Trailer Purchasing Advise

[crazyal]

I borrowed a 24' trailer once for my Kubota and it felt very long compared to the 20' I normally use. It wasn't impossible to use but it was a lot more work to back it into a spot where the 20' was easy. I would check with the dealer about test driving it first. See how it feels going around corners that you normally would travel.

 

[deere5105]

Went through the same thing years ago and went with 22’ 12K bumper pull. If had it to do over would go 24’ 14K. No room on 22’ to balance load on trailer. Just does fit with stand up ramps and loader with bucket and rotary cutter. Tail wheel on rotary cutter sticks off back between ramps. Need the stand up ramps to keep back of trailer from dropping when loading and causing back of truck to lift off ground. Could use some type of jack system, but the stand up ramps are convenient just sometimes in the way.

 

[ljjhouser]

Went through the same thing years ago and went with 22’ 12K bumper pull. If had it to do over would go 24’ 14K. No room on 22’ to balance load on trailer. Just does fit with stand up ramps and loader with bucket and rotary cutter. Tail wheel on rotary cutter sticks off back between ramps. Need the stand up ramps to keep back of trailer from dropping when loading and causing back of truck to lift off ground. Could use some type of jack system, but the stand up ramps are convenient just sometimes in the way.

You brought an interesting point about loading weight being transferred to the truck lifting it. Can be dangerous and not often mentioned.
The tilt bed I have piviots right in the middle of the axles and the tail of the bed rests on the ground. When pulling onto the bed, all the added load weight is placed on the axles and no change during loading as far as truck lift.
Good point. I had forgotten how important that can be.

 

[amhicks21]

my favorite equipment trailers are 22ft 14k tilt decks. I'd imagine a 7ft brush hog would have the wheel hanging off the back, but that's fine. The tilt deck is such a game changer. I haven't run into a scenario where i'd benefit from a 24ft. With the box, this setup would be a little tongue heavy for a pickup but balances pretty perfectly without it. As far as build quality goes, they don't screw around as much on 14k trailers as they do on 7k and under. I service about 30 trailers at work and generally speaking I dont find structural problems with the 10k and over trailers. Since a trailer over 10k is considered a CDL A trailer and would be more susceptible to inspection, they are built to more of a standard. Its still probably worth crawling underneath it before buying though. If they cut costs, it'll usually be in paint and in the fine details. Most of the 7k on the other hand are built out of booger welded sheet metal.

 

[LD1]

I borrowed a 24' trailer once for my Kubota and it felt very long compared to the 20' I normally use. It wasn't impossible to use but it was a lot more work to back it into a spot where the 20' was easy. I would check with the dealer about test driving it first. See how it feels going around corners that you normally would travel.

And a gooseneck would be much worse when it comes to going around tight corners or backing into tight spots.

Everyone raves on goosenecks because of how they tow and some people try and really push them. But they are a whole different animal.

 

[Beezz27]

Thanks, for all the replies, and for all the info. For the record I originally was looking for a gooseneck, but after weighing out many factors I decided that a BP was going to be the better route for me. I did get to go look at the Currahee brand trailer yesterday and the quality was good but they had sold the 24ft 14k and only had a 20ft 10k left in stock. The price was "good" on the 20ft but I have about convinced myself that 22ft is now my minimum length and I really want to stay with a 14k, as somewhere in my future I have asperations to buy more equipment like a skid steer/ track loader, mini excavator or possibly a bigger tractor. I am planning on going today to look at the GPS brand trailer (in 22ft) so I will let you know what that looks like. But for reference I have hauled this setup on a 16ft car hauler more than once, so for comparison a 20ft would feel like loading it on an aircraft carrier, lol.

