close to the limit but how can I say no

[MESSMAKER]

I have been in the hunt for a compact for a month or so and was looking at something around 22hp and 2500lbs with FEL on. I was thinking hard about a Bobcat 122 until they put the ct225 on sale for less. 1045.00 with a loader. It is more tractor than I was planning on but I am having trouble walking away. I was planning on towing the 122(2600lb wit FEL) on a 16' tandem landscape trailer. Behind a Nissan Pathfinder(rated at 5000lb). That is about 75% and I was fine with that. The problem is that the 225 w FEL adds 900lb(2850 tractor and 650 FEL) to the mix. That puts me at 95%. Can I get away with it for short trips until I can trade up or should I reconsider the smaller tractor.

 

[ultrarunner]

I would say a qualified yes...

Products are engineered with a safety factor... a weight rating of 5000 lbs doesn't mean catastrophic failure at 5001 lbs.

Higher duty ratings provide a greater margin of safety when the unexpected occurs and no one would fault you for increasing your margin of safety.

I expect equipment to function safely at or below manufacturer's ratings.

We transported a lot of farm equipment slowly between fields on country back roads legally that I would NEVER have even attempted to move on the Highway or Interstate or in adverse weather...

There are also a few things you can do to improve what you have without increasing your weight ratings... Load Equalizing Hitch, Sway Dampener, Heavy Duty Shocks, Trailer Brakes on both Axles, Balancing your load, etc...

 

[Renze]

Past 2 weeks a demolition contractor is taking down half of the old 1970's buildings at the company i work, and i got 3 heavy I beams for 1/3 of the scrap price (the excavator operator asked me 35 Euro, for a ton of steel which is 10 eurocents per kg, last month)

With the 2.5 ton tandem trailer i bought last saturday, i took them home after work. I just had one little problem: I reckoned the beams were 5 meter, but they were 6: When putting them out 1.10 meter in front and 1.4 meter in the rear, i could hold them onto my 3.5 meter tandem. However i was off balance, no weight on the towbar.
However i was within the tow rating of my car.
I headed towards the highway but turned back to find a smaller road: Meanwhile i stopped at a gas station, to relief allmost all pressure from the front axle wheels, and inflate the rears to 4 bar. This helped a little.

I turned out in front of the highway anyway, so i took the highway and things got tricky at 80 km/h so i kept steady at 70 km/h, letting angry truckers pass me. I once before turned over an improperly balanced trailer that went swaying, so i wont take any chances and slowed down.

The 1 hour drive home, took me 1.5 hours but safety comes at a price.


Last year when picking up my 3011, i used a 6 meter 3.5 ton tandem, which weighed about 700kg empty, plus a 1700 kg trailer. Thats 2400 kg or 150% of the tow rating.
That was a very easy drive at a steady 115 km/h with no sway whatsoever.

Properly balanced load, and preferrably a long towbar, is more important than the actual number. at 75% tow rating you can work hard to keep things on the road, and at 150% you can go easy.

You are within the tow rating of your car and trailer, no lawyer can get ahold of that. Your car and trailer have an engineered margin for rough driving or poor roods, or poor vehicle maintenance.
IF you properly balance your load and be easy on your equipment, nothing will happen.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You will be fine. The bottom line is you are inside the manufactures limits. Just make sure the trailer has brakes, is in good condition, the truck is up to par with special attention to the load limit of the tires for the extra load the hitch will be carrying, and take it slow and plan your stops.

Chris

 

[MESSMAKER]

I bought a new hitch and have just put on new tires. I am going to find the right trailer and give it a shot. Thanks for the help.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Do not forget about brakes on the trailer and a brake controller in the truck. In Kentucky, where you live I am guessing, there is no law requiring brakes. Most surrounding states require them at or above 3,500#. It does not state how many axles they must be on so for instance here in Indiana you see them on one axle on most tandems but since your using such a light truck I recommend them on both axles. Should cost about $125 more. Also opt for the spare tire and mount, should cost around $150 but well worth it, and you will need it sooner or later.

