PJ Deckover Trailer Questions

[tlbuser]

I'm kinda agreeing with Kenny. What are you planning to move and how often? Most easily available building supplies are 20 feet or less. A 20 foot bumper pull would probably be more manageable in most situations. 25 feet of trailer plus the length of your truck will require wide turns and alot of turn around room. Takes a bit of parking space at home too.

Ask the dealer to let you borrow one for a spin around town. Take it places you normally go and see how well it fits and feels for your needs.

I found with our 3 horse GN rv trailer, I had to modify some of my local routes to get where I want to be.

 

[Diamondpilot]

No wonder you had so many issues with that Duramax, it was always taking a hit from the bong bed

Aaron Z

I wint 2 publick skool so mi spellan aint vry goood!

Chris

 

[Runner]

I see everyone's point on this being overkill for what I need. Something with a channel frame and about 12000# rating would probably handle anything I could ever imagine putting on it.

Beavis, I have admired your trailer from previous posts and if I wanted a lowboy, I would be looking at one just like yours. However, I am looking for a deckover, and PJ doesn't seem to make anything lighter in a deckover until you get to their 5 or 6 inch channel models, and they seem a little too light, no dove tail available, etc.

I like the idea of actually hanging something like what I'm looking at on the back of the truck and trying it out, but nobody seems to have anything like this around here. I've been all over my metro area and all I can find are gooseneck deckovers, car haulers and lawn equipment trailers.

As to the length thing, I measured the 2520 in the longest configuration, which is with the loader bucket and rotary cutter attached, and it is about 21 feet long. PJ says this trailer is available in 2 foot increments, so it's 20 or 22.

One of the long-time trailer dealers here sells a brand called Falcon, and another sells one called Maxey. They seem lighter than the PJ, but also don't look as well built.

I wish there was a dealer with decent selection around the Kansas City area.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Runner

With you living in MO I would make a run down to see some of the builders in Sikeston. Its just south of Cape Giradeau. Its the trailer capital of the midwest. We have bought many trailers there and you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Do not get me wrong, PJ is a good trailer, but over priced in my eyes.

Here is who I have bought from. I am sure they can build you what they want.

Welcome to Jerry James Trailers

Chris

 

[GATC35]

Runner.........I had that same exact trailer you show in your orginal post. I pulled it with a 1999 F-250 7.3L PSD 4x4 ext cab - long bed. It was a great trailer, but as you suspect and others have confirmed, it was really tounge heavy. I have rear air bags on my truck which really helped to level things out, but you still had to be careful on how you loaded the trailer. I bought the deckover so I could load bricks, blocks, sod, etc. on pallets with my forks with out worrying abount fenders sticking up. I also wanted to be able to carry two buckets or a grapple with me, that's why I wanted a longer deck lenght. I finally found a deal on a gooseneck and up graded to it and sold the bumper pull. I really like the quality of PJ trailers. I feel thay are probably one of the best made.

I'm at work now, when I get home I'll send you some pics of my two tractors and Bobcat on several different trailers.

If you have any specific questions on the PJ deckover just let me know and I'll try to answer them.

 

[GATC35]

Runner.........I had that same exact trailer you show in your orginal post. I pulled it with a 1999 F-250 7.3L PSD 4x4 ext cab - long bed. It was a great trailer, but as you suspect and others have confirmed, it was really tounge heavy. I have rear air bags on my truck which really helped to level things out, but you still had to be careful on how you loaded the trailer. I bought the deckover so I could load bricks, blocks, sod, etc. on pallets with my forks with out worrying abount fenders sticking up. I also wanted to be able to carry two buckets or a grapple with me, that's why I wanted a longer deck lenght. I finally found a deal on a gooseneck and up graded to it and sold the bumper pull. I really like the quality of PJ trailers. I feel thay are probably one of the best made.

I'm at work now, when I get home I'll send you some pics of my two tractors and Bobcat on several different trailers.

If you have any specific questions on the PJ deckover just let me know and I'll try to answer them.

 

[Runner]

I guess that's another way to go; just bite the bullet get a gooseneck hitch and be done with it. Kind of didn't want to modify the truck but maybe that's the best way.

One concern is that this truck sits a little high for a gooseneck.

 

[Dargo]

I am looking at a new, bumper pull, PJ 8 inch I-beam flatdeck trailer with 22 feet of flat deck and 3 foot dove tail, 96 inches wide with 7000# axles and brakes on all wheels (see picture). Here is my delimma - from what I have read on the web, this thing probably weighs around 4000# empty.

Wow, I have heard good things about PJ, but that sounds like a very light built trailer. I really need to replace my smaller trailer because I've purchased heavier equipment and I need a dual tandem trailer rather than just a tandem trailer. The trailer I'm talking about is a 20' + 5' tail with folding ramps that makes that 5' flat with the ramps up. Rather than the 8" I-beam, mine has a 12" I-beam that weighs 19 pounds per foot (relatively heavy I beam). Personally, I'd never consider a trailer with only 8" beams under it in the 14,000 pound class of trailers (two 7,000 pound axles). I realize that it's a whole lot less expensive to only use 8" I-beams than 12" I-beams, but there is a HUGE difference in their strength!

My exact same trailer with 2 10,000 axles is what I need in place of the one I have. The 20' + 5' works great for me, but I need more weight capacity and with more weight capacity, I need tandem duals rather than just tandem axles. At full capacity plus I'm looking at blowing a tire on a gravel road even with the 10 ply load range E tires I have. My trailer itself is built heavy enough to handle the extra weight, but it just wouldn't be cost effective to swap out the axles. It's harder to make sharp turns with tandem duals, but that's not an issue for me since the sharpest turns I make is when I park the trailer. When I do that, I use a forklift with a ball on the end of a fork and easily park the trailer in the back corner of my barn.

I'm going to have to really watch my tires this spring and see if I'm stressing them too much or if they are heating up on me. If so, I'll have a like new 14k 20' + 5' trailer that's far heavier built than the PJ you're looking at for sale.

 

[HCJtractor]

I guess that's another way to go; just bite the bullet get a gooseneck hitch and be done with it. Kind of didn't want to modify the truck but maybe that's the best way.

One concern is that this truck sits a little high for a gooseneck.

I had your same issue when I bought my trailer last year. I looked at the PJ, both in the bumper pull and gooseneck. I decided that the bumper pull was just too much trailer to hitch to a standard hitch without weight distribution, so I bought the gooseneck version. As far as modifying the truck, I don't see that as an issue. B % W makes a great bolt on model, and the only alteration is a hole in the bed, but it is filled with the removable ball and causes no issues. When I traded my '97 F 250, they could not care less that it had a hole and hitch, if anything, it made it more valuable. Luckily, my 06 F350 had the hitch already installed.

So if you truly need a 14,000 lb. trailer in a flat top, I would go with the gooseneck. It is superior if you really load it to the max. The height of the truck should not be a problem. Yeah, you lose your bed, but with several thousand lbs. on the bumper, what could you carry anyway?

 

[Duffster]

One concern is that this truck sits a little high for a gooseneck.

Your truck height isn't the least bit too high.