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south Central Michigan | First I'm going to say you're going to be a little short on ponies pulling a 28 or 30 foot trailer loaded. A 22 or 24 foot trailer would be a better fit.
With that being said I'm with those on here that are saying get a tandem semi. Here are the reasons. Like somebody said DOTs are not as likely to stop you for looking overweight. Not to say you won't ever get stopped.
Number 2 a tandem semi will handle mud slightly better than a single axle. No neither one is great in mud but a single axle will be worse yet. A neighbor of ours has a single axle setup with a 24 foot jet on it and he is getting stuck with it when those of us with tandems are getting along just fine. In fact he's the only one in the neighborhood who runs a single axle semi. Everybody else is tandem.
Number 3 resale is better with a tandem than with a single axle. Not to say you are going to trade truck all that often but it is something to consider.
Number 4 is there any room in your operation for expansion. If there is a bigger truck and trailer will be there if it happens. My experience is if you can afford it it's always better to go bigger than you need at that moment than buy something and 2 years later wish you had gotten a bigger one. And my last point with a bigger truck and trailer setup you may be able to pencil out hauling a little bit farther for a better price than with the smaller setup.
The other thing and this is coming from personal experience. Will that coop always be that close to haul your grain to. When I was a kid growing up in the 1990s there were 10 elevators within 20 miles of home. Now there is a ethanol plant. A small feed mill that doesn't have much grain holding capacity. And the only elevator that takes beans and wheat within 30 miles. One of the elevators that was listed above is now owned by a large pig farm and is only open for corn for a short period of time in the fall. They get what corn they need for the pigs they shut down for the year. Everything else closed down and even 2 failed. Not saying that this is a problem in your neck of the woods but it can happen. You might be forced by events to haul farther than you first intended. A larger truck will give you that flexibility.
Once you get your bearings on driving a larger truck you can get much better at maneuvering it in tight places. I started hauling grain with a Chevy C-65 single axle straight truck and tractor and Kill Bros 350 wagons. If I got used to driving a semi and 41 foot hopper bottom so can you. | |
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Semi Advice
