Advice needed for road travel while pulling a trailer

[joshuabardwell]

Home sweet home

So how'd she pull? On the edge? No problem at all? We're dying to know!

 

[kiotiken]

Not clear if you got all of it?

I do see the metal rack on the back of the trailer.

Nope, I took about 6000# on the trailer and 800# on the loader. There was 3000# left, none of it great and I didn't want to push it anymore.

So how'd she pull? On the edge? No problem at all? We're dying to know!

Well, I'll say the DK45 is a beast! Be that as is may, it felt EVERY hill, even the ones I couldn't really tell were hills. I stayed in high the entire way but had to take the cruise off anytime there was an incline and feather it a bit. It probably took an extra 15 to 20 minutes on the way home.

My neighbour ran over when I got home and started helping me. As soon as he got to the back of the tractor to detatch the trailer, he started yelling. Fluid was splashing out from around the right side cab bumper so I got the trailer off, dropped off the pallet with granite and got the tractor to a serviceable spot. I then got in there a little closer to see what I was dealing with. Turns out, the A/C drips like a fountain on days like today:laughing: So, I'm happy to report, no (known) damage to the tractor or trailer. I broke the two pieces on the loader on the way home, they were just carried to flat and the road was to bumpy. I was really just using them for ballast, and somebody may want them for a table.

I ended up with 10 large pieces on the trailer, including the one I wanted all along for my table, two on the loader (well, 4 now!) plus 4 pieces they gave me a couple weeks ago and brought home in the car (I didn't include in this whole story in the thread). I have 4 projects that I want to do, 3 of them this year. Thankfully, I've got a pretty good imagination, so I'm sure I'll come up with a bunch more. I'd like to sell some on kijiji and give away a whole lot more to friends and family.

Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate all the comments. I'm glad it went to plan and I was impress how smoothly it all went. Holding up 1000# slab of granite to full height plus the curl of the bucket is quite an experience, especially with no ballast other than loaded tires. The tractor didn't even seem to notice.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Good deal. I bet you can get a little money selling the scraps on Craigslist or whatever when all is said and done.

I had the same experience with "feeling every hill" when I took up bicycling for a while. Stuff where, in a car you would say it was flat, all of the sudden you realize it's actually uphill!

 

[kiotiken]

Good deal. I bet you can get a little money selling the scraps on Craigslist or whatever when all is said and done.

I had the same experience with "feeling every hill" when I took up bicycling for a while. Stuff where, in a car you would say it was flat, all of the sudden you realize it's actually uphill!

You start to realize how much power your little car really has, whizzing up hills and sprinting off the line at stoplights. Little old ladies with walkers beat me across the street when the lights went green! It did just fine on flat roads, but it still took some time to get up some steam. I'll take a guess that I was about 14,000 lbs all in, that's a lot for a little 45 hp diesel to move.

 

[rmorey]

Nope, I took about 6000# on the trailer and 800# on the loader. There was 3000# left, none of it great and I didn't want to push it anymore.



Well, I'll say the DK45 is a beast! Be that as is may, it felt EVERY hill, even the ones I couldn't really tell were hills. I stayed in high the entire way but had to take the cruise off anytime there was an incline and feather it a bit. It probably took an extra 15 to 20 minutes on the way home.

My neighbour ran over when I got home and started helping me. As soon as he got to the back of the tractor to detatch the trailer, he started yelling. Fluid was splashing out from around the right side cab bumper so I got the trailer off, dropped off the pallet with granite and got the tractor to a serviceable spot. I then got in there a little closer to see what I was dealing with. Turns out, the A/C drips like a fountain on days like today:laughing: So, I'm happy to report, no (known) damage to the tractor or trailer. I broke the two pieces on the loader on the way home, they were just carried to flat and the road was to bumpy. I was really just using them for ballast, and somebody may want them for a table.

