Towing with BX24/25

[Wayne's Train]

To do some serious towing with your Bota, I'd suggest what I did with my BX24. Go to your local aftermarket auto parts place and buy a step bumper mount receiver hitch, Reece makes one. Remove the rear center plate, don't remember if I used original or longer bolts, and install the receiver. I had to elongate the two most rearward holes (in the receiver, not tractor) outbound with a dremel to make the bolt pattern fit. With no ballmount it clears the backhoe no problem, you can leave it permanently attached. Then you can pick the ballmount with the proper rise or fall for your trailer height. I use 2" rise for the train cars and 4" rise for my 18' car hauler. Here are some pics. The train has pulled about 4000 lbs of coaches and people up and down hills with the BX, and about 6000 lbs with all 6 coaches on level pavement. The red engine (Craftsman GT5000) will pull 3 loaded coaches but it won't stop going down hill. Again level pavement only. The hayride is over 5000 lbs with 20 people on board. I've had it heavier on flat paved ground no problem, but that's about the max for paved hills.

 

[OrangeRidge]

You're in low range and 2WD with the BX and 2 to 2.5 tons I assume ?

 

[bp fick]

I'm sure many guys here would be quite concerned about 5000 lbs pushing against a 1500 lb tractor. I've crept across my yard, pulling a couple tons of sand in a utility trailer with my old BX. But that is a whole lot different than pulling people on blacktop with any kind of grade at all. Hmmmm.....

As Sarge used to on Hill Street Blues in dismissing role call, "Hey! Let's be careful out there!"

 

[wrooster]

The train has pulled about 4000 lbs of coaches and people up and down hills with the BX, and about 6000 lbs with all 6 coaches on level pavement. The hayride is over 5000 lbs with 20 people on board.

Good grief.

Take your attorney's business card and tape it to the underside of the BX24's ROPS. Then one day when you find yourself upside-down and jack-knifed you'll be able to read it easily, and you can try to get a head start on your defense of a huge liability lawsuit.

Wrooster

 

[wrooster]

To do some <snip> towing with your Bota

By the way, this is the product you are looking for:
Quick-On Receiver Hitch

I have one, it works great, and you don't have to grind/modify anything.

Wrooster

 

[bp fick]

Good grief.

Take your attorney's business card and tape it to the underside of the BX24's ROPS. Then one day when you find yourself upside-down and jack-knifed you'll be able to read it easily, and you can try to get a head start on your defense of a huge liability lawsuit.

Wrooster

Look again. No ROPS upon which to affix the card suggested. Each guy gotta do what he's comfortable doing, I guess. It's a personal decision, so I'll back out of here now.

 

[timswi]

Look again. No ROPS upon which to affix the card suggested. Each guy gotta do what he's comfortable doing, I guess. It's a personal decision, so I'll back out of here now.

He's got way more nerve than I do....No way I'd try that kind of weight with a BX...I did pull that much with a loaded 8N and it still made me nervous.

 

[Wayne's Train]

The receiver is a Reece product, about $40. Works better than the other. High range pulls it great with no lag or strain. Didn't start with that much weight, worked a little more weight (without people on board) at a time. Been pulling this train for 7 years with a Craftsman GT5000. Wouldn't take chances on hills because I did the testing to see what the comfort limits were. Got the 2300 lb (with fiberglass nose) to be able to carry the loads up and downhill (not steep). So I didn't have to turn away business. The ROPS would hit the front top edge of the first coach if it were left on there. The Craftsman tractor has no ROPS, hadn't turned it over either. If you would notice, all of this is done on mostly level pavement at very slow speeds. You see, I haven't rushed into this blindly. It's been a long, slow development of a business that has been a blessing to mine and many other families. We've made a lot of kids happy and have made many good friends. And yes I do have a sizable insurance policy that hasn't had a claim made on it.

 

[timswi]

The receiver is a Reece product, about $40. Works better than the other. High range pulls it great with no lag or strain. Didn't start with that much weight, worked a little more weight (without people on board) at a time. Been pulling this train for 7 years with a Craftsman GT5000. Wouldn't take chances on hills because I did the testing to see what the comfort limits were. Got the 2300 lb (with fiberglass nose) to be able to carry the loads up and downhill (not steep). So I didn't have to turn away business. The ROPS would hit the front top edge of the first coach if it were left on there. The Craftsman tractor has no ROPS, hadn't turned it over either. If you would notice, all of this is done on mostly level pavement at very slow speeds. You see, I haven't rushed into this blindly. It's been a long, slow development of a business that has been a blessing to mine and many other families. We've made a lot of kids happy and have made many good friends. And yes I do have a sizable insurance policy that hasn't had a claim made on it.

