Trailer Needs For Newbie

Red Chief · Mar 12, 2009

I just purchased my first tractor and will need to haul it about 120 miles round trip to my hunting land to work my hunting land. I would guess that I would need to do this about 6-8 times a year. I have purchased a DK40 HST with FEL and loaded tires. I have a 16' trailer that I use to haul my ATV's on but looks to be a 7000lb trailer which I would be real close on with the tractor. What would you all recommend for a safe trailer and what would be needed for a tow vehicle for that trailer. All I have at this time is a 1/2 ton Silverado with tow package. I want to be as safe as possible but at the same time I do not want to spend anymore than is required. Please give me your opinions.

Ryan03 · Mar 12, 2009

A half ton should be fine for what you are doing. Get a good trailer brake controller if you don't have one already' as trailer brakes are a must. Next I would suggest a weight distributing hitch.

I would not be afraid to slightly exceed the GVWR of my 7k trailer occasionaly by a couple hundred pounds, 200 or 300 ish. The most important thing is to take your time and figure out how to position the tractor to get the load balanced correctly, then mark that spot on the trailer so you will know how far to pull on in the future. A little time spent here will pay big dividebds as far as how it tows.

Diamondpilot · Mar 12, 2009

Well according to the data on the net your tractor weighs about 3,900# plus your tires filled and the FEL, maybe 800#. So with that most every 7,000# trailer I have ever seen weigh in less than 1,500# so that leaves 5,500# for cargo. I can not see you getting over that unless you have a big implement on the 3 point.

Like Ryan said your 1/2 ton with a good brake controller, good chain downs, and a well maintained trailer should be just fine.

Chris

MarkV · Mar 13, 2009

I would think that 16' is a little short for that tractor and loader. If you want to take a rotary mower it would seem way to short.

MarkV

Red Chief · Mar 13, 2009

Diamondpilot said:
Well according to the data on the net your tractor weighs about 3,900# plus your tires filled and the FEL, maybe 800#. So with that most every 7,000# trailer I have ever seen weigh in less than 1,500# so that leaves 5,500# for cargo. I can not see you getting over that unless you have a big implement on the 3 point.

Like Ryan said your 1/2 ton with a good brake controller, good chain downs, and a well maintained trailer should be just fine.

Chris

The information I have shows the tractor with ROPS and ag tires at 4130#. The dealer told me that the loaded tires would be 600 - 800#. Looking at the specs for the loader the counter ballast weight is 1,048# not sure if this the actual weight of the loader. If all of this is correct that is right at 6000# and I would still need to haul a BB or BH. When you add in the weight of the trailer which I'm not sure of I would be over the 7000#. What can a 1/2 ton chevy with the tow package legally and safely haul?

TerryJ · Mar 13, 2009

I used to tow my DK45s back and forth to my other farm with a half ton using an 18' w/2' dove. It was a heavy duty trailer with a 12,000 GVWR. It did a fine job but was almost too short with a bush hog attached to the tractor. I now haul everything on my gooseneck. In my opinion the least I'd feel comfortable with would be an 18'-20' with 10,000-12,000 GVWR.

LBrown59 · Mar 13, 2009

TerryJ said:
I used to tow my DK45s back and forth to my other farm with a half ton using an 18' w/2' dove. It was a heavy duty trailer with a 12,000 GVWR. It did a fine job but was almost too short with a bush hog attached to the tractor. I now haul everything on my gooseneck. In my opinion the least I'd feel comfortable with would be an 18'-20' with 10,000-12,000 GVWR.

A 1/2 ton is not enough for this.

wallace · Mar 13, 2009

LBrown59 said:
A 1/2 ton is not enough for this.

LB you seem to do this in every topic of trailers.
So tell me why a 1/2 ton is not enough to do this?

George2615 · Mar 13, 2009

I agree with Diamondpilot. Your tractor will weigh in about 4700-5400 depending on whether the tires are loaded so your 7K trailer should have no problem with this.

Don't know what year 1/2T truck you have but most were rated for up to 8500 tow capacity so you'll be fine there also.

Diamondpilot · Mar 13, 2009

Red Chief said:
The information I have shows the tractor with ROPS and ag tires at 4130#. The dealer told me that the loaded tires would be 600 - 800#. Looking at the specs for the loader the counter ballast weight is 1,048# not sure if this the actual weight of the loader. If all of this is correct that is right at 6000# and I would still need to haul a BB or BH. When you add in the weight of the trailer which I'm not sure of I would be over the 7000#. What can a 1/2 ton chevy with the tow package legally and safely haul?

Well with all that info you are going to need a new trailer. You would be at 6000# for the tractor, 400# for the BB or a 1,000# for a BH. You need a 10K trailer. Do not forget you will have a good 100# in chains and binders securing everything.

As for the truck it all depends. What year truck, what engine, what gear ration, is it 4x4, what cab, what bed? The low side for a late model GM is around 6,000# tow capacity and the high side is about 9,500# but this all depends on how its set up. You need to know all the stuff I listed above then go to the owners manual or give me the info and I can look it up if its in my books.

Chris