Anyone use a car trailer for hauling a tractor?

[mikehaugen]

I will probably get flamed for saying this, but vehicle manufacturers often under-rate tow capacities. 5001 lbs is not going to break your vehicle or realistically make it unsafe necessarily (though I guess technically illegal). 100-200 over is probably fine a couple times a year. If you were constantly towing it, I wouldn't want to be that close to the rating though. As Roger said though, what vehicle are you using? Not all vehicles are under-rated IMHO. I worry more about suspension/ braking capabilities, though manufacturers tend to go more by engine/ drivetrain capabilities. Many new half-ton trucks are rated to tow more than my older 3/4 ton. They may have more power and equivalent brakes, but they don't have the suspension and rear-end that I have.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I'm trying to keep the GVW as low as possible. My vehicle will tow 5000 lbs. Tractor/loader/backhoe weighs in at around 3200 lbs according to Kubota specs. That leaves me 1800 lbs for a trailer. I don't want to buy a new vehicle for the few times a year that I'm going to move the tractor. I have a 10' flatbed utility that I can haul just the tractor if I drop the FEL and BH, but I've got some work to do at my camp 270 miles away. I may take a look at the Uhaul car trailers and see if the tractor will fit on one of those. Although, I did see that the trailer weight on some of the flatbed utility trailers were around 1600 lbs for the empty trailer, that may end up being an option. I'm figuring either a 16' or 18' trailer.

My 18' 82" wide utility trailer only weighs a little over 1400#. It has 5' ramps that slide in the rear, brakes on one axle, spare tire, and a winch. Keep searching and you will find a strong lightweight steel trailer with a wood deck. Mine is a Jerry James made in Sikeston, MO. Its a 2004 and no issues to date. I have towed everything from building supplies to as large as a Suburban for nearly 500 miles with no issues. It has over a dozen tractors and maybe 30 vehicles on it with no ill effects. So light weight does not equal weak just as heavy does not equal strong. Trailers are like a bridge and if built properly can give you the best of both worlds.

Chris

 

[s219]

I'm trying to keep the GVW as low as possible. My vehicle will tow 5000 lbs. Tractor/loader/backhoe weighs in at around 3200 lbs according to Kubota specs. That leaves me 1800 lbs for a trailer. I don't want to buy a new vehicle for the few times a year that I'm going to move the tractor. I have a 10' flatbed utility that I can haul just the tractor if I drop the FEL and BH, but I've got some work to do at my camp 270 miles away. I may take a look at the Uhaul car trailers and see if the tractor will fit on one of those. Although, I did see that the trailer weight on some of the flatbed utility trailers were around 1600 lbs for the empty trailer, that may end up being an option. I'm figuring either a 16' or 18' trailer.

I was in a similar situation -- towing with a vehicle rated for 5000# and 500# tongue weight, and the optimal solution was a 7x16 landscape trailer. The trailer weighs 1600# empty, and it was at least 500-600 lbs lighter (or more) than equipment haulers I looked at. The trailer cost $2200 about a year ago.

No way you are going to safely haul a B3200 on a 10' utility trailer, so get that right out of your head. You need a long deck to balance the load for proper tongue weight, as well as dual axles and electric brakes.

 

[schmism]

My vehicle will tow 5000 lbs. Tractor/loader/backhoe weighs in at around 3200 lbs according to Kubota specs.

the issues i have with the above statement.

1) i dont belive the weight stated for your TLB. Just seems way to light for a tractor that size. The B3200 is comparable (least i thought it was) to my TC33 and it weights 2500lbs. with my backhoe and loader on it, im over 5000lbs with it. add the box blade at the front of the trailer etc and i can easly push 6000lbs cargo for a "work trip to the property"

2) tow rateing of the vehicle. you could debate its ablity to tow 5K lbs all day long. What you wont debate is its ability to STOP more than 5K lbs.
Light weight trailers dont have brakes on both axles. then put that maxed out (light weight trailer) behind a tow vehicle that is also maxed out and then blow a tire and need to make a panic stop and ....... Please dont do it in my fire protection district because i dont want to be the guy responding to the call scraping your kid off the pavement.

3) 5000lb towing capacity likely means class 2 hitch. class 2 hitch = max tongue weight of 350lbs. rule of thumb is 10-15% of all the weight behind you in tongue weight. going less than 10% because the hitch isnt designed to carry that weight in a vertical load, and or the SUV is already sagging due to the 500lbs of family and other gear already in the truck for the weekend trip..... see above.


