.

• Easier loading and unloading: You can detach the gooseneck from the main trailer bed for a safe, efficient loading experience.
• Greater flexibility: The detachable gooseneck creates a ramp when removed, enabling you to load almost any equipment without needing additional machinery like cranes or forklifts.
• Heavier loads: With the right configuration, RGN trailers can handle heavier freight than fixed-neck trailers.

Most trailers are available with RGN configurations, so check with your dealer when evaluating your options.

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Carry More With Heavy-Haul Equipment Trailers From Big Tex Trailer World

If you need a high-quality heavy-haul trailer for your next job, Big Tex Trailer World has the one for you. We&#;re a full-service trailer company with more than 60 locations across the U.S. Whether you&#;re looking to buy a new trailer or need us to repair one you already have, you can count on us to get your load on the road.

You can browse our selection of heavy-duty flatbed trailers online, or visit your nearest Big Tex retail location to see them in person. Our team will help you find the right trailer for your oversized hauling needs.

 

We make every effort to answer as many customer questions as possible from fellow trailer enthusiasts and buyers! We look forward to helping you out and providing the very best trailer-buying experience possible. However, before reaching out to contact us directly, we ask that you check this list below of the most Frequently Asked Questions first.

Thank you!

&#; Team DC Support

1. How do I purchase a Diamond C trailer?

We sell our trailers through an expansive dealer partner network of over 100 dealers covering most of the United States and Canada. Find your NEAREST TRAILER DEALER HERE. You can also CONFIGURE YOUR OWN TRAILER HERE and submit it to your local Diamond C dealer for an accurate quote.

2. Does Diamond C Sell Factory Direct?

We do not sell factory direct at this time, all of our sales are handled through our dealer network.

3. How much does a Diamond C trailer cost?

Every Diamond C trailer is shown on our website with a base MSRP (Manufacturer&#;s Suggested Retail Price). However please note &#; MSRP is NOT the final sales price, the final sales price varies on the region and dealer. There is an option on our website to CONFIGURE YOUR OWN TRAILER and submit it to 1-3 dealers for a price quote. Another option is to use our DEALER LOCATOR to find the nearest dealer and contact them directly. 

4. What is the timeline for ordering a trailer?

Lead times for ordering a trailer do vary on multiple factors:

• The Dealership
• The Model
• The Production Line

The best way to get an accurate timeline for your trailer is through the dealer you choose to work with. Let them know which model you want to order and they will provide the timeline for your order. To find a dealer near you, use our DEALER LOCATOR.

5. I submitted a trailer configuration to a dealer and haven&#;t heard back, What do I do?

If you haven&#;t heard anything back after using our BUILD YOUR OWN TRAILER feature, we suggest directly contacting the dealership(s). After the configuration is submitted, it is sent to the dealership(s) of your choosing and they are your direct contact for the details of the order.

6. What is the warranty on my trailer?

Diamond C Trailer Mfg. warrants that the structure of each Diamond C manufactured trailer that is operated under normal use in the Continental United States or Canada will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for three years, regardless of ownership. The three year structure WARRANTY begins with the date of the original retail purchase, while any resold trailers structure warranty begins with the manufacture date shown on the VIN sticker.

7. How do I file a warranty claim?

Warranty claims go through the DEALER you purchased your trailer from or another dealer in our network if the first option is unavailable. The dealer will submit the claim to us on your behalf. 

8. Are financing options available?

Yes, our dealer network partners with Sheffield Financial and Synchrony Bank to give you multiple options for financing your trailer. More information about FINANCING OPTIONS IS AVAILABLE HERE.

9. What is Diamond C&#;s Engineered Beam Technology?

We design, engineer, and optimize our own U.S. Patent Protected I-Beams to fit each model. Our Engineered Beam Gooseneck trailers are stronger yet lighter, featuring the best strength-to-weight ratio of any steel frame gooseneck on the road. We recently began expanding this beam technology to our other product lines, stay tuned for more updates! Read more about ENGINEERED BEAM TECHNOLOGY HERE.

10. What is the Carrying/Lifting Capacity of the Hydraulic Dovetail?

Our industry exclusive 12&#; HYDRAULIC DOVETAIL is rated to lift/carry 10,000lbs distributed across the length of the dove.

Additional resources:
4 Tips to Select a Wingspan Van Semi Trailer Customization Options
Types Of Semi-Trailers
What is the difference between RV and trailer?
Braked Trailer Axles: Ensuring Safety and Stability on the Road
Low Bed Trailer Ultimate Guide - Truckman Automobile
What are the dimensions of a 53 dry van?

