Whether you’re hauling steel, concrete, concrete or an excavator, platform truck bodies are key to getting from one Lehigh Valley worksite to another. Levan Machine and Truck Equipment can custom fit your truck with anything from lift gates to hitch couplers to reinforced overcab material racks. Whatever you require, we can help you upfit your vehicle for your business’s specific needs and for maximum hauling safety.
There’s a lot to consider when choosing what kind of platform truck body for your business. If you’re hauling rebuilt Mack Truck engines and trannies from Reading or scaffolding for your paint job in Allentown, Levan Machine and Truck Equipment is your regional go-to for all your platform truck body and flatbed needs. Some businesses won’t need more than a flatbed truck to haul heavy equipment like excavators, while others need storage like toolboxes to keep gear ready to pull out for a contracting job.
When you’re ready to choose, consider that there’s four basic types of platform loaders for four very different types of hauling:
Flatbed trucks are perfect for those needing to transport large loads like tractors and excavators that aren’t needing weather considerations like tarps. The difference between stake side platforms and flatbeds are sockets that allow stakes to form a barrier like a fence around the truck bed. This adaptive feature allows for hauling that can change from load to load.
We will work with you to find the correct platform or flatbed to fit your business. But first you need to know if your truck chassis and platform needs are compatible.
We are talking about payload, cab to axle and body length. In short, know your truck’s numbers like you know your weight and blood pressure. For instance, your truck’s payload before customizing it with a platform truck body installation may be 6,000 pounds. That includes the driver, passengers and anything you loaded into your vehicle, even the fuel. Will that payload be compatible with what you need to haul? For instance, you won’t be able to haul a tractor weighing 10,000 pounds with a light-duty, class 2 truck.
What class is your truck? There’s eight classes of trucks in the United States ranging from light-duty (class 1) to a semi-trailer (class 8). Trucks generally fall into the class 2 to 7 range with a length varying from 7 ft. to 12 ft. Title 75 lists 25 truck classes in Pennsylvania. The measurement from the back of the cab to the center of the rear axle is the final factor that determines compatibility. The math formulas can be tricky so it’s imperative to ask your truck body distributor to determine your exact truck class and cab to axle measurement for the best approximation of truck body compatibility.
Upfitting an existing platform depends on your budget and your business needs. You may not need to buy new if all you need is to add a pull-down tailgate or a toolbox to make your contracting business more efficient. However if you can no longer manage a load of heavy materials, Levan Machine and Truck Equipment can show you what brands of platform truck bodies are available:
Levan Machine and Truck Equipment can help you not only find the right platform truck body for sale or upfit. We serve the entire Lehigh Valley area, including the cities of Morgantown, Reading, Easton and Bethlehem. We can help you with your standard and heavy-duty platform and flatbed needs. We also provide service and maintenance as well. Don’t wait until your truck won’t work for you or until you need an extra truck. Bring us your numbers and get a quote today.
