New HD equipment trailer

[white cloud]

It is amazing to me how fast trailer deck space disappears. When I went trailer shopping, I thought they all looked like the deck of an aircraft carrier. I have a L series Kubota. With the tractor,loader and bush hog, my 20' Big Tex is just barely long enough. I would go 22' if I was purchasing it again.

One other point in favor of the tilt bed. My trailer has a three foot dovetail. With the bush hog attached to the three point and raised as far as it will go, the wheel of the bush hog hits the pavement when driving on the trailer. Everyone tells me this is okay but I wonder.

 

[nikerret]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice so far. Another quest... for an equipment hauler moving my tractor, do you prefer tilt deck or equipment ramps?

I've only had one experience with the tilt. It was a pain in the butt. It took us over two hours to load a motorhome on a PJ tilt. A fixed deck would not have given us the problems. From that experience, I am not fully against owning a tilt. Less to break leaves more to use.

 

[George2615]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice so far. Another quest... for an equipment hauler moving my tractor, do you prefer tilt deck or equipment ramps?

I prefer tilt bed for the following reasons.
1) Much faster to tilt the bed by elect./hyd
2) Getting older and ramps were getting heavier.
3) Tore a rotator cuff and could no longer lift ramps.
4) When using a trailer with ramps I had a hard time loading low slung cars on the trailer, the exhaust would hang up at the apex where the ramps attached to the trailer. To alleviate that problem I'd have to jack up the front of the trailer to lessen the apex angle.
I went with tilt bed 12 years ago and never looked back. (Just my opinion)

 

[4570Man]

I’ve never tried but I think I could load a car in my Big Tex without dragging. It’s lot milder slope than my old trailer was. The spring assisted ramps aren’t bad. I’ve never seen a powered tilt deck trailer.

 

[Redbug]

On the tilt beds...some of them have a valve that you close and the bed will not go down. That is good for long wheelbase vehicles that may be front heavy. The PJs and some of the others I saw did not have the valve. I think you could add a valve in if your tilt bed does not have one. Diamond C does have them. That was one of the factors I had in mind when looking for a tilt bed. You may not need the valve...but maybe one day you might...you never know.

 

[4570Man]

That’s how the tilt deck I used worked, but it wasn’t powered.

 

[George2615]

I’ve never tried but I think I could load a car in my Big Tex without dragging. It’s lot milder slope than my old trailer was. The spring assisted ramps aren’t bad. I’ve never seen a powered tilt deck trailer.

My current PJ Model TF is power up and power down. My previous H&H tilt bed was power up and gravity down controlled with a handle operated valve.

 

[nikerret]

On the tilt beds...some of them have a valve that you close and the bed will not go down. That is good for long wheelbase vehicles that may be front heavy. The PJs and some of the others I saw did not have the valve. I think you could add a valve in if your tilt bed does not have one. Diamond C does have them. That was one of the factors I had in mind when looking for a tilt bed. You may not need the valve...but maybe one day you might...you never know.

The PJ I used had the valve. It didn't do anything. Might have been a fine system, if it had worked.

 

[tmcj]

If you go with ramps, make sure they are spring assisted for easy lowering and raising, and that they have solid support feet to bear the weight against the ground rather than wanting to drop the tail and lift the front when loading. Equipment trailer ramps have different cross member spacings, look for ramps with close spacing so smaller tire vehicles will work smoothly also. Check the crossmember spacing and quantity for the floor support too. More cross members with tighter spacing will provide for a stronger and more durable deck. Tongues with various options for bolting on the coupler are nice for finding the right height to match for different vehicles or different drop ball mounts. Your trailer may not always have the same vehicle to tow it with. Think about how you want to strap or chain things. Stake pockets with rub rails, d-rings, etc. Quick drop jacks are handy too to eliminate excessive winding in different locations. Built in tool box / storage box built into the tongue is great for chain and strap storage or other odds and ends. And one thing you will definitely appreciate is good lighting. Sealed and integrated LED lighting systems are great and less problematic than typical trailer lights.

 

[m1garand762]

I have a PJ and really like it. I looked at a bunch of trailers and found the fit and finish to be better on pj. also found of all the trailers i looked at it had the best paint job

 

[Tomtint]

I'm happy with my 22' 14K PJ full tilt trailer. I agree that you may want to go longer. I went from a 20' to 22' when I upgraded trailers.

I'm still trying to figure out the whole trailer length thing.. I have a 22' ramp trailer and a 20' full tilt. .. the full tilt is a 10k the 22 is 17.5k .. the problem is that the longer trailer is so heavy to begin with, even empty is makes the read of my F350 squat.. load it up and the front is 5" higher than the back of the truck. I know it has to do with wheel position on the trailer.. but inevitably the longer it is.. the further back the wheels are.. the more weight on the hitch...

 

[George2615]

I'm still trying to figure out the whole trailer length thing.. I have a 22' ramp trailer and a 20' full tilt. .. the full tilt is a 10k the 22 is 17.5k .. the problem is that the longer trailer is so heavy to begin with, even empty is makes the read of my F350 squat.. load it up and the front is 5" higher than the back of the truck. I know it has to do with wheel position on the trailer.. but inevitably the longer it is.. the further back the wheels are.. the more weight on the hitch...

My PJ full tilt measures 17' from hitch to the center of the first axle. Using a digital scale and lifting the empty trailer at the tongue I show a weight of 1195#. I have not weighed the trailer but the brochure lists it at 4000 lb. My 2500HD only drops about an inch or so when I hook up the trailer. Even when loaded with my 5600 lb tractor the truck sits fairly level.
I've attached a few pics. I don't have a good pic of the truck with my tractor on the trailer but have one with my neighbors MF 1734E and the rear still seems higher than the front.
What year is your truck and what is the tongue weight of your 17.5K trailer?

 

[Tomtint]

My truck looks s a 17 F350 Platinum 4x4 crew cab.. I figured it should handle that trailer well enough.i really don’t know what the TW is on it though

 

[George2615]

Are the 17.5K trailer axles quad or dual wheel. (Meaning 4 or 8 tires per axle on the trailer). If 8 tires the trailer probably weighs at least 6-7K by itself and if the axles are more toward the rear your tongue weight may be 2K or more causing a lot of squat you are seeing. If you have a standard 2 5/16th hitch you can (and should) use a WD hitch. A pintle hitch trailer is usually on a bigger truck.