Is 3500 enough? (or how much trailer for a BX?)

[RTalma]

Greetings TBN community! Well, my wife and I just closed on 3.3 acres today to build a house on, so if the budget holds, we'll get a Kubota BX for snow removal, mowing and gardening. Since I have an SUV with a 5000lb tow capacity for the forseeable future, I want to get a trailer to substitute for a pickup bed and be large enough to move the tractor when necessary.
So, is a single axle 6x12 3500lb capacity enough or do I need to look for larger? How wide for a 54 or 60 inch mowing deck to fit? I mainly want to use it in place of a truck for moving larger items and have the ability to move our upcoming mower/tractor when needed. With gas prices and family needs, I do not see having a vehicle larger than a midsize again (with 5000-6500 pound tow limits).

Thanks for all the info in this forum so far and I look forward to your advice.

Russ

 

[wkpoor]

A 6x12 is a nice sized trailer and will most likely suite your needs but by all means put the second 3500 axle under it. Then you will have what you need.

 

[Duffster]

A 6x12 is a nice sized trailer and will most likely suite your needs but by all means put the second 3500 axle under it. Then you will have what you need.

Doesn't a BX only weigh 1300#?

I would think 1 axle would be enough

 

[Diamondpilot]

A 3,500# capacity trailer has about 2,700# of load capacity. That is due to the trailer weighing about 800# itself.

If I were you I would get a 16' tandem 7,000# trailer. 2 reasons. First you will have more trailer for the future and second and more important for the time being you will have a longer deck which will allow you to position the tractor or load on the trailer to balance the load and keep it off your light SUV.

They are not much more, maybe a few hundred dollars, and much more desirable when and if it comes time to sell it.

Another factor is accessories you may want to haul with the tractor such as box blade, front end loader, and a back hoe.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

If yuo get a single axle trailer to move your tractor you will regret it every single time you -EVER- trailer it.

with single axle you have to ballance it perfectly every time to get tounge weight near perfect or it will ride like a bucking bull back there.

A 16' landscape trailer with tandem axles will be lighter than a standard 16' car hauler.. and should fit that 5000# limit with the mower pretty good. might beef up the expanded metal load ramp, and bolt in a piece of 3/4 plywood to park over.. etc..

soundguy

Greetings TBN community! Well, my wife and I just closed on 3.3 acres today to build a house on, so if the budget holds, we'll get a Kubota BX for snow removal, mowing and gardening. Since I have an SUV with a 5000lb tow capacity for the forseeable future, I want to get a trailer to substitute for a pickup bed and be large enough to move the tractor when necessary.
So, is a single axle 6x12 3500lb capacity enough or do I need to look for larger? How wide for a 54 or 60 inch mowing deck to fit? I mainly want to use it in place of a truck for moving larger items and have the ability to move our upcoming mower/tractor when needed. With gas prices and family needs, I do not see having a vehicle larger than a midsize again (with 5000-6500 pound tow limits).

Thanks for all the info in this forum so far and I look forward to your advice.

Russ

 

[jcmseven]

I would offer this opinion. When I was looking for tractors recently, one machine I was considering was a JD 2305 (got something else), which I believe is about the same size and weight as the BX. I hauled it two hours each way, twice, from the dealer when testing it on my small trailer which is a 6x12 single axle. It is made by Anderson and is a cheap (read economy) trailer, 3500# axle, that I usually use to pull behind my Gator around the property. Rather than using my 20 footer, a much nicer Gator Made, I used this. It pulled fine and the tractor rode fine on it. It balanced well and did not buck behind the truck. That said, the trailer is not long enough to haul a 2305 with the loader and box blade without unhooking the box blade and putting it in front, underneath the loader. Thusly, from a weight perspective, the trailer is plenty adequate. It will likely be too short if you are planning to haul a BX with a rear implement and a front loader. I also do not like single axles because I have had the inexpensive bias ply tires blow out on occasion and that can really ruin a day. My advice: go with either a 16' tandem utility trailer or consider a 6x14 tandem trailer. I know Anderson, again they are just basic trailers, offers a tandem 6x14 with side boards and tandem axles. That trailer does not have brakes, but you can get by without them for your current load, if you are careful. The trailer itself is around 850#, which would put you well under your tow vehicle's limit and do so at a reduced cost v. a true low boy utility trailer. I would agree that if you ever have plans of upgrading, it is better to buy more trailer than you need now. That said, this might offer another option, as your load is not too heavy even for a single axle of the appropriate length.

