Using my trailer, or abusing it?

[joshuabardwell]

Well, for comparison, here is a 7000# dual-axle flatbed equipment hauler.

Currahee Trailers - 500 series channel flatbed

Looks like it uses 3" channel steel (instead of angle), on 24" centers. Mine is the 3 x 2 x 3/16" on 30" centers. And, honestly, that is probably going to seal the deal for me, unless the manufacturer comes back with an unequivocal "yes"--but given that they build two trailers with the same capacity using dramatically different materials and techniques, I doubt that will be the case.

 

[s219]

Between the gate and the cross members, it does seem like your landscape trailer is a bit on the light duty side compared to the landscaper I have. But in general, I would expect landscape trailers to be lighter duty than equipment haulers, based on what I have seen.

That said, on landscape trailers, the side rails carry some of the load, almost like a space frame or truss. So they almost always have lighter steel on the side frame and the C-channel of the A-frame when compared to a equipment hauler of the same load capacity. I think the crossmember size and spacing are the main difference in terms of beef.

 

[aczlan]

Between the gate and the cross members, it does seem like your landscape trailer is a bit on the light duty side compared to the landscaper I have. But in general, I would expect landscape trailers to be lighter duty than equipment haulers, based on what I have seen.
That said, on landscape trailers, the side rails carry some of the load, almost like a space frame or truss. So they almost always have lighter steel on the side frame and the C-channel of the A-frame when compared to a equipment hauler of the same load capacity. I think the crossmember size and spacing are the main difference in terms of beef.

Exactly, on a landscape trailer your top rail provides much of the strength to the trailer whereas on a equipment trailer there is no top rail, so the bottom rail has to be heavier.

Aaron Z

 

[joshuabardwell]

Exactly, on a landscape trailer your top rail provides much of the strength to the trailer whereas on a equipment trailer there is no top rail, so the bottom rail has to be heavier.

That said, on landscape trailers, the side rails carry some of the load, almost like a space frame or truss. So they almost always have lighter steel on the side frame and the C-channel of the A-frame when compared to a equipment hauler of the same load capacity.

Interesting. Well, like I said, the manufacturer's response will probably be my final word. All this hemming and hawing, and I'm not sure why I didn't think to just ask them before.

 

[Soundguy]

Exactly, on a landscape trailer your top rail provides much of the strength to the trailer whereas on a equipment trailer there is no top rail, so the bottom rail has to be heavier.

Aaron Z

yep.. and I see lots of guys hack them off to use as a flat bed. and what they don't realize is they just made the thing less rigid, unfortunately..

 

[Renze]

I once beefed up a trailer for my brother. It was a common deck-over flatbed with foldable aluminium sideboards, with a pressed steel C channel as frame members, which corroded and finally cracked. I welded a new truss frame of 2"x2" tubes with LOTS of gussets, both vertical as well as diagonal (diagonal helps the most) and added a crossmember between each crossmember of the original trailer. I turned a common deck-over flatbed into a true multipurpose trailer, a deck-over tiltbed with a deck and frame suitable for hauling equipment like small tractors and mini-excavators, but also to take construction materials to the job. The only thing it cant do, is dump a load of dirt...

i also replaced some rusted siderails which turned out to be rotten after i took out the floor, and the towbar was reinforced with 2x3" square tubing to make it a more stable V towbar, instead of the single 3" pipe which was prone to sway.

In the end it would have been just as expensive, but could be done in 1/3 the time with much better paintwork, if i had just threw it away and build a new one on those axles.

I appreciate this perspective, as it more or less addresses exactly the concerns I have. That being said, I would love to be able to continue trailering my tractor with this trailer, but not if it's going to damage the trailer. Is there any way to assess the construction of the trailer to get a sense of whether it's "enough" or not? I don't know about trailer construction, but by way of analogy, I design wireless networks for a living, and if you told me you had an office building with one radio per 10,000 square feet, I would instantly know the design wasn't up to the task. Something like that. If I was to give more information about the construction of the trailer (thickness of steel, spacing of cross-members, and so forth) would you give me a (non-binding, all Internet disclaimers apply) opinion?

if this is your trailer: Currahee Trailers - 800 series deluxe double-axle

I'd suggest to trade it for an equipment hauler before the wire mesh ramp and the crossmembers are sagged.... dont know how the trailer business is in North America, but here it has to be cheap, and lightweight to maximise fuel economy... So no safety margin beyond the intended use of a landscape trailer... hot rolled angle profiles are cheap, but no good for carrying a tractor...

 

[clemsonfor]

Well, shoot, as long as I'm poking around the manufacturer's web site, I may as well ask them. If they say it's okay, on the record, in today's litigious environment, that's got to be gospel.

Ask them in an email and get thier response. If you ever needed it it would hold up better than "they said ... over the phone".

 

[Renze]

Ask them in an email and get thier response. If you ever needed it it would hold up better than "they said ... over the phone".

euuhh.... If there is ever a chance you would need the statement to "hold up" if they said yes, the answer will definately be a NO, so they are safe...

