Lt CHEG
Platinum Member
So here's my situation. I've got a few people interested in paying me to do some brush hog work for them with my tractor. I also have friends and family that would have use for a little tractor help from time to time, so I'm thinking about buying a trailer to move my tractor. Also I'm thinking it would be nice if I had something to pick up a rental mini excavator for use during different phases of construction at my home sight.
So to pull this trailer, I have my 2009 Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Z71 with 5.3L V8 and the 6spd auto transmission. It's got a tow rating of 9,500 pounds. I don't plan on going any distance on highways, in fact most of the roads traveled would be 45 mph roads, so I don't mind losing a bit of performance if I'm right around the tow limit and maybe even a few pounds over. I also don't plan on towing with this setup all that often. I know it would be nicer to have a 3/4 ton diesel, but that is out of the question for several reasons, the first of which is the cost to upgrade and the most important is that my wife loves my current truck and the way it rides. There's no way that she would allow me to trade in my truck for a 3/4 ton that doesn't ride as smooth as my truck. Oh and about the longest distance that I'd have to tow is about 15 miles, and although some areas are a little hilly, we aren't talking about really mountainous terrain.
So, my tractor is a NH Boomer 3040, 4WD with factory cab and FEL. The tractor and FEL weighs in at approximately 5200 pounds according to the internet. The rear tires are loaded, about 550 pounds of rimguard in each tire. I have a 5 foot Bush Hog Squealer which weighs in at about 650 pounds. So let's say a total of about 7,000 pounds. Also the mini excavators that I would rent at any of the local rentals weigh in between 5,800 pounds to about 6,800 pounds.
So I can get a 18 foot car hauler which is rated for 9,990 pounds, with a payload of around 7,700 pounds. I like the idea of a car hauler with beaver tail for two reasons, the first of which is that it is a little lighter. The second reason is that there are a lot more of them that have the ramps which store under the trailer. I like this feature because I believe that perhaps a foot to a foot and a half (including the rear wheel) of the brush hog may hang over the back on an 18 foot trailer. I can get an equipment trailer with similar ratings including the ramps that stow underneath the trailer for about $1,000 more. The difference is that it is a few hundred pounds heavier and it will pretty much max out my tow rating.
So, please give me your opinions on what you all think I should look more closely at. I would love to be able to find a used trailer and save some money and there does seem to be more equipment trailers out there than car haulers. Most of them have the fold up ramps though. As always thanks in advance for everyone's input, I'll look forward to everyone's responses.
So to pull this trailer, I have my 2009 Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Z71 with 5.3L V8 and the 6spd auto transmission. It's got a tow rating of 9,500 pounds. I don't plan on going any distance on highways, in fact most of the roads traveled would be 45 mph roads, so I don't mind losing a bit of performance if I'm right around the tow limit and maybe even a few pounds over. I also don't plan on towing with this setup all that often. I know it would be nicer to have a 3/4 ton diesel, but that is out of the question for several reasons, the first of which is the cost to upgrade and the most important is that my wife loves my current truck and the way it rides. There's no way that she would allow me to trade in my truck for a 3/4 ton that doesn't ride as smooth as my truck. Oh and about the longest distance that I'd have to tow is about 15 miles, and although some areas are a little hilly, we aren't talking about really mountainous terrain.
So, my tractor is a NH Boomer 3040, 4WD with factory cab and FEL. The tractor and FEL weighs in at approximately 5200 pounds according to the internet. The rear tires are loaded, about 550 pounds of rimguard in each tire. I have a 5 foot Bush Hog Squealer which weighs in at about 650 pounds. So let's say a total of about 7,000 pounds. Also the mini excavators that I would rent at any of the local rentals weigh in between 5,800 pounds to about 6,800 pounds.
So I can get a 18 foot car hauler which is rated for 9,990 pounds, with a payload of around 7,700 pounds. I like the idea of a car hauler with beaver tail for two reasons, the first of which is that it is a little lighter. The second reason is that there are a lot more of them that have the ramps which store under the trailer. I like this feature because I believe that perhaps a foot to a foot and a half (including the rear wheel) of the brush hog may hang over the back on an 18 foot trailer. I can get an equipment trailer with similar ratings including the ramps that stow underneath the trailer for about $1,000 more. The difference is that it is a few hundred pounds heavier and it will pretty much max out my tow rating.
So, please give me your opinions on what you all think I should look more closely at. I would love to be able to find a used trailer and save some money and there does seem to be more equipment trailers out there than car haulers. Most of them have the fold up ramps though. As always thanks in advance for everyone's input, I'll look forward to everyone's responses.
