Rehash: 3500# tandem axles vs. IH 345?

[n9viw]

Hey all!

Been a long time since I've been in here, but I've had a lot of life changes, not the least of which was the sad sale of my '49 Farmall M widetrack. I now have the opportunity to get a '60s or '70s (we don't know which) IH 345 with a monstrous bucket loader and decrepit 5' mower for a decent price. The hitch: it's in west-central WI, I'm in south-central MO, about 10 hours away.

I have a 20' bumper-hitch flatbed trailer I purchased from a fellow tractorhead about 8 years ago, which he used for transporting tractors to refurbish. I don't know if he ever moved anything this stout, however, being an aficionado of early row-crop machines, but the trailer chassis itself looks massively OVERbuilt, if anything. It's made of 3x4x1/4" tubing, doubled up in the tongue, and 4x6" tubing in the frame. It has a 4' beavertail with pockets for slide-out ramps, but the ramps are long gone. It also has a Superwinch S4500 electric winch on it. The deck is 16' long, and about 7' wide.

My concern lies in the axles. They are 2-3/8" diameter, and the full legal limit width- it's a bear to keep between the lines! A fellow at a local trailer shop said they were likely 3500# axles, and in a tandem setup, could handle well in excess of the sum, minus the weight of the trailer itself. I've hauled cars and Jeeps on it, and had my Farmall on it once, but I've never towed anything heavier than about two tons.

Does anyone know the resting weight of an IH 345 tractor? I have no access to a truck scale anywhere near this thing, so any weight beyond its rated mass is pure speculation; I want to know if the trailer can handle it before I even attempt the trip to move it, or if I should try to secure a larger trailer.

Thanks in advance!
Nick

 

[MMagis]

A quick search on TractorData reveals no such model. Are you sure that's the correct number?

 

[GLyford]

Could it be a 354 industrial, maybe?

TractorData.com International Harvester 354 tractor information

In which case it looks like 4040 to 5925 lbs.?

 

[aczlan]

How many lugs do the trailer tires have? Generally a 3500# axle has 5 lugs.

Aaron Z

 

[bcp]

Axle sizes-capacity

From:
https://www.etrailer.com/question-18434.html

Typical Axle Diameters Based on Axle Capacity
- 1,000-lb - 2,000-lb Axles: 1-1/2 inch - 1-3/4 inch diameter
- 3,500-lb Axles: 2-3/8 inch diameter
- 6,000-lb - 7,200-lb Axles: 3 inch diameter
- 8,000-lb Axles: 3-1/2 inch diameter
- 9,000-lb Axles: 4 inch diameter
- 10,000-lb Or more axles: 5 inch diameter

 

[Raspy]

It sounds like you have the 3500 lb axles. They are good axles, but anyone who tells you they are fine with "well in excess of the sum" is full of it. When they get seriously overloaded they begin to bend. Also, the brakes are way smaller than the 5200 lb and 6000 lb axles have.

I have 3500 lb axles on one of my trailers and I decided it wasn't up to the task for my (light weight) New Holland 29 DA. They always looked bent when loaded. It worked, but I went to another trailer with 6000 lb axles and the difference was night and day. I could easily fade the brakes on the smaller axles and never have on the larger ones.

I don't know how much your tractor weighs, but if the trailer weighs 2,500 or more, you'll only have 4,500 or less capacity for your tractor.

PS. In the chart above, the 5200 lb axles (not listed) have the same tube diameter as the 6000 lb.

 

[n9viw]

Thanks to all for your replies. As it sits, it looks like I won't be able to use my trailer- the tractor in question is indeed a 354, not a 345, I misremembered. As it has a very stout bucket loader and, news to me, calcium-somethingorother in the rear wheels for weight, this thing is going to run well in excess of any sane load for those axles. They are indeed 3500# axles, 2-3/8" axle tubes and 5x4.5 hubs. One (I believe the front) has brakes.

I'm going to discuss this at work (I work in an auto shop) and also ask around, I may be able to secure a larger trailer. If not, do any of you have a recommendation as to a moving company, and what that might cost?

Nick

 

[Diamondpilot]

Thanks to all for your replies. As it sits, it looks like I won't be able to use my trailer- the tractor in question is indeed a 354, not a 345, I misremembered. As it has a very stout bucket loader and, news to me, calcium-somethingorother in the rear wheels for weight, this thing is going to run well in excess of any sane load for those axles. They are indeed 3500# axles, 2-3/8" axle tubes and 5x4.5 hubs. One (I believe the front) has brakes. I'm going to discuss this at work (I work in an auto shop) and also ask around, I may be able to secure a larger trailer. If not, do any of you have a recommendation as to a moving company, and what that might cost? Nick

I would not be surprised if that tractor, loader, filled tires, and a 3 point implement you could be pushing 10,000#.

Chris