trailor types

dirt clod · Sep 27, 2007

Looking at getting a better trailor. Right now I just Have the L3300 fel and loaded tires. May get a larger farm tractor(75hp?) soon. Have 3/4 dodge diesel to pull with. Truck has a goose neck hitch. Never had a GN but I understand these are much better than the bumper pulls I'm used to. I'm thinking at least 20' 14k trailor.

Found a 24k tilt bed deck over(It's way over kill but its cheap), I know these are good for track machines but are they any good for rubber tire tractors?

As for as dove tails the inside fender deck are alot cheaper than a deck over, is the 7' width ok for most equipment or should I stick with a deck over for 8'?

Farmwithjunk · Sep 27, 2007

dirt clod said:
Looking at getting a better trailor. Right now I just Have the L3300 fel and loaded tires. May get a larger farm tractor(75hp?) soon. Have 3/4 dodge diesel to pull with. Truck has a goose neck hitch. Never had a GN but I understand these are much better than the bumper pulls I'm used to. I'm thinking at least 20' 14k trailor.

Found a 24k tilt bed deck over(It's way over kill but its cheap), I know these are good for track machines but are they any good for rubber tire tractors?

As for as dove tails the inside fender deck are alot cheaper than a deck over, is the 7' width ok for most equipment or should I stick with a deck over for 8'?

Well, you've just about got 'em all covered!

For years, I used a "bumper pull" equipment trailer. (21K 3-axle) IMHO, stay away from tri-axles. BIGTIME tire wear issues unless you NEVER make any turns

Bumper pulls get the job done, and generally cost less than a gooseneck. BUT...Give me a gooseneck any day of the week. Less porpoising at speed. Better weight distribution on tow vehicle. (with a well designed hitch)

I personally like "deck-over" trailers. Low profile w/ fenders restrict side loading (i.e. forklift/lumber) Lower profile makes for SLIGHTLY easier loading, but not so much I'd sacrifice the full width deck. Both of my goosenecks are full legal width of 8'-6". At times I wish they were only 8', but trailers are like barns and garages. No matter how big they are, you can always use one that's bigger.

Mine are 20', w/5' dovetail. The dovetail raises to level with the deck, giving a 25' flat. GREAT for hay haulin'! 2 fold down ramps also.

I picked 14,000gvwr models.

I prefer a longer deck than absolutely required. That gives you more flexability to move load forward or rearward to balance weight as needed. Too big is better than too small in just about every case.

I owned a tilt bed trailer years ago. No real negatives other than the fact they usually require a much heavier chassis/deck construction, lowering allowable cargo weight. The angle of the deck can be steep while in loading position on some tiltbeds. Watch that when planning for a rubber tired tractor. Trailer decks can be slick at times.

A 75hp tractor will generally be heavy enough that you'll want AT LEAST a 12,000 gvwr trailer. (remember, the weight of the TRAILER [and weight scaled on tow vehicle] needs to be deducted from gross weight to compute cargo capacity)

That's my experience with trailering. Your results may vary.

firedog · Sep 28, 2007

I agree with FWJ.

I went with the 14K deckover (20+5), after weighing all the possibilities of what I might haul. The 102" width gives me a lot of capability. The G/N pull so much better than any of the B/P's I've had.
I wanted to not only haul the tractor, but any of the family/friends vehicles that might break down. I have never like the idea of crawling out the window after loading a car/truck on a lowboy cuz ya can't get the door open. (got it with a winch mount)
Want to load up a 20' shipping container....stick it on there and I figure out how to get it off when I get home.

firemanpat2910 · Sep 28, 2007

I agree with both the above. I do not have a goose neck on my truck, but I use one every now and then. Big difference. But I have no problems with the 24' bumper pull 2 axle deck over. I pull it with my F250 powerstroke.
My 20' tripple axle non deck over with no fenders is the most agrivating trailer I have ever hauled. I looked in the rearview one day and saw a puff of smoke, pulled over and realised that when I tightened the chain binder it squished the rear tractor tire enough that it would rub on the trailer tire. This winter I plan to make several modifacations to the old beast, new hitch new tires, fix the brakes, paint and put up 4 sale, Its bad when I dont feel right about selling it as is.

unreconstructed · Sep 28, 2007

I am toying with the idea of an upgrade also. The only thing I know for sure is that I want a 24 ft. Mine is 20 ft and with FEL and tractor would like a little more room for 3ph attachment. I am stuck on BP right now as I use most of the space in my box for tools and gear. The 8 foot seems like it would be good too-especially since you are going to a bigger tractor and presumably bigger attachments.

I have been wondering about the 3 axle trailers--the comments about them are timely for me. Thanks.

Skyco · Sep 28, 2007

I've never actually pulled a gooseneck but I've had no complaints with any of my conventional (hate the term bumper pull) trailers, some up to 14,000 lbs. My problem is I do not want to give up my truck bed, I usually have a metal commercial type cap on with all sorts of goodies and tools locked up inside. That would be very hard to deal with with a gooseneck...just my opinion.

Rara Avis · Sep 28, 2007

Another advantage of a GN is not everybody can borrow it...

dirt clod · Sep 28, 2007

Going to look at some 14k deck over gn's in morning.

I think the tilt is not for me. Wouldn't be to handy if needed to load extra attachments on trailor. Don't care to much for the thought of trying to load if there was water and/or oil on it.

And for the individual that mentioned triple axle, I would'nt have one. It's either tandems or duals. Those triples want turn and when they do they grind down a lot of tread from tires.

daveinnh · Oct 28, 2007

Not being a trailer type but what are the benefits of a goose-neck ball over a 5th wheel? I've seen that most RV travel trailers have 5th wheels.

Rara Avis · Oct 29, 2007

daveinnh said:
Not being a trailer type but what are the benefits of a goose-neck ball over a 5th wheel? I've seen that most RV travel trailers have 5th wheels.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both these set-ups.

Gooseneck....Good: The Gooseneck trailer has a tube hanging down from underneath the bunk. It hooks to a heavy duty 2-5/16" ball mounted in the bed of a truck. This does not take up a lot of the truck bed. You can even get a fold down ball set-up so you can utilize your whole bed.

Gooseneck.... Bad: To hook up to the trailer, you must position your ball directly under the hitch, which is not easy when the ball is centered over the axle. You must move the whole rear end of the trailer over to line it up. This is easier with 2 people. Also you must crawl into the bed and hook up the safety chains.

5th Wheel.... Good: The 5th Wheel hangs down from underneath the bunk and has a big steel plate with a 2" pin that aligns it's self (within reason) with a big plate on top of your 5th wheel hitch set up in your truck. Just back up, Get close and it hooks itself up. No crawling in the bed to hook up safety chains. They don't have safety chains. It's a one man operation.

5th Wheel....Bad: The hitch is a lot more expensive and takes up half your truck bed. You can get the removable type but it'd heavy to lift in and out of the truck bed. Also as an option, some trailer manufacturers offer an "inverted 5th wheel trailer". That's a gooseneck / 5th wheel type trailer with a 5th wheel plate set-up on the trailer that only requires the 2" pin to be mounted in the truck, not the big 5th wheel hitch. The down side to this is anyone that wants to pull the trailer must have this type of hitch set-up, and there are not many around.