Okay trailer experts, help me out!!!

[whitewing]

You're going to build the perfect trailer for hauling a tractor and a baler. What design details would you consider a must-have?

 

[thendrix]

I would say if money were no object, a dual tandem gooseneck. If your also going to use it to haul hay, a flip up dovetail. At least 7000 lbs. axles both with brakes. I don't know what standard rating is for dual axles but I would think 7000 would be the minimum if they go that lite. Length depends on the tractor and baler

 

[JSCATTLE]

My perfect trailer would be a 40 foot float with duel tandems 12 k lbs each axel . Hydro dove tail .

 

[whitewing]

My perfect trailer would be a 40 foot float with duel tandems 12 k lbs each axel . Hydro dove tail .

What would you pull such a beast with?

 

[piedmontese]

My perfect trailer would be a 40 foot float with duel tandems 12 k lbs each axel . Hydro dove tail .

What would you pull such a beast with?

a 1 ton dually will pull that all day long.

 

[whitewing]

My perfect trailer would be a 40 foot float with duel tandems 12 k lbs each axel . Hydro dove tail .

What would you pull such a beast with?

a 1 ton dually will pull that all day long.

I've got a Ford 350 Triton (gasoline engine) right now but I'm not convinced it'll be up to the task. I'd much rather have a diesel.

 

[highgrit]

I 'am with JSCATTLE, you need a dovetail if your going to be putting equipment on it. And a hydro dovetail would haul a lot more hay. Also a gas truck can't handle the load, you need a diesel engine. Some of them pictures you take have some heavy duty trucks in them. I hauled alot of weight with a Isuzu NPR and NRR. Never been down there, but if the roads are as bad as Costa Rica your not going fast. Oh by the way don't forget the brakes for the trailer.

 

[gimpyrancher]

Seems to me one important question is terrain. How much one can safely haul with a particular truck is limited by the grade. I only have a 2500HD Diesel Gooseneck but my landscape is almost flat. I want more capacity and heavier axles with brakes all around. The power beaver tail is something I hadn't thought much about, until now.

 

[whitewing]

I 'am with JSCATTLE, you need a dovetail if your going to be putting equipment on it. And a hydro dovetail would haul a lot more hay. Also a gas truck can't handle the load, you need a diesel engine. Some of them pictures you take have some heavy duty trucks in them. I hauled alot of weight with a Isuzu NPR and NRR. Never been down there, but if the roads are as bad as Costa Rica your not going fast. Oh by the way don't forget the brakes for the trailer.

The roads here are almost as bad as those in Louisiana.

Okay, I'll admit it here and now. I'm ignorant on all things trailer-related. What the heck is a hydro dovetail? Yeah, I've reached the conclusion that a diesel would be the best route to go. Back in another lifetime I drove a Dodge 2500 with the Cummins diesel. I could pull just about anything and hardly know I had a trailer behind me. With my Dodge gasoline engine, it was a totally different story.

And since I'm begging for help, perhaps a decent pic of a hydro dovetail would save some words. :cboy:

 

[thendrix]

The dovetail is the angled part on the end of the trailer. A floating dovetail, hydraulic dovetail, flip up dovtail, etc. is a dovetail that the end raises up level with the trailer floor and gives you an extra 4 to 5 feet of flat hauling space. Doesn't sound like much but it can mean at least another 2 rolls of hay per load.

 

[Angus Cowman]

My perfect trailer would be a 40 foot float with duel tandems 12 k lbs each axel . Hydro dove tail .

