Talbert Manufacturing recently introduced its 40-Ton Lightweight Trailer. The trailer can be customized for customers who need to remain below the superload weight limit in states with 120,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating restrictions.

Each state has separate laws surrounding superloads. Generally, once a truck reaches superload status, route surveys and engineering reviews are required on roads and bridges to ensure the superload can travel the desired route without causing a hazard.

Even after the permit is issued, there are further restrictions regarding when the load can move, usually on weekdays during daylight hours. Further, a permit is commonly valid for one trip only. Given these rules, the need for escorts and the cost of permits, most operators strive to stay below superload level for all the states through which a load will travel.

The 40-Ton Lightweight trailer can be designed for the transport of excavators, small to mid-sized dozers and other construction equipment, and it weighs just over 18,000 pounds. When paired with a truck, the unit can transport equipment at full capacity - up to 80,000 pounds - while remaining under the 120,000-pound superload limit.

To best accommodate the height of an excavator, Talbert can customize the trailer with a 22-inch deck height and a deck boom well. This six-foot-long recessed portion in the rear of the trailer is roughly six inches deep and plated for the bucket of an excavator. This lowers the overall height of the boom to ensure the load is a legal height.

The three-axle, 26-foot trailer features a four-beam deck design and auxiliary crossmembers for extra floor support. Talbert manufactures the trailers using 16-inch beams, consisting of T-1 flanges and 80K webs, to reduce empty weight and achieve the target trailer weight and deck height. The trailer can also be built with Walther EMC Dura-Light Hubs as a lightweight hub solution and CentriFuse brake drums, which are the lightest drums on the market. The trailer's aluminum wheels also help keep the weight low.

The 40-Ton Lightweight trailer also features a new ratchet neck design. This design eliminates the need for changing adjustment blocks and enables the operator to adjust the ride height of a trailer from one side of the trailer.

Customers can choose whether to incorporate Talbert's 75th anniversary package. This package includes stainless steel gooseneck inserts, stainless steel mudflap brackets with a "Talbert" cutout, powder-coated outriggers, 75th anniversary decals and conspicuity tape, apitong decking coated with linseed oil and a custom placard decal.