Trailer Purchasing Advise

Beezz27 · Mar 24, 2022

I am in the market for a trailer to haul my tractor, DK40 HST, the longest the tractor will be is almost exactly 22ft with the loader and bush hog, although 98% of the time I wouldn't be hauling it with the bush hog, and with any other attachment I'm only between 17-19ft. I was ORIGINALLY looking for a 20ft 14k but the more I thought about it I figured I'd enjoy the room of a 22ft. I called a local dealer and they actually didn't have a 22 but they do have a 24ft in stock. I haven't gotten a chance to look at the trailer yet (to check for Quality of build) but what is your opinion on a 24ft bumper pull? I will be pulling it with a RAM 2500. It seems like a lot of trailer to me but then again I'd have no worry of needing extra space.
Another question would be, is anyone familiar with Currahee trailers? That is the brand of the trailer (24ft 14k) and this dealer has quoted me almost $600 less for this 24ft than another dealer had quoted me for a 22ft GPS brand trailer.
I know that better quality comes at higher prices and I haven't gone to look at either trailer (neither dealer is super close to me and of course they are in opposite directions from me), just curious if anyone on here was familiar with either the Currahee or GPS Brand(s)

deezler · Mar 24, 2022

24 feet is typically about the longest I see people going with a bumper pull. That is loooong. My own 20' trailer feels very long to me (though I wouldn't dare go shorter, my ck3510 barely fits with attachments mounted).

Is it a car-hauler or equipment trailer? IE, what are the ramps like. I love that my 20' is a car hauler, so that the ramps stow away instead of being up in the way all the time. A brush hog can hang off a couple feet. But on an equipment trailer, not the case.

George2615 · Mar 24, 2022

I have a PJ model TF 22' 14K tilt bed trailer for hauling my LS 3037HC, cars, trucks, etc. It is listed at 22' but the deck is actually 23'. It is a great hauler. I tow with a Chevy 2500HD. I've had tilt beds for the last 15 years and like them much better since I don't have to use ramps. My previous trailer was a 20' tilt and I didn't have much wiggle room fore and aft to balance the load.

Not familiar with Currahee or GPS brand. I don't think there are any dealers near me. Tilt beds do cost a bit more but no ramps to worry about. Bought mine from a dealer about 50 miles away. Price was about $6800 incl. tax but that was in 2014. I think quality is excellent.

ljjhouser · Mar 24, 2022

Just a short reminder. Do a little research on any company. Check to see if they use ONLY certified welders when building their brand. Also, remember to consider the features - all led lighting, brakes on both axles (required in most states over 5K lbs I think), Offset-jack with side crank, spare tire mount and location, ez lube axles, slipper springs, etc.
This is my 14K tilt bed DooLittle trailer. This is before I added the tire mount, front toolbox, solar panel to charge the battery and added GPS tracker, 8 additional marker light on each side, and added more turn-brake led to the rear. The offset jack was upgraded to 12K and has a adjustable coupler mount. Watch to see tire size matches weight wanted. It also has bolt on fenders (some have drive over fenders). I also added a 9K winch. It also has spaces on both sides for steps to get on and off.

You have a great truck for going gooseneck or any other mount for a trailer. This trailer is 20'. I did not have room to park anything longer or gooseneck. But I also use the truck bed space when I travel with the trailer. Ever foot of space on a trailer will become prime real estate. 22' is good and there will be times you will wish to have the 24'. I have 20', and sometimes wish it were 22'.

A little word of caution - Any added feature is great. BUT, if you buy a trailer that is not well built and DOES NOT track well, you will never be comfortable when traveling with it, especially loaded.
I have had several tilt beds. This is the best trailer I have ever had. It is a jewel. And it was priced like a jewel also.

A toolbox will become important as you look for places to store those chain binders you want to use. I keep my chains stretched out on the front deck of the trailer - otherwise they go into the toolbox also.

