Pulling a trailer with your tractor

Redbug · Nov 18, 2011

Why can't you put a chain from the 3 point arms to the drawbar to keep the arms from raising up if the trailer is tail heavy?

KYDan · Nov 18, 2011

I have a Kubota MX5100 HST 4WD and I use a trailer mover 3pt. hitch unit from TSC CountyLine 3 Point Trailer Mover - 2780703 | Tractor Supply Company to move and use my 4 ton EZ Dumper Trailer. I only load it lightly usually about 2 tons and insure that the load is balanced and the tractor is always in 4WD. I also use the tractor to move our boat which is 4 tons and I have not had any issues with it. Initially, I was worried about it on the hills, but in 4WD and moving only vertically on the hills I have not had any issues with it. I raise the lift fully prior to dumping the load in the trailer. This prevents it from lifting itself as the load shifts while being dumped.

Redbuggy · Nov 18, 2011

Please allow me to share my 'hope nobody saw that' experience with towing. Last summer I rented a towable 50' man-lift so I could get up and do work on my gutters. I was pretty sure towing this thing around the front of the house would not be an issue for my old BX2200 because its pretty flat out front, but I wasn't sure how well it would handle the slope/hill in my backyard. I figured if I needed to I would rent a bigger tractor:licking: to move it around the back. So I decided to tow it up and down the driveway with my BX2200 which has a steeper hill than what I would encounter in the backyard - handled it like a charm, forward, reverse, uphill, downhill - no problem. Got done out front of the house and started toward the backyard. Moving slow through a narrow side gate - all was well. Turned the tractor to avoid the first giant oak and start slowly down the slope - toward the second giant oak. All was still well .. UNTIL the wheels on the trailer crested the hill. I then had 4800' of trailer wanting to go downhill faster than what I had in mind.. please note the word 'turned' one sentence above because this is also key when you consider how easy it is for 4800lbs of trailer to dislodge the rear wheels of a BX2200 on grass.
Luckily I missed the tree, ended up jack-knifed etc. Very dangerous situation, don't over-tax it, consider all possibilities like the traction difference you will encounter. I ended up with a skid steer to help finish the job, after my neighboor helped me un-jack-knife it.

5030 · Nov 18, 2011

TripleR said:
I have pulled a trailer with a 3PH, but it was a four wheeled cotton or grain trailer with no tongue weight and only around the field. I would not recommend pulling any trailer with a 3PH and the only way I would do it now would be to move one a few feet out of my way; just so many things that can go wrong.

I have to deviate on this one....

I regularly pull (via the 3PH and a hay spear with a 2-7/16" ball welded on the top), my tandem axle gooseneck, hay wagons in tandem on the drawbar (double tandem axle Geihl's with flat racks refitted) and everything in between and most times (unless empty) they weigh appreciably more than either of my tractors.

It's a matter of economics. Why would I haul a gooseneck to the field with the pickup and then drive the tractor when I can pull the trailers behind the tractor, load the trailers with rounds and pull them back, in one operation.

Typically, growers all utilize tractors pulling semi trailers via a convertor dolly when harvesting tomatoes, pumpkins, cukes or any crop that has to be transported over the road, out of the field and in all cases, the load weighs many times what the power unit weighs.... gee, a tractor (as in on road truck) weighs much less than the trailer it pulls unless empty.

I even had the lighting pigtail (on the trailer and the tractor) so I can run my flashers or running lights at night if necessary.

As far as the weight on the 3ph from the loaded trailer, if the trailer is loaded properly (or overloaded excessively in my case), the weight bearing on the hitch is always less than the capability of the 3ph. Suffice to say that I would never consider hauling a loaded gooseneck with a SubCut. You have to exhibit some common sense and of course, common sense is a precious commodity today........:laughing:

I have pulled loaded hayracks with my quad in the past. 500 squares with a Honda Foreman 400 is all about calculated stopping but in a pinch, you do what's necessary.

Finally, there are a number of commercial attachments on the market for doing just what I do. I just built my own. I'm all about multi-adapting implements.

So yes, I do it, I've been doing it for years and will continue to do it, just like all farmers here do.

It's all about common sense.

Dead Horse · Nov 18, 2011

pulling the load is not the highest risk.......... controlling and stopping the momentum is. Yes a honda foreman can tow a trailer with a ton of wood on it........ on flat ground, at a safe speed. The brakes on said foreman are NOT designed to stop a 2,500# package quickly or on anything but flat ground.

Tractors are a LOT stronger than they are heavy........ and unless in FWD have zero front brakes, anyway.

LD1 · Nov 18, 2011

I agree that I dont see the harm in pulling from the 3PH.

Everyone keeps talking like a 3PH is made of flimsy little peices of steel behind the tractor. Infact, my 3PH for a smaller tractor is...quite beefy:thumbsup:

There is no harm pulling from the 3PH, as long as you take a few considerations into mind...