John M

 

[LBrown59]

You need a 16 foot 14000 pound trailer with 4 brakes.
I'm looking for a 1 ton SRW pick up to tow my BX23 with.

Greetings TBN community! Well, my wife and I just closed on 3.3 acres today to build a house on, so if the budget holds, we'll get a Kubota BX for snow removal, mowing and gardening. Since I have an SUV with a 5000lb tow capacity for the forseeable future, I want to get a trailer to substitute for a pickup bed and be large enough to move the tractor when necessary.
So, is a single axle 6x12 3500lb capacity enough or do I need to look for larger? How wide for a 54 or 60 inch mowing deck to fit? I mainly want to use it in place of a truck for moving larger items and have the ability to move our upcoming mower/tractor when needed. With gas prices and family needs, I do not see having a vehicle larger than a midsize again (with 5000-6500 pound tow limits).

Thanks for all the info in this forum so far and I look forward to your advice.

Russ

 

[LoneCowboy]

Most (almost all) single axles trailers do not have brakes. All tandem axles do.

As someone already said, length is the real problem, not really weight. You don't want it to just barely fit, you want it to be correctly balanced.

If you are driving down the road and a tire blows out (happens all the time now that almost all trailer tires are made in China) on a tandem axle trailer it's a problem, but not catastrophic. On a single axle, it's catastrophic and you'll probably lose the whole thing.

light tandem axle landscape/car hauler trailers are CHEAP.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You need a 16 foot 14000 pound trailer with 4 brakes.
I'm looking for a 1 ton SRW pick up to tow my BX23 with.

Ok, the verdict is out. You have no idea what you are talking about. You jump into all these discussions and give bad info and tell your wants but you are going way overboard. You have lost total grasp on reality.

A 14K trailer would weight 3,000# or more empty, using most of his tow capacity listed.

I have a 18' tandem 7K utility trailer that weighs about 1250# empty. I tow cars and my 5,200# tractor on it all the time. I just got done hauling my dads Corvette and also last fall made a 700 mile trip with a Lincoln Aviator (basically a Ford Explorer) in tow.

You need something like I have in this picture. It is 18' but you could get by with 16'. Very versatile trailer.

Chris

 

[Duffster]

You need a 16 foot 14000 pound trailer with 4 brakes.
I'm looking for a 1 ton SRW pick up to tow my BX23 with.

Wouldn't something like this be better

 

[Soundguy]

maybee he wants to haul all 5 of his bx tractors at once?

soundguy

 

[dodge man]

I have a BX2350 and bought a 16+2 dual axle trailer with brakes on one axle for mine. My BX with an endloader and rear blade is a little over 14' long. I'm guessing a BX with a mower, rear blade, FEL and loaded tires is knocking on the door of 2000 lbs. Your tow rig would tow this setup pretty easy, your looking at maybe 4000lbs total. As others have said, length would be the problem with a single axle trailer.

 

[Will_C]

Yes, you can haul that tractor with a 6x12, 3000lb rated trailer. I did it for 9 years. I had the trailer when I bought the BX (I used the trailer for a garden tractor and an ATV.) It was not worth it for me to buy a new trailer for the few trips I made with the FEL attached, and the trailer handled the tractor and MMM just fine. I towed the trailer first with a Toyota Tacoma and later a Tundra. That trailer took full use of the Tacoma's tow rating.

Now if I would have bought the trailer after I bought the BX, it would have definitely been what the previous posters recommended, a 16-18' tandem 7,000lb car hauler or landscaper. As a matter of fact, I am shopping for one now (I traded the BX for a B2620 last month.)

Will

 

[Soundguy]

Wait till ya make a panic stop with a single axle trailer and you didn't get it ballanced perfectly.. it can really jerk the tow vehicle around if you are right at the tow vehicle limits.. especialy inthe 'stopping' department..as I don't see too many single axle trailers with brakes.. don't think about casual sunday drive in good weather when you aren't in a hurry.. plan for that rainy day drive with the drunk in an oncoming car and you are late getting home.. that's when dual axle and brakes becomes real nice...

soundguy

 

[ultrarunner]

No one can fault you for going larger and increasing your margin of Safety...