I installed a GPS tracker - hoping to prevent or locate if stolen. But then I talked with my Ins agent. I had it insured - only cost $23 every six months. I think that is the best way to not worry about that. That coupler lock is made by Proven Industries in Canada. 14" hardened plate. If you use bumper, you may want to look at that.
Best Wishes, hope you find what you want.

ovrszd · Mar 24, 2022

Trailers are like socks. There's never quite a perfect one.

setxjeff · Mar 24, 2022

At that length I would definitely check into going gooseneck. I have a 16 foot lowboy (bumper)and a 24 foot gooseneck lowboy. I prefer to pull the 24 foot.
A gooseneck is more forgiving on loading position of trailer and on a 24 foot trailer more positioning room. I was in a wreck (not the driver) caused by a improperly loaded 24 ft bumper pull trailer, trailer started swaying and the driver panicked and slammed on the brakes. Nobody injured but a giant learning experience.
as always everything is just my personal opinion.

LD1 · Mar 24, 2022

Best advise on trailer....is if you can find what you want, and at a price you like, buy it.

Trailer market is crazy....both prices and lead times.

But 24' wouldn't scare me at all for that tractor.

We have a 22' BP and it was a good match for a similar sized tractor and 6' hog. A 24' wouldn't be much different at all....especially with a BP, and give a little more wiggle room for load placement.

Goosenecks are a different animal....and I wouldn't advise it unless you have towed one or talked with someone that has. Cause I don't know what your towing is gonna be like? Where you are towing to and from. But most people's driveway approaches aren't wide enough to whip in a GN that long. But BP makes it easy

coobie · Mar 24, 2022

Beezz27 said:
I am in the market for a trailer to haul my tractor, DK40 HST, the longest the tractor will be is almost exactly 22ft with the loader and bush hog, although 98% of the time I wouldn't be hauling it with the bush hog, and with any other attachment I'm only between 17-19ft. I was ORIGINALLY looking for a 20ft 14k but the more I thought about it I figured I'd enjoy the room of a 22ft. I called a local dealer and they actually didn't have a 22 but they do have a 24ft in stock. I haven't gotten a chance to look at the trailer yet (to check for Quality of build) but what is your opinion on a 24ft bumper pull? I will be pulling it with a RAM 2500. It seems like a lot of trailer to me but then again I'd have no worry of needing extra space.
Another question would be, is anyone familiar with Currahee trailers? That is the brand of the trailer (24ft 14k) and this dealer has quoted me almost $600 less for this 24ft than another dealer had quoted me for a 22ft GPS brand trailer.
I know that better quality comes at higher prices and I haven't gone to look at either trailer (neither dealer is super close to me and of course they are in opposite directions from me), just curious if anyone on here was familiar with either the Currahee or GPS Brand(s)

Buy a 22 footer I purchased a 20 ft. now wish it was 22ft.

slckeys · Mar 24, 2022

I have a 24 footer that I pull with a GMC 2500..18 stationary and 6 feet hydraulic dovetail.

I can also load onto the dovetail for space. It pulls great when balanced, follows my truck turns well, and a pleasure to pull.

It is 3k empty weight though so it isn't bouncing around when unloaded either.

Plenty of space for attachments, and additional whatnot.

If you have the space to store it, and like it.. You won't be disappointed in my opinion.

Midniteoyl · Mar 24, 2022

I'm in the same boat as the OP in that the 3510 with bucket/grapple and 6' bush hog is 22' long, so was looking for a 24' for positioning room, but not sure I really need that much, or need it all the time and can get away with a smaller trailer.. I know I can do a 10k, so thats already better on a BP.

crazyal · Mar 24, 2022

I borrowed a 24' trailer once for my Kubota and it felt very long compared to the 20' I normally use. It wasn't impossible to use but it was a lot more work to back it into a spot where the 20' was easy. I would check with the dealer about test driving it first. See how it feels going around corners that you normally would travel.

