Truck & Trailer ideas to tow 14,000 and be under 26,000 pounds

[Hay Dude]

I have the 3” 40K ball in my Ram for the 5th wheel. The 5th wheel plate itself is rated for 50K. My bumper pull hitch is rated for 20K.

 

[sandman2234]

It varies from State to State. I know in Dallas they had the bus mechanics get their CDL for insurance cost reasons.

Actually, they probably were required to get them because the mechanics had to operate the bus to test drive it, and if it were capable of transporting what I think is 14 plus driver or maybe 15 people, even if the bus is empty, it requires a CDL per Federal rules. This became overly apparent about 6-10 years ago when the D.O.T started enforcing this. I was told some mechanic test driving a bus got in a serious wreck with injuries to others.
I was teaching CDL's at a local school that also taught mechanics and all of our instructors had to get a CDL and occasionally we would have a group of mechanic students come through.
David from jax

 

[Bearsixty7]

I'm sure of the current Ford F-350's but, the F-450/550 have a 3" receiver.

Most Diesel Rams (not 4500/5500) have a 2 1/2" receivers with a sleeve to reduce it to 2". The problem my friend has with his Dodge pickup is not the tow vehicle but, the receiver ball he sticks on it. Yes, it is a 2 5/16th ball but, the tube connecting it to the pickup is not rated the same as the ball! Like a chain, the weak link is where the problem is so, not necessarily the tow vehicle or trailer!

And yes, my solid 30K# ball receiver hitch for my 2" and 2 5/16" balls is not the weakest link but, they also cost more than the 2" receiver hitch with 2 5/16" ball from Walmart.

This is on our 2019 F350 SRW LB/CC 4x4 Diesel. It's the same 3" receiver they use on the DRW and the F450 I believe. Now the truck is only rated for 18K on the receiver though. Not a problem as my heaviest bumper pull trailer is the Toyhauler at 14K and it has it's own WD hitch that it came with.

 

[EddieWalker]

What about this trailer that I just saw on FB?

Facebook

www.facebook.com

For those that don't have FB, I'll copy what it says.

2023 TIGER 32 x 102" drive over fender trailer $11,200​

New Tiger 2023 32' x 102" Drive Over Fender, Triple axle, 3 - # 7000 EZ lube brake axles, 16" 10 ply radial tires with spare tire, lockable chain box, dual 12K jacks, stand up ramps, LED lights, 10" channel iron fenders, stake pockets and rub rails, 21,000ib GVWR, empty weight 5700lbs, carrying cap. 15,300lbs, Black $11,200



If I buy a Ram 3500 dually 6.7 4x4 diesel truck with Farm tags, and I get this trailer registered for Farm use, could I haul my 14,000 backhoe the 62 miles to my hay farm with my normal Class C drivers license?

Is 32 feet long enough to load my Massey 4707 tractor on it with my 12 foot batwing and haul them both at the same time? What about the tractor with a bailer, a hay rake and a cutter? If I can haul the tractor and the implement at the same time, it would be a lot easier to load them on the tractor, and a lot faster then having to make two trips to get them there.

If 32 feet isn't long enough, how long should the trailer be?

 

[LD1]

What about this trailer that I just saw on FB?

Facebook

www.facebook.com

For those that don't have FB, I'll copy what it says.

2023 TIGER 32 x 102" drive over fender trailer $11,200​

New Tiger 2023 32' x 102" Drive Over Fender, Triple axle, 3 - # 7000 EZ lube brake axles, 16" 10 ply radial tires with spare tire, lockable chain box, dual 12K jacks, stand up ramps, LED lights, 10" channel iron fenders, stake pockets and rub rails, 21,000ib GVWR, empty weight 5700lbs, carrying cap. 15,300lbs, Black $11,200

View attachment 781663

If I buy a Ram 3500 dually 6.7 4x4 diesel truck with Farm tags, and I get this trailer registered for Farm use, could I haul my 14,000 backhoe the 62 miles to my hay farm with my normal Class C drivers license?

Is 32 feet long enough to load my Massey 4707 tractor on it with my 12 foot batwing and haul them both at the same time? What about the tractor with a bailer, a hay rake and a cutter? If I can haul the tractor and the implement at the same time, it would be a lot easier to load them on the tractor, and a lot faster then having to make two trips to get them there.

If 32 feet isn't long enough, how long should the trailer be?

