Owning a new(er) tractor that's too heavy to haul with your pickup?

[WM75Guy]

Around here the State DOT would be looking for your pickup and trailer, better have your CDL or be ready to spend a bunch of money fighting the tickets, after getting a CDL licensed driver to come get your trailer.

I am legal. Texas allows for hauling a 20,000# GVWR trailer with farm plates with a Class C license. All three of my 15,900# GVWR trailers have farm plates.

Classes of Driver Licenses | Department of Public Safety

 

[LouNY]

I am legal. Texas allows for hauling a 20,000# GVWR trailer with farm plates with a Class C license. All three of my 15,900# GVWR trailers have farm plates.

Classes of Driver Licenses | Department of Public Safety

View attachment 978741

Nice, the farm tag regulations in this state are much stricter and very regulated.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I'm fortunate that here a basic license allows me to max out my 3500 (14,000 GVWR) and trailer (25,000 GVWR).

Most of my trailering miles are out of state, went through three states to get the pictured machinery (about 16,000 lbs.) and I have yet to be hassled by any cops or scales. Not that I stop at them.

For the most part both the 3500 and trailer are overkill, but I much prefer it that way.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

As I get older I have this recurring dream that my loader/backhoe breaks down and HAS to go to the shop and its not field repairable. We don't use this machine commercially. It's a JD 410j with filled tires. That's over 20,000#. We live far remote in a forested canyon. A lowboy could get here but it couldn't turn around. Add to this that if it failed while using the backhoe out or the loader full that's a little bit of a problem. Even if the front and rear stuff was locked into position, moving it is a curiosity. It would have to be moved two miles down steep logging trails and bends to the nearest load out place.

Then there is the repair after the unit is retrieved. Seems to me it would be more efficient/economical to get a Cat D8 to drag it and sell for parts. Or maybe a big excavator to bury it in place with an appropriate monument. Maybe I should be in the unit when it is buried since it is owned by the wife and anything that happens is gonna be my fault.

And some people wonder what to buy to do a basic thing.... And, oh, is the shop/dealer reputable?!? As I said we live in the forest. Breakdowns of big forestry equipment, much bigger than my 410 happen. They deal with it.

Just some rambling thoughts on this subject. But back to the original post, whatever you do, if you do it yourself, if has to be moved down the road safely.

LOL, that's some reoccurring dream! Sounds like you've got a nice place there with the canyons and the pines. Not a bad final resting place if it comes to that! You could have the backhoe boom sticking out of the ground and use the bucket as a tombstone!

As for safety, I'm not new to towing or driving heavy rigs. I used to have a 3/4 ton 3rd gen Dodge/Cummins with a 6spd for towing a travel trailer. Sold that truck after we bought a 45,000lbs GVWR diesel pusher motor home. Tag axle with a 450 Cummins and Allison trans with retarder. Drove that beast on all manner of narrow death drop steep mountain roads, flat towing a jeep.

A moot point I guess anyway, since this thread has given green light to get the bigger tractor that I really want..... and maybe even need lol.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

As you get older it gets easier to justify some purchases. I wanted to be self-sufficient in unloading square bales of hay, hard to find help to stack it in the barn. Tractor was too small for hay grapple, so got a bigger tractor (WM75). Trailer was too small now, so got bigger trailer (Big Tex 14N 20+5). Truck was too small, so got bigger truck (GMC 3500HD). Yes, it was expensive, truck and trailer were $100,000. Not only do I use them to haul tractors, but I use them for hauling hay and other things such as corral panels. I looked at it as a long-term investment. And we went to a Sundowner 3-horse bumper pull trailer so my wife can hook it up easier than the GN we had.

Dealer will transport the tractors, $150 one way. Mobile service tech is also available, extra $100 for a trip charge. While it didn't make good financial sense to buy a truck and trailer just for moving tractors, the other uses made good sense. I now have a 7-yard 14GX dump trailer for hauling mulch, fill dirt, and pallets of shavings. My 16' 70PI trailer is used to transporting lawn mowers and the Mule for repairs. After a while paying for delivery or moving of those things on a regular basis gets expensive.

View attachment 978702

View attachment 978703

Nice rig! A pleasure to tow with no doubt.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

I'm fortunate that here a basic license allows me to max out my 3500 (14,000 GVWR) and trailer (25,000 GVWR).

Most of my trailering miles are out of state, went through three states to get the pictured machinery (about 16,000 lbs.) and I have yet to be hassled by any cops or scales. Not that I stop at them.View attachment 978773
For the most part both the 3500 and trailer are overkill, but I much prefer it that way.

Nice equipment. What is that? A Unimog with some sort of bush scrubbing attachment?

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Yep, you got it.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a tunnel washer until I ended up owning one (kind of a long story).

The original idea was to run the snowblower off of it since it has front and rear PTOs and hydraulics (and the 2,000:1 lower gearing), but once I figured the washer part out I wanted to put a flail mower on there instead of the brush.

Well, that would've likely worked well, but required a second person to operate.
Removed all the washer stuff (do you want it?), then ended up selling the Unimog.

That 32' trailer is for sale by the way. Bought a 35-footer, also with hydraulic dove tail, air suspension, and disc brakes.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

Yep, you got it.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a tunnel washer until I ended up owning one (kind of a long story).

The original idea was to run the snowblower off of it since it has front and rear PTOs and hydraulics (and the 2,000:1 lower gearing), but once I figured the washer part out I wanted to put a flail mower on there instead of the brush.

Well, that would've likely worked well, but required a second person to operate.
Removed all the washer stuff (do you want it?), then ended up selling the Unimog.

That 32' trailer is for sale by the way. Bought a 35-footer, also with hydraulic dove tail, air suspension, and disc brakes. View attachment 978800View attachment 978801

It's a shame you couldn't make the mower work. That would have been a sight to see.

I have no need for such a device but that giant arm with the brush really remind me of this kids classic!

 

[Too many Kubotas]

It's a shame you couldn't make the mower work. That would have been a sight to see.

Oh, I probably could have, but it'd been a bit costly and work intensive.

As delivered, all the hydraulics are operated through switches and would've had to be converted to valves, so I could adjust at least the height of the mover with some precision. The ground next to my ditches isn't exactly smooth and consistent, and that's where it would've been useful.

Also, a hydraulic flail mower would've cost more than I paid for that Unimog.

 

[airbiscuit]

Talk to a shop that does diesel truck repair. They could give you leads of people that could do that for you - contractors, landscapers, truckers, etc. Lots of folks around with a 5th wheel trailer.