Thoughts on this trailer setup and my needs please......

[sawtooth]

Hello Gentlemen,

Ok so I had a previous thread where several of you provided suggestions and or ideas which I greatly appreciate. All this info led me to a trailer I located today. Its a PJ F8 24' deckover with 4ft dovetail plus easy lift flip-over style 4ft ft ramps (not monster ramps). I really like these new ramps as they are light weight in design thus easy to handle plus I can lay a bush hog or other implement on top of them during transport. The load angle also looked better than others and the trailer is only 33" high vs some being up to 37" high. The frame is a 8" 10lb IBeam design as compared to some that are 12" IBeam either pierced (lower deck height 33" or so) or standard versions being around 38" high. Now I know the 12" 19lb. frame is better/stronger but for what i'm doing i'm thinking the standard PJ would be fine but looking for your advice.

This takes me to what I'm towing. I have 7 tractors as listed below plus estimated weights. I've also listed what implements if any will be carried with them at any given time. The first 5 are fairly easy to transport and my current 22' PJ CC 14K std deck with fenders works great. These are the ones i'll be trailering most of the time moving between farms etc. The last two are heavier and wider which leads me to a deckover. Most of my towing is 2 hours or less and having full use of the bed is a definite plus for me. However, on occasion I will move equipment between Virginia and Ohio which includes going through the mountains of WV via interstate 77. So based on this does this trailer sound like a good option for me? Will it tow similar to what I have now or will the quality of how it pulls be worse being a longer, heavier, and taller? Lastly, do I really need to step up to a 12" 19lb frame for these weights and if so why? My current trailer weighs 3250lbs and this new F8 deckover is around 4k lbs. So max total weight will be around 14k which about 1k or so should be on my truck. Lastly, my truck is a 2018 GMC 2500 Duramax with 3.73 gears. Max conventional towing is 13k. Payload is 2156 lbs. but I'll end up around 1600-1700 lbs. with fuel, myself, toolbox full of goodies etc. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

-1954 Ford NAA tractor and 5' bush hog- 3-4k lbs.
-1980 Ford 4600SU with 6' disk or bush hog- 6k lbs.
-1987 Ford 3910 with 6' implements- 6k lbs.
-1989 Ford 3910 with 6' implements- 6k lbs.
-1989 Ford 2810 with 6' implements- 6k lbs.
-2004 Massey Ferguson 461 MWFD with front loader and 6' implements- 7-8k lbs.
-2010 Massey Ferguson 2660HD MWFD with cab and front loader. No implements only moved if needs service etc. - 10k lbs.

 

[sawtooth]

179 views and no one has any experience or thoughts on this? Lol

 

[farm boy00]

Talk to a dealer and see if you can test out the trailer so see how you like it.

 

[sawtooth]

Talk to a dealer and see if you can test out the trailer so see how you like it.

Ok great point. I will ask.



Also, for those that have hauled near max payload and max conventional towing capacity which in my case is 2165lbs and 13k respectively should I have concerns towing that load around 300 miles with about 150 being through the mountains? Again, my truck is a 2018 GMC 2500. Never towed near max capacity so no idea what to expect. This would be a rare thing but would go pick up the Massey 2660HD myself when I purchase it.

Thanks

 

[shooterdon]

Not the same...but I used to tow a 43' 5th wheel that weighed about 16k pounds. Travelled one trip on I-77 between Ohio and WV. Doable but not fun. I had a 2010 Ford F350 SuperDuty and I believe 4.11 rear end.

Hills make a huge difference.

 

[sawtooth]

Yes mountains do for sure. The new trucks are much better setup for towing through them now but mountains still have their challenges. Most I ever towed through WV was the MF 461 and trailer that came in around 12k. It felt very heavy on my 2008 F250 Powerstroke but I took my time and didn’t try to rush. Now I would have a newer truck but weight would go up by about 3k. On the plus side the new trailer would allow me to balance the load better due to longer length so assuming this may help as I could get it closer to a 10% tongue weight vs probably 12-15% last time.

 

[4570Man]

179 views and no one has any experience or thoughts on this? Lol

I think a GN would be a lot better especially running near max capacity.

 

[sawtooth]

I think a GN would be a lot better especially running near max capacity.

Totally agree. Only issue is this will be a very rare occasion and most use will consist of shorter driving distances with need of using truck bed.

