Trailer Advice/Suggestions Needed

[deere5105]

I am considering a trailer purchase. I have looked at most every type and am trying to decide on exactly what will best fit my needs. We currently have a 16' 7K with angle iron sides and a 8' 2K trailer for a single four-wheeler.

I am looking for something at least 20' long to be able to handle my JD 5303 MFWD w/FEL and one attachment. The tractor I have estimated at approximately 7300 lbs and my MX6 cutter at 1000 lbs for a total estimated load of 8300 lbs. My current tow vehicle is a F150 that is rated up to 10K. My trips at this time are expected to be 15 to 20 miles each way a couple times a year. I think I have narrowed it to a 20' long 12K trailer to give a little room for more weight if my needs change in the future. I do realize the limitation is the truck, but am not ready to address or change that at this time.

My question is whether to go with a flat equipment trailer with no side rails or something like a utility trailer with the pipe rails? We have an 8' disk that I think would fit on an equipment trailer without rails behind the fenders. Talked to one guy this week that said in those situations he sat his disk on top of the pipe rails on wooden supports. I can see benefits and drawbacks to both types of trailers. For those that have experience with this, what do you have and like or what would you do different if you could. What about the stand up ramps? My tractor and cutter measure 24' from bucket lip to tail wheel. If going 20' it will need to hang off the back some and I can curl the bucket to get further on trailer.

Any advice or suggestion will be appreciated.

 

[timswi]

I'm in the same quandry as you are. Personally I like the complete side rail setup. False security maybe, but I still like them.

I would also like a drive up gate, ramps are fine but I just like having the full width drive up option. The BX is no problem lining up to the ramps, the RTV and the cars are another story, can't see where the rear tires are.. A spotter is almost necessary, unless you run up on the trailer every day. Maybe I'm paranoid, but the stuff going on the trailer costs enough to not want to take any risks,.

Seems most trailers now are flat deck or landscape, but not a hybrid of the two.

A seemingly easy purchase can make your head spin.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Try Diamond C's heavy duty utility trailers.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I personally like the rail. I have had both and my current trailer is a 18' low boy style with a rail. I have a flat deck, no dove tail for me, and I love the slide in ramps. I haul something different about every week and have never had a issue with lining up the wheels in the 8 years I have now had this trailer.

Chris

 

[McGeesEquip]

If your talking about gettng a 20Ft. 12K trailer then mosts of your flatbed trailers will be made of 6-8In channel Iron material.

If you drop down to a trailer with 5,200# rated axles then you could also drop down to a flatbed trailer constructed of 5In channel instead of the more heavy 6In.

I like flatbeds so when we want to take the atv's out I just load up from the sides with an atv ramp. If you are hauling something then most of the time the load is strapped down so why need the sides.

If you are not going to be getting a larger truck any time soon then less weight would be my option. More weight means less fuel mpg and more wear on truck.

 

[grnspot110]

I prefer no "side rails" on my trailers!

But "rub rails" along the edge of the trailer makes finding the right tie-down point easy. ~~ grnspot110

 

[LBrown59]

load of 8300 lbs.
1* My current tow vehicle is a F150 that is rated up to 10K.
2*I do realize the limitation is the truck, but am not ready to address or change that at this time.
3*My question is whether to go with a flat trailer with no side rails or a trailer with the pipe rails?
4*I can see benefits and drawbacks to both types of trailers.
What about the stand up ramps?
5*My tractor and cutter measure 24' from bucket lip to tail wheel.
6*If going 20' it will need to hang off the back some
.

1*But will it stop it ? ? ? ??
2*Then don't use the trailer with the wrong tow vehicle.
3*No side rails is the only way to go:thumbsup:.
Side rails are a PITA as you can't unload them with a loader and you can't load or unload them with forks. :thumbdown:
4*I don't see any thing good about side rails .
5*That's to long for a 20 foot trailer.
6*That's not legal.

7*I'm in the same quandry as you are. Personally I like the complete side rail setup.
8*False security maybe, but I still like them.
9*I would also like a drive up gate* ramps are fine but I just like having the full width drive up option.
The BX is no problem lining up to the ramps, the RTV and the cars are another story, can't see where the rear tires are .

7* like I said side rails are a PITA.
8* Why do you think Side rails offer more security :confused2:
9*Drive on gates create a lot of wind resistance and decrease fuel milage.
A tilt bed is the answer.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Side rails have a place LB. I haul building materials, fire wood, and boat stands weekly on my 18' trailer along with hay, cars, and tractors. The lumber, cars, tractors and such are no issue to strap down but other things like insulation, firewood, ect its another story.

If it were not for side rails I would spend hours strapping down stuff. Many times I am hauling just 40 bales of hay. Others its 30 boat stands. Yesterday it was 4 ricks of fire wood. Like to see you haul them on a trailer with no side rails. I can still put cars, trucks, and tractors on it. With a car the door will not usually open and I have to crawl though the window or rear hatch. Trucks are no issue.



