Pros and Cons of Belt Trailers

I have a 2011 Wilson 42x78x102 and with a small bunk IH Prostar we can only haul 46000,they are heavy and expensive but very versatile

wow, we run Imcos that are 42x102 and I think they're 78" sides, might be 72. with an 06 9900ix with 72" sleeper I'm 31,400 full of fuel. with daycab 9200 I'm right at or just above 28,000. all trucks and trailers are running super singles

I have a timpte 42 ft long, 78 inch side,102 inches wide, 22 low pro all allum wheels that weighs 32000 fuel of fuel with a 2005 freightliner comumbia 230 inch wheel base. Oh yea , its for sale. 806.681.9095

My question is, are the rates any better for a belt or walking floor over a hopper to counter the extra expense?

I have owned all of them at one time or another, TTC and Western are the lightest on the market today both very well built and will last a very long time . I have now changed my fleet over to all TTC I feel they have the best trailer.

has anyone ever seen a belt trailer that will also dumo like a dump trailer

You are running any of new ttc trailers?

how are they?

a lot of good comments. We run mostly trinity but there is a western and a wilson rolling around here too.

The cons: 3 years ago a new trinity was 68k. They asked us 118 for same build for this year and we had to pass. You got some major overhead in them. We dont have a lot of maintenance issues, but most would be more expensive than a hopper. On some lanes, you cannot compete with the equipment costs and payloads of a hopper. Also, pet food mfg have gotten very particular about contamination and have mostly stopped using belts. The rates on those hauls tends to be poor anyhow, but it does take away some options. Another point is you have the expense of a wet kit, and the cost to keep it maintained. We are about 30k on day cab petes and 32k on sleeper trucks. copmared to 26/28 with hoppers.

The Pros: Some loads require live bottom and pay more. Another pro is being able to leave a load on the trailer without fear of it bridging up like a hopper. Another pro is the versatility. Rock/feed/grain/litter/coal/wet stuff, etc.

With the operating an interest costs vs trucking rates, you need to buy your equipment cheaper to be able to turn profit.

It's an old thread but a lot of good info. I decided to buy a belt trailer because I'm from Southern Michigan. We have a lot of specialty crops here such as seed corn, potatoes, cucumbers, and sugar beets that often times require a belt or walking floor trailer. We also have a lot of dairies that want feed hauled to their bunks 24/7. Dairy producers don't have time to babysit a pit or auger system when they need feed. I started out with a Wilson Patriot belt, but have since went to running a Trinity. Both Wilson and Trinity are good trailers, but Trinity makes a lighter trailer that's easier to work on. I try to stay away from hopper work as you will never be able to compete with a hopper in terms of weight. My legal net is roughly 23 tons of product with my double bunk sleeper. The pro's to belt trailers: You can haul most any dry material except large rock. Quick unloading of wet DDG and wet gluten, no rubber mallet or vibrator required. You can unload pretty much anywhere without the fear of tipping over. Cons: Belt trailers are heavy, and they are expensive. Washouts (when required) will take longer on a belt than other trailers.