Is this the right trailer for me?

[3jakes]

I'm in the market for trailer & have been lurking here for several weeks trying to learn the lingo.
I've towed in the past using rented or borrowed, & would like to have my own now.

I hope to have a 50 horse or so tractor within the year, with backhoe & loader. If it needs service I can take it to the dealer myself.
I would like to be able to be at an auction & if a car or truck speaks to me, bring it home to turn for profit or fix & use (and not have to register it or drive it illegally to get it home.
Most of my cars leave my farm for the last time & go to the scrap yard, so full size cars & pickups loaded up with other steel will get carried as well.
Most trips will be local, but if I see a great deal a state away, I don't want to worry about highway speeds blowing out a dry rotted tire. (most used trailers I've looked at so far have those)

So anyway, with those things in mind, I came across an ebay listing for a dealer about 50 miles away & his stuff looks like a bargain to me.
They are 83" wide inside the fenders, so a full size pickup should fit on the deck.

Take a look & tell me am I missing something.
thanks for all input.
NEW 2012 83x18' 12K Equipment Trailer Implement 12,000 GVW 7x18 Dexter Axles NEW 2012 83x18' 12K Equipment Trailer Implement 12,000 GVW 7x18 Dexter Axles | eBay

 

[namesray]

the trailer would handle the cars/trucks and steel and probably the tractor fine. the thing is, and i didn't see you mention is what are you pulling it with? also, in pa, to tow any trailer over 10,000lbs requires a cdl A license.

 

[3jakes]

the trailer would handle the cars/trucks and steel and probably the tractor fine. the thing is, and i didn't see you mention is what are you pulling it with? also, in pa, to tow any trailer over 10,000lbs requires a cdl A license.

Thanks namesray,
That's because I'm getting the cart before the horse so to speak.
My boy's pickup is sitting here for the next 9 months while he is deployed to Afghanistan, It is an F150 that has a factory tow setup. I'll be looking for a truck of my own this fall.

Am I correct that trailers can be registered at a lower GVWT the first time they are purchased?

 

[TRR]

You are getting into weights where a gooseneck trailer is normally used. There are many benefits to a gooseneck over a bumper pull so you may want to consider that. Will a bumper pull work for you? Probably, if you're careful. Your tongue weight/trailer balance will be very important. You'll probably want a load equailizer hitch as well.

 

[s219]

You may want to check on the specs of that F-150. Depending on engine and gearing, the towing capacity can vary quite a bit. On the low end, it won't tow very much, so when you factor in the weight of the trailer, the payload might not be a whole lot.

 

[RJD2516]

The F150 should be fine. 8500 to 10000 lb tow rating, depending on year, cab style, etc. Just check the plate inside the door jamb. Should be like 14K for GVWR. About 16K for a new one.

Gooseneck trailers are great, but there is a cost to setting up the truck for one. Total would be about 1200 bucks with wiring. If it were a F250/350, I might go this way. But a F150? Nah. I would go with a tow behind. Get one with breaks on both axles, and get a good controller (I like the prodigy, but that is all about preference). The tractor with attachments can get pretty heavy. My L3800 with tiller is about 5K lbs. WIth trailer, about 6.5K or so. Not a problem for an F150. Of course, a 50hp tractor is going to be considerably heavier.

What you are not going to like, is the gas mileage.

Also, if you are pushing right at the GVRW, then you may consider an anti-sway hitch. Otherwise, you are going to be fine.

 

[namesray]

i think in pa, a tandem axel trailer is required to have brakes on both axels. as for a 1/2 ton pick up handleing a 12k rated trailer with a 50hp tlb tractor, i am not thinking so. i pull a 2000lb ta trailer (7k rated) with my 2600lb tractor with fel on it with my 1996 or 2004 1/2 ton pickups and that is a bit of a load for the trucks especially on hills. that would be towing 4600lbs. now i have also pulled with implements on as well and that is quite a bit of weight for 1/2 tons. both trucks are "heavy halfs" (have extra leafs and such) and i am not seeing either one of them handleing a 12k rated trailer with much other weight on top, let alone a 50hp tractor. (granted my trucks aren't fords either :laughing i would look at pulling with at least a 3/4 ton truck if not a 1 ton. (leaning heavily towards the 1 ton) now i maybe way off on my thinking, but... becareful if you try it with a 1/2 ton truck.

and i do believe you could try at registration time to lower the registered weight.

ps. tell your son thank you for his service and what he does for us all.

 

[3jakes]

Thanks everyone so far.
I guess my thoughts on the trailer was to get something that was a little heavier than I'll need.
Yes as far as I know, in PA all axles need to have brakes.

The trailer in the link that I posted originally had all that covered. Did anyone look at that & see if it was a fair deal or not?

I definitely do not want to get into goose necks. I don't plan on hauling that often that I want to dedicate that much specialized equipment towards that.

 

[namesray]

from what i read, $3200 is not a bad price.

 

[strum456]

I think I understand your logic. You want to get a 12k trailer, becasue it is more heavy duty, and then register it as a 10k to avoid CDL non-sense.

Good plan, except: A 12k trailer will be better built and it will weigh considerably more as a result. This will go towards your gross vehicle weight GVW and actually subtract from the load that you could legally haul.

Maybe you already considered this, but I just thought I would throw it out there.

Edit: Yes, you need brakes on both axles in PA for a trailer of that size.

 

[s219]

Yeah, be careful about weight. I specifically backed off from a full-on equipment trailer just because the extra weight took too much out of my tow vehicle's available gross. In retrospect, that was a smart choice, since I have more margin for unexpected cargo loads that come up from time to time. A heavier trailer would have really limited me with my current tow vehicle.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Lets start with the truck.

