Diamond C Gooseneck Trailer

[Walnut Beast]

I heard good things about them. Does anybody have one? Anybody have a hydraulic beaver tail or tandem disc brakes on there trailer. Any thoughts. Looking at a 32 or 35'. There 12 ft beaver tail has a 10k lift capacity 

[mike_belben]

Whats the tare weight?

[Walnut Beast]

Hard to find the trailer weight. The gvwr is 25,900 on the one I'm looking at FMAXX212. They say they have one of the best weight to strength ratios. I asked the guy that picked my loader up about Diamond C and he said absolutely a nice trailer with the engineered neck

[Walnut Beast]

Was looking at the 210 before the 212 but you can't get the hydraulic over disc on the 210. The 210 is a 25k trailer but has 10k tandems and the 212 has 12k

[mike_belben]

 Do you have a CDL or some kind of exempted use?  Im gonna guess the trailer is 8-10k empty.  Hooked to 8 or 9k truck, a class D license only has room to haul foam or feathers.  

[YellowHammer]

FWIW, If you go over 26,000 lbs combined door stickered weight of both the truck and trailer, whether loaded or not, then instate and interstate you'd need a CDL to haul for business.

I had a 25,000 lb class trailer, but decided to sell it to keep from getting a CDL Class A.  The guy who bought it from the dealership where I sold it later got a mega ticket and the cops subsequently impounded the trailer in Chattanooga.  He decided to sell the trailer to help pay off the tickets and not have to get a CDL Class A.

If you are under 26,000 lbs door sticker combined weight truck and trailer, but over 10,000 lbs combined, then you can can cross state lines without a CDL Class A, but still need a DOT registration for business.  I got my big ticket(s) and education when I was hauling my trailer empty, and crossed from Alabama to Tennesseee.

[Walnut Beast]

I had figured I was going to need to get the CDL. Going to be doing some custom mulching besides being on the farm so it probably would be wise to have one 😂. The machine and head is around 15-16k so I doubt I can slip under the 26k

[YellowHammer]

 

[hedgerow]

Walnut Beast
I have been around the hyd disc brakes for a number of years. Some have been ran by air semi some by electrical controller and some vacuum. They work good and seem to last pulling a lot of country roads. About four years ago I was like you and thought I wanted a trailer with 12,000 axles and a hyd power dove tail. I was tired of ramps. Thought I will sell several trailers and get one. Around here load king diamond c and PJ are the ones you see. Started talking to folks that had them and two things kept coming up. The axles are too far forward and loading equipment in the rain or snow is not good. Several guys had put steel grate on the floor to help. A friend of mine buddy had one at the time so I called him. He does pasture cleaning and snow removal with skid loaders so he is loading and hauling all the time. He had already had a worker dump a skid loader off the trailer while loading. He told me to come hook on to it one weekend and try it out as he had a new one with power ramps coming and was trading the trailer off. I am glad I got to try one. I mostly was going to haul my skid steer with attachments on it. I could see when its wet that tail was going to be a problem and yes the axles are too far forward. I ended up not buying one.   

[barbender]

YH, see where they got you is you thought you were doing everything right so you weren't afraid to visit with them. I always go under the assumption that no good will come of me having a visit with them, so I avoid scales and such. Someday they will catch me doing random roadsides, and they will treat me poorly no doubt😁 That must've been a brutal ticket being that guy had the trailer impounded and had to sell it to pay the fine! How much did they skin you for when you were cited?

[Walnut Beast]

YH, see where they got you is you thought you were doing everything right so you weren't afraid to visit with them. I always go under the assumption that no good will come of me having a visit with them, so I avoid scales and such. Someday they will catch me doing random roadsides, and they will treat me poorly no doubt😁 That must've been a brutal ticket being that guy had the trailer impounded and had to sell it to pay the fine! How much did they skin you for when you were cited?

That's what I always have done in the past was to avoid 😂

[Walnut Beast]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I definitely got some thinking to do. Hedgerow they make flooring called Blackwood it's wood infused with rubber. Don't know how durable it is but Dimond C and PJ are using it. Watched a video on a slick deck vs Blackwood. Looked impressive

[Andries]

@ Walnut Beast- you have some plans that sound like they're longer term. 
A contract mulching business and ongoing farming operations seem to have a 5 to 10 year window, or longer.
Around here, PJ trailers and most others, develop bad rust from road salt in a few short years. Your profile on the Forum marks you up as being in the NE. If thats the NE States, then you have have the same rusty issue.
Do you consider the extra cost of a galvanized trailer a good investment?

[hedgerow]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I definitely got some thinking to do. Hedgerow they make flooring called Blackwood it's wood infused with rubber. Don't know how durable it is but Dimond C and PJ are using it. Watched a video on a slick deck vs Blackwood. Looked impressive

This guy had had a rough bed liner sprayed on the floor and you could see it hadn't lasted. He did had wire mesh down to help but in snow it still would be slick. I have been around that wood infused floor with rubber in stock trailers and wasn't impressed. If I were you I would give those mega style ramps with the hyd fold a hard look at.  

