What is the smallest trailer I can get away with?

[8561]

That trailer is exactly like mine as well.

 

[fishman]

Good choice Hazmat, at least in my opinion. I have that exact trailer in a 20' length, including 2' of dovetail. Much better made than the other brands I looked at, and cost the same.

 

[MossRoad]

Bob,
Here's a link to a picture of my PT425 and some implements on my trailer. It is an 18 foot car hauler. 7000#( 3500# axles ). Trailer weighs 1500# so that leaves load capacity of 5500 pounds. What I like about it is I can take a little tiny lawn tractor or my PT425 and the whole arsenal of attachments. There's a 60" finish mower, 48" brush hog, two buckets and pallet forks in that picture and there is nothing over the last two feet of the trailer. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would spend a few more $$ and get heavier axles. Not that it can't hold the tractor, but I also haul dirt and rocks occasionally and would like more capacity in the future for that kind of stuff.

Have your given any thought to the decking material that you want, yet? Ours is diamond plate steel. I chose that because I didn't want any dirt or rocks to fall through and I could weld things to the deck if needed(after reinforcing underneath, of course). The downside of the diamond plate is it can get very slippery when wet or snowy /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. So I have to park on completely level ground in those situations. Many people would rather have a wood deck. I have a phobia when it comes to wood decks. I use to work at the airport. One of my duties was forklift driver. We were sending a forklift to another city. The forklift was very large(for loading jet freighers at the airport). The supervisor told me to drive it onto a semi trailer with a wooden deck. I told them it didn't look like it would hold it. He made it clear that I had to drive it on "or else" so I did.... I got a few feet in before the deck gave way. They had to bring in a crane to lift it off the trailer. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[aardvark]

Do you really need a full 16 feet to move the 2910? I'm new to tractors, but I've been using trailers for a long time. I'm towing a B6000 with some implements and misc on a Ditch Witch model S2A trailer, rated at 2900 lbs gross weight. It's only 8 feet long, and 6 feet wide, but it has a very long tongue which would allow a loader to sit in front of the deck. It's a single axle tilt back trailer, and it very sturdy for it's size. It also has 30" tall tires to keep bearing RPM at a minimum while on the highway. I tow it behind an 2800 lb 83 hp Toyota pickup, rated for 3500 lbs and 350 lb tongue weight. It works fine, and I suspect if the B6000 had a loader on the front, it would still have enough room to turn the truck without hitting the loader on the tailgate. See pics.

 

[aardvark]

second trailer pic

 

[Bob_Skurka]

The B2910 is 15' from the front of the bucket to the back of the box blade. The TC24D is about 13.5' with the same configuration. I actually think I could get by with a 14' trailer that had a 2' dovetail and ramps, or a 15' trailer with ramps. But in looking at trailers the last few days it seems like 16' and 18' are the standard lengths.

Prices seem to fluctuate like WILD . . . but it also appear that you get what you pay for. A 16' HEAVY DUTY trailer made by pros who haul race cars will run me about $3500, it has all the whitstles and bells and everything about it is q-u-a-l-i-t-y. On the other end of the spectrum are the $1350 to $1650 trailers that are basic angle iron with sloppy welds that look like you could bend the trailer under load. I moved an antique Oliver on one of those units once and destroyed the supposedly "heavy duty" ramps. On that same trailer my neighbor hauled a car and bent the trailer framework.

So at this point I am stuck. I don't want to spend the $3500, but don't want the cheap-o-crap-soon-to-be-at-the-junkyard trailer for $1500 either. I'd like to stay around $2000 to $2500 and get sometihng that will last, but I can't find THAT trailer.

 

[JayC]

I don't know how big a B6000 is, but wouldn't a B2910 pretty much squash a trailer that small? I'm pretty sure a B2910 with FEL would weigh more than 2900 lbs., too.

 

[aardvark]

The B6000 is about 900 lbs. I guess it's smaller than a B2910? It's a B series Kubota, but it is older, so maybe it's smaller too? Really though, the trailer has a 2960 gross weight rating, and it only weighs about 400 lbs, so it should carry a B series with a loader. I can't see a B series with a loader weighing more than 2000 lbs, but I'm guestimating, so I could be wrong.

Bob, I bought that trailer on ebay for $243. It needed wiring and new deck wood, so I put about another $100 into it. It's made by the Ditch Witch corporation (or whatever thier parent company's name is). It was built by a machinery company to carry thier smaller trenchers continuously, every day, all week long. That's why I trust it to tow whatever I want. I towed the B6000 from Orlando to West Palm Beach with no problems (200 miles?). I originally bought it for other stuff, it just happens that the Kubota fits on it nicely. Maybe a used high quality trailer is an option for you? A cheapy junk trailer is a waste of money, but a used trailer built for other specific purposes (like mine) may be a good, lower cost, option. I guess it depends on what you want.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

The B2910 is probaby quite a bit larger than your tractor. Never the less, I am exploring used, but well built trailers as an option now.

 

[RobertN]

My B8200 is the Great Grandad to your B2910. It is same size, albeit only 19hp and 3-cyl.

