Trailer loading plan..

[RadarTech]

Hey folks—
I’m finally going to me moving the equipment on a regular basis…
New property is 25-30 miles down the road so I’ve bought a nice 16+2 trailer.
6k load rating for my L3400, did the math and it should be less than 5k with that I plan to move regularly..

But I do have a few thoughts I want to ask questions about…

The plan is to put the bushhog on the front 5 ft of the trailer- then raise the loader up, drive the tractor forward until the front tires hit the bushhog… and then lower the loader on some kind of wood base that will allow it to rest on top of the bushhog with a beam wider than the bushhog.

Does anyone do this?
I’ve vaguely remember seeing some setups like this on the road.. but now that I’m doing it I can’t seem to find those examples….


Thanks
Jim

 

[4570Man]

Are you hauling another implement on the back? It should work fine to haul it with the bushhog attached.

 

[RadarTech]

I will be hauling a box blade on the back…
The tractor with the bushhog and grapple is 23 ft long from tip to tailwheel.. 21ft without tailwheel counted..
problem is I have nowhere to store a 22 ft or longer trailer and I don’t think I can get it up my current curvy driveway….

 

[JimRB]

Have you done the weight distribution measuring? I assume and could be wrong that my tractor with loader and the 5 foot brush cutter attached to the 3 point hitch with the cutter the last thing on the trailer has the weight more tongue heavy which is preferred to butt heavy. My ideal trailer would be 20 foot for my little tractor, not the 16 foot trailer I have.

 

[Norm W]

Be very aware of your tongue loading. Without sufficient tongue weight the trailer can become your worst enemy. The bush-hog doesn't weigh as much as the back end of the tractor, so your heaveier weight could be behind the center line of the axles.

 

[RadarTech]

Have you done the weight distribution measuring? I assume and could be wrong that my tractor with loader and the 5 foot brush cutter attached to the 3 point hitch with the cutter the last thing on the trailer has the weight more tongue heavy which is preferred to butt heavy. My ideal trailer would be 20 foot for my little tractor, not the 16 foot trailer I have.

Yes. The dealer for the trailer and I are good friends… we talked at length and then measured and I think this will work…

With the bush hog sitting all the way forward, and the tractor driven up on the trailer so the loader is OVER the bushhog, with the loader down resting on a platform over the bushhog, the rear tires of the tractor will be between the axles on the trailer.. actually leaving about 2 ft to the ramps…

 

[seville009]

Not a very technical thing , but what I do to try to make sure that the trailer weight is distributed relatively accurately, before I load anything, I hang a strap from the from hitch so that it’s just touching the ground.

After i load stuff on, I check the strap to make sure that it’s as close as possible to the same pre-loaded length (just touching the ground).

 

[LD1]

Really not an ideal setup or trailer for frequent hauling. You mentioned hauling "regularly"....a few times a year, or even every other month...no problem. But if you are going up there several times a month, I'd be looking at a different trailer honestly.

You're gonna have to play with the loading to find what works best. What gives you optimum tongue weight, and ease of loading and strapping. Not all trailers are the same, axle placement, tongue length, etc. The odds of finding someone on here with the exact same trailer, with the exact same weight bushhog and same tractor is gonna be nil. YOU have to find what works for YOU.

And whats the tow vehicle? If modern 3/4 ton or 1-ton....1-2" lower on the hitch after loading should be sufficient tongue weight. 1/2-ton....2"-3". See if you can get that.

Are you SURE about your equipment weight? How heavy is the Hog and BB? Are your tires loaded. I used to have a L3400 that I used for mowing...It weighed ~5200# Just tractor, loader, and bushhog, no box blade.

Whats the trailer? 7k?

For me, with a light trailer, the concern would be weight distribution. Your "total" weight may not overload the trailer.....but being close to the limit of payload capacity....you can overload a single axle if you dont have good balance

 

[ptsg]

Hey folks—
I’m finally going to me moving the equipment on a regular basis…
New property is 25-30 miles down the road so I’ve bought a nice 16+2 trailer.
6k load rating for my L3400, did the math and it should be less than 5k with that I plan to move regularly..

But I do have a few thoughts I want to ask questions about…

The plan is to put the bushhog on the front 5 ft of the trailer- then raise the loader up, drive the tractor forward until the front tires hit the bushhog… and then lower the loader on some kind of wood base that will allow it to rest on top of the bushhog with a beam wider than the bushhog.

Does anyone do this?
I’ve vaguely remember seeing some setups like this on the road.. but now that I’m doing it I can’t seem to find those examples….


Thanks
Jim

That's more or less how I load it. Although, completely different trailer (axle placement, etc) and mower but should give some ideas to consider.

 

[scootr]

That's more or less how I load it. Although, completely different trailer (axle placement, etc) and mower but should give some ideas to consider.

View attachment 764740

I don't intend to offend. But - I would not haul this load anywhere. There are so many shortfalls it's just a matter of time before a serious problem occurs. The trailer needs a load stop in front and chains not straps. The trailer is too short for this load. It looks tail heavy.

