How much trailer weight can my tractor tow?

[Dooley]

Getting it done...

 

[pretendfarmer]

I move a lot of trailers around with my 31hp John Deere. The drawbar capacity is the limiting factor, it seems. I can easily move trailers in the 7,500 GVW range, though I suspect I'm over my drawbar capacity at that point. Steep slopes and slippery terrain, however? No way. I am always in 4wd, low range, taking it very slow.

 

[MGP4506]

Does that mean, if you're using the 3pt, that you want to load the trailer hitch heavy? Since the 3pt floats up, would that reduce the potential for the hitch to raise up depending on terrain? Seems scary, in concept, to have the back of the trailer bottom out or make the ball/pintel carry the upward force of the trailer & load.

Yes you want the weight on the hitch. If you have a draw bar and towing a trailer that is best

 

[JRH02]

I've got a New Holland PowerStar 75. It's about 8,000 lbs counting the FEL. It's got 16.9R30s on the back. I'm able to add about 2,000 lbs with the front forks carrying a 275 gallon IBC tote for water weight and balance.

My question is, how heavy of a trailer can I tow using either the 3PH (~3,500 lbs capacity) or the draw bar itself. I'm not able to find anything concerning this rating online.

For planting and irrigating purposes, I'd really like to haul a trailer with dual 7,000 lb axles. I might even be able to carry more than one implement to the farm at a time. But I've never tried to pull a trailer with the tractor so I don't really know what I'm doing. Any help appreciated.

Note that I am not trying to tow the tractor ON the trailer, which I have no need for. Rather, I am hoping to tow the trailer WITH the tractor.

Bwahh hahh, you'll know when the load pushes you and you jack knife. Besides, how do you know how heavy the load is, the ball bearing rocks, etc. This is a fool's errand. Keep up on your life insurance.

 

[pretendfarmer]

Bwahh hahh, you'll know when the load pushes you and you jack knife. Besides, how do you know how heavy the load is, the ball bearing rocks, etc. This is a fool's errand. Keep up on your life insurance.

Hysteria much? A tow vehicle can easily handle a trailer 3x its weight if it has a trailer brake controller. The new diesel pickups are rated for trailers with a gvw over 4x their weight, and that's at highway speeds.

 

[LouNY]

Don't apply to me at all simply because I use my modified rear hay spear with a GN ball welded on the top and the 3PH is always at full elevation when pulling the GN loaded. I rarely use the drawbar for pulling anything other than drawbar pulled implements like round balers and disc mowers. Even my Kuhn Gyro-rake is 3 point mounted which I much prefer because I can lift it at the end of a windrow and not leave a curved tail of forage that I have to 'chase' with the baler.

I like to keep my windrows straight always. Makes for easier round bailing.

I have used a considerable number and types of drawbar pulled implements over the time I've been operating a tractor, as well as some 3 point mounted implements and even a fair number of what are termed semi-mounted ( they just use the lift arms, and not the top link) plows and hydra-swing haybines being the most common for me.

I also move trailers and such around with a 3 point mounted hitch, actually have one over at the farm which is mainly used for the log trailer.

Now maybe YOUR Kubotas are different from every other tractor that I have been around that I worked with or on the 3 points because none of them had physical limiters to protect the tractor or implement from rising higher then designed too.

Best use I've had for a quick hitch.

Then my other 3 point to trailer hitch;

then this picture shows clearly the chain that I use to make sure that they don't rear up too high while being used or loaded,
as I have had them try and lift higher then the lift arms are powered up.

 

[Martin Roper]

I've got a New Holland PowerStar 75. It's about 8,000 lbs counting the FEL. It's got 16.9R30s on the back. I'm able to add about 2,000 lbs with the front forks carrying a 275 gallon IBC tote for water weight and balance.

My question is, how heavy of a trailer can I tow using either the 3PH (~3,500 lbs capacity) or the draw bar itself. I'm not able to find anything concerning this rating online.

For planting and irrigating purposes, I'd really like to haul a trailer with dual 7,000 lb axles. I might even be able to carry more than one implement to the farm at a time. But I've never tried to pull a trailer with the tractor so I don't really know what I'm doing. Any help appreciated.

Note that I am not trying to tow the tractor ON the trailer, which I have no need for. Rather, I am hoping to tow the trailer WITH the tractor.

In the UK we can gross at 24 tonnes (52910 lbs) on the road with an agricultural tractor with coupled brakes, I think it can go to 26 with air brakes but I think your question is what your tractor will handle easily off road in which case 14000 lbs should be no problem.

 

[WinterDeere]

I think your question is what your tractor will handle easily off road in which case 14000 lbs should be no problem.

Op meandered a bit, so it might not have been clear, but I believe they were asking about on-road use:

I'd really like to haul a trailer with dual 7,000 lb axles. I might even be able to carry more than one implement to the farm at a time. But I've never tried to pull a trailer with the tractor so I don't really know what I'm doing. Any help appreciated.

