advice needed on trailer for hauling small square bales

[Robert_in_NY]

I am considering buying a new/lightly used trailer to haul hay. Currently I have a 16' equipment trailer that I can stack 150 bales on. I have a friend in North Carolina who needs hay and can sell hay for me as well since I have more hay then I have customers locally here. So now I am trying to decide if I should just run the current trailer or buy something newer.

I have a 2006 F-250 diesel to pull with and have been thinking either a 24' bumper pull enclosed trailer (the widest available) or possibly a longer equipment trailer but the enclosed trailer would be better suited as the hay would be protected from the elements and also I wouldn't have to worry about the stack shifting in transit. The enclosed trailer would also be useful for my father on some of his jobsites which is why I am keeping it at 24' since anything longer would be almost impossible to bring onto the sites (24' is going to be tough for some). I really don't use the equipment trailer much at all so I don't see much use in buying a longer one but the option is there.

So my questions for you guys are which route would you go and what options would you suggest I consider. I have very little experience with enclosed trailers but I do like the rear ramp door but don't know how well they hold up. So thanks in advance and feel free to share your experiences (good and bad) and thoughts.

 

[Carykong]

Hay grown in NY and sold in NC. Just wondering if the business model would be supported over the longterm. Makin hay and selling local is a distinct model. Hauling hay from NY to NC is a transportation model that deserves a real close look before investing in gear,renting gear,or just hiring a hauler. I think the real test for this venture is to ask yourself this question. Would I still make a profit if I just contracted a hauler to move the hay for me? If the answer is yes, how much margin is there if I just hauled the hay myself?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Hay grown in NY and sold in NC. Just wondering if the business model would be supported over the longterm. Makin hay and selling local is a distinct model. Hauling hay from NY to NC is a transportation model that deserves a real close look before investing in gear,renting gear,or just hiring a hauler. I think the real test for this venture is to ask yourself this question. Would I still make a profit if I just contracted a hauler to move the hay for me? If the answer is yes, how much margin is there if I just hauled the hay myself?

From what I have been figuring the numbers are there for me to make a profit. I plan to go down with the current equipment trailer first as it will be like a mini vacation and I will go with my daughter and stay with our friends there a day or two and come back. That is the only reason I am considering it. The trial run will either show me I was right and that I can make a profit or that I am an idiot and should have known better :-D

I plan to look into what it would cost to have a larger truck haul for me as well as renting a truck. The idea with the enclosed trailer is that it has been an item we have been discussing for a few years now that would make things easier on my father for his jobsites to have a trailer to be able to store tools, supplies and what ever else he thinks he would need on the job without having to load up multiple trucks or make multiple trips. But thanks for the comment.

 

[schmism]

you may find a livestock trailer to be better suited for the bales. plus you could haul livestock in it.

i suppose trailer type depends on second use need..... you got a race car/4wheelers or something you like to haul (reg enclosed) or do you have livestock to haul? or do you have equipment that is best suited for a deckover flatbed GN trailer?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

you may find a livestock trailer to be better suited for the bales. plus you could haul livestock in it.

i suppose trailer type depends on second use need..... you got a race car/4wheelers or something you like to haul (reg enclosed) or do you have livestock to haul? or do you have equipment that is best suited for a deckover flatbed GN trailer?

No livestock or race cars. My dad owns a construction company and it would be used for that.

 

[tlbuser]

Hay grown in NY and sold in NC. Just wondering if the business model would be supported over the longterm. Makin hay and selling local is a distinct model. Hauling hay from NY to NC is a transportation model that deserves a real close look before investing in gear,renting gear,or just hiring a hauler. I think the real test for this venture is to ask yourself this question. Would I still make a profit if I just contracted a hauler to move the hay for me? If the answer is yes, how much margin is there if I just hauled the hay myself?

I don't know the growing numbers, but am familiar with the buying side Fall through to first cut, it's not uncommon to see tractor trailer loads of hay from Pa. and NY at the local auction house. Therefore, I'm thinking either a) you can make money on it or b) it's a good tax deduction

 

[tlbuser]

make things easier on my father for his jobsites to have a trailer to be able to store tools, supplies and what ever else he thinks he would need on the job without having to load up multiple trucks or make multiple trips. But thanks for the comment.

Only problem with dual use stuff is sometimes it's a pain to make the swap. My experience is with dragsters and enclosed trailers. You don't want your tools and gear bouncing off your car during transit so everything gets bolted down and "prettied up". It would take a day to strip and another day to reconfigure.
Once put together and organized, they are wonderful mobile facilities. Drop down ramp doors are IMO, the better way to go. Wheeling things in and out is tons easier than manhandling it. Barn doors can be a pain in tighter areas and when people aren't paying attention they can be difficult to repair.

 

[Ken45101]

I don't know but I wonder about the regulations. It sounds commercial interstate commerce to me, which might mean inspections, weigh stations, CDL, etc.

Consider that you can load higher on an open bed than an enclosed one. You also have more flexibility with an open trailer, you don't end up with space that you can't quite fit a bale into (it always goes over the side a little bit). I see a lot of open trucks and trailers here hauling hay from Ohio to Kentucky. They just cover with a tarp if they are concerned about rain.

Ken

 

[WM75Guy]

Loading and unloading an enclosed trailer is going to involve lots of manual labor. I haul 120 bales on my 20' GN Big Tex pipe top. It's stacked 4 bales high. My hay dealer loads it in 15 minutes, 10 bales at a time with an accumulator. It takes me 2 hours to unload it at home and stack it inthe barn. But I am old and slow and need to walk the next day.

 

[radioman]

Wouldnt a gooseneck be more suitable for dual purpose like this? have you considered hiring companies like ABF to make the trip?