Trailering Newbie Questions

[Robbie Hegwood]

Hey Ben

Other members have covered just about everything well.

The only thing I have to add is make it easy on yourself and remember you'll probably be alone. So get the extra length, putting the bushhogg in the truck bed doesn't sound fun or easy.

As far as your truck just double check your transmission fliud. If it's not been changed recently do it as a precaution and yearly. That's what usually goes when you start hauling significant weight.

Good luck with trailer purchase. Check out hoopertrailers.com for price comparisons. That's where I bought my trailer. 28' triple axle goose. 5500.00 I know there not local to you but will give you a ball park of prices.

Oh yea. welcome to the club. Robbie

 

[LoneCowboy]

a 20' bumper pull equipment trailer at either 10k or 12k rated should be right around 3 grand.

in regards to the question about tongue weight.
The load should be balanced, not too much weight up front (truck rear bumper hitting the ground) and not too little (not enough tongue weight)
more tongue weight tows better, (it tracks better) but you don't want too much because it makes the front end of the truck light

and not enough isn't good because the coupler wants to come apart (and it won't track)

So, esp in a tractor with a long implement, the weight of the tractor needs to slide a bit, not too far up front, not too far back.
10% of the weight should be on the tongue on a bumper pull.
Basically, on a level road, the truck/trailer/tractor combo shoudl be level.
if ti's tipping one way or the other you move the tractor forward or back a bit.

Make sense?

 

[Ben3130]

LoneCowboy,

Thanks for the explanation. I understand what you're saying. It'll just take me some practice

Robbie, it would be more of a pain to put the bush hog in the bed of the truck. I'd have to dismount it from the tractor, somehow lift it with the loader into the truck, then reverse the process when I got where I was going. Just a lot more work. I would only do that if couldn't get the 20' trailer for some reason.

Thanks for the trailer website. I'll check it out tonight. I had found one place near me that was selling a 18' 10,000# trailer for $2700. I didn't see a 20' 10,000 advertised, but I bet he'd order one for me if I asked. I'll find out what the price would be.

Thanks again to everyone, you're advise has been invaluable.

 

[LoneCowboy]

LoneCowboy,

Thanks for the explanation. I understand what you're saying. It'll just take me some practice

yeah, that's what happens
You put it on, drive off and realize "man, this drives terrible" and stop and fix it. AFter a while you learn where it should go.

 

[George2615]

Ksimolo,
You can use a 10-12K trailer with your truck. The only thing you must adhere to is that per your truck maximum of 7800# your total trailer weight including load cannot exceed the 7800# and be legal. So you could borrow a 12K trailer that weighs 3800# empty and put a maximum load of 4000# on it and still be legal.

 

[SpringHollow]

Thanks George! I figured that was the case but it feels better having a couple of other people say the dealer was wrong.

Prices around here seem to be a little higher than what lots of people quote. Both Kaufman trailer places seem to have pretty low prices. However, my tractor has dual tires on it so it is 84" wide and will not work with the car/equipment haulers I have seen (widest between the fenders is 83"). The deck over trailers are heavier (I am being quoted 3000 - 4000 lbs) and taller so they are not quite as appealing.

I talked earlier today to a local fabricator who is a licensed trailer manufacturer. He had to leave to do some parts runs but he said he could build a low profile 20' 10K rated tandem deck over trailer which would be approximately 2300 lbs. He said the height would be lower by using smaller diameter but heavy duty rated tires. He did this on one of his trailers and he says they did not last as long as a good set of 16" radials but he still got 4 - 5 years out of a set of tires. He will go over more of the details with me next week after he double checks weights and costs. I am interested to see what he comes up with so I can decide if it is worth going with the smaller tires.

Ken

 

[jimainiac]

I'd just like to agree with everyone that recomends a 20' 10K trailer. That's what we got for our L3830, and I wish it was about two feet longer sometimes. With a 6' rotary cutter hooked on, the tailwheel hangs over the back. You really should have some extra length to be able to move the tractor forward or back to get the load balanced properly.

 

[George2615]

Ksimolo,
Since your tractor has duals (84") wide. You are correct that you are limited to a deck over trailer to get the width you need. In my opinion, any standard 10-12K deckover trailer with standard wheels and tires would work fine to haul your 3130. I have hauled small dozers, mini excavators, and my tractor with attachments on my Appalachian 20'+4' deck over 12K gooseneck without any problems and feel safe doing so. I think my trailer weighs about 3300-3500# empty and above items hauled weighed 8K or less. My deck is about 92" wide and deck height is 33" using 16" tires.

 

[em14]

Deereguy,
What is a Pequa deck ?
Thanks,
Leo

 

[deereguy]

Ohhh sorry, sometimes my brain goes faster than the fingers, and spelling isn't the best. I have a Pequea Machine, Deck-over trailer, with two 5k axles, minus the weight of the trailer (approx 3K), can haul 7K. A few years ago one employee checked out the hitch ball, it was rated for 5K, that got upgraded quickly.

PEQUEA - A Skibo Company :: HOME PAGE :: Manufacturing high quality farm equipment.