Chris

 

[grnspot110]

Side rails have a place LB. I haul building materials, fire wood, and boat stands weekly on my 18' trailer along with hay, cars, and tractors. The lumber, cars, tractors and such are no issue to strap down but other things like insulation, firewood, ect its another story.

If it were not for side rails I would spend hours strapping down stuff. Many times I am hauling just 40 bales of hay. Others its 30 boat stands. Yesterday it was 4 ricks of fire wood. Like to see you haul them on a trailer with no side rails. I can still put cars, trucks, and tractors on it. With a car the door will not usually open and I have to crawl though the window or rear hatch. Trucks are no issue.



Chris

That's what sideboards are for! I do have full sideboards for this trailer, just use the front ones frequently. Slated sides for my green one, aluminum ramp sides for the little Snowco. ~~ grnspot110

 

[saltbranch]

IMO side rails limit a trailer in use and offer up a false sense of security,I.E. dont have to secure the load as well as a trailer without side rails.. There is so much more a "car hauler" style trailer can do over a side rail trailer. Tie down,rub rails whatever you want to call them are a must for both styles of trailers IMO. There is nothing a trailer without side rails cant haul, that a trailer with side rails can haul, yet not so the other way around.
I haul alot of equipment and material, my suggestion is without side rails. Regardless of style you choose, for a 20' 12 k trailer you are looking at empty weight 3000-3500k for the trailer, atleast thats what mine weigh, so factor that into the tow vehicle capabilities.With an F-150 as the tow vehicle, I would opt for a quality brake controller, like a Prodigy3 or along those lines. One of the biggest mistakes I see people do when loading trailers is try and "center" the weight on the trailer so as not to make the truck squat. You want the truck to squat or have tongue weight so the trailer will follow without swaying.

 

[saltbranch]

Side rails have a place LB. I haul building materials, fire wood, and boat stands weekly on my 18' trailer along with hay, cars, and tractors. The lumber, cars, tractors and such are no issue to strap down but other things like insulation, firewood, ect its another story.

If it were not for side rails I would spend hours strapping down stuff. Many times I am hauling just 40 bales of hay. Others its 30 boat stands. Yesterday it was 4 ricks of fire wood. Like to see you haul them on a trailer with no side rails. I can still put cars, trucks, and tractors on it. With a car the door will not usually open and I have to crawl though the window or rear hatch. Trucks are no issue.



Chris

Chris, not trying to pick a fight here. My question is would you want your family following right behind you when you have your trailer loaded without tiedowns or enough of them? A 1'-16" tall side rail(which thats about the size) is not going to allow you to load or haul material that a trailer without side rails wont.Yet try and load 1 ton dually truck on one with side rails, much less anything over 83" wide. On a 20' trailer, if required to secure a load with tie down straps every 2', might take 20 minutes, not hours.

 

[Diamondpilot]

When I am talking throwing things on the trailer without tie downs I am talking firewood, rolls of insulation, ect. Trust me, I know what the advantages are of both trailers. My last trailer was a 25' with 5' Beaver tail GN that was 5,800# empty and had a GVWR of 25,000#. It was a great trailer but for day to day use like I am currently needing noting beats the 18' bumper pull I have.

I guess that is why they make both types.

Chris

 

[LBrown59]

That's what sideboards are for! I do have full sideboards for this trailer, just use the front ones frequently. Slated sides for my green one, aluminum ramp sides for the little Snowco. ~~ grnspot110

There ya go.

IMO side rails limit a trailer in use and offer up a false sense of security,I.E. dont have to secure the load as well as a trailer without side rails.. There is so much more a "car hauler" style trailer can do over a side rail trailer. Tie down,rub rails whatever you want to call them are a must for both styles of trailers IMO. There is nothing a trailer without side rails cant haul, that a trailer with side rails can haul, yet not so the other way around.
I haul alot of equipment and material, my suggestion is without side rails. .

Ya got that rite.

 

[Baucom]

I prefer a trailer without rails for the flexibility. You can always make sides that slip into the stake pockets for hauling things like firewood and building supplies--and you can custom build those sides to whatever height you want.

Your tow vehicle isn't ideal, but I don't see any point in buying a 10K trailer that's marginal for the load you'll be hauling. Go ahead and get a 12K trailer, I'd buy one at least 22' long if your load with the bush hog is ~24'. I wouldn't make much difference between stand up ramps with a foot and slide in ramps, so long as with slide-ins you either mount stabilizer jacks at the rear of the trailer or carry jack stands to go under the rear to keep it from picking up the rear of the truck when loading. I can tell you, it's no fun for the trailer to lift the rear axle of the truck off the ground when loading, especially if your ramps do something unexpected like hang on a scrape blade. If you're on even a slight slope you'll roll a long way before you get it in reverse and back off.