 

[crashz]

Your going to be a hair overweight on the trailer ( I could never figure out if you are legally able to take the tongue weight out of the equation on the trailer or not, so I assume not) and you'll be over your conventional bumper pull weight - with the big Massey. The rest you'll be fine. Its a nice trailer and will probably work out, but I'd hate to recommend a trailer that might be just a smidge to light legally for when you might have to move the big machine.

Gooseneck doesn't seem to help with your truck so I would say go with the bumper pull. I looked at the GMC published GN and bumper pull ratings and they are 13.5K and 13k respectively for the 2500 Dmax assuming 4x4 and crew cab.

 

[jaxs]

Trailers is something where "facts,specs and opinions"are all over the board. This is largely due to limited amount of published rateings for structrial steel. What little engineering information available is impossible to intelligently apply to a finished product like a trailer. Net result is trailers are grossly over-built for liability reasons. Texas law is generous when it come's to home built trailers and farm trailers used on public roads. I am pleasantly surprised by the absence of farm trailer failures on public roads. When all failures are taken into account,the vast majority is hitch,axle,spring and bearing related. Every frame fail I've seen was from outright stupidity,not a mis-calculation of trailer size. Lawyers,OSHA and other naysayers would blow gaskets if they were to examine all the farm trailers I seen in use during my life.
As for goose vs bumper,no comparison. It's hard to imagine the neccisity of open bed outweighing practicality of goose when towed weight exceed's 10k. You can carry 80% as much chain,straps,boomers,luggage,jacks,chocks and such in bed with goose hooked up as you can while it's not.. I like my storage cages on top of goose tongues because dedicated items remain with approperate trailers,it's more resistant to thieves than laying in truck bed. Regardless what the manual says,goose increase's weight that can be safly towed plus alow's room for load/tongue weight
distribution. I don't mean to discount driver's peace of mind while towing,a calm driver is a safer driver. Go big if that is what make's you happy.

 

[3Ts]

I've towed a ~10,000# bumper pull camping trailer with a GMC 2500 and an 8.1 engine and allison transmission at 11,000 feet elevation and steeper grades than I was expecting. No turbo-charger. It got the job done, safely. I did have a concern at times if it was going to make it over the next ridge, but as long as I wasn't in a hurry we always made it. I'd be more concerned about braking than making it up the hill.

 

[sawtooth]

I've towed a ~10,000# bumper pull camping trailer with a GMC 2500 and an 8.1 engine and allison transmission at 11,000 feet elevation and steeper grades than I was expecting. No turbo-charger. It got the job done, safely. I did have a concern at times if it was going to make it over the next ridge, but as long as I wasn't in a hurry we always made it. I'd be more concerned about braking than making it up the hill.

Ok good to know. With the Duramax plus engine braking I’m sure that will help some. So how did the trailer feel overall? Besides braking and pulling power did it feel like you were in control of all that weight? Or were you being pushed and bumped around leaving you with a uneasy feeling? From my experience the quality of the trailer and how the load is positioned can be a huge factor too.

 

[3Ts]

Ok good to know. With the Duramax plus engine braking I知 sure that will help some. So how did the trailer feel overall? Besides braking and pulling power did it feel like you were in control of all that weight? Or were you being pushed and bumped around leaving you with a uneasy feeling? From my experience the quality of the trailer and how the load is positioned can be a huge factor too.

The trailer hitch setup is a class 5 Reese equilizer with the dual cam sway control. The tongue weight is about 1600# and I weigh the trailer periodically and I have a hydraulic scale to measure the tongue weight. So, I pay a lot of attention to weight and balance. The trailer is affected by wind (cross wind and from semis that pass) so you have to watch for that. The way the trailer affects the travel is more like a really long underpowered car. I used to drive a VW bug back when I was a teenager and that is similar. Plan ahead for acceleration, merging, and allow lots of room in front of you for braking. That means cars will cut in front of you. Just let them do it and back off a little more, then repeat when the next one cuts in. You will find that after several miles, they haven't gotten more than a couple car lengths ahead of you. Be sure the trailer brakes are good AND adjusted properly. The brake setting is different between an empty and loaded trailer. If everything is setup right, you won't notice it back there, but don't forget it's there.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Reread you post and never did see the axle ratings.
A starting point for trailering is axle ratings. Are they 7k axles? One could surmise yes, but assumption is not the way to go.
I-beam size demonstrates duty/strength no doubt but axle rating is what the trailer will be titled for. Axle rating plus trailer title weight will then tell you what your carrying capacity will be.
Surprised no one brought that up.
Check your GVWR on the driver side sticker or look up your vin number on the GM site to see what your truck is specifically rated for. Trim levels bed size and so many options will create a different rating for each specific truck.
Then also would recommend going to local feed store and pay the few bucks to get your truck on the scale and get it recorded.
Repeat once you've acquired your trailer to see your total GCVW....you'll have the data to make adjustments.
Regards....

