Trailer JD 3039R

   / Trailer JD 3039R #1  

Musdalen

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2017
Messages
306
Location
STORY CITY, IA
Tractor
Ford 8N
I need to do some interstate hauling with my 3039R. About 336 miles one-way. I will do this for about a year, or a bit less and then may sell the trailer or keep it to use with for hay hauling. In any event, I am in the market for a used or new trailer. Since this is a temporary need, I do not want to spend a bundle. I will pull it with my F150 (rated for 14,000#)

The tractor, with FEL and rear counterweight, runs just about exactly 5000 lbs. It measures about 16 ft long.

I have been told that I will want to balance the trailer with the tractor's rear wheels approximately between the tandem axels. This looks pretty marginal on an 18 ft trailer. As much as I would like to minimize this trailer, it seems that a 20 ft is probably required. Does that seem about right?

If I do the math, 3500# axels should be fine (3500x4 = 14,000), given the weight of the trailer, tractor, and attachments.

Slide out ramps would seem optimal. Lots of chaining points seem to be a given.

What else do I need to look for?
 
   / Trailer JD 3039R #2  
I’m not sure on your math. Two 3500 pound axles makes for a 7000 pound trailer. If the trailer weighs 2000 pounds that gives you 5000 pounds of payload. That should be enough though.

I can also almost guarantee your F150 doesn’t have a 14000 pound tow capacity unless it a regular cab two wheel drive. It most likely is adequate though. You should also use a weight distribution hitch with it. For short hauls I wouldn’t mess with one but going that far on the interstate I would.
 
   / Trailer JD 3039R
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I’m not sure on your math. Two 3500 pound axles makes for a 7000 pound trailer. If the trailer weighs 2000 pounds that gives you 5000 pounds of payload. That should be enough though.

I can also almost guarantee your F150 doesn’t have a 14000 pound tow capacity unless it a regular cab two wheel drive. It most likely is adequate though. You should also use a weight distribution hitch with it. For short hauls I wouldn’t mess with one but going that far on the interstate I would.
I guess it depends on how you count axles. The axel for each wheel is rated 3500# So the math works.

I can only tell you what Ford tells me for towing capacity.
 
   / Trailer JD 3039R #4  
   / Trailer JD 3039R #5  
Trailering at capacity is not fun, and will be hard on the trailer and your nerves. For a 5000 lbs tractor I would be shopping for a 10k GTWR trailer. Rough numbers, a 10k trailer may weigh about 2400 lbs, leaving you with 7600 lbs cargo capacity.
A weight distribution hitch is likely required by the truck manufacturer, but is a good idea regardless.
 
   / Trailer JD 3039R #6  
FWIW. I was in a similar situation when I bought my LS in 2016. Needed to get it from CO to FL. My truck was a 2011 DMax 2500, so ... stiffer rear springs than your F150, but, as I remember, capacity was close to yours. I wound up getting a 20ft,15K Kaufman equipment trailer (18 ft + 2ft dovetail) & only regret is that the ramps weren't slide in. I've used it for all kinds of hauling needs, including, hauling the Silverado with a Tahoe from CA to FL. Make sure you have electric brakes on all wheels and a good brake controller and easy lube bearings on the trailer. Only other concern would be wiring and lights.

Buy something good, and if you wind up not needing it later, you should be able to recover most if not all of your purchase price assuming you maintain it.
 
   / Trailer JD 3039R #7  
Trailering at capacity is not fun, and will be hard on the trailer and your nerves. For a 5000 lbs tractor I would be shopping for a 10k GTWR trailer. Rough numbers, a 10k trailer may weigh about 2400 lbs, leaving you with 7600 lbs cargo capacity.
A weight distribution hitch is likely required by the truck manufacturer, but is a good idea regardless.
Never read if this planned trailer had brakes. that work.
My experience with similar towing and the new generation of drivers.
have a 16 foot trailer with brakes and it was a bumper tow instead of 5th wheel.
driving on interstate about 45 miles per hour and turn off to bypass hiway with long line of traffic steady speed and when tail light up ahead 5/6 cars comes on I start slowing down when a young new to driving pops into my space of moving with the flow. I brake and slow down so does the driver I had been following for miles. this removed any space between us and the new car receives a bumper into his back seat . My ticket for not giving clearance for driver tastes bad still.
insurance raises for causing accident and I pay for the repairs, My trailer tire marks and truck tires have the same tread left black streak state police never even looked new sports driver to get a new car. expect the unexpected in driving
idiots now run the world.
 