You can live with the truck you have until it's time for a new one. Though it's not ideal, and you'll be overloaded by ~1000-1500#, sometimes you just have to deal with it. Buy a good brake controller and keep your trailer brakes in GOOD working order. Drive defensively and you'll be fine--the new half tons are more capable than many give them credit for.

 

[deere5105]

Seems like w/o sides is the preferred and since I do have access to a 16' 7K with sides the flat equipment style is the best option. Seems like 18' and 20' are the most common sizes. I may look into the 22' option. I think it is worth a little more to have the extra length and may resolve some of the issue with the ramps. The longer the trailer the less issue the stand up ramps become. I have dealt with the trailer lifting the truck, but again the stand up ramps with kicker eliminate that issue without having to carry jacks or modify the trailer. All good comments and I expected that some would prefer each type based on their uses for the trailer.

 

[KWentling]

I'm firmly in the flat deck equipment style camp. Like has been said, if you're going to haul loose material, make sideboards. It's a great advantage to be able to load and unload over the side with forks, etc. All that said, I would question wether you can position your tractor and one attachment on a trailer and not overload the hitch and/or rear axle of a half ton pickup. Axle location on the trailer is going to be an important factor. Don't short yourself on bed length because you need to be able to adjust the load to get the proper weight distribution. My personal opinion is you probably need more truck to get enough rear axle capacity, but maybe you can find something that will work for you.

Kim

 

[Bikewanderer]

Seems like w/o sides is the preferred and since I do have access to a 16' 7K with sides the flat equipment style is the best option. Seems like 18' and 20' are the most common sizes. I may look into the 22' option. I think it is worth a little more to have the extra length and may resolve some of the issue with the ramps. The longer the trailer the less issue the stand up ramps become. I have dealt with the trailer lifting the truck, but again the stand up ramps with kicker eliminate that issue without having to carry jacks or modify the trailer. All good comments and I expected that some would prefer each type based on their uses for the trailer.

My stand up ramps are removeable in five minutes or so. Pull a pin and they come right off.

 

[saltbranch]

Seems like w/o sides is the preferred and since I do have access to a 16' 7K with sides the flat equipment style is the best option. Seems like 18' and 20' are the most common sizes. I may look into the 22' option. I think it is worth a little more to have the extra length and may resolve some of the issue with the ramps. The longer the trailer the less issue the stand up ramps become. I have dealt with the trailer lifting the truck, but again the stand up ramps with kicker eliminate that issue without having to carry jacks or modify the trailer. All good comments and I expected that some would prefer each type based on their uses for the trailer.

Dont forget cut wood chocks will do the same job as welded kickers on ramps, might not look as pretty, but do the job. Alot of the times the chocks are better, especially on uneven terrain as you can shim them.Fold up ramps are nice, but limit you on overhang, which you are allowed 4' past the tail lights.Trailers are only as useful as you make them. I guess my point is, dont get so fancy you limit your trailers use. We have 53' trailers that use man handled ramps and wood chocks to center support the ramps to load dozers from 17k to 40k. A trailer is like a good crecent wrench, adjustable, easy use

 

[Gem99ultra]

deere5101, I was in the same dilema as you are now, but in a slightly smaller situation. I needed to haul 7K, 20' load with brush hog, and was trying to use a 16' pipe top with NO brakes.

re: Rails or no rails, I bought a 20' PJ Trailer with REMOVABLE rails. It also has stake pockets in addition. I added the swing-away rear stabilizers for next to nothing, as well as welded on D-rings, LED lights, brakes on BOTH axles, treated PT deck, powder coated, mounted spare, etc. Removable rails lets you use it as a car hauler or otherwise. Best of both worlds. Cost under $3K drive-out.

The trailer was built to 12K specs but I only needed 10K max, and registered it as such. Perfect for me, but you may need a 22'er. I'm using a '97 Chevy 3/4 ton and it handles the trailer fine. I suspect your newer F150 will also do just fine, especially if you add brakes on both axles. My trailer brakes will stop my rig very quickly; no fear of rear ending some poor old blue-hair, or running over some child.

 

[ITHINKICAN]

We did a 7x22' bumper pull from Texas Pride (7x20' with a 2' dove). We chose no side rails because it is easier to load/unload from the side and it wouldn't restrict the width of the load as much - stake pockets and a full wrap around is standard. We had them locate the jack back where the deck starts and got the mounted spare tire. We told them we wanted people to "see us coming" - so they added over 40' of reflective tape, a bunch of reflectors, several running lights and sweet LED lights in the rear. I can't disclose the price - but trust me - it was unbelievable! We are real happy with our decision.

Dump Trailers, Flatbed Trailer, Roll Off Trailer Dealer, Texas Pride Trailers: New Trailers For Sale, Flatbed, Gooseneck, Bumper Pull, Financing (They also have an ebay store for out of state buyers)