 

[4570Man]

Ok good to know. With the Duramax plus engine braking I’m sure that will help some. So how did the trailer feel overall? Besides braking and pulling power did it feel like you were in control of all that weight? Or were you being pushed and bumped around leaving you with a uneasy feeling? From my experience the quality of the trailer and how the load is positioned can be a huge factor too.

I’ve pulled over double that much with a Duramax and a Allison on a GN. There’s zero sway and I can load the hitch as heavy as a want without compromising the truck steering. There’s no way I’d put the backhoe on my current pintle hook trailer and pull it with the 1 ton truck. A BP is a much less stable rig and a lot more sensitive to loading. ATTACH]608170[/ATTACH]

 

[rangerfredbob]

As long as they are 6000lb axles or more it should work out fine... there's some safety factor involved. Not that I'm recommending it but I towed a 14k pound tractor on a trailer with two 6k pound axles and was less tongue weight than optimal (got a little wobbly around 55) but that was only around 30 miles from the auction house to home... kept the speed at 45-50 most of the time and just took it easy, worked out fine, the trailer tire I took out on that trip wasn't related to the weight but the flat inner tire on the tractor rear dual... I would not recommend what I did if it was a longer distance or often at all, was a one time deal...

 

[jaxs]

As long as they are 6000lb axles or more it should work out fine... there's some safety factor involved. Not that I'm recommending it but I towed a 14k pound tractor on a trailer with two 6k pound axles and was less tongue weight than optimal (got a little wobbly around 55) but that was only around 30 miles from the auction house to home... kept the speed at 45-50 most of the time and just took it easy, worked out fine, the trailer tire I took out on that trip wasn't related to the weight but the flat inner tire on the tractor rear dual... I would not recommend what I did if it was a longer distance or often at all, was a one time deal...

I totally agree,hauling a tractor with a flat tire on it is risky business. Anything can happen.:confused3:

 

[sawtooth]

Reread you post and never did see the axle ratings.
A starting point for trailering is axle ratings. Are they 7k axles? One could surmise yes, but assumption is not the way to go.
I-beam size demonstrates duty/strength no doubt but axle rating is what the trailer will be titled for. Axle rating plus trailer title weight will then tell you what your carrying capacity will be.
Surprised no one brought that up.
Check your GVWR on the driver side sticker or look up your vin number on the GM site to see what your truck is specifically rated for. Trim levels bed size and so many options will create a different rating for each specific truck.
Then also would recommend going to local feed store and pay the few bucks to get your truck on the scale and get it recorded.
Repeat once you've acquired your trailer to see your total GCVW....you'll have the data to make adjustments.
Regards....

Yes they are 7k axles. On a side note the dealer told me today that if I go with PJ’s 2 5/16 HD hitch the trailer will be titled at like 16k as this assumes 2k is on the truck. Never heard that one before but they are going to show me next week when I stop by.

 

[1010]

A GN will be much easier on the truck, No way I'd want to pull that kinda of weight with a BP. Not saying won't, but a GN would be more stable.

The truck you have isn't the issue here, it will pull a house.. I used BP for years till I saw the light and got a GN..

 

[zzvyb6]

I would not be a fan of your proposed BP trailer. The axles are too far rearward. That (to me) means that an odd (concentrated) load is what it's designed to carry. (like a small excavator). Otherwise, the bumper or even the GN hitch weight is disproportionally high. If a 10-15% tongue load requirement is wanted for stability and equilizer bar settings are made to produce a level truck AND trailer frame, either the truck load will be huge or the trailer payload must be set to the back over the axles. A lot of wasted space if you axle me...

Do the Math !