Talbert’s 55-ton 55SA trailer retracts to eliminate need for permit

Me Photo Headshot
Updated Jun 1, 2017
The 55SA-TELE trailer from Talbert Manufacturing can be extended for carrying large loads and then retracted to 32 feet 6 inches to prevent the need for a permit.The 55SA-TELE trailer from Talbert Manufacturing can be extended for carrying large loads and then retracted to 32 feet 6 inches to prevent the need for a permit.

The 55SA-TELE extendable trailer from Talbert Manufacturing can haul everything from bridge beams to pressure vessels and then be retracted to eliminate the need for permits on return trips.

The 55-ton trailer comes with a 90-inch swing radius that can be extended to 114 inches with a gooseneck extension. The trailer can be set up as a four-axle close coupled, 2+2 spread axle or 3+1 spread axle configuration, and the third and fourth axles can be flipped or removed. A 24-inch pinned and hinged gooseneck extension can also be flipped. Ultimately, the deck can be shortened from 54 feet to 32 feet 6 inches for an overall trailer length of 53 feet, which is within the permit limit.

The trailer expands and locks in four increments. Beams stretch between a 29-foot wooden deck in the front and a 3-foot Apitong platform in the back. An ENitro nitrogen assisted dampening system provides proportional weight distribution in each axle grouping, the company says.

The deck is only 20 inches high, for transporting taller equipment. The trailer has standard air ride suspension and is built with 100,000-psi minimum yield steel. Options include Dura-Bright aluminum wheels, strobe lights at each axle and a battery backup that powers the lighting package when the trailer is disconnected from the truck’s power.