[barbender]

My next trailer I will be looking very hard at galvanized. My PJ trailer looks terrible. Well built trailer, garbage paint. It would be better structurally if they left them unpainted than the garbage powder coat that had on it. All it does is hold the salt and moisture behind.

[OH logger]

I had a McElrath trailer custom built. Dual tandem 24,000lb with removable log bunks built in. I haul logs lumber bobcat and other equipment on it. Works great. They put the heavy expanded metal on the dovetail and about the rear foot of the flat part of the deck for me. NO slip issues any time. I asked about hydraulic disc brakes. He said hydraulic yes. Disc NO. too expensive to work on. I got hyd drum brakes and couldn't b happier with em. I'll NEVER go back to electric brakes

[Walnut Beast]

Did some talking and pricing. Hedgerow your right on the Blackwood. They said the best traction on the hydraulic dove is the metal on the outsides with 5/8 bars welded all the way up. Priced with Hutch heavy duty adjustable suspension. They say it's pretty darn good. Axles are spread a little further apart also. Talked about paint and they claim it's super duper 😂. Does seem like they have a good process. The guy sells Big Tex and says it's about 10 to 1 that people are going with the Diamond C even though they are more expensive. Guy said he would throw the DOT inspection in and the black wheels if I ordered this week 😂. The way I had it with everything was 22,390. 230/80R16 14 ply tires. 

[scsmith42]

I have a Brute 37' dual tandem gooseneck trailer with a hydraulic dovetail and electric hydraulic disk brakes. I specked it out in 2005 and had it built by Brute. At the time, most of Brutes employees were ex PJ employees, and Brute specialized in hydraulic dovetail trailers. It cost me 16k in 2005.

I like the system a lot. My trailer weighs 10K lbs empty, has an 11' ramp and was designed for a 20k payload on the deck. It has a torque tube up front that runs almost all of the way from the front of the trailer to just in front of the axles.  The braking is the best that I've ever used (including air brakes.)

There are two hydraulic pumps; one for the ramp lift and a separate one for the ramp lock. It has two deep cycle batteries linked together with 2/0 welding cable and an 8K Pierce winch up front on a Reese style hitch insert mount.

If I were building the same trailer today I would go with higher capacity axles with 17" tires. Aluminum would be nice too.

The trailer has been a real enabler. I can load the front with logs while carrying a skid loader at the back.



 

 

[Walnut Beast]

Very impressive setup👍. Thanks for the input. Especially on the hydraulic dove tail and the disc brakes. I'll have to check on the separate pumps. Also I'll check on the tires. They had some options there to. 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I have a PJ and a Load Max both are well built but the paint is a joke on both of them and the wiring was atrocious.

Next trailer I want something with paint that'll last and automotive wiring with weather pack connectors and such (no crimped butt connector garbage).

As for the tilt deck either get bar stock welded across or like I did is bolt snowmobile tracks on the deck. Only way I can anything on the deck if it's the least bit wet or frosty. Remove a few bolts and can have a perfectly flat deck if need be.

[Walnut Beast]

What tire size did you have on those. I'm maybe looking to upgrade to the 17.5 tire & wheel. Any thoughts. The guy said the trailer will ride a little rougher empty. Good call on the traction (Chevy).
The guy said today the metal tread with 5/8 bar welded all the way up was 230 bucks more. The wood is still in the middle. I had asked if the 5/8 bars welded at the bottom and top with Blackwood in the middle outside could be gotten without. He said that was standard. I thought about doing what you said making a traction plate that could be screwed to the wood then taken off. 800 bucks more  for oak floor on 32ft vs standard treated

[scsmith42]

What tire size did you have on those. 

They are 235/85R16's.  

Over the years I've tried a lot of different tires (5 sets so far), and have yet to wear any out.  The problem is that I take the trailer into tight areas, and end up jack knifing it around to maneuver it where it needs to go.  That's not a problem if it's empty, but if it's heavily loaded I'll end up with a tread separation. 

Up until 3 years ago I've had to replace tires every 2-3 years, but that changed when my local tire shop recommended Sailun tires.  Sailun's primary market is commercial truck tires for OTR trucks. 

I'm running their Load Range G S637T commercial trailer tire. So far I have had better results with them than any of the previous brands (Maxiss, Goodyear Marathon's, Farm Bureau, Cooper, and another no-name brand that came with the trailer).  The Sailun's have a load rating of 3,860 per tire when used in dual configurations.

[chevytaHOE5674]

17.5" rubber is better than 16". Trouble with them in most places in availability. Just about any place you go will have some sort of 16" tire on the shelf to get you back on the road in a pinch. Heck tractor supply and the like keep 16" tires on the shelf that will keep you moving on a Sunday afternoon. A 17.5" tire is often times a special order item.

[Walnut Beast]

👍 .  The 16s are a 14 ply

[Walnut Beast]

After getting everything figured out I ordered my Diamond C trailer. The deal breaker was the 17.5 wheel and tire package. The rims only come in white. But on the 16s you could get black for a option. I said let's wait to see if they could do it. Dealer called the VP of Diamond and they said they could 😂. So I said ok let's order it. Interesting the same Gooseneck in the Super Single with 17.5 is the same GVWR as mine with tandems but the trailer is 675 bucks more