deere5105 · Mar 24, 2022

Went through the same thing years ago and went with 22’ 12K bumper pull. If had it to do over would go 24’ 14K. No room on 22’ to balance load on trailer. Just does fit with stand up ramps and loader with bucket and rotary cutter. Tail wheel on rotary cutter sticks off back between ramps. Need the stand up ramps to keep back of trailer from dropping when loading and causing back of truck to lift off ground. Could use some type of jack system, but the stand up ramps are convenient just sometimes in the way.

ljjhouser · Mar 24, 2022

deere5105 said:
Went through the same thing years ago and went with 22’ 12K bumper pull. If had it to do over would go 24’ 14K. No room on 22’ to balance load on trailer. Just does fit with stand up ramps and loader with bucket and rotary cutter. Tail wheel on rotary cutter sticks off back between ramps. Need the stand up ramps to keep back of trailer from dropping when loading and causing back of truck to lift off ground. Could use some type of jack system, but the stand up ramps are convenient just sometimes in the way.

You brought an interesting point about loading weight being transferred to the truck lifting it. Can be dangerous and not often mentioned.
The tilt bed I have piviots right in the middle of the axles and the tail of the bed rests on the ground. When pulling onto the bed, all the added load weight is placed on the axles and no change during loading as far as truck lift.
Good point. I had forgotten how important that can be.

amhicks21 · Mar 25, 2022

my favorite equipment trailers are 22ft 14k tilt decks. I'd imagine a 7ft brush hog would have the wheel hanging off the back, but that's fine. The tilt deck is such a game changer. I haven't run into a scenario where i'd benefit from a 24ft. With the box, this setup would be a little tongue heavy for a pickup but balances pretty perfectly without it. As far as build quality goes, they don't screw around as much on 14k trailers as they do on 7k and under. I service about 30 trailers at work and generally speaking I dont find structural problems with the 10k and over trailers. Since a trailer over 10k is considered a CDL A trailer and would be more susceptible to inspection, they are built to more of a standard. Its still probably worth crawling underneath it before buying though. If they cut costs, it'll usually be in paint and in the fine details. Most of the 7k on the other hand are built out of booger welded sheet metal.

LD1 · Mar 25, 2022

crazyal said:
I borrowed a 24' trailer once for my Kubota and it felt very long compared to the 20' I normally use. It wasn't impossible to use but it was a lot more work to back it into a spot where the 20' was easy. I would check with the dealer about test driving it first. See how it feels going around corners that you normally would travel.

And a gooseneck would be much worse when it comes to going around tight corners or backing into tight spots.

Everyone raves on goosenecks because of how they tow and some people try and really push them. But they are a whole different animal.

Beezz27 · Mar 25, 2022

Thanks, for all the replies, and for all the info. For the record I originally was looking for a gooseneck, but after weighing out many factors I decided that a BP was going to be the better route for me. I did get to go look at the Currahee brand trailer yesterday and the quality was good but they had sold the 24ft 14k and only had a 20ft 10k left in stock. The price was "good" on the 20ft but I have about convinced myself that 22ft is now my minimum length and I really want to stay with a 14k, as somewhere in my future I have asperations to buy more equipment like a skid steer/ track loader, mini excavator or possibly a bigger tractor. I am planning on going today to look at the GPS brand trailer (in 22ft) so I will let you know what that looks like. But for reference I have hauled this setup on a 16ft car hauler more than once, so for comparison a 20ft would feel like loading it on an aircraft carrier, lol.

