hitch question

wcampbell47 · Dec 21, 2015

I have pulled bumper pull trailers most of my life. This past year I acquired a goose neck which I set up with a king pin and fifth wheel. Needless to say my bumper pull has not been used in a while. Hooking up is so much easier now. Load Trail makes a car hauler with a 9,900 lbs GVW. I would say this is a light weight goose neck. It is under 10,000 lbs so you could pull it across state lines without being considered commercial. Pulling a "heavy weight" trailer could put you into a commercial class if you exceed the limit imposed by the state. Stick with something on the lighter side and you should be fine.

white cloud · Dec 21, 2015

You know that log/fallen tree problem is something I had not considered. Why? I am not sure. I have a propensity for purchasing high quality products that are too small for the job and needing to replace them later. This is for sale near me: 2013 KUBOTA L4600 HST 4X4 W/LOADER - $23900. It has 38 hours. Would this sort of cover all my bases? This looks to be larger and more powerful without going crazy.

Citydude · Dec 21, 2015

white cloud said:
You know that log/fallen tree problem is something I had not considered. Why? I am not sure. I have a propensity for purchasing high quality products that are too small for the job and needing to replace them later. This is for sale near me: 2013 KUBOTA L4600 HST 4X4 W/LOADER - $23900. It has 38 hours. Would this sort of cover all my bases? This looks to be larger and more powerful without going crazy.

It's 1000 pounds heavier than the 3032e, something you defiantly need is weight and not a bad price. I think that would cover your bases. I would go look at it for sure if it were me.

4570Man · Dec 21, 2015

wcampbell47 said:
No gear tractor is easier to learn to use than an HST. I have a 65 year old friend that can't drive a gear shift. Go figure!! He pops the clutch every time which at times has been dangerous.

I was proficient on a gear tractor by the time I was 10 years old. Anyone who says a gear is easier to learn has never used a HST. The ease of learning isn't a big deal because both are pretty simple. A HST tractor is 10 times easier to use. My 93 year old Grandpa went and traded his gear tractor after using my HST .

brown40 · Dec 22, 2015

4570Man said:
I was proficient on a gear tractor by the time I was 10 years old. Anyone who says a gear is easier to learn has never used a HST. The ease of learning isn't a big deal because both are pretty simple. A HST tractor is 10 times easier to use. My 93 year old Grandpa went and traded his gear tractor after using my HST .

+1 on the HST--they roll out and stop/slow when you release the pedal, where you have to hit the clutch and brake to stop a gear or reverser. Not the same degree of muscle memory, coordination, and sometimes leg strength required in other transmissions. I wouldn't trade my HST--especially for loader work and tight quarters. I wouldn't shy away from a great deal on a different setup if I were in the used market though. Buying new, I wouldn't consider anything but HST unless I was trying for the biggest frame I could afford... HST does add quite a bit to the price tag.

newbury · Dec 22, 2015

white cloud said:
You know that log/fallen tree problem is something I had not considered. Why? I am not sure. I have a propensity for purchasing high quality products that are too small for the job and needing to replace them later. This is for sale near me: 2013 KUBOTA L4600 HST 4X4 W/LOADER - $23900. It has 38 hours. Would this sort of cover all my bases? This looks to be larger and more powerful without going crazy.

It seems that it's only in the last decade that Kubota utility tractors, above 50 HP, started offering HST (I don't know about other brands).
That L4600 reads like a nice deal. Definitely need a 20' or bigger trailer. That was the size I was looking for prior to getting my M4700. Does it have QA? Rear remotes?

GPintheMitten said:
Sorry typo. My daughter has an F350 diesel dually.
I can't edit the original post.

Just read in another thread about a 2017 F150 Diesel, probably NOT a dually though

sdef · Dec 22, 2015

I have a 2015 RAM 2500 Cummins, 6.4 bed, crew cab, fairly loaded Ram Horn 4WD. It is rated to tow 17,180# on the bumper and no WD is mentioned in any literature. There is no V5 rating sticker on the 2.5", Class V receiver.

Following is a Dodge caveat mentioned on the same page as the 2500/3500 ratings (I downloaded when I was deciding which truck to purchase) and the highest tow rating advertised is 30k#:
- 7. A 5th-wheel or gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 18,000 lb, a gooseneck hitch is required for trailers over 25,000 lb.

I have also been towing bumper pull trailers for many years and swear by a quality WD/sway control hitch setup- primarily for sway control and also WD for weaker suspensions. This summer I towed a properly setup 20' equipment trailer with an older Ford Explorer on it as a test between a load bearing hitch (Weigh Safe) and an old, trusty Equalizer 10k WD/sway control hitch. Tongue weight was around 11% - 12%. The truck handled the load easily in all respects. End result was the truck bounced more than I care to have happen with the weight carrying hitch and it smoothed out considerably with the WD Equalizer. And this is the experience I was expecting since the pivot point between the truck and trailer (hitch ball) is a lot more stationary with the heavily weighted WD bars than with a weight carrying hitch.

I recently towed my tractor to a friend's farm to dig a small duck pond into a hill side, fill and level a 100' x 25' area alongside his barn for a water capture system and dug out a hill side all in a mixture of sand/clay soil so he could back his F250 into it and have a level point at the tailgate for loading/unloading. Took me ~ 5 hours of tractor time.

I also recently finished cleared my new home site (house now built) for building our new home and cut down and carried lots of tree load with the tractor. My 45 gross HP HST tractor weighs ~ 6800 - 7500 pounds depending upon implements attached and I could not imagine having anything smaller for doing this kind of work. There were quite a few times I wanted something heavier.

But I digress... Towing this 10,400 pound rig on I-77, I-20 and on two lane roads continuously up and down moderate hills using my new Blue Ox Sway Pro 1500 WD/sway control setup was a relative joy with little to no bounce. I had ~ 11% - 12% tongue weight and the truck height was within 3/8" or less, front and rear/side to side of the unloaded measurements. Also got hand computed 11+ MPG running 65 MPH on the Interstates and ~ 40 MPH in town. Truck had ~ 5000 miles on the odometer.