Been looking at various age trucks for some time. Ideally, I wanted a tandem axle box truck to mount my piggyback forklift on. Okay, so that's a dream. $$$$! I decided to wait after reading several threads on pickups, for lack of which brand, and what seemed like a lot of bucks for ten year old trucks, and then possibly add the expense of a trailer. Anyway, I get a voice mail from a neighbor who co-owns a business with three other guys. They have three trucks going to auction in a week. Stop by the shop if interested. Short of it, I bought a 12' flatbed, 2000 GMC Topkick 5500, six speed manual, with a 3126 Cat. gvw 20,500. gcvw 37,000+, and all the shop records, for half of what most of the pickups were listed for. Topped off the tanks and weighed it at the truck stop. 11,060# which yeilds 9440 payload. Internet, read, expect 8-10 mpg. So now I'm thinking trailers. Forklift is 8'2" wide. Over deck, tilt bed, gooseneck? Is a 12' bed too long for a gooseneck, or would I have to cut 3' off the truck? If I load the truck with palletized wood and pull a small trailer/forklift, will the empty truck, in the winter, with a loaded trailer (6,000 # forklift) get squirrelly? Maybe gooseneck? What do you look for in a good built trailer with so many brands out there? Looked at PJs on line; they have several ramp choices. Three, four ramp, and two huge mega ramps. My forklift has three wheels. Simply can not move much wood here without delivering.
