What to look for when buying trailer to haul compact tractor

[sandybeach]

I need a trailer for hauling my tractor around the neighborhood ... not more than 20 miles each way. The tractor with FEL is ~ 13 ft long, 5 1/2 ft wide, weighs ~ 4000 pounds.

What features should I look for? What should I avoid?

-sb
Life has no guarantees, no refunds, no returns, no deposits, and a short shelf life. Use it or lose it.

 

[sparc]

How often will you load/unload a day?
What do you have to drag with you or will it always be just the tractor?
Anything else you might have cause to move?

 

[sandybeach]

How often will you load/unload a day?
What do you have to drag with you or will it always be just the tractor?
Anything else you might have cause to move?

Rarely more than twice daily. Land scraper or field mower, not much else.

 

[jeffsw6]

How long with the other implement? Add at least two feet to that for balancing the weight between your trailer axles and tongue, and you have a good minimum length to work with.

I imagine you'll be in the range of a 7x16 7000# to 8x20 10,400# depending on the length you need and what is available near you. There are a lot of good threads here comparing the different styles of ramps you can read, slide-out vs tilt-up. Decide if you want a dove tail or not, too; there are pros and cons. Also keep in mind that a 8x20 10K will cost a bit more but give you the flexibility to haul bigger items if you need to, vehicles or whatever.

Get all LED lights. Get plenty of tie-downs, like D-rings built into your deck (welded to the frame or metal backing plates.) Besides that, consider getting stake pockets, because that will make the trailer useful for hauling a lot more things.

Also, depending on the style of ramps you decide to get, you may want some stabilizer jacks at the rear of the trailer. Otherwise, when you load something heavy, the deck can pitch backward and pull the truck into the air, and make the whole thing start rolling around. That's no good, don't ask me how I know.

 

[s219]

Make sure the trailer deck is long enough so that you can properly position the tractor for proper tongue weight. For that, you need to factor in what your vehicle can handle. The vehicle capacity can also help you determine how heavy of a trailer you can tow.

For my small Kubota with front loader, I needed a 16' trailer to get proper balance. With a rear implement attached, I use up all of that 16' deck. That is a flat deck trailer -- if dovetail, i would have needed an 18 footer for sure.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have about the same outfit. I use an 18' landscape with brakes on one axle and fold down ramps. I suspect you will have trouble with a 16' if you have loader on and a bushog. You must have brakes. D-rings can be added as can most other options. I bought a used trailer at what I thought was a great deal. By the time I got it the way I wanted it and got new tires, It was very close to the price of a new one. My neighbor got a gatormade 18' car hauler for about $1800. That was almost 2 years ago. He has hauled it about 5000 miles with 0 problems.