I towed my BX throughout CA with a single axle 10' rail trailer that was commercially manufactured in Oakland CA with a 3500 lb axle. The trailer was bought new by my uncle and given to me for next to nothing...

Even had to go through a CHP check point on Highway 5 without incident. The technician thoroughly checked to see that I had the tractor, loader and backhoe securely chained, my hitch and lights

I used a 2000 Ford Excursion Diesel... and couldn't tell I was towing a trailer... it was that smooth... Had a lot of gear in the back of the Excursion.

The loader was chained to the A-frame tongue and the backhoe was turned to one side...

Tires are 10 or 12 ply heavy duty with tubes...

Whats required in your state to be legal.

 

[Baucom]

You don't mention what all attachments you want with the tractor, just that you want it for mowing, clearing snow, and gardening. Will you be getting a FEL or a snow blower? What about a tiller? Will you ever want to move the tractor and all attachments in 1 trip? The answers to these questions make a difference in what trailer you NEED. If your concerned with just moving the BX and mower (like carrying it to dealer for service) then a 6x10 or 6x12 is all you really need, since a BX with mower is essentially just a slightly larger slightly heavier garden tractor. If you want to move the tractor and attachments then you need space to do so, and the wt could easily exceed the carrying capacity of a single 3500# axle.

Another factor to consider is cost. What I've noticed is that once you go beyond to a trailer 6 ft wide, the cost difference between a single axle and tandem axle landscape trailer really narrows. When I was shopping for trailers ~2 yrs ago, I was looking at a 6x12 w/ rear and side gates for hauling 2 4-wheelers or a mower and a 4-wheeler. The cost was about $1200. I found a new 6.5x16 w/ tandem 3500# axles (1 brake) for $1325 and purchased that instead.

In a nutshell what I'm trying to say is, a single axle 6x10 or 6x12 may be all you need, but for a likely small difference in price you probably should step up to a tandem axle with brakes, 14-16 ft long, both for the extra space to haul and balance the load, and for the brakes since you evidently have a pretty lightweight tow vehicle.

 

[LBrown59]

You need a 16 foot 14000 pound trailer with 4 brakes.

I ment 7000 pounds.

 

[RTalma]

Thanks for all the informed replies and great info. The tow vehicle is a Toyota 4Runner, implements to be determined but are a least a BX'ish tractor, mid-mower and a blade or blower for snow. Planning an FEL and later a tiller.

The idea of a blowout under any load concerns me so I will look for a dual axle 5-6K trailer if I can find one at a reasonable price.

Don't get me wrong, a large truck, nice gooseneck and larger tractor would be great to have, but will have to wait on winning the lottery since the printing money in the basement is not working out so well.

Russ

 

[Diamondpilot]

Thanks for all the informed replies and great info. The tow vehicle is a Toyota 4Runner, implements to be determined but are a least a BX'ish tractor, mid-mower and a blade or blower for snow. Planning an FEL and later a tiller.

The idea of a blowout under any load concerns me so I will look for a dual axle 5-6K trailer if I can find one at a reasonable price.

Don't get me wrong, a large truck, nice gooseneck and larger tractor would be great to have, but will have to wait on winning the lottery since the printing money in the basement is not working out so well.

Russ

Do not bother with a 5-6K trialer. Get the 7K unit. Common axles are 1,500#, 3,500#, 5,200#, 6,000#, and 7,000#. A 6K trailer will have 2 3,500# axles derated so you will then be limited by that rating. Just find a nice landscape type 7K trailer. The weigh about 1,500# or less empty so it will be easy to tow, even with your SUV. It gives you flexibility to upgrade the tractor and stuff that goes with it later without going through all this again. And will still allow 5,500# or more of cargo.

Chris

 

[radioman]

RTalma- diamondpilot is right. A 7k landscape trailer is just what you need for a BX'ish tractor esp. with a little truck like yours. I currently tow my BX with S10 with 5k rating on sticker and 7k 16ft trailer just fine. I have a 60 inch deck and find that rubber strapping the plastic dishcarge chute in the upright position is needed. I have plenty of room on each side with the deck on so no worries there. A 14 footer is harder to balance on the trailer esp with attached implements like bush hog or tiller.