 

[Hay Dude]

After running gooseneck trailers for the last 20 years, I wouldnt go back to a bumper pull for bigger jobs. For heavier loads, a GN puts the hitch weight further forward over the rear axle, greatly extending load capacity. Handling is greatly improved, too. I can back my GN’s up at a 90* angle to the truck, where a BP is limited to about 45*.
A GN allows the operator to use the full towing and GCWR of a truck, where a BP does not utilize full GCWR or towing capacity. Another nice GN feature everyone should have is a deck on the neck. An 8x8 deck on the neck literally gives you another truck bed worth of storage for buckets, bale spears or other loader mounted attachments, tools, wheelbarrows, whatever you can strap down.
Bumper pulls are fine on bigger trucks, like dump trucks since thats all they can tow, but when it comes to lighter trucks like a 250/350/450/550/5500 or anything with a non dumping bed, a GN gives you so much more versatility, load capacity and storage. A bumper pull will give you your full bed, where a GN will leave you with about 1/2-3/4 your bed, but the deck on the neck gives it all back and more.

I rarely see a GN owner switch to a bumper pull, but I see almost all GN owners used to be bumper pull owners.

Heres my 35’ GN with 8x8 deck on the neck.
Now I have 43’ of storage platform.

Heres one of mine with a dual bale spear up top. I could store much more up there. Anything a person or a tractor loader can stow up there could be carried.

I own a small bumper pull trailer and its fine for what I use it for. But if the OP sees “expansion” in his future, I’d guess a GN is also in his future.

 

[Kschwennsen]

As an engineer in the towing industry for almost 20 yrs, I would try to find a gooseneck if possible. The trailer I have is nice (tri axle flat bed bumper tow) but any time you load the trailer, you're taking weight off of the front steers and loading it onto the rear. WDs help but add more cost and setup/teardown when hauling. If I towed my tractor with my truck, it would be by gooseneck. I use my father's GMC 2500 though and he's only a bumper tow. Goosenecks handle alot more tongue load (25% vs 10-15%), balance the truck better, and can still have a flat bed when not used.

 

[JWR]

Best advise on trailer....is if you can find what you want, and at a price you like, buy it.

Trailer market is crazy....both prices and lead times.

But 24' wouldn't scare me at all for that tractor.

We have a 22' BP and it was a good match for a similar sized tractor and 6' hog. A 24' wouldn't be much different at all....especially with a BP, and give a little more wiggle room for load placement.

Goosenecks are a different animal....and I wouldn't advise it unless you have towed one or talked with someone that has. Cause I don't know what your towing is gonna be like? Where you are towing to and from. But most people's driveway approaches aren't wide enough to whip in a GN that long. But BP makes it easy

Agree with LD1 on almost all points. First, it would be crazy to let your (marginal, if any at all) need for such a long trailer push you into a gooseneck. Just a PITA to store, too big for 90% of what you describe, robs you of truck bed space, etc. To me = silly. If you were long-hauling every day = different story. I think 22' is plenty for what you describe. 20' probably adequate. I suggest getting a "deck over" which frees you from concerns about width and positioning on the bed. Better for a life-long usage. I use a Pequea 1018 which has a short beavertail making for much easier loading. Spec'd as an 18' but with beavertail is 21 ft. bed length. Outstanding build quality. I haul a considerably larger tractor than yours on the Pequea and do not mind having the loader rest on the front porch or the hog hang over a bit. Good brakes, overkill steel beams, good electrical protection for the wiring, etc. Look around for a "good brand" if you are buying new for sure. Trailers rarely require dealer follow-up so don't be concerned if you have to drive a ways to pick it up. Other: I doubt you really need the 14K lbs. Some areas cost you in licensing, etc. for the higher capacity figures.

 

[Kschwennsen]

And a gooseneck would be much worse when it comes to going around tight corners or backing into tight spots.

Everyone raves on goosenecks because of how they tow and some people try and really push them. But they are a whole different animal.

Actually your pivot is over your rear tires on your truck so technically you can turn them as tight as your truck can turn, with the trailer tire staying in spot. Watch a good truck driver spin a trailer in spot, they will have the truck perpendicular to the trailer.