joshuabardwell
Elite Member
I have a 16', dual-axle, utility trailer, rated for 7000 lbs GVWR. I have recently started using it to move my tractor around, when I need to. My tractor weighs 3050 lbs (per manufacturer specs). Say I've got an implement on as well, up to maybe 1000 lbs, for a total weight around 4000 lbs. Trailer itself is 1600 lbs, for a resulting gross trailer weight of 5600 lbs. I'm 1400 lbs under capacity, so I should be good to go, right?
Well, the story gets a little more complicated. I asked the manufacturer what the loading ramp/gate was rated for, and they said 2000 lbs. So I figured I should be okay to load my tractor, since, even if the weight distribution isn't exactly 50/50, that 2000 lbs probably has a little slop in it. Except, after I loaded my tractor on and off the trailer once, I noticed that the inner two reinforcing members on the gate looked just a teency bit bowed. So I figured, okay, I'll put some jack stands underneath them to provide a little extra support.
Except, I had been using my jack stands to keep the rear of the trailer from dipping, so instead I got a 6 ton bottle jack and put it at the center of the rear of the trailer. I loaded my tractor without incident. My gate has a metal tab on each side that fits between two cylinders, and a pin drops down through the cylinders to hold the gate closed. So when I went to close the gate, one of the metal tabs was butting up against one of the cylinders instead of fitting between the two of them. I pondered what could be causing this. Did I bend the gate when I was loading? On a hunch, I opened the relief valve on the bottle jack and the trailer immediately dropped several inches. The gate closed normally now. The jack had been holding the entire back of the trailer up, and the trailer had flexed in some way such that the gate wouldn't close.
Okay, so here is my question. On the one hand, by the numbers, I am well under my trailer's rated capacity. On the other hand, I am getting what might be several yellow flags that my trailer is not 100% happy with what I'm doing with it. Or am I just being a worrywart? Am I just using my trailer, or am I abusing it?
On a related note: it occurs to me that, although the trailer is rated for 7000 lbs, there are probably some assumptions made about the distribution of that weight. When I load my tractor on the trailer, all of its weight is split between the two frame members underneath the wheels (or, if the wheels are between members, perhaps it's split between four frame members). Are trailers generally engineered to take that kind of loading? Bear in mind this is a general utility trailer, not a car hauler. If anybody out there wants the size/thickness of the steel, to give a more educated opinion, I can provide it.
Well, the story gets a little more complicated. I asked the manufacturer what the loading ramp/gate was rated for, and they said 2000 lbs. So I figured I should be okay to load my tractor, since, even if the weight distribution isn't exactly 50/50, that 2000 lbs probably has a little slop in it. Except, after I loaded my tractor on and off the trailer once, I noticed that the inner two reinforcing members on the gate looked just a teency bit bowed. So I figured, okay, I'll put some jack stands underneath them to provide a little extra support.
Except, I had been using my jack stands to keep the rear of the trailer from dipping, so instead I got a 6 ton bottle jack and put it at the center of the rear of the trailer. I loaded my tractor without incident. My gate has a metal tab on each side that fits between two cylinders, and a pin drops down through the cylinders to hold the gate closed. So when I went to close the gate, one of the metal tabs was butting up against one of the cylinders instead of fitting between the two of them. I pondered what could be causing this. Did I bend the gate when I was loading? On a hunch, I opened the relief valve on the bottle jack and the trailer immediately dropped several inches. The gate closed normally now. The jack had been holding the entire back of the trailer up, and the trailer had flexed in some way such that the gate wouldn't close.
Okay, so here is my question. On the one hand, by the numbers, I am well under my trailer's rated capacity. On the other hand, I am getting what might be several yellow flags that my trailer is not 100% happy with what I'm doing with it. Or am I just being a worrywart? Am I just using my trailer, or am I abusing it?
On a related note: it occurs to me that, although the trailer is rated for 7000 lbs, there are probably some assumptions made about the distribution of that weight. When I load my tractor on the trailer, all of its weight is split between the two frame members underneath the wheels (or, if the wheels are between members, perhaps it's split between four frame members). Are trailers generally engineered to take that kind of loading? Bear in mind this is a general utility trailer, not a car hauler. If anybody out there wants the size/thickness of the steel, to give a more educated opinion, I can provide it.
