Trailer for a B2410

[RBrown]

I am looking for a trailer for my B2410. I will only be hauling the tractor(tires not filled), with the loader, for short distances and maybe only 4 or 5 times per year. I recently visited my local trailer dealer and he pointed me towards a heavy duty single axle trailer that is 12 ft. long and 6 1/2 ft. wide with a rear gate that doubles as a ramp. The capacity of the trailer is 3,500 lbs. and has removable steel sides. It is also priced at $850 which fits well with what I want to spend. He also had some tandem axle car haulers with a single axle brake at the same price. However the trailers were not built as well and it came with used tires and standard rims. I can really never picture myself hauling a car and I would rather pay more for what I need and get quality rather than quantity. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with the 2410 and trailers. Is this the right way to go?

 

[geneP]

I'm not an expert in this area, but I've pulled a few trailers. I think the pulling vehicle will have an impact on the trailer you choose. A lighter vehicle will benefit from the enhanced load distribution the tandem will provide, AND the brakes will be a big plus to me. It will be difficult to position the tractor on a single axle trailer so that yu have the correct tongue weight for your truck. I understand that the axle is placed 60% to the rear. This arrangement could place a great deal of weight on a light/medium duty truck, and the loader will only add to the bumper weight. I understand you will be pulling short distances and infrequently, but a tandem really pulls better...and your tandem candidate has brakes.

 

[W5FL]

A 16 foot tandem with brakes and a brake controller in the towing vehicle is a much better setup. They sell them with new tires and the cost is just a little more. 4 tires are worth $100 new. If you ever need to haul it with a box blade or mower, the additional room will be welcome. My trailer is 18 feet and 12,000# GVW. A 7000# GVW is a much better combination than a 3500# trailer that by the time you add the weight of the tractor, fuel, implement, weight of trailer, etc. can easily exceed 3500#. As the previous post said, the balance and hitch weight of the tandem is better, too. Built in ramps are usually better than the fold down screens that are really made for riding lawnmowers.

 

[Bird]

I agree with the other guys; got for a tandem axle trailer unless you've had a lot of trailer towing experience and really know your weight distribution. I have a 5' x 10' single axle trailer that I hauled almost exactly 2k pounds from the state of Washington back to Texas with no problems, but we loaded carefully, weighed it, etc. For my tractor I use a 16' tandem axle trailer.

Bird

 

[WVBill]

Thanks for this thread, guys - can't tell you how good it makes me feel.

I'm heading to California from West Virginia week after next to pick up an old '74 B6100 my Father-in-law is giving me. He told me it was 12' 6" from the FEL to the back of the rototiller so I went ahead and ordered a 16 foot tandem axel trailer to pick up in California and haul it back. Now he's trying to convince me that it could easily fit on a 12 foot single axel trailer if we take the FEL bucket and the tiller off and put them in the back of the pickup.

I had deciced to stick with the 16' trailer even knowing it is overkill for the little tractor and you guys just confirmed my decision.

Can't wait to get the tractor home and start "playing"! I'll be able to ask some real questions then rather than just sitting here like a sponge....

Thanks again.

Bill

 

[W5FL]

Maybe you will never know how good it could have made you feel! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Until you have had a trailer fishtail so violently that you have a hard time keeping the car on the highway until you can slow down or due to weight distribution, the trailer just whips the car around, you may not appreciate having the tandem back there. At highway speeds this can get serious very quickly.

People pulling the single axle travel trailers soon learned the tandems pulled much better even though the weigh distribution was pretty good.

You made the right decision.

 

[Alan L.]

I pull my B2710 with a 16-foot tandem trailer with no brakes. It cost $900.

 

[Bird]

WVBill, of course, I agree with all the other guys. I wouldn't want to mislead you (and since you mention the word "overkill" I don't guess we have). Your father-in-law is right; you can do it on the 12' trailer if you load it properly, and if there's a good enough reason (money?) for doing that, but I know you'll be a lot happier with the rig if you leave the implements on the tractor and put it on a tandem 16' trailer.

And Alan, I, too, use a 16' tandem trailer without brakes, but only because my brother bought this trailer and gave it to me. I prefer one with brakes, but I also live in an area with far less traffic than most of the rest of you are accustomed to seeing, seldom need to tow it very far, and don't need to be in any hurry when I'm towing it. I haven't kept up with traffic laws and standards the last few years, but there used to be a standard recommendation for brakes on any trailer that weighed 40% or more of the weight of the towing vehicle.

Week before last, we were coming down I-35 from Dallas (in the car) behind an 18-wheeler when he slammed on his brakes, ran all over the road, and even off the pavement. My wife got excited when I got on the brakes hard, but not enough to do any skidding, and then we saw the reason that big truck braked so hard. There was the remains of a little single axle utility trailer upside down in the median and the old Ford pickup to which it had been attached upside down in the inside traffic lane. And that was a nice straight stretch of highway where no one would expect a problem./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

 

[Kelvin]

I have a B2150 (heavier than your B2400) with loader that I haul on my 16' trailer with two 3500 lb axles (brakes on one axle; 2x6 wood flooring) that I paid about $800 for new (with used tires). A few points...

Used tires: Not a big deal. I actually prefer decent used tires. For most people, and especially for you and the usage you describe, the tires will probably dry rot long before they wear out. I would rather let the used tires dry rot rather than watch new ones go to waste.

3500 lb Capacity: Be careful. If you check carefully I believe that the 3500 lb capacity is actually the axle rating. For loads evenly distributed on the trailer you should be able to haul close to 3500 lbs. Hauling tractors with 4 distinct pressure points (the tires) is quite a bit different.

And finally, I can't belive that anyone with a nice tractor such as the B2400 is not going to want to get a 3pt implement sometime. A 16' long trailer would be the minimum that you would want. With FEL and finish mower my B2150 fits exactly on the trailer; with the FEL and rotary mower the mower's rear wheel hangs off the end.

When loading my B2150 or even my lighter-weight B7100 I try to make sure the wheels are on top of the metal cross bars. Probably not a big deal while the 2x6s are fairly new but just a good habit to get into. I feel that the job of positioning the tractor over the cross-bars is more easily accomplished on dual axle trailer than single axle trailers (where load position is much more critical).

Kelvin

 

[Alan L.]

I too only haul my tractor 6 miles down FM 121 from my house to my land. Soon to be my house also. Very rarely do I haul it in any kind of traffic, and I pull it with a 4X4 Suburban. Brakes are nice, especially if you have that kind that uses inertia to activate, I really don't want that brake control box in the truck if I can avoid it.