Thank you all for all your helpful information. I have quite a bit of experience towing boats etc with my truck. I probably should have mentioned that I'm towing with a F350 Super Duty. I would like to avoid the hassle and expense of trailer brakes if possible as the F350 has MORE than adequate braking for a 3-4000lb trailer. I have seen a lot of 12-14ft single axle trailers but I'm not sure about the length with the backhoe on. I have also seen a lot of 16-18ft tandem axle 7000-10000lb rated trailers with brakes but this seems like a lot of overkill for a 2000lb tractor. Also, I likely won't be hauling it very far. Any more input would certainly be appreciated. Does anyone know how long the tractor is with the FEL and BH buckets both on the ground? Thanks.
Matt.
Matt, I have had my
BX22 for around four years now. I have 900 hours on it and have hauled it on a 5x10 single axle 3500Lb rated trailer, a 18' tandem 10K rated trailer and a couple of sizes in between. I have many years of towing experience. Some of what you have received is sound, some is questionable.
1) Never,... never tow with the bucket up. I have had the misfortune of being first on scene after a chevy blazer pulling a tractor loaded in such a manner stopped rapidly after running into a ditch. The tractor broke free of the bindings and made the trip into the back of the blazer which was occupied by several laborers. Front bucket should be down and if possible up against some sort of solid blocking device such as the front cargo bar of the trailer.
2) Absolute minimum length for a
BX22 trailer is 14ft and that does not allow you any extra length to shift the COG. I have found that 3000Lb - 3600Lb 16' tandem utility trailer without ducktail works very well. I don't bother with ramps as you can loft the front up with the loader and then pi ck the backend up with the hoe and push the whole tractor up onto the trailer (actually if you leve the two vehicle in neutral you end up pulling the trailer under the tractor).
The beauty of working with small equipment is that you don't have to have the big iron to haul it around. I sold my 3/4 ton truck several months ago and now haul mine around with a 3 liter for ranger with no problems.
3) Unless your truck out weighs the trailer and tractor significantly then brakes are a sound investment. I prefer hydraulic surge to electric. But each has advantages.
4) Good ties downs. I pull a logging chain and binder across the main hoe hinge, a pair of binders around each side of the front axle. I also run a chain and binder across the fron of te bucket to stop the tractor should we have an emergency stop or accident that breaks on of the other three tie downs. I have about $300 in chains and Tie downs.
Having said all that. I'd recommend two trailers. If y9ou are into cars then themachine fits on a 17 or 18 foot car hauler with room to spare.
If you are handy and find yourself at Lowes or Home Depot frequently then the 16' Tandem untility would find more use in your stable.
How much you can haul with a small pickup is really a function of trailer brakes and operator experience. I am currently gathering the material to put togeather a 18ft tandem wheel over gooseneck specifically for the
bX22 and my Ranger. It wil only be 5'8" wide and will be a bit higher than the utility as the whells go under the bed instead of outside the bed. You won't find one of these on the lot, but I want to be able to load and unload palletized material and the wheel over is the only design that allows me to do that from the sides. Hope some of this helps you a bit.
BX22, 60" mower, 48" pulverizer, Auger, Disk harrow, landscape rake, 600lb broadcast spreader, 4' box blade, loader forks, modified bucket for log handling.
