RANCHING Business
W
Prevent Metal Fatigue From Ruining Flatbed Trailers
Knowing what to look for can extend useful life of heavy-duty fl atbed trailers
By Del Williams
HEN EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES MUST BE MOVED ON OR OFF-ROAD cost-effectively, farms and small businesses depend on heavy-duty fl atbed trailers — yet metal fatigue
sends many to the scrap mill too soon. The repeated loading and unloading of heavy items, such
as tractors, pipe, and farm implements, can strain a trailer’s frame and supports. So can loads brought in from the side, trailer fl ex from loads coming up the ramp, and stress from driving through fi elds, ditches, over berms, railroad tracks and rough terrain. If the loads are above a certain threshold, microscopic cracks will begin to form. Eventually a crack will reach a critical size and the metal will suddenly fracture. “You’d be surprised at how much metal fatigue occurs if
you run standard channel iron or angle iron-built trailers at the maximum allowable load,” says Philip McCullough, who was raised on a farm and is now general manager at Gajeske Inc., a Houston-based distributor of polyethylene pipe, valves, fi ttings, fabrications and fusion equipment. “If you start seeing microfractures, you have to act quickly or
they can turn into a much bigger problem. Previously, we had to retire trailers because they started cracking.” According to Mc-
Cullough, when a manu- facturer does not support critical areas of the trailer, metal fatigue can develop and “creep” throughout the trailer. When other areas compensate for the metal fatigue, they become over- stressed themselves. Knowing what to look
for in a heavy-duty fl atbed trailer can prevent metal fatigue and safely, cost-ef- fectively extend its useful
life. First, it must be properly engineered to protect the main beam. The fl atbed boards can be replaced, the tires can be replaced, the couplers can be replaced, but if the main beam develops metal fatigue then the trailer will not last. McCullough, who recently purchased 6 heavy-duty Red
Rhino fl atbed trailers offered by GoBob Pipe and Steel, a manu- facturer of farm and work trailers that meet or exceed National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) and Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements, identifi ed a number of features that gave him confi dence in their reliability and longevity. Given about 50,000 annual miles of use per trailer, McCullough estimates return on investment (ROI) as fast as 18 months on the new fl atbed trailers in reduced maintenance-
70 The Cattleman June 2013
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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