To buy a trailer or not, and if, what kind?

Seriously thinking of buying a gooseneck for my '04 F-350 (Ford 6.0, auto, crew, 4x4, single rear, HD towing package, hideway ball), new or used (where might there be good used ones, oil field all around with plenty abused ones..)
What I want it for is to haul some farm equipment, usually smaller stuff plows, rakes, occasionally something heavier, up to 12-14K. Larger stuff such as PT or SP old combines usually are bulky, want 100-102" wide deck, and maybe want to add a winch later on (after winning the lottery), length about 24-26 ft, thinking about torsion (spelling) bar, too. Considering tilt bed (ease of loading)over dovetail/ramps. Still undecided on dual axle single/duals, triple singles, oil bath vs. bearing,etc.
Thanks for all input! Ralph in OK.

I have a tandem dual 25+5 right now rated for 20k.I like the deck space and the heavy duty rating of it but if I had my choice to buy a different one it would have 3 axles with single wheels. My tandem duals is a hard puller[always feels like the brakes are on] my old 3 axle bumper pulled like a 4x8 with 3 tractors on it.

Only place you will find a GOOD used trailer would be at an estate auction or something similar. Every used trailer I ever found for sale was pretty well beat up and totally abused, and they still were asking within $1,000 to $2,000 of brand new price.

That is strange Super Trucker, I have a tripple axel that pulls harder than my friends duel tandem, at least I thought it did. The Duel tandem is oil bath and my triple is house trailer 14.5 axles? I guess I can't afford a new trailer anyway.

HILLSBORO is THE ONLY way to go in my opion we just bought one in june and it has been one of the best trailers ever. expensive though, but worth everypenny in my opinion

Id look at pro trak or gatormade 14000 gvw trailers. They can be bought new for around $4000. Where are you located?

To carry that weight you need either tandem dual or triple axle. I have a PJ tandem dual that has been very good. I pull it with my '06 6.0 super duty, with no problem with max legal load. I bought this one right, just two years old, but you can expect to pay a lot more for duals than triaxle. You will be told to stay a way from a triaxle because they scrub tires on sharp turns. but you can buy a new pair of tires every other year for some years before you make up the difference of duals. Also the triaxle is more stable due to more tires under the outside edge. The triaxle has no inner tires to give you headaches and it has 50% more brakes.

You must have been at the discussions I had with a couple dealers....told me excactly why I should get a dual tandem over triple single...lol. Thanks for the input, makes sense.

southwestern Oklahoma.

Yep - I sure like my triple axle for the reasons you mentioned, even though I've about worn it to a frazzle.

Plus, I just never let myself get into a tight spot while loaded. I've found minimizing tight turns with a load on is the single best thing to maximize tire life on my tri-axle and I've hauled a lot of really heavy loads with it.


Howard

Well if your going to haul combines,width will always be an issue. There is only one trailer made that I know of that has an expandable deck. Donahue trailers in Durham kansas. Hydralicly expandable to 12 ft width. 29ft in length(24 deck 5 dovetail) Mine has triple axles rated to 21,000 lbs. and tows like a dream.

Thanks Vernon, yes the Donahue variable width goose-neck is THE cat's meow.... I imagine I need a basement first to set up some serious money printing operation ....

If the piece of equipment you want to haul weighs 12K-14K, then you will want more than a 14K trailer.

14K is the GVWR of the trailer, not its payload capacity. Usually a 24ft 14K GVWR gooseneck will weigh 4500+ empty, leaving you with only 9500lbs of payload capacity.

You can load nose-heavy and put 3000+ on the gooseneck, and 14K on the axles, and squeeze a 12K piece on the trailer, but you're in the realm of commercial trucking. If the trailer is rated 14K the DMV won't let you register it for more than 14K. You just loaded the trailer to 16.5K. That spells trouble when you are pulled over and weighed.