I ended up with 10 large pieces on the trailer, including the one I wanted all along for my table, two on the loader (well, 4 now!) plus 4 pieces they gave me a couple weeks ago and brought home in the car (I didn't include in this whole story in the thread). I have 4 projects that I want to do, 3 of them this year. Thankfully, I've got a pretty good imagination, so I'm sure I'll come up with a bunch more. I'd like to sell some on kijiji and give away a whole lot more to friends and family.

Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate all the comments. I'm glad it went to plan and I was impress how smoothly it all went. Holding up 1000# slab of granite to full height plus the curl of the bucket is quite an experience, especially with no ballast other than loaded tires. The tractor didn't even seem to notice.

Good job! Put me down for a piece when the "store opens"! :laughing:

 

[LD1]

Well done:thumbsup:

 

[jake98]

Great story! It'll be a tale to remember.. Glad nobody was texting at 100 mph.

 

[MotorSeven]

Wait....go back you forgot the metal rack!!!

I knew you could get 'er done:thumbsup:

 

[kiotiken]

Good job! Put me down for a piece when the "store opens"! :laughing:

We took pictures of all the pieces coming off the trailer, sketched them and drew out all the dimensions. I'm going to do a quick website with all the info and pics and put an ad on kijiji, CL and Used Ottawa. I'll update this thread when I do it, take a look and see if there's anything you like. I'm hoping to make a few bucks from the ads but like I said before, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse! I'm also thinking I'll go back for the rest of it in a few weeks. The stuff I left is more suitable (size wise) for bathroom vanities and smaller applications. I think I'm more likely to sell a few of those to make my money back. Not to many DYI'ers willing to take on a full kitchen!

Well done:thumbsup:

Thanks!

 

[kiotiken]

Great story! It'll be a tale to remember.. Glad nobody was texting at 100 mph.

The best memories are made doing the craziest things! I'm glad nobody was texting too. I had one crazy moment on the road, from the most unexpected person. I was driving along a long stretch of single lane road. The shoulders looked soft and I wouldn't have moved off the road for fear of shifting the load anyway so I built up a good long line behind me. I was coming up to a set of lights around a corner in the road. I was continuing straight, but there was a turning lane on my right (shoulder side of the road) for cars turning right at the lights. A transport truck with empty full length float took the turning lane, sped up as fast as he could and past me in the intersection taking the shoulder at the far side of the intersection (no turning lane there obviously). I only saw him go into the turning lane and figured he was turning, it scared the poop out of me when I figured out what he was up to. You'd think a heavy equipment operator would have a little more understanding.

 

[kiotiken]

Wait....go back you forgot the metal rack!!!

I knew you could get 'er done:thumbsup:

I'm thinking of going back for the rest since I could do it really quickly (it's all on pallets and much smaller pieces), but fear not, the metal rack is safely in my back yard holding the stone that I've got so far. The rack was a big reason I went through all this, I figured it was worth the $200 alone, so even if I dug a hole and buried the stone, I'd come out even other than my time. Once I use/sell/dispose of all the stone, I'll weld pegs onto the rack and use it for holding wood on one side, steel on the other. I'm building a nice shop in 5-10 years once the kids are a little older, so one way or the other, the rack will be empty by then.

 

[kiotiken]

When I finally got back home with the first load, completely exhausted, I said there'd be no way I was going back with the tractor for the rest. My neighbour came over and help me unload the stone last night and we did it in about an hour, and that included moving it all piece by piece into the sun, taking pics and measurements. Now that a little time has passed and I've seen how fast and easy it is with two people, I'm thinking I'll take the tractor back for the rest, my dad wants to help and may disown me if I leave any behind (I come by it honestly I guess). I left 2 pieces I really want, and there are several others that would be easier to sell and likely make my money back (not that it's really a big deal). The next load would be half the size or less and I know the tractor would have no issues doing it at all. I wont have time to do it for a few weeks, so we'll see if I change my mind again or my wife finally put her foot down :ashamed: I figure if I leave at 5:30 again, I'll be back for 9 or earlier.

