Which compact tractor will move 5th wheel campers?

[nc redneck]

I made a dolly and it is OK. By far not as good as tractor that can handle the weight, But I am trying to move a 40 foot 5th wheel that weighs 17,200 loaded with golf cart and 2 weeks of supplies. My 45 will move the pictured Horse Trailer with ease.

 

[rvtech]

That's what I was considering. A dolly like that, or a larger tractor. Can you back that trailer precisely enough where you would be comfortable going through a door into a building?

 

[not2old]

I move my small 5th with my GC2610 front loader. The trailer weighs about 7500lbs. with an 850lb. hitch weight. While my loader will barely lift this, it moves it with ease. I have also moved my bumper pull trailer at over 12000lbs. with the load adjusted for a lower hitch weight. I wouldn't consider doing this on a hill of any size. I have pictures previously posted on a thread titled GC modifications. Unfortunately I don't know how to supply a link and don't have them on my current computer.

 

[aczlan]

I move my small 5th with my GC2610 front loader. The trailer weighs about 7500lbs. with an 850lb. hitch weight. While my loader will barely lift this, it moves it with ease. I have also moved my bumper pull trailer at over 12000lbs. with the load adjusted for a lower hitch weight. I wouldn't consider doing this on a hill of any size. I have pictures previously posted on a thread titled GC modifications. Unfortunately I don't know how to supply a link and don't have them on my current computer.

This one?

View attachment 278783
I've added some grab hooks. First I welded on a piece of 3/16" plate, around the perimeter and a large button weld. After cutting some hooks to fit, I welded them to the plate. I also welded in a receiver for a trailer hitch to move trailers around the yard. Unfortunately, this didn't go well as I bent the top of the bucket. It was easy to fix, and then
View attachment 278782
I made the adapter to strengthen the bucket for this task and to lower the hitch. This has worked well to move my trailers around, including my 5th wheel camping trailer using the cup on the top of the adapter.
View attachment 278784 View attachment 278785
Computers hate me. I spent about three hours making the adapter and over an hour to post these pics after taking them, on the 4th try.
View attachment 278787
I've given up on trying to install the pics throughout the text where I wanted them.

Aaron Z

 

[JD 4520]

Rvtech - the OP

There are a lot of good suggestions here but you might want to consider moving this posting to "build it yourself" or another general forum as I know other guys that don't particularly follow the John Deere forum - you might find a lot more help. More is better with a question like this. Good luck.

 

[C-Range]

Whatever develops as a solution, give equal consideration to stopping/braking and the ability to do so. The 2305 probably isn't the way to go, unfortunately.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Whatever develops as a solution, give equal consideration to stopping/braking and the ability to do so. The 2305 probably isn't the way to go, unfortunately.

I agree, If you use one of those three point hitch mounted movers, I think the high connection point with the large load you are moving may get you excited pretty quickly. I know you say level, but I don't know of anywhere that is completely flat. Any grade or even a low spot might be enough to get some leverage over a small tractor like this, I would stronly suggest wiring up a hand operated brake controller to make sure that trailer doesn't treat that tractor like a rag doll.

 

[not2old]

I agree, If you use one of those three point hitch mounted movers, I think the high connection point with the large load you are moving may get you excited pretty quickly. I know you say level, but I don't know of anywhere that is completely flat. Any grade or even a low spot might be enough to get some leverage over a small tractor like this, I would stronly suggest wiring up a hand operated brake controller to make sure that trailer doesn't treat that tractor like a rag doll.

A brake controller is a good idea if you're doing this lots. For occasional use, I extended the lead to the breakaway.

 

[michahicks]

Started reading this string, and it brought back some memories I thought I might share? It was a while ago, but I spent 19 years at a large RV dealer, and yes, we handled 5th wheels of all sizes. The boss ordered a "dolly" for us to use one day, to "speed things up"? We gave it a serious try for a few weeks, but found it so inconvenient (sometimes bordering on dangerous IMHO) it sat and collected rust - the one thing those using it felt it did well. We were using it with a Ford 8n.

We were located in SE Mi, so we had to deal with snow as well. We ended up going with dedicated shop trucks for moving 5th wheels and plowing the lot (when the boss tired of us tying his truck up). Our favorites were older 1 ton Dodge Power Wagons, and we would install an 8' blade on that. These were generally not expensive trucks, and they earned their keep easily. Maintenance on them cheap as abuse was simply not tolerated, and they are/were generally pretty heavy duty. Most were sold off to employees as they became too old to be trusted on the road - another service they provided, giving us an extra vehicle for dragging coaches to/from local (and sometimes not so local) RV shows.

Something to consider is the skill level of those that might be using something like this dolly? The facility I was at had 8 service bays, and tech's were responsible for pulling in their own coaches when assigned a work order. It didn't take a lot of skill to hook the truck up and pull about anything up in front of the building where the rookies could get a hand backing it in if necessary? That operation with some of the stuff I've read about here would scare me under similar circumstances....

My experience, FWIW, -Al

 

[rvtech]

I visited my dealer. They have several used 3320s. My concern with a 3320 is more to do with other jobs I need it for. Based on the 3 point hitch and rear axle specs, it should be able to handle the 5th wheel moving I need. My current 2305 with 62C mower is used to mow some areas around our pond and a ditch. Everything else is mowed by a 72" zero turn. My concern is with mowing the ditch. It is a tight area with a slope. The 2305 handles this beautifully. I'm concerned that a 3320 my not be as maneuverable, and may be more prone to tipping on the slope. My dealer also has a 2012 2720 with a 200CX and 60 hours. I was told it was used by the owner at his home for approximately 1 year. It looks new. This appears to me to be a better overall size for my needs, except perhaps for the 5th wheel camper moving. The axle and 3point seem to have enough capacity, but I don't think the hydraulics will be enough to lift a large 5th wheel camper. Lifting isn't important as every camper I need to move has power landing gear which easily raises and lowers the camper. Typically, when I move a small 5th wheel camper that the 2305 will handle, I lower the front until the landing gear barely clears the ground which in effect, lowers the tongue weight as much as possible by placing more load on the front axle. My dealer is asking $5,000 difference to trade to the 2720. It has 60 hours, a 200CX loader and no mower. My 2305 has 424 hours, 200CX loader, 62C mower, and a Woods BH6000 backhoe. At first, I was only interested in a larger unit to move 5th wheels campers. Now that I've been looking, there are a couple of additional benefits I would really like to have. One is steering brakes. This is perhaps the most missed thing on the 2305. I do primarily loader work and having no steering brakes has been irritating from the beginning. Another feature I would like is a folding ROPS. Before purchasing the 2305, I carefully measure my 100 year old barn and the ROPS. It appears it would have less than an inch to clear the loft for storage in the area I had designated. I did not take into account the additional front weight with the loader on. When the loader is on, it raises the rear enough for the ROPS to hit the loft making it difficult to park under the loft. The last thing I think I would like would be hydraulic speed. I use the loader to work and maintain 2 large gravel driveways and 1 parking lot. Both stone and snow removal. I think the loader works great for snow removal on a gravel drive. Simply tilt the bucket back and go. I'm very happy with that, but the extra loader speed would be very nice. Do you think I'm asking too much of my dealer to bring the 2720 to my property for testing? I certainly don't want to make a mistake on this purchase. I would also need to purchase a mower deck for the 2720. They quoted me an additional approximate $2500 for a 62D mower.