Hay Dude · Mar 25, 2022

After running gooseneck trailers for the last 20 years, I wouldnt go back to a bumper pull for bigger jobs. For heavier loads, a GN puts the hitch weight further forward over the rear axle, greatly extending load capacity. Handling is greatly improved, too. I can back my GN’s up at a 90* angle to the truck, where a BP is limited to about 45*.
A GN allows the operator to use the full towing and GCWR of a truck, where a BP does not utilize full GCWR or towing capacity. Another nice GN feature everyone should have is a deck on the neck. An 8x8 deck on the neck literally gives you another truck bed worth of storage for buckets, bale spears or other loader mounted attachments, tools, wheelbarrows, whatever you can strap down.
Bumper pulls are fine on bigger trucks, like dump trucks since thats all they can tow, but when it comes to lighter trucks like a 250/350/450/550/5500 or anything with a non dumping bed, a GN gives you so much more versatility, load capacity and storage. A bumper pull will give you your full bed, where a GN will leave you with about 1/2-3/4 your bed, but the deck on the neck gives it all back and more.

I rarely see a GN owner switch to a bumper pull, but I see almost all GN owners used to be bumper pull owners.

Heres my 35’ GN with 8x8 deck on the neck.
Now I have 43’ of storage platform.

Heres one of mine with a dual bale spear up top. I could store much more up there. Anything a person or a tractor loader can stow up there could be carried.

I own a small bumper pull trailer and its fine for what I use it for. But if the OP sees “expansion” in his future, I’d guess a GN is also in his future.

Kschwennsen · Mar 25, 2022

As an engineer in the towing industry for almost 20 yrs, I would try to find a gooseneck if possible. The trailer I have is nice (tri axle flat bed bumper tow) but any time you load the trailer, you're taking weight off of the front steers and loading it onto the rear. WDs help but add more cost and setup/teardown when hauling. If I towed my tractor with my truck, it would be by gooseneck. I use my father's GMC 2500 though and he's only a bumper tow. Goosenecks handle alot more tongue load (25% vs 10-15%), balance the truck better, and can still have a flat bed when not used.

JWR · Mar 25, 2022

LD1 said:
Best advise on trailer....is if you can find what you want, and at a price you like, buy it.

Trailer market is crazy....both prices and lead times.

But 24' wouldn't scare me at all for that tractor.

We have a 22' BP and it was a good match for a similar sized tractor and 6' hog. A 24' wouldn't be much different at all....especially with a BP, and give a little more wiggle room for load placement.

Goosenecks are a different animal....and I wouldn't advise it unless you have towed one or talked with someone that has. Cause I don't know what your towing is gonna be like? Where you are towing to and from. But most people's driveway approaches aren't wide enough to whip in a GN that long. But BP makes it easy

Agree with LD1 on almost all points. First, it would be crazy to let your (marginal, if any at all) need for such a long trailer push you into a gooseneck. Just a PITA to store, too big for 90% of what you describe, robs you of truck bed space, etc. To me = silly. If you were long-hauling every day = different story. I think 22' is plenty for what you describe. 20' probably adequate. I suggest getting a "deck over" which frees you from concerns about width and positioning on the bed. Better for a life-long usage. I use a Pequea 1018 which has a short beavertail making for much easier loading. Spec'd as an 18' but with beavertail is 21 ft. bed length. Outstanding build quality. I haul a considerably larger tractor than yours on the Pequea and do not mind having the loader rest on the front porch or the hog hang over a bit. Good brakes, overkill steel beams, good electrical protection for the wiring, etc. Look around for a "good brand" if you are buying new for sure. Trailers rarely require dealer follow-up so don't be concerned if you have to drive a ways to pick it up. Other: I doubt you really need the 14K lbs. Some areas cost you in licensing, etc. for the higher capacity figures.

Kschwennsen · Mar 25, 2022

LD1 said:
And a gooseneck would be much worse when it comes to going around tight corners or backing into tight spots.

Everyone raves on goosenecks because of how they tow and some people try and really push them. But they are a whole different animal.

Actually your pivot is over your rear tires on your truck so technically you can turn them as tight as your truck can turn, with the trailer tire staying in spot. Watch a good truck driver spin a trailer in spot, they will have the truck perpendicular to the trailer.