Seriously consider other alternatives. buying a heaver duty trailer and borrowing the friends/neighbors/parents truck that can tow it for the weekend and have the wife drive the kids out in the car behind you. Yes its a pain, but like you said, your only doing it a couple times a year.

 

[bcp]

I will probably get flamed for saying this, but vehicle manufacturers often under-rate tow capacities.

Why are tow ratings often higher for the same vehicle in Canada, Australia, or Europe?

Metric gravity?

Bruce

 

[Diamondpilot]

Why are tow ratings often higher for the same vehicle in Canada, Australia, or Europe?

Metric gravity?

Bruce

US has stopping requirements and starts and stops on a grade in a time period without overheating the engine or tranny along with just a pure timed run from a dead stop up a grade of 7%. All this factors in to setting the tow ratings in the US.

Chris

 

[sandman2234]

No way you are going to safely haul a B3200 on a 10' utility trailer, so get that right out of your head. You need a long deck to balance the load for proper tongue weight, as well as dual axles and electric brakes.

A little too much generalization for me... since I borrow a friends 10 foot utility trailer from time to that will haul more than my 20 foot fifth wheel trailer. It has double axles rated at 9,000 each with an extremely short bed and pintle hitch. He bought it to haul marble slabs and it does it well.
David from jax

 

[saltbranch]

I will probably get flamed for saying this, but vehicle manufacturers often under-rate tow capacities. 5001 lbs is not going to break your vehicle or realistically make it unsafe necessarily (though I guess technically illegal). 100-200 over is probably fine a couple times a year. If you were constantly towing it, I wouldn't want to be that close to the rating though. As Roger said though, what vehicle are you using? Not all vehicles are under-rated IMHO. I worry more about suspension/ braking capabilities, though manufacturers tend to go more by engine/ drivetrain capabilities. Many new half-ton trucks are rated to tow more than my older 3/4 ton. They may have more power and equivalent brakes, but they don't have the suspension and rear-end that I have.

I agree, I tow over my trucks MFG rating quite often. My 1/2 ton has a 5k tow rating and I have no problem towing 6-7k or stopping it with my truck/trailer setup. I towed ALL the time over my 1 tons MFG rating commercially and did so in all 48 states. Its done everyday. I have pulled into commercial truck scales grossing 30k and more with no issues as long as my axle weights were in range. The trailers alone weighed 8500 lbs, stack 15-18k on top of that- trucks and trailers were registered at 36 k gross.
Have your truck and trailer setup with quality brake controllers and brakes on both axles on the trailer. I am not saying hook upto a trailer with trailer house axles and no brakes. I am not saying hook to 20k with a half ton
I see alot of people preaching the MFG rating as the gospel and I have to ask: Why do states allow you to uprate weight when you buy your tags? Why do trucking companies lease and run this equipment this way? Especially in our law suit happy society?
Flame away

 

[Teikas Dad]

I wouldn't try to put the tractor with the loader and backhoe attached on the 10' trailer. I was referring to just the tractor alone. The Kubota specs list the B3200 (tractor only) at around 1763 lbs. The FEL is 492 lbs, the BH 850 lbs. On my calculator that adds up to 3105 lbs, but I rounded up to 3200 just to keep it simple. No, the rear tires are not loaded so I don't have to contend with that weight.

Tow vehicle is a Toyota FJ Cruiser with a listed towing capacity of 5000 lbs. It has a Cat 2 hitch on the truck already. I know of other people towing boats that weigh in excess of 5000 lbs (boat and trailer) with an FJ with no problem, but I wouldn't. With my luck I'd have an accident and the insurance company would disavow all knowledge of my activities because I was towing over the listed rating.

I guess my other option would be to check into renting a trailer and a tow vehicle seeing that it's only once or twice a year that I'll need it.

I appreciate all the input and suggestions. You guys give a lot of points to ponder, thanks.

 

[s219]

A little too much generalization for me... since I borrow a friends 10 foot utility trailer from time to that will haul more than my 20 foot fifth wheel trailer. It has double axles rated at 9,000 each with an extremely short bed and pintle hitch. He bought it to haul marble slabs and it does it well.
David from jax

No way you can setup for proper tongue weight on a 10-foot trailer with a tractor that is 11-12 feet long (and that's without implements). I use almost all of the deck on my 16-footer when transporting a tractor. Getting the balance and tongue weight right is the challenge, not the gross load. I too have a small utility trailer that hauls heavy loads just fine, but it sure ain't going to work for my tractor.