 

[joshuabardwell]

euuhh.... If there is ever a chance you would need the statement to "hold up" if they said yes, the answer will definately be a NO, so they are safe...

This is my perspective too. I fully expect them to come back with a "no." If it was me, I would say, "Dear sir. If you want to transport heavy vehicles, we make a 7,000# car hauler trailer that is right up your alley, and we will be happy to refer you to your nearest dealer to discuss a purchase." But if, by some freak chance they do come back and say yes, then I am going to be as convinced as I possibly can be that it is fine, because if there is even the smallest chance that it's not okay, they are just going to say no.

 

[clemsonfor]

BUT the website and im sure the trialer itself says 7000GVWR. This means you tractor will be fine on it, if not it would say something like 5000#GVWR.

 

[Soundguy]

BUT the website and im sure the trialer itself says 7000GVWR. This means you tractor will be fine on it, if not it would say something like 5000#GVWR.

distrobution has alot to do with it.

a good equipment trailer or car hauler can have it's (approx ) 5200# paylaod setting in 4 small spots.

a landscape trailer might take it's 6000# paylaod spread out on a flat surface like a pallate or a trap ont he deck flat with mounded dirt or wood chips or gravel.. using ALOT more surface area.

just saying.

I've seen 7k landscape trailers that looked like spring boards bouncing down the roadway.. tractors falling thru the deck.. loading ramps bent into a U shape..e tc... and they are rated the same as the guy next to them with a skid steer on his 4" channel job that don't bend at all.. and weighs 400# more.

(2) 3500# axles does not a 7k trailer make

 

[s219]

distrobution has alot to do with it.

a good equipment trailer or car hauler can have it's (approx ) 5200# paylaod setting in 4 small spots.

a landscape trailer might take it's 6000# paylaod spread out on a flat surface like a pallate or a trap ont he deck flat with mounded dirt or wood chips or gravel.. using ALOT more surface area.

just saying.

I've seen 7k landscape trailers that looked like spring boards bouncing down the roadway.. tractors falling thru the deck.. loading ramps bent into a U shape..e tc... and they are rated the same as the guy next to them with a skid steer on his 4" channel job that don't bend at all.. and weighs 400# more.

(2) 3500# axles does not a 7k trailer make

It depends on the manufacturer I think. I compared landscape and equipment trailers quite closely in the 7000# range. They both had 2x8 P.T. decking over crossmembers on 24" spacing. That's going to deal with 4 tractor tires the same way. The major difference was the side beams/rails, which was a single C-channel on the equipment hauler but smaller angle iron space frame on the landscaper. And of course the equipment hauler has very strong ramps, versus the questionable gates on landscape trailers.

It wasn't until getting into the heavier 10000-12000# weight range that the equipment haulers really got more stout, and in that range there are no landscape trailers. I don't think you can make a "landscape" trailer in more than a 7000# range for the reasons you cited. Heck, some brands of landscape trailers seem marginal at 7000#.

My 7000# 7x16 landscaper weighs a little over 1600#, so it has a 5400# cargo capacity.

 

[Soundguy]

arond here you see the landscape trailers with expanded metal flooring.. almost no runners..a nd people will loose lay planks or pluywood down and laod tractors and bow the crud out of them. some have side rails or side ramps even.. all cut off of course.

sad to see some of the things towed around here.. wheels splayed out at 50-55' angles.. different sized tires all around. deck bowed down tin the middle.. with only 2" clearance to the road.. and bowed front to rear.. no lamps... no wires.. you can see them dragging.. thus you know, no brakes.

there will be a 3' tall mound of dirt or pallate of sod ( 3000+ # ) at the front of the trailer.. and the laoder bucket resting on it.. tow tehicle will be a chevy s10 with a ball ont he BUMPER, bumper bent down.. truck bottomed on overlaod springs.. front end will have enough room between fwnder well and top of tire to remve the batter thru it..and service back of headlamps and radiator.. fishtails up to a stop and 'gallops' away from them.


scarry stuff.

 

[s219]

Heck, the landscaper who comes to mow for my neighbors has a real junk heap of a homemade trailer, with what looks to be mobile home axles and tires, and wires hanging all over the place. The whole thing is scary. Hard to believe he doesn't get a ticket.

 

[joshuabardwell]

BUT the website and im sure the trialer itself says 7000GVWR. This means you tractor will be fine on it, if not it would say something like 5000#GVWR.

I hear you, and I hope you're right, because that would be awesome. But think it through. Can I put 7000 lbs on the trailer in such a way that I break a deck board? Can I put 7000 lbs on the trailer in such a way that I bend a crossmember? I bet I can. Not unless each deck board and each cross member is individually rated for the full GVWR of the trailer, which I doubt they are. So just because you are under the GVWR doesn't mean that you are necessarily okay. I think there realistically may be other assumptions that are being made, that have to be taken into account.

But, honestly, it is all conjecture until the manufacturer gets back to me, and I think that will be the final word. Would the DOT cite me for putting the tractor on the trailer? Certainly not. Would the trailer sag and wear out prematurely if it was used in a way it was not designed for, even if the GVWR was obeyed? Possibly.