My interpretation is they're loading several implements onto the trailer to tow on-road to the farm, rather than carrying the implements on the 3-point, one at a time.

I think in a later post, the OP confirmed this, but I did not re-read all 9 pages to confirm.

 

[JRH02]

Hysteria much? A tow vehicle can easily handle a trailer 3x its weight if it has a trailer brake controller. The new diesel pickups are rated for trailers with a gvw over 4x their weight, and that's at highway speeds.

This is about a tractor. An 8k# tractor pulling a trailer. Please follow the thread and keep on pretending.

 

[milkman636]

Getting it done...

Seeing this picture got me thinking about some of the YouTube videos of tractors in less developed nations pulling heavy loads with extra guys hanging off the front and sides for ballast. I’m kinda thinking watching a little YouTube might reveal the answer to the OP’s question of how much his tractor can pull. Of course the final answer using this method may also depend on how many of his buddies want to come over to help.
.

 

[Hay Dude]

In the UK we can gross at 24 tonnes (52910 lbs) on the road with an agricultural tractor with coupled brakes, I think it can go to 26 with air brakes but I think your question is what your tractor will handle easily off road in which case 14000 lbs should be no problem.

My Magnum 270 is rated to pul 22,000Kg (48,500lbs) and I am pushing it pretty good with my Krone baler @ 40,000lbs. It’s the tongue weight I have to watch. I had to reinforce my hitch.
The hydraulic brakes on the baler are a tremendous help.

 

[LD1]

~15000lb farm tractors pull 600-700bu hoppers of beans and corn (~40,000lbs). So....2.5x tractor weight or so is what you see big tractors pull.

I see 1100bu hoppers on tracks (~65000-70000lb) pulled by CaseIH magnum 300+hp tractors (~30,000lb tractors) so similar ratio

I dont have any issue loading my dumptrailer with 2+ cord of logs. 3300lb trailer + ~7k of wood. I do that while my tractor and loader weigh in the 6k neighborhood and its no issue whatsoever

 

[Alan W.]

My little L3650 is rated for 5000 lb trailer per Kubota and thats way more than it weighs soaking wet.

 

[Farmer495]

I guess to simplify this

1) tow trailer or wagon with drawbar (gooseneck different story)
2) Use double the tractor weight as a starting point. You likely won't get the load moving in mud, but no issue where it's hard. I won't pull a heavy load in the snow and ice either.

An unbraked load twice your weight is still stoppable, I NEVER use brakes to stop while pulling "heavy". With geardrive tractor you just let off the fuel and engine braking & downshifting bring you to a stop easily. You aren't going 100 MPH. You also have to drive prudently, gear down for hills and allow proper following distance in traffic. I often tow through a town with intersections & crosswalks so other cars & pedestrians. I only use brakes to hold tractor when stopped at intersection.

 

[Bob in RVA]

I just used my 2038R to haul out a tandem dump that had mud lick wheels and could not make itup grade o the hardtop. Used a recovery strap hoooked to the drawbar and I was on the asphalt. Surprised me that this little tractor is so powerful.

 

[Flogger]

I pulled a @2 x 65 mobile home 60 miles with a JD 4430. Yes this is redneck country. It did just fine but I have towed trailers of all sizes my whole life.

 

[Flogger]

I pulled a @2 x 65 mobile home 60 miles with a JD 4430. Yes this is redneck country. It did just fine but I have towed trailers of all sizes my whole life.

12 x 65 mobile home.

 

[Zork]

Never had that issue and I've pulled my fully loaded (overloaded) GN numerous times with either of my M9's in the past. Top speed in 12th gear is 22 mph, not warp factor one by a long shot. 27 4x5 densely packed round bales is a gob of weight.

Heck, back when I ran idiot cubes, I've pulled a fully loaded tandem axle hay rack with my quad as well.

Out here, lawyers are an option. Common sense always applies.

It seems as though in today's society, lawyers are the panacea to any issue today. Only thing I have one on retainer for is farm related business and nothing more.

Good, I'm glad for you to have no problems and I hope you never have any. People can be litigious. However, when others are not policing their own actions prior to an incident that changes someone else's life, that carelessness or negligence becomes the very reason why injured people need lawyers. Good luck.

 

[WinterDeere]

I pulled a @2 x 65 mobile home 60 miles with a JD 4430. Yes this is redneck country. It did just fine but I have towed trailers of all sizes my whole life.

Not a lot of hills in KS, though! Try that in the Pocono mountains in fall, the slippery paste our wet leaves leave on asphalt can be like driving on ice, many autumn mornings.

 

[Flogger]

Not a lot of hills in KS, though! Try that in the Pocono mountains in fall, the slippery paste our wet leaves leave on asphalt can be like driving on ice, many autumn mornings.

The tree up in the northwest corner of Kansas is pretty innocuous. LOL. My part of the state. Is pretty flat with occasional surprises.