Regarding whether you can "legally" haul it with "farm tags" or not.....I am sure you are going to continue to get conflicting information. As you can see from the previous 243 posts of this thread....there isnt a simple answer....and this has been debated for decades. So I wont touch on that topic.....

However......the 32' and whether its long enough....Id hook your implements up and measure what you have. Its unlikely that anyone here has a massey 4707 and batwing of the exact same model as you.....let alone has ever measured it. And even if someone did.....Id not just take someones word for it over the web and I'd personally measure myself before dropping that kind of money.

Second thing of note is the ramps. Depending on equipment configuration and where the attachments wheels actually are....a pair of skinny ramps may not be ideal. So I'd consider getting the full width ramps. I think some call them MAX ramps or MEGA ramps.....and the ones I have seen can be pinned vertical just like a normal ramp.....or folded completely over to have a full 32' of flat deck....which may be idea for hauling hay...

Also....the weight rating...another topic of debate but you can take it with a grain of salt. That trailer is actually capable of carrying MORE than 15.3k. How much more depends on the tongue weight. Basically you cannot have more than 21k on the axles....and the trailer weighs 5700, so the MFG's take the lazy way out and simply subtract it out. Which I can understand because predicting how someone will load and how much tongue weight is a bit challenging, so in order to have a CYA approach.....they give those figures. But a dually that can easily have 3500# of pin weight with that trailer.....your payload "can" be closer to 19k. So if the heaviest thing you have is the backhoe.....you have quite a bit of margin for error and dont need to think that your 14k hoe is flirting with the limits of a 15.3k payload.

 

[WM75Guy]

No, it would not be legal using a Class C. The Ram for a towing vehicle would be fine but the Class C exemption for towing a farm trailer is GVWR of 20,000# or less.

 

[crashz]

I agree with LD on measuring your rig and add some room to balance the load. When I bought my trailer I measured the tractor with loader on it and added 5ft (for a 5ft brush cutter) because I was too lazy to attach the mower and at least smart enough to add. I was very wrong. I knew my 18 footer would be snug (I wanted a 20), but I can barely close the ramps when hauling my mowers and tractor with loader.

So - I would recommend attaching the batwing and measure from bucket cutting edge to end of the batwing. Then add some wiggle room to adjust for pin weight and balance.

 

[EddieWalker]

No, it would not be legal using a Class C. The Ram for a towing vehicle would be fine but the Class C exemption for towing a farm trailer is GVWR of 20,000# or less.

View attachment 781675

I had to look at this for a few minutes to get it, and I'm still not 100% that I understand what it's saying.

My goal is to use my Class C drivers license with Farm tags on the truck and trailer to avoid having to upgrade my license.

Is it accurate that if I have a truck with a GVWR less then 26,000 pounds, I can haul a trailer with a maximum GVWR of 20,000 pounds or less?

Would a GVWR of 14,000 pounds for the truck, and a GVWR of 20,000 pounds on the trailer, for a total GVWR of 34,000 pounds, and I would be legal with Farm tags? Or even a higher GVWR of 20,000 pounds for the truck be legal with a 20,000 pound GVWR on the trailer for a total of 40,000 pounds?

If I have it figured out, I need to stick with looking at one ton trucks, and a trailer with a GVWR of 20,000 pounds or less to be legal.

 

[EddieWalker]

...Id hook your implements up and measure what you have. Its unlikely that anyone here has a massey 4707 and batwing of the exact same model as you.....let alone has ever measured it. And even if someone did.....Id not just take someones word for it over the web and I'd personally measure myself before dropping that kind of money.

Thank you. I am planning on doing this when I connect the batwing back to the tractor in the Spring. I could probably do it now by just measuring both of them separately, but it's raining ice outside right now and I don't want to go out there.

What I'm really trying to figure out is how long of a trailer does everyone use to haul all of their equipment with? What is the length that works for you? I don't have any haying equipment, so I can't measure that. Is the rake longer then a batwing when connected behind a tractor on the trailer? What about the cutter? I see guys hauling their tractor on a trailer with the bailer being off of the trailer, and on the road, but connected to the tractor in Tyler all the time. I guess that's legal, but it seems odd to me. And I'm sure that it's only done for short distances, not 62 miles each way.

 

[Hay Dude]

After reading this thread and seeing what you guys have to go through, I feel damn lucky I have had my Class A CDL with air brakes for 30 years.
I know its a ***** and expensive, but I still think it’s worth it.

Seeing y’all trying to figure ways “around it” is really an eye opener. Almost seems better to just have someone do the hauling for you sometimes.