I have a 20+5 Corn Pro just 14000 gvw. with ramps that are flat on top and the floor raises up in the middle. Pull it with a 03 f250 Gasser. Love it seems to pull easy. Have hooked on to the neighbor's 24000 lb trailer, think mine pulls easier with two antique tractors than his empty. I also have the torsion axles, would get them again, although had to play with the goose-neck height, to get it right. but when you do they pull sooo much better and don't shake your truck. Vic

I have a 2009 PJ 29+5 dual tandem and I absolutely love it. I do commercial hauling, and this trailer has taken everything I've thrown at it and no problems. My opinion is the best way to get a deal on one is to call the delaerships and try to find one leftover from last year. They are usually willing to discount it to make room for the new years models. In my case it was a special order that the dealer screwed up so the customer refused it. Got an awesome deal on a brand new trailer. One thing though is after sitting for over a year we had problems with axle seals, but the dealer stood behind it and took very good care of me.

if needing to haul 14k payload.. then dual tandems, or tripple axle.

the width may mean you need a overdimensional permit.

go for a deckover.. about only choice. I like a beaver tail and fold up or flipover ramps.

soundguy

The first thing I need to ask is what is the GVW and the GCVW of the truck? What ply tires are you running on the truck? What is the rating of the hide a way ball? As for the trailer you want one that is built strong but light weight so you can haul more. Tri axel distrubute weight better but weigh more than a tandum duel wheeled. Tilt beds are nice but the added weight of that set up I dont think is worth the cost and added weight. The longer the trailer the less you can haul is something to think about. You need to ask yourself what you will realy haul from place to place and what dose it weigh per load and how much deck do you realy need. Bandit

If you are wanting to legally pull a 14K load on a trailer, you better start with getting a bigger truck. Your truck is only designed to pull a 18500 total load. That is truck, trailer, and equipment on trailer.

With that little bit of legality aside, I would go with a tandem axle 20K trailer. But, there is another legality issue. With a 20K trailer you will "potentially" be able to be over the 26000 lbs threshold. So then, you would need a bigger truck because yours is not rated for 26000-29000 lbs. and neither are your farm plates. I know 3/4 ton trucks and 1 tons that pull them all the time, but the DOT can give you a ticket at any moment for the potential overweight rating even if you are empty going down the road. With that being said, farmers pull those trailers all the time and the law is never enforced unless you are clearly a commercial business (hot shot service). With a 20K trailer you would need a dot # which requires you to have a medical card even if you are farm exempt. I am speaking from DOT laws in KY.

I have a buddy who was pulling his farm backhoe on a 20K trailer with a 1 ton truck. Got stopped by DOT for no bucket chain. He also got fined for the gross vehicle weight restriction, no dot #, and no medical card. It only takes one stop with a sour DOT apple to drain your bank account.

So long story short...With your F-350 truck you as a farm plated vehicle can only pull a total of about 18.500 lbs. So your only option "legally" would be a 14K trailer. Then, this trailer is not heavy enough for what you are wanting to put on it. It's really a catch 22.

What are you talkin about-"Bucket Chain"?

(quoted from post at 16:27:18 02/12/12) What are you talkin about-"Bucket Chain"?

Click to expand...

That's the chain that holds your loader to the trailer, in case some one steals the pins that hold it onto the tractor.

Exactly . I really wish someone would make a valid argument why 3pt hitch implements, loaders, and backhoe attachments have to be chained down separately. I don't get it except for some implements that is only held on by the draw bar pin. These components have secure pins and/or bolts attaching them to the equipment frame. I guess the original manufacturer's design wasn't satisfactory enough for the DOT. I have always thought this law was so stupid. If it is attached good enough to use safely, it should be good enough to ride along on a trailer.

I have friends with Corn Pro and Featherlite tandem duals and they are very happy with them. My H and H 20' hi-deck dump has been nothing but trouble, with no dealer or mfg support. The Gatormade units look pretty good and PJ make very nice units. Roy