How much trailer weight can my tractor tow?

[bigtiller]

The tree up in the northwest corner of Kansas is pretty innocuous. LOL. My part of the state. Is pretty flat with occasional surprises.

True story,

A wheat farmer in Kansas told my co-worker "there is a good woman behind every tree". My co-worker looked over the horizon in all directions and seen 2 trees.

 

[90cummins]

I have a 1720 ford 27 hp CUT & I have towed a 6000 lb Vermeer chipper using the 3pt hitch around town & up forest roads cleaning up.
As mentioned that can be dangerous if the 3pt hitch is not restrained when going down hill or stopping. I use a D ring shackle & chain to secure the 3pt hitch to limit travel up.
As for how much your tractor will legally tow that should be in the owners manual.
How much can it actually tow depends on terrain.

90cummins

 

[JRH02]

About the only thing I can add to this crazy thread is that if you are pulling uphill and can't make it, "God sometimes protects the stupid." So you stall and hopefully don't get dragged back downhill.

But if you are going down hill, well, I hope your life insurance premiums are paid up. Or maybe they can prove you died by suicide and the claim is denied.

There is no magic formula for this stuff. Mfgr data and whatever can't factor in what crazy things people will do. This is why liability lawyers advertise and are well paid.

 

[Farmer495]

About the only thing I can add to this crazy thread is that if you are pulling uphill and can't make it, "God sometimes protects the stupid." So you stall and hopefully don't get dragged back downhill.

But if you are going down hill, well, I hope your life insurance premiums are paid up. Or maybe they can prove you died by suicide and the claim is denied.

There is no magic formula for this stuff. Mfgr data and whatever can't factor in what crazy things people will do. This is why liability lawyers advertise and are well paid.

All valid points, that's why it's best to know your and your tractor's capabilities.

When in doubt how a tractor will handle a grade, stay in lower gears and follow the trucker principle of descending a hill in the same gear you'd climb it in and never downshift after heading down hill incase you miss the shift, doesn't take too to get going faster than high gear in neutral.

I once hauled a fully loaded wagon downhill years ago in too high of a gear with too small of a tractor, not a good feeling when the load is overspeeding the engine and the brakes aren't holding you back and no way you can catch a lower gear. I was lucky it was paved road and not gravel....

 

[GinNB]

I once hauled a fully loaded wagon downhill years ago in too high of a gear with too small of a tractor, not a good feeling when the load is overspeeding the engine and the brakes aren't holding you back and no way you can catch a lower gear. I was lucky it was paved road and not gravel....

I know a couple of fellows who wanted to "race" tractors down a long and VERY steep paved road. Both topped out around 20mph but one guy cheated by popping it in neutral after hitting high idle. Scared the living crap out of him as it sped up downhill WAY past what the twitchy steering was comfortable with. He won but with dirty shorts.

 

[GinNB]

I'm pretty sure it's been covered, but "it depends". Trailer brakes? Traction? 4WD engaged? Hills? Wagon or trailer? Try it conservatively in your usual conditions and work your way up. Easy rule of thumb with lots of traction "here" is wagon weight = tractor weight is a good load with no trailer brakes but don't exceed in steep hills, especially in low traction. Soft ground or it's slippery? Be VERY conservative or don't be surprised to get stuck or have the tail wag the dog. Flat ground, particularly in field conditions? Load 'er till you get stuck then learn for next time. Oh, and this is with a swinging drawbar locked locked in the center position (basically the tractor equivalent of a bumper hitch. 3pt drawbar is a whole different kettle of fish. If you brake with one of those it'll ride up and the trailer can poke you from above the tractor's center of gravity and do weird things on downhills and other braking situations. I only run 3pt drawbars with burners (see my profile picture) to be able to lift the burner and drain the last of the fuel.