If you're on the flat, the worst that you'll do is wipe out the HST..I do admire your community involvement, that's certainly a good thing. We're not giving you a hard time, just safety first with this kind of thing.

 

[OrangeRidge]

High range pulls it great with no lag or strain.

These BX's must have more guts than I thought .

 

[BXinNH]

Not to jump on you further, but please re-consider your choice in trailer tie-downs. In the pics it looks like you have the BX tied to the trailer with ratcheting cargo straps that are no where near adequate. If I'm interpreting the picture incorrectly I'm sorry, if not, please upgrade your tie downs before you end up shopping for a new "locomotive".

Matt.

 

[oldnslo]

Lets see here. A full size pickup weighs in at what 7,000 lbs. This vehicle is pulling two 250 bushel gravity boxs full of soybeans which is 500 bushel x 60 lbs/bushel = 30,000 lbs plus the weight of the wagons. And now they are traveling down public roads at 20 -30 MPH Vs some one pulling 5000 - 6000 lbs with a BX on flat tar surfaces. I ask, which one has more recipe for disaster?

Or better yet the same pick-up pulling two anhydrous ammonia tanks down the road.

Roy

 

[wrooster]

Lets see here. A full size pickup weighs in at what 7,000 lbs. This vehicle is pulling two 250 bushel gravity boxs full of soybeans which is 500 bushel x 60 lbs/bushel = 30,000 lbs plus the weight of the wagons.

Sorry, but you are not towing 15 tons net + the trailer tare on a public road using a pickup truck. A Ford F350 Super Duty is rated at about 16,000 pounds max tow, or about 8 tons.

Anyway, this is off topic.

Wrooster

 

[oldnslo]

Sorry, but you are not towing 15 tons net + the trailer tare on a public road using a pickup truck. A Ford F350 Super Duty is rated at about 16,000 pounds max tow, or about 8 tons.

Anyway, this is off topic.

Wrooster

Wrooster,

Come to Northern Illinois and yes you will see people doing this every spring and every fall.

Why is this Off topic. You are stateing safety issues about towing with a BX on private land. I am stating potential safety issues on public roads. See it everyday with pick-ups towing skid steers, trailers with round bales etc..

I for one have never seen a vehicle that could read or knew its rated towing capacity and refused to pull it accordingly.

Not trying to start a war, just point out that there are things going down the road everyday that could kill people. From what I can read into this Wayne has done his home work and is comfortable doing what he is doing. If you are not comfortable don't do it.

Roy

 

[oldnslo]

Consider now that there are people in the towed cart, not equipment and ag products. That changes things, doesn't it?

Wrooster

Yes and no, I would feel much safer being towed at 5 MPH on level ground that have a load of beans, corn, etc. careen out of control and smash into onto coming traffic etc. We have had anhydrous tanks dumped around here and they evacute quite an area. And yes things do jump out in front of you on the road, **it does happen.

Roy

 

[wrooster]

5 MPH on level ground

It's not level ground, that's the point...

From the OP's top post:

The train has pulled about 4000 lbs of coaches and people up and down hills with the BX, and about 6000 lbs with all 6 coaches on level pavement. The red engine (Craftsman GT5000) will pull 3 loaded coaches but it won't stop going down hill. Again level pavement only. The hayride is over 5000 lbs with 20 people on board. I've had it heavier on flat paved ground no problem, but that's about the max for paved hills.

OP admits that 5000 pounds behind a Craftsman tractor "won't stop going downhill". I would call this "a clue". And 5000 pounds behind a BX is not that much different. The BX SCUT may weigh twice as much at the Craftsman LT, but it is not enough -- in fact 5000 pounds is three times the Kubota's tow rating.

And yes things do jump out in front of you on the road, **it does happen.

And that is why you employ the proper equipment rated for task, instead of the "hold my beer and watch this" approach.

n.b.
I see the "safety police" card has been pulled -- it's too bad that folks don't recognize until it's too late that a process has been working OK only due to serendipity and not by design. Afterward everyone gathers in the Safety forum, reads over the accident report, and says "Wow, you'd think someone would know better than to do that..."

Wrooster