 

[Gil Case]

Great job, fun read keeping track of your progress.
Also says something about all the wusses like me who said they would be too nervous to make that kind of move with a tractor.
Good luck on your return trip.

 

[kiotiken]

Great job, fun read keeping track of your progress.
Also says something about all the wusses like me who said they would be too nervous to make that kind of move with a tractor.
Good luck on your return trip.

Thanks, it was a fun project to do. All you "wusses" are what kept me in line and led to a safe and successful outcome without anything being broken. I even had one side of the sling on one of the two slabs that I really wanted but left, until all your advice came back and I left it. I tend to be very hard on things and inevitably break them.

 

[MoKelly]

Good job. Congrats!

MoKelly

 

[rmorey]

The best memories are made doing the craziest things! I'm glad nobody was texting too. I had one crazy moment on the road, from the most unexpected person. I was driving along a long stretch of single lane road. The shoulders looked soft and I wouldn't have moved off the road for fear of shifting the load anyway so I built up a good long line behind me. I was coming up to a set of lights around a corner in the road. I was continuing straight, but there was a turning lane on my right (shoulder side of the road) for cars turning right at the lights. A transport truck with empty full length float took the turning lane, sped up as fast as he could and past me in the intersection taking the shoulder at the far side of the intersection (no turning lane there obviously). I only saw him go into the turning lane and figured he was turning, it scared the poop out of me when I figured out what he was up to. You'd think a heavy equipment operator would have a little more understanding.

Hmmm... drag racin' transport trucks, sounds like a new hobby in the making! :laughing:

 

[Sawworcs]

I'd be most concerned about lack of braking on the trailer. That will be a heavy load that will try to push the tractor on any type of grade. The other concern would be towing off the 3pt arms. Remember the arms do not lock in one position so they can float up as the grade changes.

MarkV

Mark is totally right you should hook up to the draw bar on the back instead of the three point. Remember you only have rear brakes on your tractor so it will be hard to stop going down hill. You also need to wire up a trailer brake control on the tractor before ever towing this kind of weight. I would suggest taking multiple loads with your wife's vehicle and stack pallets between the fenders so you can load the granite with a fork lift. Be safe and good luck.

 

[LD1]

:confused2:

 

[kiotiken]

Mark is totally right you should hook up to the draw bar on the back instead of the three point. Remember you only have rear brakes on your tractor so it will be hard to stop going down hill. You also need to wire up a trailer brake control on the tractor before ever towing this kind of weight. I would suggest taking multiple loads with your wife's vehicle and stack pallets between the fenders so you can load the granite with a fork lift. Be safe and good luck.

Unfortunately, the draw bar is too low for that trailer and the trailer uses a pintle hitch. The draw bar just wasn't a possibility. Keep reading the thread, it all worked out perfectly. I was surprised how well the tractor handled the load. Apart from trying to get the load moving at traffic lights, it really had no problem pulling it or stopping it. I would have preferred having trailer brakes, it just wasn't going to happen.

 

[kiotiken]

I've decided to go back for the rest of the granite. The projects are piling up in my head. My BBQ zone has grown and moved off my deck to a new interlock patio that will be created and will now incorporate a bar at the deck level. We're redoing the full kitchen at the cottage and I'm going to do a granite shower and vanity in the roughed in bathroom area we have in the basement at home. This is all on top of the projects I started off with and I have several other ideas and several friends have an interest in pieces for redoing vanities. At this rate, I'll go through all the granite without having to sell any of it!

I bought a wet polisher tool off eBay. I get the wet grinder, a bunch of sanding/polishing disks, a router bit for beveling the edge, a blade for cutting radial arcs, a blade for cutting straight, a cupped grinder disk and a hole saw for faucets. All in, delivered it was $220 which I thought was great. I'm still waiting for delivery. Hopefully it holds up long enough to finish the projects I have in mind.