Height and Loading a Combine?

Tree-Farmer · Jun 2, 2015

I plan to rent a trailer to haul a JD 4400 combine that I just bought. Pull the flatbed trailer behind my pickup.

I’m concerned about the height. Specs say it’s 11 feet 3 inches tall. The flatbed trailer is 3 feet tall.

So that’s 14 feet 3 inches.

Question: Are all the wires across the road higher than that, on secondary roads?

I’ve been driving the route, before I load it and some wires look low.

I think it’s telephone wires. The electric wires seem higher. Some telephone wires seem to come out of the ground, then the wire goes up a
pole, and crosses the road, but it’s not as high as the power lines.

Is there a spec on this? How high are these wires supposed to be?
Has anyone had any trouble with this?

Plus, How about Stop Lights? What’s their clearance? I need to drive thru Sedalia, MO

Question 2: How do I load a combine? Should I use a winch and not drive it on?
Is forward or backward better? Is one direction more stable?

Thank you,

(That picture is not my combine, but would be something like that)

willie in mn · Jun 2, 2015

FWIW, mostly from memory, plus chart in atlas.
Old Bell & REA & some state specs were 15 ft clearance over a roadway.
Missouri allows 14ft loads on interstates & within 10 miles. Beyond 10 miles limit is 13ft 6in.
Post back with origin, destination, & preferred route, will try to look it up.
Couple suggestions
Height pole on front of truck- make it an inch or 3 higher than the load to check clearance before doing any damage.
Lower the load- build up crib of wood blocks under axle housing, then deflate tires so load rests on blocks.
HTH
Willie

Tree-Farmer · Jun 2, 2015

Thank you, that's helpful. They said you don't need a permit, in Missouri, if you're hauling for farm use.

My other question is: Is it better to load backwards or forwards? Which way is less likely to tip as it's going on?

For weight distribution, I think it would be better for the large wheels to be over the trailer wheels, so I would prefer to load it backwards.

In the picture above, it seems like a lot of weight on the pickup, with the big wheels forward. Is that correct?

Thank you,

showcrop · Jun 2, 2015

I would be taking the tires right off from it, and getting some wood strapping to make wire deflectors to enable it to slide under the inevitable low hanging cable TV wire.

Tree-Farmer · Jun 2, 2015

Wire Deflector-Sounds like a great idea! Do you have a picture of how you did yours, to give me some ideas?

showcrop · Jun 3, 2015

(quoted from post at 21:38:52 06/02/15) Wire Deflector-Sounds like a great idea! Do you have a picture of how you did yours, to give me some ideas?

I have never made one, but I have seen them many times on the road. It would be the same idea as anything made for going in the forest, where a metal frame is used to guide branches up and over the cab. You would need at least two, one for each side and maybe one in the middle too. They need two solid attach points, near the highest part, then you can pull the front end of each one down to say ten feet off the ground with light rope, so that they end up as an arc.

Dick L · Jun 3, 2015

I have hauled Gleaner E's with cabs on a trailer much like the one in the picture. I always drove them on. I tried to back one on the first time and it does not work. Without the head it would have rested with the cab on the ground with the tail in the air. Winching on would work. On the Gleaner E it balanced quite well on the trailer.

Brendon-KS · Jun 3, 2015

I know for a fact that many loads that leave a certain farm equipment factory in our area measure a few inches over 14 feet. According to a trucker I've spoken with that hauls loads like this you are generally OK as long as you're under 14'6".

showcrop · Jun 3, 2015

(quoted from post at 16:18:35 06/03/15) I know for a fact that many loads that leave a certain farm equipment factory in our area measure a few inches over 14 feet. According to a trucker I've spoken with that hauls loads like this you are generally OK as long as you're under 14'6".

BUT, any one who has driven a truck at all knows that on secondary roads there are plenty of cable wires below 13'6".