 

[ptsg]

I don't intend to offend. But - I would not haul this load anywhere. There are so many shortfalls it's just a matter of time before a serious problem occurs. The trailer needs a load stop in front and chains not straps. The trailer is too short for this load. It looks tail heavy.

No offense taken. We're all here to share our knowledge, opinion and learn something along the way.

Believe it or not, the trailer is well balanced loaded this way and rides nice and smooth the 45 miles it usually does with this load.

As far as chains vs straps, I would rather stay out of that rabbit hole but I'll just say those are 5 ton straps well capable of handling this load. I have three there, although I had a friend give me a bunch of straps and now I run 4, one per corner. In this side on the pond, you'll hardly see any chains used on anything smaller than 15 tons or so.

The trailer is also the perfect size my needs. Going longer means I couldn't go certain places with it, which I'm not interested in.

 

[K5lwq]

The load on ptsg’s trailer is not as you think. That total load is less than 5,000 lbs. I see no issues with the trailer or load. A lot of folks here may not even tie it down at all.

 

[ptsg]

The load on ptsg’s trailer is not as you think. That total load is less than 5,000 lbs. I see no issues with the trailer or load. A lot of folks here may not even tie it down at all.

Pretty much. 4520 lbs for the tractor + loaded rear tires + loader+ bucket + front weights + hydraulic winch. 400 lbs for the cutter. 1250 lbs for the trailer.

A lot of people won't tie down machines here either. Specially if they are hauling those in the truck with sides on the bed. Track machines they pretty much rely simply on rubber mats. Is it ideal or something that should be done? No, not at all but something as simple as practicing defensive driving goes a long way on keeping the load on the vehicle.

 

[ljjhouser]

Just to mention - I think the real purpose of tie down equipment hauled on a trailer has more to do with what damage is caused in an emergency or accident. Not so much that it will come off the trailer when traveling (but also important). In MO, that is the reason that the tractor AND each implement must be tied down separately, even if attached to the tractor.
I don't know the weight numbers and distribution with the OP, so this is not a comment directed about anyone. I know I am a little picky about hauling loads because they are usually 300 mile trips and all numbers are close to max numbers, so I want them within legal limits.

I used to cut corners somewhat. But no longer. I realized that if the Highway Patrol got involved in an accident (even if it was not my fault) and I was overloaded on any of the numbers, my insurance may be reluctant to pay if I got a ticket. The loss would be Tractor (30K) + Trailer (8K) truck (60K). That could turn into a real disaster.

If you feel overloaded and not comfortable with the way the load is handling, make an extra trip. It is only about 30 miles I guess. But if it drives well and the numbers are good. Insure sufficient tie downs and go to work.

 

[rangerfredbob]

Not a very technical thing , but what I do to try to make sure that the trailer weight is distributed relatively accurately, before I load anything, I hang a strap from the from hitch so that it’s just touching the ground.

After i load stuff on, I check the strap to make sure that it’s as close as possible to the same pre-loaded length (just touching the ground).

you tow with no tongue weight? When I load tractors and such on trailers I go until I see ~3" of squat in the back of the truck (hard to see from drivers seat though...). I would MUCH rather err on the side of too much tongue weight than too little, BTDT, hauled two AC B tractors about 300 miles once and didn't have enough tongue weight, was white knuckle at 50mph, bought 10 bags of manure at Walmart (it was cheap and usable...) and put them on the tongue and was good to go... since then I err on the heavy tongue side, the F350 with air bags doesn't care...

 

[ljjhouser]

If you have a CAT scale near where you are (maybe at a truck stop) - It might be good the stop by there - use their app and pay $12 to see what the weight is on the trailer, truck, and tongue when loaded. I did that when I first got my tractor to see where the load actually was sitting then the numbers were right. Remember, the tongue weight should be 10-15 % of the total load. Over that may affect the ability to steer in an emergency (because of light front end), Under that may led to TERRIBLE sway at the rear of the trailer. Best Wishes.

 

[Squirrel Tooth Alice]

Be careful unloading, too, especially on hills.

 

[seville009]

you tow with no tongue weight? When I load tractors and such on trailers I go until I see ~3" of squat in the back of the truck (hard to see from drivers seat though...). I would MUCH rather err on the side of too much tongue weight than too little, BTDT, hauled two AC B tractors about 300 miles once and didn't have enough tongue weight, was white knuckle at 50mph, bought 10 bags of manure at Walmart (it was cheap and usable...) and put them on the tongue and was good to go... since then I err on the heavy tongue side, the F350 with air bags doesn't care...

I do have some weight on the tongue; it’s balanced well before I drive off.

The hanging strap though is a quick visual indicator of where I am balance-wise as I’m driving stuff onto the trailer.

 

[RadarTech]

That's more or less how I load it. Although, completely different trailer (axle placement, etc) and mower but should give some ideas to consider.

View attachment 764740

That is what I intend… but I have a longer trailer and as someone else said.. a “load stop” in the front.

I think yours is maybe 12-14 feet?

 

[ptsg]

That is what I intend… but I have a longer trailer and as someone else said.. a “load stop” in the front.

I think yours is maybe 12-14 feet?

4 meters or 13 ft.