advice needed on trailer for hauling small square bales

[leonz]

I would check to see about using a 50 foot box car
if it were me only because you can haul a lot for hay
in a 50-89 foot box car and make money.

The maximum payload capacity for a 50 foot box car
is 211,800 pounds with a total wieght of 286,000 pounds.

Railroad frieght cost it was 64 dollars per net ton plus
a fuel surcharge the last time I checked.

_________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:licking::drool:

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I would check to see about using a 50 foot box car
if it were me only because you can haul a lot for hay
in a 50-89 foot box car and make money.

The maximum payload capacity for a 50 foot box car
is 211,800 pounds with a total wieght of 286,000 pounds.

Railroad frieght cost it was 64 dollars per net ton plus
a fuel surcharge the last time I checked.

_________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:licking::drool:

The box cars your talking about are they the ones that look like shipping containers that can be hauled on a tractor trailer or are they the actual rail cars that I would have to haul the hay to a rail yard and load manually there and then have to have it unloaded down at the rail yard in Virginia and hauled to the farms?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

It sounds like you got it planned out. I think you made many good points as you seem to have a good feel for what you are doing and want to do. I dont see any forseable issues with what you are doing and future plans.


I only can offer advice from this point on. I suggest mapping out your route and check gasbuddy.com for diesel prices on the way down and pick the closest, cheaper prices on the way down. maybe install the app on the smartphone like I did. If you encounter rain and need to tarp down, ( you may already know this but saying it anyways) bring a few rolls of duct tape. After strapping down the tarp, use duct tape to prevent tarp from flapping or moving too much in the highway winds so the tarp can be used again. I had to do that with my 16 ft trailer when moving stuff from PA to NY.

Thanks for the tip on Gasbuddy, I will have my smartphone as its my navigator so hopefully I can save some money on refueling. The $400 fuel cost was figuring the NY fuel prices which are higher then just about everywhere (except maybe California).

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I used my 27 ft trailer for the first time hauling some hay. Its a flat deck bumper pull. I holds 54 bales per layer. We only put 4 layers on it because it was only a 1/2 ton pulling it (9000 lbs + trailer weight). It was actually pretty handy, backs well etc. With a fully loaded trailer and a cut down transport tarp I'd consider using it for delivery. My superduty has a long power tailgate that lets me get 90 bales on the truck easily. 90 + 350 ish on the trailer isn't bad, getting a little into CDL though. A van transport trailer is what 600 bales?

How wide is your trailer? With mine I can get 5 bales per 3' of layer as one runs lengthwise down the center with the other 4 pointing towards the edge of the trailer. If I had a wider trailer (a deckover) then I could stack them a lot easier but currently I have to work with what I have

 

[leonz]

The box cars your talking about are they the ones that look like shipping containers that can be hauled on a tractor trailer or are they the actual rail cars that I would have to haul the hay to a rail yard and load manually there and then have to have it unloaded down at the rail yard in Virginia and hauled to the farms?

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You could hire a conventional box car but the 53 foot dry container would carry less and have a faster turn around.


You could hire a 53 foot container and have it shipped on a TTX well car to a nearby yard and have the trailer and dropped off until it is emptied and then it can be picked up.

The bix car will still carry more hay for you though so thats the decision you will have to make.

Welcome to CSX.com - CSX 1-800-shipcsx.

You would have the trailer loaded at your farm and taken to Dewitt or Albany and loaded and then shipped south and reloaded on another truck and delivered to the destination.

A 50 or 88-foot box car would be the most economical method to ship hay.

This is the nice thing about the Wolagri Mini Balers they can pack hay at 60 pounds a wack in a round mini bale and you can wrap it with white plastic and it will last a long time as the plastic will aid in preserving it.

If you loaded the railcar in Dewitt it would be shipped to Albany and then south as it is time sensitive cargo/perishable.

 

[zzvyb6]

What about finding a semi truck driving a load from Virginia to Buffalo and having them take the hay back with them as the truck would be empty otherwise. (Did I say that right??) Can you call a terminal or find an online truck scheduling house that could make such an arrangement?

 

[tlbuser]

Around here for example we do hay. Don't own a single piece of equipment but I have a local farmer that will cut, rake, bale, and drop it off for $.75 per bale. (Last seasons price). I was selling it for $2.50 to $3.00 per bale delivered, still plenty of profit to be made and I do not have to own a single piece of equipment, maintain it, or do the actual work.

Chris

At $3.00 per, I'll take a 1000. When will it be here ?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Not that price this year, its hot and dry. Just got first cut last week and it was not all that great.

Chris.

 

[5030]

robert....

I've considered doing the Florida hay thing a few times and I own a tractor trailer (45 foot spread axle and an International Eagle conventional plus I have the CDL but even at Florida prices (12-15 a bale for quality alfalfa), it's just a break even deal.

You need to crunch the numbers, figure fuel, vehicle cost and maintenance, lodging, food and incidentals.

For me, it's just not a good deal. Maybe a one time shot, sort of like a paid vacation, but that's about it. Better to sell it locally.

 

[5030]

I would check to see about using a 50 foot box car
if it were me only because you can haul a lot for hay
in a 50-89 foot box car and make money.

The maximum payload capacity for a 50 foot box car
is 211,800 pounds with a total wieght of 286,000 pounds.

Railroad frieght cost it was 64 dollars per net ton plus
a fuel surcharge the last time I checked.

_________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:licking::drool:

Rail would be great if there was a siding next to every farm. There isn't. So, you have hauling to the siding, loading the car and not from the ground either and then hoping the cargo gets to the appointed destination because most likely, it will be offloaded onto a truck and delivered. Too much handling and too much cost. Everytime you handle a bale, you loose part of it.

Forget that.