Enclosed Trailer Advice

[Spanky100]

Looking to purchase an enclosed trailer to haul and winter store a soon to be purchased tractor, front end loader, and rear rotary cutter. The equipment will be used about 6 months of the year at home and vacant land that needs to be cut (5 acres to cut)a couple times a year to keep it from getting overgrown.

The highest weight tractor I am considering is a Kioti CK35 with 130 loader and 5 foot rotary cutter. The weight (lbs) is 3200 tractor, 800 loader, and 800 for 5 ft rotary cutter. Total say around 5000 lbs. Likely will need at least a 7 ft by 22 ft trailer to fit in and position tractor for weight distribution. I suspect this size trailer would weigh at least 2500 lbs empty. Tractor and trailer at least 7500 pounds. Thus likely would need a trailer with two 5200 pound axles with brakes for both axles. Estimated total towing miles per year would be 3000.

Most of the enclosed trailers I see have 3/4 plywood floor over 16 to 24 inch on center crossmembers. D-rings are installed to secure load. My initial concern is: are enclosed trailers typically used as car haulers sufficient strength to haul CUT with implements? Should I get "barn doors" and use detachable ramps in place of the ramp door.

Looking for other thoughts and advice to make the correct decision. Any manufacturers come to mind. Do the V-nose trailers reduce the wind drag much or are the just used to add storage at the V section of trailer frame.

Thanks

 

[asylum575]

I have an 8x20 car hauler enclosed trailer to store my BX24. I have my BH all the way forward, then my FEL. The BX fits behind everything.
If I were to haul the BX, the BH and FEL would have to be mounted on the tractor, because their aren't enough d rings to secure everything.

My trailer weighs about 3200 and is rated at 7K. Not much cargo, but fits my uses.

I am thinking of adding a couple of D-rings. THis way I could secure my rake, box blade and PHD up front and load the BX with the FEL and BH mounted over the axles.

I haven't seen many 22 footers, you may have to go with a 24'.

 

[scoutcub]

I have an 8' X 30' H&H that is built pretty strong. I've driven my 32HP TLB inside with no problem, actually I was loading the front of the trailer with implements including a 6' flail mower, no problem with the weight, alltogether it was approx 5000-5500lbs.

I was also a bit concerned on the door, but it was no problem holding it. I would definitely recommend the ramp door versus the barn doors.
My tractor fir between the fenderwells, I don't know if the rotary mower would fit between.....but you'd probably have enough room behind them to get it all in.

I don't know how much the V-nose helps, but it can't hurt! Has to be better that a big flat surface I would imagine.....

Good luck shopping!

 

[schmism]

ramp door... most are designed with the idea of cars/trucks driveing on them and have been designed to take it.

24' 10K version is what your going to need.

I could get my 5' brush hog with tractor and FEL on my 20' but not with the hog attached on the back of my tractor and inside the rear of my trailer.... i cant sift it forward enough with the hog on the back else i put to much toung weight on the front. So you might have to carry the hog into the trailer with the FEL to load right.

 

[Spanky100]

thanks for the help. Sounds like a 10,000 pound 8 by 24 foot car haul trailer with ramp doors should work. Will have to start looking.

Thanks again

 

[scoutcub]

Spanky -

Are you living in MI and have the vacant land in OH? Or the other way around?

I just moved from outside Detroit to south of Canton, OH.....

 

[bw_wis]

I use a 8.5x20 United enclosed trailer with 2x5200lb Dexter torflex axles. It pulls great.

I strongly advise against a ramp door for a tractor. In my research before I bought my trailer, ramp doors are not strong enough to support a tractor. The big difference being that tractors have a shorter wheel base than car and trucks. And more of the total weight is on the ramp at once. Other reasons against ramp doors is I've seen many ramp door really beat up and damaged by multipurpose users. Also swing doors allow a forklift or bobcat slide pallets, lumber, etc. into your trailer. Can't do that with ramp doors. Lastly to open the back door you need a lot more room behind the trailer.

My trailer deck is 3/4ply with framing 16"oc. The floor is strong enough to hold my, at its heaviest 4500+lbs, Kubota. I ran that way for 6 monthes and a few thousand miles. Never worried once loaded since the implements are lowered thus distributing the weight more evenly. I didn't like the flex and the groans in floor while loading/unloading. So I added a high quality 1/2"ply super deck on top. Now I feel more comfortable loading my tractors.

I would also advise going wider than 7'. I think my B2630 is smaller then your machine. My trailer starts to feel narrow sometimes with a 5' bucket and 5' BB.

And don't forget measure the door! I only clear by 1.5" (got lucky, I didn't measure overhead first.) and have lower the BH to make it fit though.

Brian

 

[bw_wis]

One other thing. If you are thinking about V-nose and need weight distribution bars. Check to be sure they will fit.

I added a couple picks loading my trailer.

Brian

 

[Spanky100]

Scoutcub ref your question on locations

Living in MI with relatives in OH so that is the reason for the two locations. With older relatives I seem to get always get a project when visiting. If it involves Tractor "seat time" that is a plus. But the last couple of visits it was fixing equipment to allow them to get the seat time when I leave.

If I ever retire my long term goal is move to east Tenessee for the shorter winters with the four seasons. I like some winter but in Michigan winter seems to stay around too long. The east TN hills would be a nice change from the flat lands I know in MI/OH.

 

[Spanky100]

bw wis

Thanks for the additional information and the pictures. The reminder about checking the weight distribution bar fit if using a V-nose. I am hoping to use the setup my father in law gave to me when he got out of trailer camping.

Earlier this week I took measurements of the CK20 and CK30/35 to better understand the fit into a trailer. All measurements were with R4 tires, FEL, and a rotary mower (4 foot for CK20 and 5 foot for CK30/35). The two combinations get long at 18.2 feet for CK20 and 21.2 feet for the CK30/35. When you consider the need to position (front to rear in the trailer) to achieve correct weight distribution the 24 foot length starts to seem none to long. Agree with your comments of going wider than 7 foot as the larger tractor has a 5 foot front bucket and rotary cutter. The other point I learned is that the 7 foot wide trailers have about the same width at their widest point (tires due to being external to the box) as the 8.5 foot wide trailers that have tires intenal to the sides.

I was thinking about adding an additional layer of wood to distribut the load over the factory built 3/4 inch floor with 16 on center. Thanks for confirming you have already done it and realized an improvement. Starting to consider the barn door with detachable ramps would be better for a tractor. What ramps are you using. the barn door are less expensive then the drive on ramp so that savings could be used for ramp purchase. The two tractor combinations with FEL and HD slip clutch rotary cutter are 3450 lbs CK20 and 4600 lbs with the CK30/35.

Just need to understand if the torsion axles (Dexter Torflex) are worth around 400 dollars over the standard leaf spring setup. Likely easier on the equipment and easier to tow on rougher roads. Either way will need two 5200 lbs axles to hold the tractor and trailer weight.

United is one of the names I am looking at and seems to offer alot for a fair price. Would you use them again?

Thanks for the help. That is a great thing about our TBN group, almost anything you are doing someone here has been there.


Spanky