Haiheyuan Product Page

11. What hydraulic fluid do you recommend?

We recommend using ATF Fluid Dexron III for your Diamond C trailer.

12. What sets your powder coating system above the rest?

Our DM COATING SYSTEM is set apart by 3 factors:

1. Prep Process
2. Zinc-Enriched Primer
3. Sherwin Williams Baked-on Topcoat

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13. Do some paint colors cost more?

No, we offer 8 standard colors at no additional cost. You can view the COLOR GUIDE HERE for additional pictures and descriptions.

14. What is Diamond C&#;s highest capacity gooseneck trailer?

The highest capacity gooseneck trailers are the FMAX216 and FMAX312 which are available with 40K GVWR upgrades. 

15. Why do Diamond C dump trailers use Telescopic Cylinders?

Our dump trailer telescopic cylinder design provides many benefits over the more traditional scissor-lift and dual-cylinder setups:

1. There is more front-of-body dumping leverage.
2. It handles imperfect balanced loads more efficiently.
3. There is less stress on the overall frame of the trailer.
4. The front mount location makes for easy system maintenance.

Learn more about our TELESCOPIC CYLINDERS HERE.

16. Does Diamond C accept trades?

Diamond C doesn&#;t currently have an official trade-in program, but some of our dealers offer trade-ins when purchasing new trailers from them. Find the NEAREST AUTHORIZED DIAMOND C DEALER HERE and contact them to find out more about trade-ins.

17. How do I become a dealer?

We are thrilled to hear about your interest in becoming a Diamond C dealer. You can fill out a DEALERSHIP INTEREST INQUIRY HERE. Diamond C keeps the applications on file and will review them when looking to add to our dealership network. 

18. Do you sell Diamond C apparel?

Yes, you can check out all of the DC GEAR HERE.

19. HOW DOES YOUR DECK ON THE NECK WORK WITH A WINCH?

The deck on the neck doesn&#;t work in conjunction with the winch box package. However, there is enough room to bolt a winch directly to the winch plate and still run the deck on the neck. We recommend this method to get the best of both worlds.

20. CAN YOU SWITCH THE SS TO DUALS?

Unfortunately, you can&#;t switch over to duals, the axle for the SS is slightly wider than the duals to provide a better footprint for the SS. If you were to attempt to put duals on the SS axle the tires would hit the outer frame.

21. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET BIG PARTS ORDERS?

Big parts orders are not very shipping friendly, the best way would be to go through your nearest dealer and they can get it shipped with a truckload of trailers. FIND A DEALER HERE. 

22. HOW CAN I BECOME AN AMBASSADOR?

We are excited about your interest in becoming an ambassador, please send your information to [ protected] and he will provide more information about our Brand Ambassador program. He will need all of your social media handles as well as engagement, reach, and follower data. 

23. WHAT KIND OF OIL GOES IN THE HUBS?

We recommend using 90w gear oil.

24. IS THE POP-UP WINCH AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE AS AN AFTERMARKET ITEM?

Unfortunately, you can not purchase the pop-up winch separately. We only offer the pop-up winch on new trailers that are currently in production.

25. CAN WE COME TO VISIT THE PLANT FOR A TOUR?

We do not offer tours right now, sorry!

26. CAN I BUY TRAILERS DIRECTLY FROM THE MANUFACTURER?

Unfortunately, you can not buy trailers directly from us at this time. CLICK HERE TO FIND A DEALER and locate a dealership near you.

27. WHERE DID DIAMOND C&#;S NAME ORIGINATE?

The &#;C&#; in Diamond C comes from the owner&#;s family name &#;Crabb&#; and one of the owner&#;s maiden name &#;Copeland.&#; The word &#;Diamond&#; was very popular and the owners had a liking for it when the company was founded in . TO LEARN MORE ABOUT US CLICK HERE.

Do you still have questions?

Check out our Trailer Learning Center, which contains dozens of articles, videos, and in-depth resources about all of our trailer options, features, and customizable options.

VISIT LEARNING CENTER

Q&A with Jacob Crabb

A few times a year, Jacob (our VP of Sales and Marketing) hops on Instagram Live to answer questions from DC fans and trailer owners from all over the country about our products, processes, and anything the trailer world wants to know!

Follow us on INSTAGRAM to get notified the next time Jacob is planning to go live so you can get a chance to have your question or comment answered as well.

In the meantime, watch the recaps of previous Q&A sessions below:

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Hydraulic Modular Trailer Specifications.