   / Trailer JD 3039R
  • Thread Starter
#8  
All the trailers I have seen have electric brakes. That said, some of them are in various sad condition when it comes to used trailers..

Does anyone have any opinion about the relative quality of 4 inch tubular steel frame versus 5 inch I beam or channel iron frame?

Where do you normally balance the tractor On the trailer.? I am concerned that even twenty feet might not be long enough for a sixteen ft rig.
 
   / Trailer JD 3039R #9  
I need to do some interstate hauling with my 3039R. About 336 miles one-way. I will do this for about a year, or a bit less and then may sell the trailer or keep it to use with for hay hauling. In any event, I am in the market for a used or new trailer. Since this is a temporary need, I do not want to spend a bundle. I will pull it with my F150 (rated for 14,000#)

The tractor, with FEL and rear counterweight, runs just about exactly 5000 lbs. It measures about 16 ft long.

I have been told that I will want to balance the trailer with the tractor's rear wheels approximately between the tandem axels. This looks pretty marginal on an 18 ft trailer. As much as I would like to minimize this trailer, it seems that a 20 ft is probably required. Does that seem about right?

If I do the math, 3500# axels should be fine (3500x4 = 14,000), given the weight of the trailer, tractor, and attachments.

Slide out ramps would seem optimal. Lots of chaining points seem to be a given.

What else do I need to look for?
I tow my 3033R with 320R loader and filled tires around on a 16 foot 7000 lb. Big Tex 70TV closed-side trailer with my 1/2 ton Ram. If I were buying a new trailer for this purpose today, I'd go a few feet longer, because:

1. The 3-series is supposed to be towed backwards, due to front-opening hood without safety latch (see your manual).

2. It's a challenge getting the weight distribution just right, and then also having sufficient room at each end for whatever implement you're carrying that day.

I've played all the games, such as dropping my really heavy "heavy-duty" bucket up front, then backing off, turning around, and backing the tractor onto the trailer for towing. This puts the ballast box and bucket up front, but the weight of the tractor itself more centered on the rear axle, and gives a pretty level loading.

A 1/2 ton truck with a 7000 lb. trailer is perfectly adequate for towing this load, but you do need to be more careful in your weight distribution, to keep tongue weight within limits. You'll likely spend the best part of an hour getting it figured out and dialed in, the first time you tow this combination, but thereafter do it in 15 minutes, if repeating the same haul with the same implements. A weight-distributing hitch would be highly recommended.

A slightly longer trailer would give me more room for implements, giving more options in the loading order, while still getting the weight distribution approximately correct.

As to payload, my 7k trailer weighed something like 1700 lb. from the factory, leaving 5300 lb. payload capacity. I've since fitted it with winch and batteries, that probably leave about 5000 lb. for payload.
 
   / Trailer JD 3039R #10  
Dodgeman is correct that your math or interpretation is wrong. Axle capacity is per axle (an axle has two wheels) so a tandem axle trailer would have a total capacity (including trailer's own weight) of 2x the per-axle rating. You should be easily able to see this by looking at the manufacturer rating of a trailer. You're not going to find a trailer with 3500# axles having a capacity higher than 7000#.

And as noted, though a 7,000 rated trailer would probably be just within load capacity, going with a 10,000 trailer would make the most sense.

Regarding 'balancing the load', what you're really looking for is proper tongue weight. That is going to depend entirely on the tractor being loaded and the trailer's axle placement and its own weight. You want to shoot for 10-15% of the total combined weight of trailer and load as tongue weight. This is how I load my JD 2520 with a tiller on it on my ABU Trailers 10K 18' (16+2) trailer for proper tongue weight:

As for ramps, my trailer had slide-out ramps but they stored on the side. That was a pain. So I converted them to fold-up ramps (see second pic). That works way better for me. And the manner in which I used to fasten them makes them easy to remove if I need to haul something long where fold-up ramps would be in the way.

20170525_192436-X3.jpg


MVIMG_20200424_191717-X2.jpg
 

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