PFarmer

New User
I am sure this has been discussed in the past but I am too lazy to go back and look at 3700+ pages of past topics. My question regards loading a higher center of gravity tractor, such as a Farmall H or M, on a trail; I have read some comments recently saying that under no circumstance would the person making the comment drive a tractor on a trailer he always uses a wench to pull the tractor on. Any thoughts?
 
I drove my oliver 77 onto and off of a trailer. I see no reason why not to, provided that the trailer is rated for the weight and everything is working properly. Tractors with narrow fronts may prove a challenge for most trailers, but you shouldn't be at any more risk than normal.
 
I drive them on all the time. Depending on the tractor, where the weight distribution is, I back some on and drive others on.
My BIL won't drive his on or off, I have to do it for him.
 
On is easy, off a bit more challenging
but still doable for most. When going
off make sure you are in low gear and
don't push in the clutch til your off.
 
Just like flying. Takeoffs are optional, landings are mandatory. You ARE going to come back down, it's up to you to determine how.

I like the idea of using a wench, though. Let her do the work.
 
A friend of ours that buys a LOT of tractors, ALWAYS pulls his onto his trailer with a winch, BUT, he has a tilt deck, and a crummy one in my opinion! It is 24 foot, and by the time the tail touches the ground, I can't walk up the deck it is sooooo steep!!!

NOW, if you are loading a deck over trailer, with a 4 or 5 foot dove tail or something, ya man, just drive it on there... Lot of guys always like to back them, due to roll overs, which is a good move, but if you are putting two narrow fronts on there, you have to drive one of them on forwards!

Our trailer is a low profile car trailer, so, it is easy to load. When you are loading and unloading on a bigger trailer though, just take you time! NICE and easy!!
 
Drive "em on, back "em off. Back "em on, drive
"em off. Doesn"t matter how you do it, go slow,
make sure your brakes work well and pedals
are locked, try to have the deck dry and don"t
load on a side hill. We have mostly WFE tractors
but when we do have to haul NFE tractors and
we take the little 18" trailer, it only has two
ramps. Just drive the front wheels up one ramp
and straighten it up before the rear wheels
come on the ramps. The worst is backing a
combine on the gooseneck when we haul 2
small ones. Usually only the center rib on each
steer tire touches the deck on each side. Then
jack it up and pop the tires/wheels off it.

Ross
 
If you cant drive your tractor on and off your trailer you should not ever be allowed to drive any tractor too many wannabes having tractors who probably should not have one.
 
Make sure it's flat where you load. If there is no flat area go to a spot that is. Drive it on chain it down and go. Only time I winch a tractor is if it won't run. That's it. Just my two cents.
 
I try to back on when it's feasible. Once when driving on a B Farmall that ran poorly I got a little "clutchy" and almost flipped it backwards off the dove-tail ramp. Once was enough. I don't care to need a change of clothes to load one. gm
 
I drive mine on and off and usually try to center my rear tractor tires between the tires on the trailer.
 
A subject that has many different opinions.

First and foremost do it the way that you are most comfortable. If you want to spend the time winching go ahead.

Personally I prefer to back tractors on. I have driven them forward on but gave that up many moons ago. If there is a need to drive on (nesting two on a trailer) the winch may get cranked up. If the one being driven on is on steel the winch will definitely get used.

Steel wheels on steel deck, don't care which direction it gets winched.

Used to only winch steel wheels till this summer. I back against a bank to load at home and use the dock at local show. I was backed up to the trailer and the winch was running but I decided to try backing on under tractor power. Went smoothly so I have modified my steel wheel method.

Once again do what you are comfortable with.

I will add that loading and unloading is probably the most stressful time for me driving a tractor, but it does get easier.

jt
 
(quoted from post at 08:03:53 10/02/15) My wife (the Wench) wont even drive her own four-wheeler on a trailer, no way would she pull a tractor on!

And I am pretty sure that "Trailor" is one of the Autobots.
Seriously, careful and slow does the job. Sometimes the winch is the best way, like when you cant see the deck and need to make steering corrections. This one had to be dragged up to the split where the deck tilts to get both ends on the deck, then tilted flat and pulled ahead some more for balance. It was done with the tow vehicle connected.
28549.jpg
 
I drive on. Tractor is facing forwards. As others have said make sure trailer is level. I have modified the trailer with jacks on the rear to support it so the tongue does not try to lift the truck. Also idling the tractor down minimizes the front lifting.
 