As others have mentioned, gravity is the only thing that holds it down. So...this will rule out a dump trailer, or poorly distributed loads. As well as consider the 3PH raising when emergency stopping, on hilly terrain.

If none of those apply, no big deal to use the 3PH. If the issues above apply, you can either chain it down to prevent rise (which will rule out quick hooks/unhooks), or use the drawbar.

But if your tractor is anything like mine, or most that I have seen, the drawbar is set up WAY too low for most commercial trailers that are designed to be pulled with a truck.

That, PLUS the easy hook/unkook is why I like pulling with a 3PH hitch.

Your tractor is heavier and physically bigger than my L3400. But we regularly pull loads like this from where we cut wood at ~3miles away. No issues at all. And thats about 6k lbs too.

Redbuggy · Nov 18, 2011

Dead Horse said:
pulling the load is not the highest risk.......... controlling and stopping the momentum is. Yes a honda foreman can tow a trailer with a ton of wood on it........ on flat ground, at a safe speed. The brakes on said foreman are NOT designed to stop a 2,500# package quickly or on anything but flat ground.

Tractors are a LOT stronger than they are heavy........ and unless in FWD have zero front brakes, anyway.

Dead Horse .. Yup! And I figured that to be the issue. What I didn't take into account was the fact that just 'cause it stopped and controlled well on blacktop didn't mean squat when I had it on the grass. I lucked out, I hope this might help some other weekend warrior to avoid the same mistake.

TripleR · Nov 18, 2011

5030 said:
I have to deviate on this one....

I regularly pull (via the 3PH and a hay spear with a 2-7/16" ball welded on the top), my tandem axle gooseneck, hay wagons in tandem on the drawbar (double tandem axle Geihl's with flat racks refitted) and everything in between and most times (unless empty) they weigh appreciably more than either of my tractors.

It's a matter of economics. Why would I haul a gooseneck to the field with the pickup and then drive the tractor when I can pull the trailers behind the tractor, load the trailers with rounds and pull them back, in one operation.

Typically, growers all utilize tractors pulling semi trailers via a convertor dolly when harvesting tomatoes, pumpkins, cukes or any crop that has to be transported over the road, out of the field and in all cases, the load weighs many times what the power unit weighs.... gee, a tractor (as in on road truck) weighs much less than the trailer it pulls unless empty.

I even had the lighting pigtail (on the trailer and the tractor) so I can run my flashers or running lights at night if necessary.

As far as the weight on the 3ph from the loaded trailer, if the trailer is loaded properly (or overloaded excessively in my case), the weight bearing on the hitch is always less than the capability of the 3ph. Suffice to say that I would never consider hauling a loaded gooseneck with a SubCut. You have to exhibit some common sense and of course, common sense is a precious commodity today........:laughing:

I have pulled loaded hayracks with my quad in the past. 500 squares with a Honda Foreman 400 is all about calculated stopping but in a pinch, you do what's necessary.

Finally, there are a number of commercial attachments on the market for doing just what I do. I just built my own. I'm all about multi-adapting implements.

So yes, I do it, I've been doing it for years and will continue to do it, just like all farmers here do.

It's all about common sense.

Well, I am glad it works for you, but I still would not/will not recommend it. There are just too many variables for me. Yes, I could set out a set of parameters in which it will work and it appears that you have found those that work for you. When giving advice, I try to stay away from such specifics as there is a diverse readership here from novice to expert and I have seen what often happens when people attempt to emulate the experts or those with more experience.

I have often admitted, I will turn a tractor over to one of my sons in many instances when I get close to my ability/expertise envelope. I also do things and have done things for years that I would never recommend to anyone else.

In my area, I don't remember the last time I saw a farmer pulling anything from a 3PH; most rarely use them for anything anymore as most of the equipment is pull type. We have yet to even use the 3PH for anything on our M8540.

aczlan · Nov 18, 2011

TripleR said:
In my area, I don't remember the last time I saw a farmer pulling anything from a 3PH; most rarely use them for anything anymore as most of the equipment is pull type. We have yet to even use the 3PH for anything on our M8540.

In my area I have seen semi mount plows, mower conditioners and a land plane using the 3 point hitch (or at least the lower links). I also know a farm who has a screen that mounts to the 3 point hitch to protect the back window of the cab when they mow corn stubble with their 15' rotary mower.
Otherwise, I haven't really seen much use being made of the rear 3 point on larger ag tractors.

As for towing with it, I will use it to move stuff around and to tow the rollbar rake (that way I can lift it up at the end of the row), but for any "real" towing (such as the OP is describing with a dump trailer) I would not use it.

Aaron Z

slowzuki · Nov 18, 2011

If you have the tongue weight the hitch is fine. If its gonna lift use the hitch. The reason you don't chain the hitch down is the hitch is usually quite strong and if you accidently raise it you may bend your drawbar.

Neighbour lifted theirs while turning, one are caught the mower conditioner tongue, put a huge kink in the 1/4" steel before blowing the lift adjuster rod apart.