Thanks Chris,
I am going to try it on short hauls and if needed I have two spare axles sitting beside the trailer. One of them can be put on in a few hours. I bought a newer truck (2007 GMC Sierra Denali with Z60 suspension) and have had trouble getting enough weight on the tongue. I think that I will like having the ability to load the weight forward while keeping the FEL bucket behind the rail.
Brian,
What is your trailer constructed out of? I assume your 10K limitation is that your trailer has two 5200 pound axles underneath it.
The issue with trailer frame strength is the length of span where the weight is supported. As the span increases the weight any particular size of steel beam can support decreases. So to add length we also need to add to the frame supporting it.
In my case I added 4' of length between the tongue and the axles increasing that section from 6' to 10' (approximately). I also added 7.5' of 2x2x1/4 tubing under each 5" channel on the outside of the frame and 3/16" thick sign posts with 1.5" sidewalls to the 3" channel on the inside of the frame.
My other alternative plan was to build 4' of trailer on top of the tongue then move the front rail forward and install a new tongue. If I were converting to gooseneck this would have been the preferred route. The 5" channel from the original tongue would remain in place in a traingle shape supporting the main frame rails. I likely would have added additional support to the area behind the original tongue triangle to the front axle.
By adding 4' in front of the axles we add 4' of additional span to that section. If we move the axles forward then we increase the span in front of and behind the axles. If we add a third axle in front of our existing axle then we increase the axle capacity of the trailer and add a lesser amount of additional span, perhaps 1.5' to 2'.
I know that the trailer I added length to handled 12K+ loads of hay for 15 years on its original frame. When I refurbished it 1.5 years ago we doubled the number of cross members and rewelded areas where the tongue had broken free of the main frame.
I spent $150 on steel, about $80 on wood, $25 on welding rods and little on wire to add the 4'. If I had added onto the front and added a new tongue that price would have been higher. I expect that the gooseneck hitch for your truck or the one for the trailer would cost as much as my entire project.
