Trailer Features - What To Look For

[nikerret]

I use an 18' Maxey steel deck with a 4' dove. The 4' dove is essential, if you want to haul a small car. On the tongue, I have a toolbox with a Warn 9K winch, a dump truck battery, and all the cables/tie downs/chains, etc. It's been fantastic. It is a tandem axle, but only has brakes on one. I'ts rated at 7k lbs, but weighs around 2,250 lbs, with the toolbox. The Warn winch weighs around 100 lbs, by itself.

We upgraded all the lights to LED, which is nice. I also upgraded the coupler to a 2 5/16 by Bulldog.

I've had several vehicles on it and it pulls, like a champ.



Go bigger than you think you'll need. There have been several times when a 20-22' would be nice, not very many where I wished it was shorter. It would be nice to have brakes on both axles, but I've never felt they were incapable of what I was hauling.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Here's my suggestions.
Double axle with brakes on one (preferably both) axles. Brake controller for the truck.
7K rated, at least 16', You'll need length for the brush hog.
At least 4 chains for the tractor, ratchet binders, and ratchet straps for securing equipment (loader, brush hog, BH,).
A standard trailer with beaver tail and ramps will work for you and is cheapest way to go.
Get a wider trailer, 82" between the fenders, then you can use it for hauling vehicles if needed. A landscape trailer (76") is too narrow for this.
I prefer a wood deck.
There's quite a few trailer dealers in PA to choose from.

I have a bx 24 . I also have a 16 ft car trailer . It works great with the gradual beaver tail , diamond plate deck , no wood to rot . I have had this trailer since 1994 , I have moved too many cars, mowers , tractors over the years . Now I wish it were a 20 ft with 10K capacity and a bit wider , My NH 1925 with a bush hog is too tight . But its great for the bx .

 

[wcampbell47]

I use a 20 ft flatbed that is 81 inches between fenders, two 5200 lb axles with brakes on both. This trailer handles my L3901 with front end loader and five foot brush cutter easily. There is enough room for the attachments to be flat on the deck for tie down purposes. I used the trailer to haul an Escalade 300 miles, no issues. I have also hauled 4 pallets of fresh sod on it many times.

I also own a 7' x 14' dump trailer. I can haul the L3901 with the front loader but no rear implements. It came with 6 foot heavy duty steel ramps. I have switched to 5 foot aluminum ramps because of the weight issue. The aluminum ramps are rated at 10,000 lbs so no issues loading the tractor. While the dump angle is quite steep, the tail is so low to the ground that material can sometimes be tough to get out. This trailer tail gate opens like barn doors or the bottom of the tail gate swings open like a regular dump truck. Love this feature. This is a 14.4K GVW trailer with a payload of 9,200 lbs. It came equipped with a spare tire and a roll up cover. Load Trail.

I had two shorter flatbed trailers for the tractor before the 20 footer. Consider the extra length to be a real asset. I switch trailers at least once a day. I consider my gooseneck trailers with a king pin to be very time saving and easy to hook up when switching trailers as often as I do. May not be for you, but I love it.

Dump trailers normally come with 12V pump motor to raise the bed. I get about 3 lifts before I start loosing battery power. A spare battery helps out. Also a small generator is kept in the truck bed to recharge the battery on the go.

My suggestions :

trailer long enough for tractor AND implements with room to spare
brakes on both axles is a ++++
wide enough to haul a car or larger tractor is a plus
ease of loading - not just a tractor but pallets from the side with a fork lift
new trailers can come with cheap tires - be prepared for issues and to eventually replace them
tie downs
numerous cross members between the frame for strength and to prevent the load from falling through the decking
spare tires
roll up load cover on dump trailers
scissor lift for dump

 

[tman1020]

I currently have a 2500 pound Channel frame 20 foot 10K with flip up ramps. I had to move up a size when I got my new tractor. It will haul a car if I need it to and just about anything else I will probably ever need to haul. That being said I sure do miss The way my 16 foot utility trailer pulled. It was light well-balanced and you could barely feel it it was behind you. It was pretty much ideal for a small tractor. I was able to fit a car on it but it was a squeeze. I do not recommend a dovetail on A 16 foot trailer bump it up to an 18 if that's what you want. If you want to be able to haul the tractor and occasionally a car A 16 foot angle frame utility trailer wide enough to fit a car would probably be the cheapest way to go.

Dump trailers are much heavier trailers they are usually well over 4000 pounds empty for one that would be large enough to haul your tractor. Also they are normally no wider than 6 foot so I think that rules out being able to haul a car. Plus I don't know how you would open the door once you got a card in there if it would even fit. Also as mentioned before the loading height will be a bit sketchy and the ramps will be very heavy.

