Truck & Trailer ideas to tow 14,000 and be under 26,000 pounds

[Hersheyfarm]

Hersheyfarm,

It is challenging/you have to be willing to make some sacrifices in other areas, but it is possible to haul 14k legally for a business and stay under the CDL requirements. See post #4 and #21 for some examples of how to make this work even without going to an aluminum trailer.

The biggest sacrifice you have to make is getting a regular cab pickup with a gas engine - if you need a crew cab for other reasons or want a diesel engine I agree you probably cannot haul 14k legally for a business while staying under the CDL requirements.

I’ll check it out, but any trailer that can haul 14k is going to at least take a 4k trailer so your truck needs a tow rating of at least 18k. Now I’m talking of only bumper pull, I have stuff in bed that keeps me from using gooseneck. My srw f350 is rated for 21k bumper.

 

[jjeff]

One thing I learned was dot med card requirement to have one doesn't matter if it's interstate or intrastate, for different states. In WI for example as long as you have a CDL you don't need a medical card to drive truck specifically in my case tandem dump trucks plowing for municipalities you can also drive anything requiring a chauffeur lic like wrecker/ roll backs even carrying occasional passengers. In MI you can't do any kind of commercial driving even under 26k with out passing a dot physical. Even getting your farm endorsement only, they ask during lic renewal if you've ever failed a dot or list a host of problems that they may use to disqualify you.

 

[LD1]

I'll probably get flack but bumper pull pintle hitch trailer rated for 17k gvwr around 5k empty, SS with steel tracks bucket 10k+, grapple stump bucket strapped on front deck of trailer 1-1.5k, old tank used for culvert + other stuff in bed 1.5k aprox. Chains, rigging + 4 binders 300+. 2016 3/4 ton Duramax with
air helpers, exhaust brake, etc, several one way 500 mile trips at 65 mph. Made it each and every time safely no break downs, no tix, no accidents. Defensive driving and common sense when towing your vehicles limits are invaluable Imho.

Never seen a trailer with a pair of 7k axles with a 17k rating.....usually the 17k trailers have 8k axles and 17.5 wheels/tires

In either case....if you are hauling that rig commercially that is a CDL-A combo

 

[jjeff]

Never seen a trailer with a pair of 7k axles with a 17k rating.....usually the 17k trailers have 8k axles and 17.5 wheels/tires

In either case....if you are hauling that rig commercially that is a CDL-A combo

I think They presume your putting 3k on the bumper. 14 k axles +3 on bumper = 17k I d be happy to take a picture of gvwr tag on trailer to verify for you. Using a pintle hitch added 2k to the max listed capacity vs 2 5/16 ball. Yes I was probably over loaded and don't endorse or advocate doing that by anyone. But was not done commercially for money unless you count gas money I received for pushing in a camp road for family members lol. It is my understanding in MI any job driving any motor vehicle besides a farm endorsement requires a minimum of a chauffer endorsement which requires a dot physical.
I have a non valid fully endorsed class A CDL also.

 

[JESSE1]

Eddie, save yourself a lot of effort and money and buy your hay. We got hay equipment in the early '80's and did our hay and a few other fields trying to make it pay for itself. It never worked out. Dad and I took turns cutting and then he raked and I baled. After Dad passed in '99 I kept at it and cut, raked and baled the hay by myself. Finally got rid of the baler, rake and cutter and started buying hay last year. My suggestion is get at least a 30' gooseneck trailer and haul your hay. You're looking at $75,000 for a baler, rake and cutter plus fertilizer.

 

[LD1]

I think They presume your putting 3k on the bumper. 14 k axles +3 on bumper = 17k I d be happy to take a picture of gvwr tag on trailer to verify for you. Using a pintle hitch added 2k to the max listed capacity vs 2 5/16 ball. Yes I was probably over loaded and don't endorse or advocate doing that by anyone. But was not done commercially for money unless you count gas money I received for pushing in a camp road for family members lol. It is my understanding in MI any job driving any motor vehicle besides a farm endorsement requires a minimum of a chauffer endorsement which requires a dot physical.
I have a non valid fully endorsed class A CDL also.

Definitely have to have 3k on the bumper to keep the axle weights at 7k ea or less. And that's really what any DOT person is gonna look at. Axle weights and tire ratings.
I often see 15k trailers.......with 7k axles. Also see 16k trailers with 7k axles. So it dont surprise me there are also 17k trailers with the same pair of 7k axles

At the end of the day it makes it confusing for customers to shop and compare......one company lists a 14k trailer, one lists a 15k trailer....but they are IDENTICAL trailers with 7k axles.

Further when they list different payloads.....and some account for tongue weight, some dont. And some dont even list the weights.

IMO, just list the unladen weight of the trailer.....and the axle ratings and be done. Let customers do their own math and calculate tongue weight.

 

[EddieWalker]

It doesn't make any financial sense to do my own hay. It also doesn't make sense to haul my stuff to the farm 62 miles away. But I've been buying hay for awhile now, and the one thing that I've learned is that it's a never ending battle to find quality hay at a reasonable price. For whatever reason, the guy who had it last year, doesn't have it this year. I bought from 3 different people last year, all at absurd prices. I'm saving my cash to buy this year, but really don't know if anybody that I bought from before will have any for sale this year. I'm wasting so much time searching for hay that I feel that I need to do something different. With my brothers 40 acres just sitting there, I can't get past the thought that I should be baling it for my own use. I know of two different guys that will bale it for $27 a bale, which works for me if I can rely on them to do it a couple times a year, every year. That's my initial plan. I can hire somebody to haul my tractors to his farm and avoid all of this, but then I'm dependent on their schedule, and having to take time off from work to do this.

What will probably happen is that I'll rent equipment close to my brother farm and have them deliver it, and then pick it up.

 

[Bearsixty7]

100%. Who wants to be in bed with the government more than you have to. Like I posted, cdl limits are just arbitrary numbers that congress cooked up in 1994. It creates more revenue through additional costs, like med cards. They run you through little clinics here for $75. State fuel tax, some make you start logging for extra fuel tax. People like me who have pulled equipment and trailers for 30 years but only pull for business occasionally are really screwed. I’m farm exempt but not for my plumbing biz. It’s a racket, same as nfa tax stamps. How ignorant are we to vote for this bs.

Lots of back and forth in this thread.

What I see as the underlying issue is, How could we push to get this changed? maybe to 30,001 and up requires a CDL??

That would allow most farmers and Ranchers to have the proper rated truck and trailer and haul those heavy tractors and implements safely.

 

[nwut05]

Depending on the state you live in. I know for a fact that if you register a vehicle through your dmv with farm use tags, and actually fill out the paperwork for them to do so. CDL, Weight and air brake requirements go away as long as you stay in the mileage range and don't do hauling for hire and only Haul farm Equipment For Your Farm!

 

[Bearsixty7]

My srw f350 is rated for 21k bumper.

Where are you getting this info. from?

You better check again, SRW Max Conventional(Bumper) trailer weight is 18K, Your receiver may show 21K (Same as my F350 SRW) but that's only because they use the same hitch as the F350Dullay and F450.