Air lift axles & FET tax

[Duke]

Wouldn't it be smart to buy a single axle rated at 33,000lbs to avoid FET then add an airlift axle to boost GVWR so you could get around FET?

I know they're not as good as a real tandem, but you can boost GVWR ~15,000 lbs up to about 48,000 lbs and not pay that salty FET they charge for any new truck over 35K GVWR.

 

[Pacific]

Not worth the savings

The benefits of a tandem is you have the 2 extra brakes plus you have the extra traction of 4 tires plus its alot stronger then having a non driving lift axle. A single axle is maxed out for brakes as it is a tag axle doesn't usually run good brakes.

The biggest problem about a tag is your traveling along and you get in a situation where the tag takes all the weight and lifts the drive axle off the ground. You lift the tag up and your grossly overloading your single drive axle. The other problem is the tag is on air so when you have to try dump your load the truck will rollover. Most dump trucks on air have to dump their bags before they can dump. If you dumped the bags on the tag then dump the truck will do a wheelie because its pivoting over the rear drive axle because of the over hang. It most definatly would lift the front axle right off the ground which would be down right scary because you would really have a situation where you flop on the side

How much extra tax do they charge you on a tandem ?

 

[Duke]

$15,000 for a tandem over a single. An air lift is only $3,500, plus you avoid the huge FET tax which adds thousands more to a tandem.

From what I've been shown, the air lift has its' own airtank and brakes to help stop the load. What they told me they do is air down the tag axle (not fully, just partially) then dump the load.

I think in my situation where I only want to tag the truck at ~40-43,000, it works well since the tag brakes will be enough to stop the extra 7-10,000lbs and when I lift the axle to dump it, it won't kill the truck, espacially if it's off road.

 

[NJKen]

It must work OK Duke becuase a LOT of guys around here do it. Of course a tag is not as good as a tandem but it would probably suit your needs just fine.
Ken

 

[Pacific]

What a big rip off is there anyway you can hop the boarder and buy a truck here and take it back or do you still have to pay that FET which I don't know what it means.

 

[towcat]

I used to have a GMC 4car salvage carrier with a in-cab adjustable lift axle. It had its own set of brakes on it. Didn't know about the FET but it sure made life much easier when I was doing tight manuvering.

 

[Duke]

What a big rip off is there anyway you can hop the boarder and buy a truck here and take it back or do you still have to pay that FET which I don't know what it means.

You pay FET (Federal Excise Tax) when you register the truck if the GVWR is over 35,000lbs. That's why the magic number in the states is 33,000lbs and why so many single axles are 33K. Once you junp to 35K you pay a 5% FET
(I think it's 5%). So if you buy a 70,000 tandem, you'll pay $3,500 more in FET alone.

 

[Pacific]

If it was a one shot deal where you bought a heavier truck and you only paid the tax once I guess that would be allright but if its a annual tax you have to pay forget it.

I guess every gov't has some kind of cash grab. If you do add a lift axle to a single axle don't you still have to register the truck for a heavier gvw if not its not legal to carry the extra weight ?

 

[Duke]

Yes, you have to register it for the heavier weight. But that's only about $100 more per year. You don't have to pay FET if you add a lift axle once the truck is more than 6 months old.