Teasing Alert! Pun Alert! Barmaid in 'English' pub has a couple rowdy grab*ss customers, gets knocked/tripped to floor. Sees the open tool box and grabs the biggest spanner on top tray and whacks the side of tripping foot hard. ER report say patient has a???
-
-
-
wait for it
-
-
-
"Wenched Ankle'
-
warned ya
-
RN
 
Hi
I will tell you my personal experience. We used to load Belarus 5270 type ( like a 500 series) front wheel assist or 2 wd with a cab on in a
grain box to move them around somedays if they were going further than we wanted to drive them. that box floor was about 4or so ft from the ground
with a set of 2 12 ft ramps. The tractor was A huge site higher and taller that a guy sitting on top of a regular farmall H and a trailer maybe 14
or 24" from the ground. I did this for years. with the height and sides on the truck it would of been real hard or even impossible to reverse up and
get the tractor in first time. Not once did I ever have the front wheels on any of those tractors lift off the ramp. The secret is being sensible
having the correct ramps level surface and knowing what your doing. Yes things can go wrong. and it happens, some guys should not have equipment,
we see that in pictures and with whats written on forums some days. If a guy stayed in bed eventually it would kill him if he did nothing .With
either medical conditions or the roof of the house falling in on him! L.O.L
some guys just way over react and this is why there are so many risk assesment experts out there telling us we can't do this stuff any more and why
businesses are closing all the time. You cant fix stupid just ban or legislate against the cause of some of these things, STUPID PEOPLE !
Regards Robert
 
Once you start commit to the job. Don't try to stop and restart midway up the ramps. I set back a few feet, idle engine down, select first gear, let clutch out fully and let tractor crawl up on the trailer.
 
(quoted from post at 08:00:04 10/02/15) If you cant drive your tractor on and off your trailer you should not ever be allowed to drive any tractor too many wannabes having tractors who probably should not have one.

I say this about dirt biking: The most dangerous thing about the sport it is loading and unloading. Tractors are the same way. Especially if you have steel wheels, steel or aluminum deck, jumpy clutch, bad brakes, stuck engine, cheap ramps, or it is raining. If you feel uncomfortable or you have a winch, why take a risk?
 
I always back my tractors on the trailer when hauling them, Have seen a couple of times when someone driving their tractor on there trailer they some how managed to flip it over backwards, needles to say they did not survive.
Common sense says the backend of a tractor is heavier than the front. Also much easier to see the ramps when driving off of a trailer.
 
(quoted from post at 08:00:04 10/02/15) If you cant drive your tractor on and off your trailer you should not ever be allowed to drive any tractor too many wannabes having tractors who probably should not have one.

That's like saying that if you can't pull and back up a trailer you shouldn't have a drivers license. Some people never trailer a tractor so being able to drive one on a trailer has little to do with actual field operations. Same as most of the driving population never will never pull a trailer much less try to back one up.

Rick
 
I usually pull them on.
I will back on at home if I'm taking it somewhere where I haven't been before.....easier to drive off in an unknown place.
Like the others said, pull on in one move. something wrong, roll back off completely and try again.
junk? roll it off, working the brakes with your hand.
bad situation? step back and let it go.

funny, real truckers laugh (I don't like high deck trailers)
they are right, the dirt mound/hill I built to test governors, brakes, clutches, etc, is far steeper than any trailer ramp.
I drive everything over it...even pulling a drag...never even think about it :)
 
You dont have enough trailer for that truck. Looks like a accident waiting to happen.I
dont know how you pulled it more forward to balance it out when its already bumped up to
the rail already. Looks like a dangerous load.
 
(quoted from post at 20:31:52 10/03/15) You dont have enough trailer for that truck. Looks like a accident waiting to happen.I
dont know how you pulled it more forward to balance it out when its already bumped up to
the rail already. Looks like a dangerous load.

You must be talking about mine. The trailer is a 6 ton Miller, and the deck tilts up to the dark spot behind the front wheel. The original tilt deck is 16 feet and the non-tilting foredeck i built adds another 4 feet. The lengthened hay truck has a 15 foot wheelbase, and weighs less than half of what the trailer is rated for. A bit tricky to load, the winch allowed me to bring it right up to the front edge, and then pull a bit more as I leveled it out, keeping the rear wheels from rolling off the back as the cable. Once it was level I pulled it forward against chains from the rear, then used more with binders on the front. Safe and secure.
 
The ones I hate to load are deere they are so light on the front end. And most of them the brakes either are grabby from the pedal sticking or the one will not work. These are the old putt putt ones. I have 2 that will not load next year if they don't fix the clutch and brake pedals.
I load 6 on to a load when I load them. I have to both back and drive them on.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top