1206SWMO · Jun 3, 2015

Thats my combine and hauling outfit.....The little 40 JD only weighs 5500 lbs so not much weight on the truck ....I got it from a neighbor 10 miles away.....I have hauled numerous old combines out of Kansas,some as far as 400 miles...Most were non runners and pulled on backwards with a winch so I could take the header off and place it end ways on the back of the trailer...I managed to get every combine under 13'6"...

john in la · Jun 3, 2015

If you need wire deflectors get 2 pieces of pvc pipe about 1/2" size. (1 for each side)
Tie one end of the pipe parallel to the ground at the highest point.
Bend the other end down and tie it below 10 to 11 feet off ground.
As you hit the wire it will ride up the pvc pipe and over the top.

john in la · Jun 3, 2015

Some electric wires are low also.

A car dealer put a trailer across a city street from the dealer building.
The trailer was used as a used car lot office.
Rather than having the electric company install new service to the trailer they had a electrician rum a feed from the main building across the street to the trailer.
Wire was strung from a satellite dish pole on one side to the trailer on the other side.
About 2 days after the installation I went down this city street to make a delivery.
Pulled the whole electric box right off the side of the trailer.
Pulled down the satellite dish and it fell on 4 new cars.

Needless to say the dealer owner was ------.
He could of spit nails when the cops measured my trailer and found it to be 13' 4" tall and told me you are free to go.

JimEvans · Jun 3, 2015

I know someone that hauled our old 45 roundback with a cab from southern Iowa through Sedalia to Stover quite a few years ago. That was probably They ripped off some banners across the road in Stover. Their biggest problem was trying to get into gas stations for gas. It was a gas pickup and most stations don't have awnings that are tall enough.

RBoots · Jun 3, 2015

Hauled numerous Gleaner E's about that size (5500 lbs each) with a rig quite similar to that. If only hauling one, backed it on, jacked it up and removed drive and steer tires to get it right at 13'6. If I hauled 2, I would back the chopper part over the gooseneck and leave the steer tires on, then drove the second one on and removed all 4 tires from it. Seems like a 303 IH without the tires on our trailer was 14' even. That one was hauled 325 miles on the freeway, just keep an eye on overpass heights. Many rural wires/telephone and cable lines are lower heights than what you would find on the highways. Wire sweeps are still a good idea. Take a piece of 1/8" X 3/4" flat stock and drill and bolt each end to the combine, in the shape of an arc about a foot to 16" high. Being a combine, probably have to have one on each side due to the width.

Ross

willie in mn · Jun 4, 2015

John
BTDT several times, drove local P&D for a while.
One small town did street rebuilding, new surface was 18 in higher than old. Power & phone hadn't set taller poles, put half the town silent & in the dark. Joint use poles, so power company had to pay the damage.
Another town, alley delivery, low phone drop, pulled pole over onto cab roof. Cop measured trailer, phone co had to pay for damage, including new pole, body work to cab roof, towing, my lag time, have a replacement tractor deadheaded from terminal to location, & time for loss of use of tractor while in body shop.
Willie

rmf1066 · Jun 5, 2015

Here is a picture of my 4400 that I hauled home about 100 miles. Took state roads home and went right through a town of about 50000 people. Chain it down good and drive like you know what your doing and you will have no problems.

craigco · Jun 5, 2015

let some air out of the tires sure you could lose a few inches that way

fixerupper · Jun 7, 2015

Overpasses will give the most problems.

caterpillar guy · Jun 9, 2015

As Willie said 14ft is the legal height for MO. You are going to be wide and that requires permits and signs for legal transport. The height will also depend on the tire size on the machine. For 3 inches you can get that by letting some air out of the drive tires. Be careful about the air thing as you don't want the sidewalls to rub inside the tire. Yes that can happen if you let to much out. I would let some out then chain it down with ratchet binders on the drive axle. You can pull it down more with them. Be cautious about breaking the chain doing it though. Yes you can stretch a chain pretty easy with ratchet binders. You are going to be around 9-10 foot wide without the head on. The head should come off.
No I am not a safety police just don't like to give my cash to the judges retirement fund.

Height and Loading a Combine?

Tree-Farmer

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showcrop

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Dick L

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