I haul on a 16' dual axle 7000lb trailer. I fit just fine with loader/scraper mounted. In the case that I do need my rotary mower, I load it on the front of the trailer a bit over the tongue, and set the loader bucket on it. I always keep the scraper with me...

I have brakes on one axle; I would like them on the other axle to, and will do that upgrade in the near future. Single axle brakes stop fine with the Kubota loaded, but I find the trailer to be real handy for lumber, pipe, firewood, ect. I have loaded it up good with firewood, and would prefer to have the extra braking.
When you are looking, make sure to look at features, like a spare tire, and tie downs. It is nice to have places to chain things, but also nice to have hooks for ropes.

Remember too, to get plenty of chains and/or ratchet straps, and binders. The load should have an independant restraint at each corner minimum.

 

[RickB]

I gave under $2000 for the 18 foot version of the trailer Hazmat has pictured on page one of this thread. Not a cheaply built unit IMHO.

 

[tracdoc]

Bob,

To me, your comments in this thread suggest that your instincts are pointing you toward a 14 footer. For what you have, and your other comments about not adding or changing to something larger, IMHO a 14 footer is your best option.

Sure, having 2, 4 6 or more feet would be nice, provided there were no downside. If you don't need the extra footage, there is the downside of poorer handling, extra weight, wear and tear on your haul vehicle, gas consumption, parking, etc.

I gave this quite a bit of thought, and went with a 14 foot, all aluminum Featherlite, dual axle, @ 7k# GVWR. It weighs in @ just under 1000# and it is a dream to tow. The brakes are awesome, and following some guidelines from other threads in TBN, I have them "dialed in" a perfect match to the tow. My tow vehicle is an '04 V6 Toyota Tacoma 4WD that has a top capacity of 5.5k#

We use the trailer for towing our race car, a Mini Cooper spec series racer + spare tires/wheels, tools, etc., and I'll be using it to haul our PT-425. Oh, someday, we may get a bigger race car or a bigger tractor, but unlike cars, quality trailers don't depreciate to any significant extent if they are well cared for. One just has to look into the auto/moto racing Classifieds. The good trailers hold value. When we moved abroad a few years back, we quickly sold our previous 14 footer for ~$300 less than what we paid after 3 years of good use, and the buyer was getting a bargain when he looked at new equipment.

I don't buy oversize clothes because I may gain weight some day. Buy what you need and, as grandad said: "buy right, and cry once."

 

[Bob_Skurka]

tracdoc: Is FEATHERLITE a brand of tralier?

 

[om21braz]

Not tracdoc here, but yes Bob Featherlite is the brand name. Check out the link for details on trailers and all the other items they manufacture. The horse trailers are very popular around here.

Featherlite

 

[hazmat]

<font color="blue"> So at this point I am stuck. I don't want to spend the $3500, but don't want the cheap-o-crap-soon-to-be-at-the-junkyard trailer for $1500 either. I'd like to stay around $2000 to $2500 and get something that will last, but I can't find THAT trailer. </font>

Bob,

My Trailer is a load trail

I felt it had the right blend of not too crappy welds, for the right price ($1,600 if I remember right). The Aluminum featherlights are beautiful but spendy.

I found that the used trailer market (at least around here) is ridiculus - the sellers wanted far too much money for their trailers.

 

[Henro]

Bob,

For some reason while hauling dirt for about 4 hours today, loader and dirt scoop full on each end, I started to think about your feelings toward your backhoe and then the desire for a trailer...

...And a light bulb came on and I wondered whether you shouldn't just rent a trailer when you need one...

Might be more cost effective and you would not have to worry about storage...and if a 16' was too small you could get an 18' next time. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Henro, I've thought about renting. But the trailer will do some double duty work hauling ice cream freezers, pop coolers, and occasionally a couple pallets of mulch. So I'll be using it, but it will be used by the company too.

 

[Moon]

I've considered the idea of renting them also, but can not find anyplace that rents open trailers. Are these types of trailers rentable in larger metro areas?

Moon ...

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Home Depot stores rent trailers, as does U-Haul.

Yesterday we found a trailer company that had pretty nicely built trailers and made them to order, today I ordered my trailer. $1595, dual axle, dual brakes, wood floor, 8" elevated railing on 3 sides, 6' stowaway ramps, 14' with no beavertail. Not the best made, but good enough for the amount of use it will be getting. I went with 14' because it will accomodate 98% of what we plan on hauling, if I need bigger, and that is an if, then I'll rent on that special occasion.

Then I priced hitches. $199 installed on an '02 Mountaineer, $308 installed on an '04 Volvo XC90, "about $400, but maybe more, on an '04 Dodge Cargo Sprinter, and you'll have to wait a couple weeks for me to get one"

So the trailer will be pulled by a 2002 Mountaineer!

 

[BigEddy]

The original post said smallest trailer.
There's a landscaping company around me that regularly hauls their B21 in a fifth wheel 6x10 or 6x12 Dump trailer (10,000-12,000lb).

They lift the bucket and place it up over the truck bed, and leave the hoe sticking out the back. The tractor itself fits nicely in the dump box with the doors closed.

Might not work for everyone, but it works well for them, and they have a dump trailer to work with at the site as well.

Just another approach.