Personally I think the best all-around way to go for what you have mentioned although not the cheapest but not the most expensive would be A 18 or 20 foot with a 2 foot dovetail. I would get this with steak pockets on the sides so you could add sides if needed. Be sure to get a high-quality tongue Jack because a tractor will add a lot of tongue weight on the front when it's loaded and you unhook if you leave the tractor on it. I really like the toolbox on the tongue as well. I would strongly consider bumping the axles up to get 10 K instead of the 7500 that you normally see. If you go with the 20 footer I would definitely get spring-loaded flip up ramps. They are such a time and back saver. I don't know if you would be able to fit a car on with them on the 18 footer.

And as others have said definitely get brakes. Preferably on both axles and make sure you have a controller to operate it on your truck. They are Not hard to install at all.

 

[fried1765]

I am looking to buy a trailer for my Kubota BX25. It is a subcompact weighing in at around 2,700 pounds; I think that includes the loader and backhoe. I also have a brush hog, box blade, and mid-mount mower. I have never had a need for a trailer, so I am not completely sure what features to look for. Since I would also consider used, I want to make sure I do not consider something without all of the necessary features.

So what kind of things should I be looking for in a 14' or 16' trailer? My main priority is obviously safety. My truck is plenty powerful and has the standard square drawbar that comes on the truck (2016 Sierra). I'd like to keep the price as low as possible since I will only be regularly trailering about 6 or 7 miles every couple weeks. I don't necessarily need to be able to transport all implements at once.

Thanks

I have two tandem trailers: One is a 2010 model 16' covered 7000 GVW cargo trailer (Haulmark) with tandem electric brakes,
and ... I have a 2015 model 20' low (wood) deck equipment trailer (14,000 GVW) with tandem 7000# axles, and tandem electric brakes.
The box trailer has exterior fenders, and is 80" inside ( 102" overall )
The equipment trailer has an 18' level deck, with a 2+' beaver tail, and tilt up ramps. It is 84" between fenders, and is 102" (max allowable) overall.
I added a 9500# Superwinch, in case I should ever need to pull something aboard.
I have a Ford 1920 with loader, + bush hog, and I would NOT want an equipment trailer any shorter.
I keep both trailers in a barn, and I don't EVER expect to need another trailer.
The 20' equipment trailer is a bit too short to suit me, particularly when I load my Ford 3400 TLB.
It is VERY EASY to outgrow a trailer! I do now wish that I had bought the 22' deck.
I would recommend against buying ANY used trailer! If you buy used, you will be getting brakes that are worn out, tires that are old and dry, wheel bearings that have NEVER been repacked, springs that are weak, decking that has been left outside to rot/rust, and axles that have been overloaded.
I buy ONLY used motor vehicles, but I never buy used trailers!
My 2015 model 20' x 102" equipment trailer is by Quality Steel & Aluminum in Elkhart, Indiana, and while not the fanciest trailer on the market, I found it to be the most bang for the buck. ( geterdumped.com )
You can surely find a trailer dealer in your area that sells the QS&A brand trailers.
Buy a trailer LONGER, and WIDER than you think you will ever need! You will not be sorry that you did!

 

[savaytse66]

Wow, great information everyone. This is more feedback than I ever expected to get. I have a lot to think about, and definitely need to do a bit of research on some of these things. I am always of the mindset to go at least one or two steps more than what is actually needed, so I think I will strongly consider an 18'er. There is a good possibility that I will be getting a larger tractor in a few years, so I will take that into consideration as well.

If it's not too much trouble, some more pictures would be awesome, and if there are any brands or manufacturers out there that tend to be better than others, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks again!

 

[grnspot110]

My 16' Woodworth (a local company), started out with 3500 lb axles & 5' slide-in ramps. When I brought Dad's JD 720D home, I had the builder change the axles, springs, etc. to 6,000 lb. After cancer treatments, the ramps got too heavy, so I took it back to the builder for a 5' ramp-gate:

When I bought the newer 5" Woods finish mower, I needed a little more room for balance. So I took the 19 year old trailer back to the builder again for some routine maintenance & to add a 2' dovetail and cut the 5' gate down accordingly:

 

[George2615]

A dump trailer was mentioned a few times. I'd advise against getting a dump trailer.
The standard dump trailers are generally 10,12, & 14' long. Not really long enough to haul the tractor with attachments front and back.
Dump trailers are also not as wide as a car trailer.
Hauling a tractor in a dump trailer it is hard to tie down the tractor with the higher sides. You have to reach over the sides or get in the trailer to do it.
I have a 16' L x 80" W dump trailer (special ordered). Empty it weighs about 3800 lb. I hauled my tractor in it once and found it too hard to secure in place plus has a higher center of gravity.
I'll stick with my 22' tilt bed for hauling tractors or vehicles.

 

[roadhunter]

I ordered one of these a couple weeks ago. Looking forward to using it. Like was mentioned above I was looking for something longer than 16 and wanted to be able to handle my tractor which weights around 12k. 7x20 with 4 ft sides. I plan to use it to haul wood chips.

 

[nikerret]

I'd definitely go an 18', for a BX25. The angle makes it kind of hard to tell, but on mine, there is room, but more wouldn't hurt. It fits about perfectly, until you want to add something else.

Here's another picture, taken the same day. The angle is very similar, but you might get something from it.