Out of the norm question

[jcman]

I own a large Victorian house, and to maintain it purchased a tow behind manlift. The manlift weighs roughly 5,000 pounds. To get to the spots I want to work on, I currently hook the trailer (similar to a two wheeled boat trailer) to my truck and pull it around my house. Once there I unhitch and get to work. There are some restrictions in my yard which prevent my truck from getting through with the lift and it ruts up the yard pretty good. Not to mention it looks pretty bad to the neighbors with the truck parked in the yard. Getting to the lower lawn there is a downhill grade that drops roughly 10 feet over 200 feet. Once there, the lawn is flat all around the house.

I'd like to get a "right sized" tractor to pull the lift around the house.
What size tractor could pull and safely stop the 5,000 pound trailer? The manlift has electric brakes so could the tractors be set up with a 7 pin towing connector to match the manlift? Really don't want to get the manlift rolling and discover I cannot stop it.

Appreciate any help offered.
Best regards

Perhaps an easier solution is to talk with your neighbors, explain what you are doing and ask them if they have any concerns about your equipment being where it is. I presume what you are doing is basically a short term (less than 2 years) project. I would think your neighbors would be glad to see you improving your property as it also increases their property values.

 

[jack32008]

I almost purchased a great looking boom truck just to use on my property. While I could of used it in my work as an electricial contractor, insuring a boom truck would have tripled my commercial policy. By the time I got all the info together and called the guy back to buy it, it had sold. Was a super low hour rig with onboard generator. I could kick myself for not getting it. I have a towable 45’ lift in my back yard that belongs to a friend. Its swing is rusted frozen. Have messed with it on and off for several months, no good. I’m going to drop it back off at his place. Would have been handy to have.

I purchased a good used 1980 International S1724 extension boom truck that was used by a utility company in Atlanta, GA. Got it pretty cheap on Craigslist ($3000). It doesn't look like much but it runs great and I don't have to run to the rental yard 30 miles away everytime I need a manlift. And I'm not restricted to having the project completed by 5 PM on a Friday afternoon when the manlift has to be returned. Projects are completed whenever I want them to be completed.

I live in a log cabin on stilts and absolutely hate working from a ladder. Plus it's handy when trimming trees or re-stringing my 35' flag pole.

 

[twowoode]

A four wheel drive tractor also makes a big difference. My hydro drive rear tires will slide on a down slope while towing in two wheel drive but is very controllable in four wheel drive.

 

[Liquidcooled]

How many acres do you have and how many other things do you need a tractor for?

 

[tbirdrob]

Unless the tractor has a master cylinder or a brake light circuit, you will have no means to control the electric brakes on the lift. A brake controller is actuated through your brake light circuit.
As for towing, I’d call it pulling rather than towing. I have a 40+ hp JD and I routinely pull around my property 5000lb plus, in 4WD, never an issue. Another example of pulling: I got my truck and trailer stuck on a mans property after loading two 6 ft mower decks on my trailer. I was stuck in swampy muck. My trailer weighs 1750 lbs, my truck probably 4500+ and the decks another 1000 maybe. The property owner hooked up his little 4WD Kawasaki Mule and pulled my truck-loaded trailer out without spinning a tire. I was impressed. Just food for thought. FYI you may need extra ballast depending upon the tires on a tractor (ag, industrial or turf - big difference in pulling)

 

[CoyPatton]

A tractors 7 pin or trailering pin connector won’t have a brake controller to activate any trailer brakes.

And depending on the tractor may not have an electrical signaling device on the brakes. You will need dome type of controller, again depending on the tractor, it might be simplest to have a manual control knob for brake activation instead of the electric signal input.

 

[IH2424]

I own a large Victorian house, and to maintain it purchased a tow behind manlift. The manlift weighs roughly 5,000 pounds. To get to the spots I want to work on, I currently hook the trailer (similar to a two wheeled boat trailer) to my truck and pull it around my house. Once there I unhitch and get to work. There are some restrictions in my yard which prevent my truck from getting through with the lift and it ruts up the yard pretty good. Not to mention it looks pretty bad to the neighbors with the truck parked in the yard. Getting to the lower lawn there is a downhill grade that drops roughly 10 feet over 200 feet. Once there, the lawn is flat all around the house.

I'd like to get a "right sized" tractor to pull the lift around the house.
What size tractor could pull and safely stop the 5,000 pound trailer? The manlift has electric brakes so could the tractors be set up with a 7 pin towing connector to match the manlift? Really don't want to get the manlift rolling and discover I cannot stop it.

Appreciate any help offered.
Best regards

If that is the only thing you need a tractor for, I would suggest a big ole farm tractor. Something like a Farmall M that wieghs around 5,000 pounds. should be able to buy a decent one for less than 2K, then get your money back out of it when you are done.

 

[RichNJKubota]

I have a Kubota L4310 with ag tires and a manlift that looks to be about the same. My advice is to get a tractor with 4wd with a weight that is approx the same as the lift. My tractor has ag tires and they are pretty easy on the lawn.
My manlift has it's own hydraulic brake system which I doubt ever gets activated when I'm going down a hill at 3 mph.

 

[ning]

A lot of "is it heavy enough to stop it" in trucks vs trailer is due to needing to stop a 60+mph load in a safe and controlled fashion, quickly.

A tractor's brakes are likely sufficient when you're trying to stop a 2mph load; the tractor needs sufficient traction to not be pushed too much in the process and that probably has more to do with the consistency of the ground than anything.

I'd think a Kubota L or equivalent would be fine.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

I own a large Victorian house, and to maintain it purchased a tow behind manlift. The manlift weighs roughly 5,000 pounds. To get to the spots I want to work on, I currently hook the trailer (similar to a two wheeled boat trailer) to my truck and pull it around my house. Once there I unhitch and get to work. There are some restrictions in my yard which prevent my truck from getting through with the lift and it ruts up the yard pretty good. Not to mention it looks pretty bad to the neighbors with the truck parked in the yard. Getting to the lower lawn there is a downhill grade that drops roughly 10 feet over 200 feet. Once there, the lawn is flat all around the house.

I'd like to get a "right sized" tractor to pull the lift around the house.
What size tractor could pull and safely stop the 5,000 pound trailer? The manlift has electric brakes so could the tractors be set up with a 7 pin towing connector to match the manlift? Really don't want to get the manlift rolling and discover I cannot stop it.

Appreciate any help offered.
Best regards

An interesting co-incidence. I also have a articulated boom man lift on a single axle trailer Purchased for a different reason, but kept for my 1918 farmhouse and assorted barns and out buildings. I tow it with either of 2 Kubota 32 horse power tractors. One has industrial tires, the other turf. Industrial is better. One has a FEL, the other does not. FEL is better to equalize the tongue weight of the man-lift. Both of my Kubota's have 4 wheel drive, which I've never needed to use towing the boom trailer. I wouldn't spend much money wiring up a tow tractor for braking the boom trailer, until I'd tested it out. Get the mechanicals connected, and go down your slope (I agree with others - it's not much of a slope) Whenever I'm going down a hill and am worried about stopping, I use low range and (with manual transmission) a low gear, and use 4 wheel drive so the brake action of the motor can act on the front axle as well.