You are lucky being from Kentucky also. Depending on where you live you have many builders in the Sikeston Missouri area. Its just the other side of Paducah.

You also have one of the top 5 builders in my opinion right of I75 in Southern Kentucky. Its Gator Made Trailers in Somerset. They would be my first choice.

Gator Made Trailers :: Trailers - Utility Trailers - Gooseneck Trailers - Equipment Trailers - Trailer Parts - Gator Made Trailers, is one of the largest open air trailer manufacturers in the US and the largest in Kentucky for the preceding 11 years.

Chris

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

my 16' tandem with dual hydraulic brakes (so I don't need to swap a controller or rewire the truck) from HedererBuilt in Poplar Bluff, Mo (next door to Sikeston) has met my needs and their price was very competitive, even with me having to drive across Missouri to pick it up.
good folks to deal with.
the empty trailer only weighs about 1,000, so I have plenty of room for equipment.
and yes, i did overload it badly once - but the load was balanced, I was going slow, and less than 5 miles. (tractor, box blade, and about 11 solid RR ties)

 

[BigE_]

I just trailed my tractor down to Newberg (about 40 miles one way) to get the tires filled. ($150 for 50 gallons of Rimguard at Tire Factory vs $400 for same deal from New Holland in North Plains).

While I was down there, I picked up a backhoe and some forks (drive by gloat here). Tractor + FEL = 3500 lbs. Loaded tires = 550 lbs. BH + forks = 1000 lbs. Trailer = 1500 lbs.

So, I was right at 7500 lbs limit for the trailer. A tad bit over the recommended 5000 lbs (owners manual) or 6500 lbs (printed on the hitch) limit for my Blazer S10. Towed with absolutely no problems. Just took it slow.

When I had them build my trailer, I put brakes on both axles, and I'm glad I did. I had my brake controller turned up almost all of the way, but had no problems stopping suddenly (tried it out first in a safe place). The only issue I had was the brakes on the trailer were a bit grabby until the Prodigy brake controller got it ironed out with the self calibration.

Take it easy, go slow, take back roads if you're worried.

The only time I actually got worried was going up my driveway. It has a 30 degree incline, 1/4 mile long. Going down the driveway I actually slid a ways (brakes locked up) with the tractor on back, no BH, no loaded tires due to gravel on the asphalt. Going up the driveway I eased it into 4wd low and had absolutely no problems.

 

[Newblue]

You also have one of the top 5 builders in my opinion right of I75 in Southern Kentucky. Its Gator Made Trailers in Somerset. They would be my first choice.

Chris

Two days ago I drove down to Somerset and picked up a 16K gooseneck from Gator Made. I would give the trailer a C+. Overall It is a stout trailer but a lot of little things add up. On the website it says top and bottom of trailer are primed and painted but mine is bare steel on the bottom of the I beams and trusses. Stotch locks were used as butt connectors with bare wires sticking out of the ends on top of the gooseneck where the loading lights and extra turn signals are. I ordered the LED light option and got most of them LED except for the three clearance lights across the back. Still waiting to hear back from the salesman on that one.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Two days ago I drove down to Somerset and picked up a 16K gooseneck from Gator Made. I would give the trailer a C+. Overall It is a stout trailer but a lot of little things add up. On the website it says top and bottom of trailer are primed and painted but mine is bare steel on the bottom of the I beams and trusses. Stotch locks were used as butt connectors with bare wires sticking out of the ends on top of the gooseneck where the loading lights and extra turn signals are. I ordered the LED light option and got most of them LED except for the three clearance lights across the back. Still waiting to hear back from the salesman on that one.

That is disappointing. We got some trailers from them last year and they were very good. I would not have taken delivery of it with the lack of paint and wiring issues. The 3 light bar on the back, I have never seen them in LED. They may be out there but have seen trailers with all LED's except the 3 bar light.

Chris