Trailering a Power-Trac

KentT · Oct 24, 2005

( Hey, those are some pretty cool looking tractors!! )
Thanks. I don't wanna totally hihack this thread, but here's some more info and pics, if you're interested:

Builidng the Big Ten from parts

Big Ten with a Johnny Bucket and Johnny Box mounted

Putting the hydro in the B-210

Barryh · Oct 25, 2005

Nice job on the tractors Kent, very interesting for sure. I have been planning for some time now to collect old wheel horse tractors and restore them. One of these days I'll buy one for a starter. I see a larger shed some where in the future.

California · Oct 25, 2005

( This is an older trooper (1991) that I keep for towing a boat. I think the old troopers were considerably smaller than newer troopers -hoaglagd )

That 1991 Trooper would be a twin to my 1988.

My two cents:

I rented a Uhaul car hauler and went to get my 'new' tractor. After it was loaded, I went over a truck scale and discovered I was towing far more than I expected, over 5,000 lbs. Handling was spooky and after a couple of miles I decided I was way over my head.

I'm certain my Trooper weighed only 3650 lbs empty and was rated to tow only 2,000 lbs. The hitches you can buy for it have a label 'certified for 3,000 lbs or vehicle capacity, whichever is less' which may be what you are looking at. I suggest look in the owner's manual to verify rated tow capacity.

For this Trooper I think the practical limit for short trips with a two axle trailer and brakes is around 3,000 total towed weight, or not much more than 2,000 if you intend to move smoothly with traffic.

I towed my tent trailer (1800 lbs) several thousand miles over ten years and that felt like any more weight would put the trailer in charge of where the Trooper was going to go.

Here's what I wrote about towing with the Trooper last year:

Towing 5000 lbs with a Trooper II

In summary, I feel the Trooper is too light to safely tow the load you are considering.

ClintBlake · Oct 25, 2005

You bring up some very good and important points. While I have towed my PT-422 in a single axle trailer behind a 97 Ford Aerostar, my primary tow vehicles are a 1-ton Ford Van and a Ford Excursion, both diesel and both around 7000 lbs. The Aerostar does okay if the tongue weight is correct but if it is too light, the trailer is very susceptible to sway which tends to take over driving the tow vehicle. If I am going far, or want to carry more than just a couple of implements, I always use one of the heavier tow vehicles and my 6x16 tandem axle enclosed trailer. Vehicles can be set up to tow up too and more than their own weight, but if you have a problem or make a mistake, they are not at all forgiving. There is nothing like heavy metal (and lots of it) for a tow vehicle. Even with the heavier vehicle it is still important to distribute the weight in the trailer properly and make sure everything is tied down so it can't shift. I once saw a trailer being towed by a van start swaying violently and fly off the tow vehicle after just a few oscillations. It happened so fast I don't think the driver knew what was going on until it was too late.

tracdoc · Oct 25, 2005

( What is the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for your tow vehicle? That is probably the most important primary consideration for towing. It is the maximum allowable weight including trailer + trailer cargo + passengers + trunk/bed cargo. That figure should be stamped on an inside door frame or available on-line. )

I agree. If the GVWR is insufficient, all discussions regarding axles, brakes and other paraphernelia are pointless.

KentT · Oct 25, 2005

In my original answer to his post, I capitalized the "IF" statement regarding trailer towing capability to bring attention to it...

I would reiterate, though, that he's talking about trailering somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000-3500 lbs (including the weight of the trailer) on a dual axle trailer with electric brakes. This is far different than towing 5,000 lbs OR towing 2,500-3,000 on a single-axle.

Again, he needs to verify his trailer tow rating. IMO, even if his towing capacity is only rated at 3500 lbs, he is safe for short distances (which is his stated need) as long as he doesn't overload it beyond 3500 lbs....