The Town of Irondequoit, NY's Department of Public Works was looking to replace some antiquated fleet assets. To assist with the new assets' procurement, they looked to Nick Padulo, commercial and municipal account manager with Tracey Road Equipment in Rochester, NY. 

The town would be replacing their 1998 Talbert 35-ton lowboy and 1998 Mack Tractor that was nearing the end of its service life. The new tractor-trailer pair would be used to haul various equipment ranging from large excavators and dozers to mini loaders and skid-steers. At times it would potentially be used to move double drum rollers. Along with the transporting of equipment, the tractor-trailer pair would also transport pallets full of sandbags.

The Town of Irondequoit worked with Padulo to procure the new tractor-trailer pair, a 2021 Freightliner 122SD and a 2020 Felling 35 ton XF-70 HDG (hydraulic detachable gooseneck), which they took delivery of this past spring.

The Town of Irondequoit was familiar with the Felling brand having purchased a Felling FT-16 IT-I drop deck tilt bed trailer a few years earlier through Tracey Road in 2018. “They have enjoyed the quality product and like the fact it is offered on Sourcewell and NYS OGS contracts, which makes purchasing easy," said Padulo. Sourcewell is a government agency that holds hundreds of competitively solicited cooperative contracts ready for use, with Felling Trailers being one of them. Felling Trailers has held a contract as an approved vendor with Sourcewell for over 10 years.

Padulo worked with Irondequoit’s Dept. of Public Works to ensure the 35-ton hydraulic detach would accommodate the load angle needs for their various equipment. This was done with a few custom specifications: custom 36" front fold over ramps in lieu of the standard 26", 35º approximate, full-height trunnion approach with grousers, full-length modular wheel covers, and center decking. Keeping operator safety and ease of use in mind, they also added extra D-ring tie-downs, amber strobe lights in the tailboard, and an adjustable aluminum folding oversized load sign.