Type of trailer?

[ayak]

As a general rule should a tractor with a backhoe have the backhoe placed at the front or back of a trailer?

I would think the backhoe weight might be enough to justify putting it at the front of the trailer for tongue weight, but I have been wrong before.

I go with whatever way gets me 10-15% on the tongue, personally.
It’s a game of inches sometimes between looking up at the sky (with constant steering corrections) or having the death sway if the tongue is too light.

 

[nbryan]

How do you MEASURE your tongue weight?
You should have 10-15% of the loaded trailer weight on the tongue.
The eyeball (guesstimate) method is really not satisfactory.

I have never "MEASURED" the actual tongue weight of a single trailer in my 50 years of driving, and I was pulling small boat trailers driving as a 15 year old learner with dad the watchful passenger. He showed me what to look for in a properly weighted trailer tongue, and it had nothing to do with scales.

Since then I've hauled countless trailer loads over the decades as a mostly carpenter. The 7K with tractor/implements is about as large a load as I've ever regularly hauled with my pickup, but I also know the truck and look at the space between the axle bumpers and frame to know if there's 700-800lbs on the hitch - and it's clear immediately if there's too much or too little tongue weight as soon as i start driving it with a new load config. So stop and reposition.

I bet the vast majority of haulers like me do the same.

 

[fried1765]

I have never "MEASURED" the actual tongue weight of a single trailer in my 50 years of driving, and I was pulling small boat trailers driving as a 15 year old learner with dad the watchful passenger. He showed me what to look for in a properly weighted trailer tongue, and it had nothing to do with scales.

Since then I've hauled countless trailer loads over the decades as a mostly carpenter. The 7K with tractor/implements is about as large a load as I've ever regularly hauled with my pickup, but I also know the truck and look at the space between the axle bumpers and frame to know if there's 700-800lbs on the hitch - and it's clear immediately if there's too much or too little tongue weight as soon as i start driving it with a new load config. So stop and reposition.

I bet the vast majority of haulers like me do the same.

"I bet the vast majority of haulers like me do the same"
Yep....I am sure they do.
And certainly that makes it the SAFEST way ?
Your way, is the reality for the smaller loads that YOU carry.......as you state under 7K.
Not everyone carries 7K or lighter loads.

 

[lynnmor]

I have never "MEASURED" the actual tongue weight of a single trailer in my 50 years of driving

I bet the vast majority of haulers like me do the same.

Unfortunately that is likely the truth. The best wreck I ever saw was a van pulling a trailer loaded with firewood. He tossed wood across all four lanes when the sway reached maximum, then the van did an end over end. His buddy was in a jeep ahead of him and he failed to set the parking brake so it crashed as well.

I have a 1000 and a 2000 Sherline to eliminate guessing.

 

[mcmxi]

I have a 1000 and a 2000 Sherline to eliminate guessing.

Before I set off on a 600 mile trip pulling the M6060 from Sheridan, WY back home, I measured the tongue weight (~450lb) of the unloaded MidSota trailer (3,360lb) and found that it was 13.4% of the total weight. I knew the weight of the trailer plus the M6060 was 10,720lb because I stopped on a scale in Sheridan. I had to move the tractor a few times to get the tongue weight where I wanted it which was around 1,300lb. The truck with gear, trailer and tractor was a little over 19,000lb.

 

[country_hick]

I'd suggest purchase what you need for your current situation. As life goes on and things change, once again get what you need at that time. Same principle as beginning with a "starter home".

That reminds me of the fellow who bought a starter home 50 years ago and is still there.

Sometimes the starter is the final product due to unforseen circumstances.

 

[country_hick]

I went out to look at a fifth wheel trailer today. What I found was not worth bringing home. Yes, it is a fifth wheel. Yes it had about a 28' deck. No it was not rusted away to nothing. What was the problem?

It had 15" load range D tires with an 1120 pound load rating and maybe 3500 pound axles. The frame was 6" tall and probably 1/4" to 3/8" thick. Figure the trailer weighs 2,000 pounds. 4480 pounds minus 2,000 pounds leaves 2480 pounds of carrying capacity.

A tractor will weigh between 2 and 4 ton which is way over the trailers weight limitations. The seller told me they had 200 to 225 60 pound hay bales on it. That might work hauling it at 5mph but I would expect the tires to blow out at highway speeds.

The last straw was I pushed down on the trailers rear bumper (end) and the trailer visibly bounced all the way up to the front with the plywood floors visibly moving with the trailer like a wave. That would cause a bad day on the road if it had more of a load on it than just me pushing down on the back.

Either someone hand built the cheapest possible fifth wheel OR this was one of the lightest 5th wheel camper trailers in existence. Either way it would not hold a tractor safely on a long ride (or even a short one).

The moral of the story, look at the tire load capacity, ask for the number of lugnuts on the trailer tire rim. I would not accept less than 8 lug nut rims as those would probably be 8k axles or 16k total.

 

[cthomas]

My 18 foot 10k trailer weights 2700(now closer to 2900 with the tool box and chains) and this is a bumper pull. Sounds like someone "found an old house trailer and "built" a trailer. As I have looked into that option and yes the frame is very bouncy and does not have any ability to resist twisting forces(I could stand on the corner and it would dip), which is why I declined this option.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

FWIW, I found out years ago that most of the axles on a 'mobile homes' are designed and certified for ONE haul, from dealer to the trailer park, where they're unpinned ! and taken to the scrapyard. Looked it up, probably at Dexter's website, said the same.. and 'NOT to be used for utility trailer use, or words to that effect.
The normal 5 bolt axle is generally a 3500# unit, 6 bolts ,5200#. if you can see the nut in a picture ,it's a quick way to decide what the trailer can carry.

 

[Grimloktt]

Thank you. So it sounds like car trailer is the way to go...?