Lowboy
Lowboy loads
The heavy haul trailer. The lowest deck in the family and as many axles as the weight requires — for freight that exceeds what any two-axle trailer can legally carry.
What rides on a lowboy
- Heavy construction equipment
- Mining and drilling equipment
- Large cranes and components
- Industrial presses and heavy machinery
A lowboy carries what nothing else can. Axles are added as the weight demands — three, five, nine or more — spreading the load so it stays within the per-axle limits that bridges and pavement are engineered around.
Lowboy freight is where legal limits stop being theoretical. Axle count, axle spacing, and the route all decide what a given trailer can carry, which is why two lowboys rated the same can be very different trucks in practice.
Lowboy capacity is quoted as a range rather than a number because it depends entirely on the axle configuration underneath. The right question is not what a lowboy can carry, but what this lowboy, on this route, can carry legally.
Specifications
- Well length
- 24–29 ft
- Well deck height
- ~1 ft 6 in
- Max freight height
- ~12 ft
- Capacity
- 40,000–80,000 lb+
- Axles
- 3–9+
- Typical use
- Heavy haul
Figures are standard federal and industry dimensions. State limits vary — check the route before you assume a load is legal.
Recent lanes
Lowboy freight on the move
- Boise, IDSacramento, CADozer · 585 mi · 2h ago$3,180
Common questions
Lowboy, explained
How much weight can a lowboy haul?
It depends on the axle configuration. A three-axle lowboy typically carries around 40,000 pounds, while multi-axle heavy haul setups carry 80,000 pounds and well beyond. Above legal gross weight the limit is set by the route and the axle configuration rather than by the trailer's rating.
Other open deck equipment
Find lowboy freight today.
Free to create an account and browse the board. A membership gets you the contact details and the alert that puts you on the load first.