Picking up a 35-40' gooseneck trailer - questions

[CodyLX450]

Hi all,

I've been in the market for a 35-40' flatbed gooseneck trailer and so far have narrowed it down to a dovetail design in the rear, and a flat deck above the gooseneck if I can get one.

I'm wanting to be as versatile as possible for hauling various types of vehicles and cargo. The downside to an open trailer is there are customers and loads that require enclosed transport.

Is it possible to attach a 20' empty shipping container to have a half open, half closed trailer on a long flatbed?

The only half open/half closed trailers I have seen are smaller scale stuff, look like maybe a few motorcycles inside, and a few outside, or a car, or ATVs, etc....

I have no clue what a 20' shipping container weighs empty...but the idea sounds intriguing....

[Ryan Rønning]

If that is what you are looking for there are companies that make forty food trailers with the knuckles already installed to haul forty foot and duel 20 foot containers. Check those out first.

[CodyLX450]

Any clue as to the empty weight of your standard 20' container?

The trailer I am looking at weighs about 9000lbs empty.

If my F-450 can tow about 24k that leaves me with 15k for cargo weight on the trailer.

[RailfanAlex]

If I remember right, an empty 20ft weighs around 5000lbs.
Can check for ya at work tomorrow.

[Ryan Rønning]

We have a 20 foot container thats tagged for 4400 lbs empty

[CodyLX450]

Ahh, found a site that shows a TARE weight of just under 5000lbs. Thats not too bad, considering I'd be able to have 5000lbs in the enclosed half and 5000lbs in the open half of the trailer.

Are there any options outside of hauling a 5k 20' container that might be lighter weight to give me half enclosed half open?

[Ryan Rønning]

Nothing really comes to mind.

[F250SixOH]

Originally Posted by CodyLX450

Ahh, found a site that shows a TARE weight of just under 5000lbs. Thats not too bad, considering I'd be able to have 5000lbs in the enclosed half and 5000lbs in the open half of the trailer.

Are there any options outside of hauling a 5k 20' container that might be lighter weight to give me half enclosed half open?

Uhaul body?

[StarDriver]

Not only is that shipping container going to be heavy, once you put it on a trailer you're going to be close to 13FT tall, which is going to be a HUGE amount of air you're going to drag, plus, it's gonna look shoddy. Also, if you want to haul enclosed, that insurance is going to be expensive, you'd just as well go full open or full enclosed.

[GAS]

Wow at 4500 to 5000 LB empty, that's giving up a lot of cargo weight.
I'd wonder about the covered wagon set ups. Then you wouldn't be screwed if you got a covered load one way, and lost out cuz you couldn't get rid of the container, for a open trailer load on the return trip.