trailer help please

whitearrow · Sep 8, 2006

hello fellas.i need some advice on trailers.i have a jd 5203 and will routinely carry my 6' model 296 bushhog with me to clear trails and such.my tractor weighs around 4,000 lbs. and the hog weighs around 1,100 lbs. so what size do you fellas think that i need?o yeah a do need it to be a bumper/hitch pull.what re some good brands to look at?also i will need the trailer to have some sort of brakes.how do these brakes hook up to the vehicle?and for the last ? i will be,for a short time pulling this with a 1999 toyota x-tra cab v6 4x4 pickup.i checked the owner's manual and it is rated to pull this much weight,will only be pulling it 2-3 times per year for approximately 20-30 miles.so i need a trailer with adequate brakes cause this truck is going to need all of the help that it can get.plans to get a bigger/stronger truck are in the making but will need to pull it for a whort time with the toy.
thanks,
whitearrow->>>--------------->

George2615 · Sep 8, 2006

When you looked at your vehicle tow rating did you include the weight of the trailer? A 4000# tractor and 1100# hog totals at 5100#. A 7000# trailer by itself can weigh from 1700-2300. I'll average it and say the trailer is 2000#. That plus the 5100# would put you at 7100# or 100# overweight for the trailer. Plus you need to figure some extra weight for tiedown chains.
Can your truck handle 7K?
For your load a 7K trailer would be the bare minimum size to look at. Better off getting something rated higher say 9 or 10K. It should be a double axle with brakes on both axles and I'd say you need at least a 18-20' trailer or longer if you have a loader. Measure from loader to back of bushhog for your minimum length trailer.
The trailer brakes are usually electric which require an electronic brake controller installed in your truck. They cost anywhere from $70 and up and will require wiring to be installed to the back of the truck to usually a 7pin trailer plug.
Lastly you mention bumper hitch pull. 7000# may be too much for a bumper pull. You'd probably need a frame mounted hitch receiver. I may be wrong but I don't think your bumper pull is rated for more than 5000#.

Bob_Skurka · Sep 8, 2006

Ditto everything George wrote.

MAKE VERY SURE your truck is rated for at least a 7500# load. Buy a typical 10,000# trailer, electric brakes and a good brake controller, Jordan Ultima and Tenoska Prodigy are both good. I use the Jordan and prefer it but the Prodigy is more popular and a few bucks cheaper.

Towing at maximum capacity of the trailer or the truck (or both) requires your truck, its transmission, brakes, etc must all be in 100% condition!

What you want to do, if your truck is not up to the task, is probably very dangerous to not only you, but to a lot of innocent people on the roadway. Trailering is serious stuff.

jcmseven · Sep 8, 2006

White Arrow,

According to my calculations you will be emulating Jed Clampett if you try to do this.

John M

Highbeam · Sep 8, 2006

I tow pretty much the same tractor load you are describing. My tractor, trailer, and mower tip the scales at about 7000 lbs. Towing that load uses every bit of my full size truck with a 5.7 liter V8 making a rated 330 ft-lbs of torque. Your truck's too little even for towing occasionaly, I have a hard time believeing the tow rating is for more than 7000#. I have owned a Toytoa pickup and they are very good at what they are made for but not this.

My trailer is made by PJ Trailers, a national brand, and is rated for 10,400# and weighs 2500 empty. It is 18' long including the 2 foot dovetail. I really like the trailer and highly recommend it.

roxynoodle · Sep 10, 2006

Ditto everything everyone has said. You need more than a 7000# trailer and a bigger truck with a V8. Electric brakes are controlled through the same 7 way you hook up your lights to. I have a Prodigy brake controller and am happy with it. Since you will only be towing 2-3 times per year it may be more feasible to borrow or rent a truck and trailer when you need to until you can buy your own. If your current truck is serving your other needs well, I would go that route until I got to the point where I needed a new truck anyways. You might be surprised how easily you can get someone to do you a favor using his/her truck and trailer. I was trying to find an appropriate trailer to rent to pick up my tractor, went into the local JD dealership to see if they had one, and had several farmers say they were more than willing to let me use their trailer and go with me 120 miles to get it if I picked a rainy day, lol! They just said, "Lady, you pick a rainy day and I'll go with ya, but today I gotta plant." The JD dealership didn't have a trailer for me but they called another local used equipment dealer and found me a trailer to rent. Of course I don't know how other areas of the country compare to here but Ohio is a nice place to live; a lot of great, friendly people.

Highbeam · Sep 11, 2006

"They just said, "Lady, you pick a rainy day and I'll go with ya,""

Yeah, the LADY part might have helped you there.

rback33 · Sep 11, 2006

Highbeam said:
"They just said, "Lady, you pick a rainy day and I'll go with ya,""

Yeah, the LADY part might have helped you there.

LOL... Sad but probably true...

I agree with the prodigy controller... that's what's in my )3 Dodge Diesel and I LOVE it.... very well designed.

roxynoodle · Sep 11, 2006

Yeah, I agree, it might have. Though last weekend someone brought his dump trailer over to help a neighbor get gravel in so he could build a patio and they barely knew each other. I live in a county with helpful people. I don't think I could be paid to go back to the city.

InlineDieselFan · Sep 14, 2006

I agree with the others you need more truck, so buy a new one real soon, or borrow one until you can buy another truck.

If you buy, I would get a gooseneck trailer, very nice to tow with.

If you must borrow a truck, unless you have a good friend with a gooseneck set up already go with a bumper pull.

'PJ trailers' as mentioned and 'Big Tex' are two well known and reputable brands of trailers.

No matter which trailer you get, I would get brakes on both axles, and 10,000 pounds or more capacity. Make sure you have lots of places to hook your tie down chains, and you have real heavy duty ramps. I would also want the rear drop down jacks for when you are loading and unloading the tractor, so all of the pressure is not being placed on the ball.

I have an 18' trailer, I never thought about such a big tractor when I bought the trailer well before the tractor, but I would think a 20' would be the minimum, other wise it gets hard to find a good balance point.

Have you figured out your tie down system yet? There are many opinions on how to tie down a tractor, do a search and read.

steve