Bending the 60/40 rules when making trailer?

[wkheathjr]

It is pretty common to place the axle 60% after the tongue and 40% from the rear end. But assume if I was to build a towable backhoe and place it at the rear end, this could create some serious stress on the hitchball, would it alright to just bend the rule and adjust to say 80/20 or 90/10 so the axle/wheel could offer more support to the weight when towing it. I was planning to add supporting brace (legs) at corners but that's good only when you are digging with backhoe.

TIA!

 

[PILOON]

If you look at the specs for trailers, you'll see that each ball size or class has a limit to the tongue weight.
I seem to recall 500#, but don't remember what ball size.
Also many states limit the gross weights without brakes.

In effect you are wanting to build a 'specialty trailer' so the 60/40 rule really does not apply.
Look at the 'floats' or heavy equipement rigs, many have dual or tripple axels way back at the rear as the heavt eaxcavator sits there with only the boom up front.

Don't forget to weld some heavy tie down rings directly to your frame to bind down your load.

 

[bobodu]

Ummm....if it's a towable backhoe...why do you even need a trailer??

 

[wkheathjr]

Ummm....if it's a towable backhoe...why do you even need a trailer??

Did this answer your question?

I want to build something Med-Duty (bigger than this in pic) and still be pullable by truck and ATV. As mentioned in other thread, I purchased large tract of land in Maine and building something like this would be convinence for me to just tow it up there from NC rather than to buy a dually truck and trailer to put my backhoe on it.

My goal for the booms is to be under 700lbs. Then mount gasoline engine, hydraulic pump, 5-gal oil reservoir, and maybe some weightbar on front end so maybe the weight will balance out that I won't have to bend the 60/40 rules just to avoid all the hassle. Will see how it goes after I finish build the booms and weight it in at work.

 

[bluechip]

I think the main considerations are to have more than half the weight ahead of the axles to prevent fishtailing, and not to exceed the tounge weight capacity of your hitch. If you keep the wheels far to the rear, you should be able to have more than half the weight ahead of them. I think the 60/40 is more for in front of or behind axles than from front or rear of trailer.

 

[JimMorrissey]

heath,

That sounds like a lot of work. I have a Kubota L39 for sale in Maine that would dig circles around any sort of towable unit. You can use it to haul tree and brush. It's prefect for that kind of work and would make the job of basic clearing much easier.

I'd look up here in Maine for a good used hoe. That way you'll have something to get around and move logs, stumps, lift, push, grade, etc.

 

[pat32rf]

Read the specs on that towable unit. Sounds like it would be a real frustrating thing to use. I bought a used hoe for my JD4300, The hoe cost less to buy and weighs less to transport, yet will dig just as deep (and has the JD engine and hydraulic system for power). It will swing a full 180deg instead of 130deg as well.
Maybe you can build something better, but you will probably want a tractor anyway so i'd think of Jim M's advice before building....

 

[Skyco]

I don't see how those towable BHs stay planted
They don't appear to weigh enough to use the 4400 lb ripping force advertised. Looks to me like you'd be standing the thing on end all the time, heck even my BX24 gets shifted around a lot under heavy backhoe use.

 

[awl51]

This reply's a little long, but I've actually got a fair amount of seat time with one of these. In the right circumstances, they will perform just fine.

Long before I got my Kubota with the Woods BH6000, I bought a used trencherman. It suited my needs perfectly for what I needed to do. Although you aren't supposed to, I towed it on the road for short distances. It was light enough float it on a dock out to my island property in Casco Bay, Maine; and I could leave it out there without much fear of someone making off with it.

I can pull it around with the ATV hitch no problem. When you are ready to dig, you can configure it for either 3-point (2 wheels in front and ball hitch in back); or 4 point (2 wheels in back and 2 stabilizer legs in front). In 4 point mode, you maneuver around by rotating the unit using bucket down pressure to lift the front stabilizers and allow the wheels to roll. You won't cover a lot of ground, but it's quite effective for tight areas and short distances.

The trencherman actually stays planted quite well in both configurations. The downside to using 3 point mode is that you need a LOT of weight on your hitch/tow vehicle; the thing has a lot of power and would easily rip apart an ATV hitch. I hitched an old Cub Cadet 1250 to it with filled tires and wheels weights and it could still loft the rear end of the tractor. The downside to using 4 point mode is that the ride can get quite bouncy, especially dealing with stumps and boulders - all of the digging force is transmitted through the frame, but there is no weight to damp it down like there is at the hitch in 3 point mode.

This thing can do a lot of work. It will outdig my BH6000 by a wide margin, and I would tackle stumps with it that I wouldn't even consider with the Woods. (One of the previous owner, a grave-digging operation, pimped it out a little with a larger hydraulic cylinder, a new B&S industrial engine, and they lengthened the frame tube to the 3 point hitch). It is excellent at digging straight-line drains and such. It is, however, a bit of a pain to move it moderate distances around a property.

Wkheath, I am finished my jobs with the trencherman and would be willing to sell it for less then $2k; however, you gotta transport it off an island %^)

 

[David Devuono]

To prevent trailer sway, at least 10-15% of the weight of the towed unit should be on the ball mount. If your towable backhoe weighs 1,500 lbs, you should maintain 150-200lbs on the ball mount. Mount your axle as far back as required to get this tongue weight. Look at boat trailers for outboard motor boats, typically they have the axle at a 80\20. When building a trailer, you want the axle aft of the box centre line so it tracks straight empty. After that, its up to you the owner to load the trailer in such a way as to maintain adequate tongue weight. If the minimum 10% tongue weight overloads the vehicle hitch, you need a bigger vehicle, don't move the load back!