I am a part time trailer dealer and have access to all tow ratings for trucks built since the late 90's

I need to know the Make, Model, Cab Style, Bed Length, 4x4 or not, Engine, and most importantly the tranny type and rear end gear.

On a Ford the rear end gear will be a code on the sticker on the passengers side door. It will say axle and give a code like 71 or B6.

Give me all that info and I can tell you what the truck can legally tow.

Chris

 

[Duffster]

in pa, to tow any trailer over 10,000lbs requires a cdl A license.

No it doesn't.

The only time that a trailer over 10k GVWR requires a CDL class A is when the CGVWR is over 26k as well.

 

[strum456]

No it doesn't.

The only time that a trailer over 10k GVWR requires a CDL class A is when the CGVWR is over 26k as well.

I think the key here is "in Pa". Please provide a link showing this pa dot code.

 

[shortthrow50]

No it doesn't.

The only time that a trailer over 10k GVWR requires a CDL class A is when the CGVWR is over 26k as well.

I think the key here is "in Pa". Please provide a link showing this pa dot code.

im from PA and pull equipment on a trailer rated for over 10k as well. What the guy stated is somewhat correct. you need a medical card . If you get pulled over, you will get a nice fine. They do not need a scale either. If the trailer is rated for over 5 ton, you will be fined if you do not have a medical card. I dont have a link but we have all the necessary info at work. We learned the hard way when an employee got hit by state police pulling with a utility body dulley and a 6 ton trailer with skid steer.

 

[shortthrow50]

No it doesn't.

The only time that a trailer over 10k GVWR requires a CDL class A is when the CGVWR is over 26k as well.

you are somewhat wrong my friend. You need a medical card towing a trailer rated over 5 ton. need a cdl for vehicle weight over 26k or has air brakes under that

 

[Duffster]

I think the key here is "in Pa". Please provide a link showing this pa dot code.

Doesn't your google work?:laughing:

PA has the same requirements for CDL as the other 48 normal states.

you are somewhat wrong my friend. You need a medical card towing a trailer rated over 5 ton. need a cdl for vehicle weight over 26k or has air brakes under that

Needing a medical card has nothing to do with needing a CDL. Nor does needing a medical card have anything to do with whether or not your trailer is over or under 10k. Medical card is needed at 10k GVWR or CGVWR. so if you need one for a 12k tailer you would still need one for a 10k trailer.

Air brakes makes no difference.

 

[3930dave]

I don't pretend to know the USA regs, as I can barely comprehend mine (Ontario).

1) Many trailers are rated at 9990#, for reasons listed above.

2) For the person who started the thread, you might want to evaluate an aluminum trailer.

I'm coming across more and more people who are shelling out the extra $ to go to aluminum. Most of these people are not what I'd call wealthy; as fuel costs continue to climb I expect to see more aluminum trailers sold.

Comparing a 20' Big Tex in steel to a 24' in aluminum, the Aluminum trailer is 700# lighter.

Aluminum Equipment Trailers | Lanchester Trailer

Best Trailer, Best Price | open | flatbed | utility | goosenecks | landscape | auto haulers | ATV | equipment | trailers | Big Tex

Not really an apples to apples comparison, but you get the idea.... I'm not suggesting that is a low cost aluminum trailer, just picked it for an empty weight data point.

The aluminum trailer will give you some load capacity back, and lessen the load on the tow vehicle. Unless you tow only short distances from home, the aluminum trailer will save you fuel as the miles roll on.

Depending on the tractor you choose, an aluminum trailer may be necessary to stay under 10,000#, esp. with attachments.

Enjoy the researching/looking.

Rgds, Dave.

 

[namesray]

my bad on the needing a class a cdl to only tow 10,000 lbs. it is 10,000 lbs but when total gvwr is over 26,000 lbs. like was stated. here are the rules i found that might help. click the website link below and go down a bit on their page or i just copied it here below.

http://www.cdl-course.com/faq-pa.html

When do I need a Pennsylvania CDL instead of my regular Pennsylvania Drivers License?
A Pennsylvania CDL is required if you operate any of the following CMV's . . .
1. A vehicle with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 26,000 lbs.
2. A vehicle towing a unit with a manufacturer's GVWR of more than 10,000 lbs. when the GCWR exceeds 26,000 lbs.
3. A vehicle used to . . .(a.) carry 15 or more passengers (excluding the driver), or (b.) carry (15) or less people (including the driver) when carrying children to or from school and home regularly for compensation.
4. A vehicle carrying hazardous materials in amounts requiring placarding.

 

[strum456]

my bad on the needing a class a cdl to only tow 10,000 lbs. it is 10,000 lbs but when total gvwr is over 26,000 lbs. like was stated. here are the rules i found that might help. click the website link below and go down a bit on their page or i just copied it here below.

PENNSYLVANIA CDL TEST | CDL License FAQs | Get Your CDL (Best)

When do I need a Pennsylvania CDL instead of my regular Pennsylvania Drivers License?
A Pennsylvania CDL is required if you operate any of the following CMV's . . .
1. A vehicle with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 26,000 lbs.
2. A vehicle towing a unit with a manufacturer's GVWR of more than 10,000 lbs. when the GCWR exceeds 26,000 lbs.
3. A vehicle used to . . .(a.) carry 15 or more passengers (excluding the driver), or (b.) carry (15) or less people (including the driver) when carrying children to or from school and home regularly for compensation.
4. A vehicle carrying hazardous materials in amounts requiring placarding.

Thanks for the info. What is the process for getting a medical card. I wonder why more people dont get them.