What would you pull such a beast with?

a 1 ton dually will pull that all day long.

and pull the guts out of the truck
a good built 40ft trailer will weight in the 10-12k range and if you put a 80hp tractor and baler you are adding another 12-15k plus with the truck you could easily be grossing 35k and a 1 ton sure isn't made to do that especially all day every day
plus if you have any hills or rough terrain you don't have enough stopping or pulling power

I love these idiots that buy a 1 ton and gooseneck trailer and think they can haul anything and then they wonder why their truck is always in the shop and they are always having to put brakes on them and always complaining what a POS this model or that model of truck is
we have a guy from Texas that has been hauling hay he went and bought a chevy 45 or 5500 or the equivalent and has a 40ft gooseneck I don't think he hasn't made a trip yet that it hasn't cost him either in tires or engine work
he could of bought a good single axle semi for 25% of the cost of the truck he bought and been better off

WW
if your going to be hauling alot and any distance don't by a diesel PICKUP get a heavier truck and you will save money and stress in the long run
as for hauling a tractor and baler I would look at a 36ft trailer with a hinged hydraulic dovetail
it makes loading and unloading alot easier
the only problem alot of them are Not long enough for you to load a tractor and an implement
so you may want to have the bed tilt instead plus then you don't have to have a power unit to run the bed tilt like you do the hyd dovetail
here is a link that shows a hydraulic dovetail
http://www.pjtrailers.com/trailers.cfm#Flatdecks

 

[whitewing]

Thanks for that linky AC. NOW I know what a dovetail looks like....and it makes sense.

As for the "pickup" comment, fear not. I'm the sort of guy who calculates exactly what he needs to get the job done, then buys double those specs. It always seems that no matter what one plans for, one usually ends up wishing he'd bought something bigger, stronger, faster, etc.

While I'm not in the mountains, if you've looked at any of my photos you've seen that there are plenty of hills in my area. For me, this baling business is growing rapidly. It seems every time I do a job for someone, two more folks who saw me working there call and ask if I'd cut and bale for them. That's taking me farther and farther away from the pueblo and I don't like the wear and tear on my equipment trying to get to/from the worksite. Eventually I'll be taking on work that's just too far away to justify driving the tractor to the location....I'm really at that point already.

Anyway, I'll keep planning. :cboy:

 

[JSCATTLE]

My perfect trailer would be a 40 foot float with duel tandems 12 k lbs each axel . Hydro dove tail .

What would you pull such a beast with?

My dodge 3500 . I have a 30 foot now .

 

[jedstivers]

Can you buy trucks in the states and import them in? If so what about parts ?

 

[whitewing]

Can you buy trucks in the states and import them in? If so what about parts ?

Sure, for the most part without problem. Having said that, in 2010 I bought a new Toyota Tundra Platinum at a dealership in Louisiana for import here and shortly before shipping it Chavez issued some decree that stopped the import of 8 cyclinder "luxury trucks". I tried the usual method of going around the import ban by finding someone who'd get it in the country regardless. Nada. One guy told me he could import a cargo container of illegal drugs more easily than he could import that truck.

Anyway, yes, I could buy what I need in the States and import it. That might be the best deal in the long run as I bet there are some excellent deals of diesel trucks these days in the States.

 

[jedstivers]

You can get some very good cheep single axle big trucks now. Just be sure and buy like they are going to be staying here, the junk goes first for import.

 

[whitewing]

You can get some very good cheep single axle big trucks now. Just be sure and buy like they are going to be staying here, the junk goes first for import.

Indeed. I learned early-on NOT to say "for export" at a US dealership. Apparently they're under some fairly tight rules by the manufacturers as it applies to selling vehicles for export and, if caught, catch hell for it.

As for your comments about the junk going first for export, you're correct. I recall a Ford F150 showing up here that had been exported new from the States. At the time Ford had an assembly plant in Venezuela but everyone wanted this truck because it was imported. I got to looking at it carefully and could see that the doors didn't line up, the paint job was horrible, and the bed shook on the test drive. It was an obvious reject at a US Ford plant and shipped overseas immediately.

Again, I'm new at the trucking game. When you mention a single axle big truck, exactly what type of vehicle are you referring to?

 

[jedstivers]

This is just the first google hit I found by typing in single axle trucks.

http://www.usedtrucks.ryder.com/Vehicle ... eGroupId=7

 

[Cabo]

Don't forget the width of the trailer, some of those square balers have a wide tread center.

 

[Angus Cowman]

http://www.truckpaper.com/default.aspx