I Need a Longer Trailer

JESSE1 · Feb 10, 2008

Hauled a load of hay this evening. I had baled this hay last fall on a field about 20 miles away. I thought I could get five rows side by side but I had increased the size of the bales so this was as much as could be loaded. Bales are about 1500#'s, baled with a John Deere 535 baler. Total of twelve.
Trailer is a 28' Fleetneck with dual 12,000# axles, GVWR of 24,000#'s. Truck is an F-450 with a GCWR of 29,000#'s. I'm thinking about a 32' trailer with at least 12,000# axles and with 19.5" wheels like the truck has.

Diamondpilot · Feb 10, 2008

I love that truck. How is the 6.4 treating you and those low gear? Which do you have the 4.33's or the 4.80's? How about mpg?

Chris

rutwad · Feb 10, 2008

Could you get 2 bales on the rear with a center pop-up? Then 1 more on top and 1 more on the neck. That should be enough weight!

JESSE1 · Feb 10, 2008

I have the 4.30 axle ratio. The 6.4 has been an extremely smooth and powerful engine. Fuel mileage running empty may be as high as 14 mpg if you keep your speed down. Towing--don't even think about the mileage. Ford doesn't offer the 4.88 axle ratio now on the F-450 pickups built after 1/1/08. They've raised the GCWR to 33,000# on all F-450 pickups. My truck was built in October so it is rated at 29,000# GCWR.

texasjohn · Feb 10, 2008

I understand your dilema... you want to keep trips to a minimum...If you do the math, it may help. How many fewer trips would you have to make to pay for the new trailer??

You currently haul 12 bales = 8.3 trips = 9 trips for 100 bales

If you get one more bale on the neck = 13 = 7.7 trips = 8 trips for 100 bales

So, 1 less trip = 40 miles = 40/8mpg (guess) = 5 gallons*$3.50= $17.50
plus, of course, your time, etc....

If you can manage to get 15 bales per trip as suggested, you would need
6.6 trips = 7 total... Your tractor is certainly capable of properly lifting and centering a bale anywhere on your trailer.

A 32' trailer would haul 5 on a side plus a row down the middle
10+4+1 (maybe on the end) = 15 bales again... = the same 7 trips.

All things considered, you may be at a sweet spot.... the longer trailer will have more difficulty getting into and out of tight fields.

Of course, there could be other overriding reasons to swap out trailers and other loads you wish to carry that require the 32' trailer.

JESSE1 · Feb 10, 2008

You're right about the size of the trailer. The reason I didn't buy a longer trailer to begin with was that the shorter trailer would be easier to get into and out of pastures. Usually I can load 5 per side but I increased the size of the bale to nearly 6' so I would be baling less bales and hauling less( I thought). I'm baling the hay for myself so the bigger the better. Of course, now I can't haul as many bales per load. One other problem is that when I load the tractor and rake on the trailer I'm having to load the tractor all the way to the front of the trailer so I have room for the rake. Not as big of a problem now that I have the F-450 (11,000# rear axle) but it does put more load on the truck than I usually like.

Diamondpilot · Feb 10, 2008

I always wondered about that 4.88 so I guess you answered it. That stinks about the increase of GCWR but I guess that is what happens when the model year changes. Nice truck. I would love to have one.

Chris

texasjohn · Feb 10, 2008

I understand about the large bales... less loss in rain, etc.... also, heavier bales, so more lbs...

12x1500 lbs = 18,000 lbs
14x1300 lbs = 18,200 lbs ... I guessed at 1300 lbs for your smaller bales, if I guessed heavy, then you are hauling the same or more hay with the larger bales. You win because you handle fewer bales and feed less often.

ddivinia · Feb 11, 2008

What sizes bales are those?

D.

texasjohn · Feb 11, 2008

See OP entry

ddivinia · Feb 11, 2008

texasjohn said:
See OP entry

Says 1500# I am looking for dimensions. Am I looking over it?

D.

JESSE1 · Feb 11, 2008

ddivinia said:
What sizes bales are those?

D.

I've never weighed them but a 535 is supposed to put up a 1500-2000# bale. These are heavy. The size is 5' wide by up to 6' diameter. I've usually kept the bales no bigger than 5' diameter but this summer I increased the size to nearly maximum.

ddivinia · Feb 11, 2008

JESSE1 said:
I've never weighed them but a 535 is supposed to put up a 1500-2000# bale. These are heavy. The size is 5' wide by up to 6' diameter. I've usually kept the bales no bigger than 5' diameter but this summer I increased the size to nearly maximum.

5' bales can be difficult to transport. Do you have to get permits to haul a 10' wide load? Or do you just roll with it?

The transport question is one of the reasons I went with a 467 which is a 4 * 6 max bale. Usually the bales I have been buying are 4 * 5 I think this year I will bale 4 * 6 since they are for my own use anyway. Then again, I will be selling a lot - they will be 4 * 5.

D.

JESSE1 · Feb 11, 2008

I've talked with the state troopers about the overwidth loads. Basically, as long as you have farm trailer tags and the load is tied down they look the other way. I was passed yesterday by a city police and two deputies and no one even slowed down. It probably is up to the individual trooper. I'm sure they could stop you if they wanted. If I was hauling and selling hay I'd go with the size baler you have and make 4x6 or 4x5 rolls.

mlauk · Feb 12, 2008

Another option is to make a 5 x 5 1/2 bale which would allow you to put 10 bales on the bottom (with a center pop up on the ramp), 4 on top and then you could put one on the gooseneck for a total of 15 bales. In Texas, I think you can buy 10' wide hay hauling permit for $10 a year.

JESSE1 · Feb 12, 2008

Where would you go for the permit? I could actually put two rolls on the ramp. I can lay two 4x4's across the ramps for the hay to lay on. Other than that, the load just gets too heavy to pull with a pickup. The pickup and trailer weigh about 15,000#'s without a load.

mlauk · Feb 13, 2008

Here is the link for oversize annual hay permit. I've never needed to apply since I have only hauled 4 x 6 rolls.

Annual Hay Permits

I crunched the numbers and you are slightly better off hauling (12) 5 x 6 rolls than (14) 5 x 5.5 rolls.

Bale size Volume Lbs/Ft^3 Roll Wgt # Rolls Total Weight
5x6 141.4 10.6 1500 12 18,000
5x5.5 118.8 10.6 1260 14 17,600

I think you are allowed up to 34,000 lbs total with farm tags, so any more rolls would be overweight.

rutwad · Feb 13, 2008

JESSE1 said:
I could actually put two rolls on the ramp. I can lay two 4x4's across the ramps for the hay to lay on. Other than that, the load just gets too heavy to pull with a pickup.

If you get a bigger trailer, will you be pulling it with something else? If you put 2 bales across the rear and one more on top, your at 21k of just hay! Plus the 15k of your truck and trailer puts you at 36k. If you get a bigger, heavier trailer for more bales, well, how much are you willing to haul?

JESSE1 · Feb 13, 2008

I wouldn't try to haul any more than that with this truck. I could hook up my '59 White and haul more but it doesn't have air conditioning!

I looked at the requirements for the hay permit and I think it's only for commercial carriers. I don't think I'd need one for my own use, although I could be wrong.

mlauk · Feb 13, 2008

I'm not to sure if you need a permit either, but have heard from some people that you need it. There is a section in the Drivers Handbook that exempts farmers hauling cylindrical bales from the 102 inch width standard, but I would have to read it again to be sure. I've got to say I'm jealous of your '59 White.