Single axle trailering of a CUT

[gregfender]

I am picking up a Bobcat CT225 and am hoping not to have to buy or borrow another trailer. Mine is rated 3500 on the axle and the tractor is right at 3500-4000. It is a 600 mile trip to bring it home and I won't be using ths trailer to haul the tractor any more. If secured, and careful, can I get by for this one trip? Or am I flirting with disaster?

[timswi]

I'd rent or borrow a tandem...Too much weight in my opinion. If something went wrong, you'd never forgive yourself. Not referring to the tractor.

Single axle trailers just aren't stable and redundant enough for that kind of weight...Plus most likey it doesn't have trailer brakes either.

[joshuabardwell]

I am picking up a Bobcat CT225 and am hoping not to have to buy or borrow another trailer. Mine is rated 3500 on the axle and the tractor is right at 3500-4000. It is a 600 mile trip to bring it home and I won't be using ths trailer to haul the tractor any more. If secured, and careful, can I get by for this one trip? Or am I flirting with disaster?

If your trailer is rated at 3500 on the axle, and the tractor is at 3500, bear in mind that the trailer's weight factors in as well. You're not going to just be a few hundred pounds over; you're going to be over by the trailer's weight as well as any amount that the tractor is over.

I have that exact same tractor, and I was not comfortable towing it on my dual-axle, 7000 lb utility trailer. The problem is that, even though the tractor is well under the weight my trailer is designed to carry, my trailer is not designed to carry all of that weight focused over four tire contact patches of perhaps a square foot each. The utility trailer is designed to have its cargo evenly distributed, more or less. I was concerned that the cross-members were being overstressed. On top of that, my ramp/gate was not designed to handle vehicles as heavy as this tractor.

For comparison, the company that makes my trailer makes a similarly-specced car/equpment-hauler. That trailer has the same GVWR as my trailer, but it uses 3" C-channel as cross-members, and has them on more narrow spacing than my trailer. My trailer has 2x3" angle-iron cross-members on wider spacing.

In summary: don't do it.

[kenmac]

I agree with others. You don't have enough trailer

[gregfender]

It would foolish to push my luck, wouldn't it. Would something like a uhaul car trailer handle the tractor? If not I'm sure I could find something for the trip.

[joshuabardwell]

It would foolish to push my luck, wouldn't it. Would something like a uhaul car trailer handle the tractor? If not I'm sure I could find something for the trip.

I would think a U-haul car trailer would be fine. They are rated to carry about 5000 lbs of vehicle. One limitation you will run into is that the hold-down straps that they have, which are designed to go over a car's tires, won't go over your tractor's rear tires. You will need to confirm that you have tie-down points on the trailer (you can almost certainly improvise something) and ratchet straps or chains of sufficient capacity, at least for the rear of the tractor.

For tie-downs or chains, you will want a working load of at least 3000 lbs, so if you go with ratchet straps, you'll need the 2-3" wide 10,000 lb breaking strength ones.

As long as we're at it, you'll want to make sure your tow vehicle is good to go. The trailer itself weighs about 2000 lbs, plus your tractor and you're at around 6000 lbs. What's your tow vehicle's capacity, and have you confirmed that all of the components of the tow package (hitch, ball mount, and ball) are rated over 6000 lbs? Are you going to need a weight-distributing hitch to achieve that tow capacity?

[Diamondpilot]

Simple answer is no. The trailer is going to weigh about 800# alone so 2700# payload is going to be its max payload.

Big problem with a Uhaul trailer us it uses gutters for the wheels. That spacing will probably not work for that small of a tractor.



Chris

[gregfender]

I would think a U-haul car trailer would be fine. They are rated to carry about 5000 lbs of vehicle. One limitation you will run into is that the hold-down straps that they have, which are designed to go over a car's tires, won't go over your tractor's rear tires. You will need to confirm that you have tie-down points on the trailer (you can almost certainly improvise something) and ratchet straps or chains of sufficient capacity, at least for the rear of the tractor.

For tie-downs or chains, you will want a working load of at least 3000 lbs, so if you go with ratchet straps, you'll need the 2-3" wide 10,000 lb breaking strength ones.

As long as we're at it, you'll want to make sure your tow vehicle is good to go. The trailer itself weighs about 2000 lbs, plus your tractor and you're at around 6000 lbs. What's your tow vehicle's capacity, and have you confirmed that all of the components of the tow package (hitch, ball mount, and ball) are rated over 6000 lbs? Are you going to need a weight-distributing hitch to achieve that tow capacity?

I'm pulling with a 2012 Nissan Frontier. It's rated at 6500 so I should be good to go. I'm having my hitch put on tomorrow and I'll ask the shop how I'm set up.

[Creamer]

I put my Ford 1710 on my single axle 3500# spring trailer for a less than 10 mile ride and will never do it again even tough I went no more than 35 mph. The 1710 weighs about 3500 lbs. Definitely not!

[gregfender]

Thanks for slapping me back to my senses. Seriously. I can be a cheap b#%€£rd sometimes and it gets me in trouble.