2305 and drawbar use

[Barely Smokin']

I'm a pretty adventurous guy equipment-wise but even I would probably back out of this one. I suspect your tractor would probably handle the tongue weight, or you could use a dolly that would reduce the tongue weight to near zero.

But once you get that sucker on an incline...watch out! Steering, brakes, tire traction....all likely to be overwhelmed. I'd say it's highly likely you'd lose control of that set-up and risk some pretty serious injury in the mix.

 

[FortClatsop]

I moved my 25' travel trailer (about 4000 pounds/350 tongue) out of the shed with the tractor one time. I thought that it would be a convenient way to move the trailer from the shed to the adjacent driveway. Wrong. The lack of visibility was so disconcerting that it freaked me out. You have no idea how much you rely on the mirrors of your vehicle to provide feedback and validation. I was completely blind on the 2305. It was totally uncomfortable and I ended up lifting the trailer too high and ripped the refer vent off the roof. Never have had a problem moving it with the truck. The 2305 proved to be far more hassle than it was worth. Never again.

 

[bp fick]

The flip side of trailer moving with the tractor is this. I have to shuttle a small boat, a utility trailer, and pop up camper around between garages and barns, depending on the season and expected use. I absolutely prefer to use the tractor. The hydro makes control superior even to an automatic transmission and I can sit side saddle on the tractor and see much better. My wife spots and prefers my being able to actually converse with her more easily.

The barn door we use has an 8' door way, which is not ideal, and the tolerances are whisker close. The tractor is the superior shuttle engine for those applications. The visibility and weight issues of a "over sized" RV or very large boat would be entirely different matter.

 

[Barely Smokin']

Agreed. I use my FEL to move my equipment trailer around all the time. It's extremely handy---very maneuverable. I just hook the chains to the edge of the bucket. I wouldn't want to move anything bigger than my 16' trailer....

 

[orlo]

I have a 2305 and I usually tow with an angle iron rigged up piece on the 3pt with a ball on it. The drawbar 'plate' is too low on the 2305 to be able to lower a trailer with any significant tongue weight on it. I wouldn't worry about the weight (unless you were going up/down steep hills), I'd worry about the tongue weight and the manual states what the 2305 is rated for, 550 rings a bell.

I used to pulled a 6000# (full/maybe 2600 empty) snowmobile trailer around my house with a Craftsman GT5000 garden tractor.

Trailers pull a lot easier than you think on level ground. I can move that same trailer around (on pavement) with a dolly by hand so it doesn't take a lot to move them. Try turning the tandems by hand dragging the wheels and that's where the fun will end.

Pulling a 6000# rolling load on level ground is nothing for the 2305...

I wouldn't do inclines though. Also the comment about visibility for a trailer you can't see 'through' is true. The tractor is a lot narrower than most trailers so seeing around them is tough unless you rigged up some 3' mirror extensions.

Nobody does this (We all should), but if you use your 3pt to tow, you should chain the arms or mounted drawbar down so if you hit a bump the tongue of the trailer doesn't raise up.

 

[megotatractor]

I have a 2210 (early 2305) and I would not attempt 500 pounds on the 3 point. I have a 300 pound rototiller which when dirt sticks to it the front of the tractor becomes very light and difficult to steer. Consulting the owner's manual (weird, huh?) I see the "hitch plate" capacity is stated as 526 lbs. Not sure what that means exactly but sounds like a 4500lb boat is 2 tons too much.

 

[bp fick]

While I stated earlier that hooking up with a 4500 lb trailer, and with a hill involved, that this would be way beyond my comfort point with a subcut. The OP stated he thought this through as well.

However, I gotta believe hitch weight of 500 lbs doesn't limit a subcut like the 2305 to a trailer tow weight of 500 lbs. I have towed 2500-3000 lbs, on flat ground, with no issues, with less tractor than that 2305.

Most OEMs do not publish towing capacity, that I can find. Common sense needs to rule the day anyhow. 2 tons too much suggests the 2305 couldn't pull more than 500 lbs and that just isn't true.

 

[fdmars]

I agree, seems to be some confusion between tongue weight and total trailer weight. Tongue weight should be 8 to 10% of trailer weight, at least for a car.

 

[Robert F.]

According to the 2305 manual, the maximum static vertical load for the hitch is 526lbs. That means weight directly on the hitch. Tongue weight. I would think that the tractor could move that trailer weight (4500lbs) BUT STOPPING would be a whole different story. I would not attempt this on an incline unless I had a means of activating the brakes on the trailer. Without trailer brakes this would be a very dangerous proposition and I would not do it.