Trailer pin (spade) trailer connector

Mbarrette

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Kubota U55, Kubota SVL75, Kubota B3030, Kubota L6060, Kubota ZG21, Kubota L4760
Mar 8, 2015
31
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Creston, BC, Canada
Has anyone ever mounted a trailer jack on the back of their tractor? We have a dump trailer we would like to pull with our L6060. To safely pull the trailer up and down hills with a load, we thought we should mount a brake controller in the cab. Does Kubota make a trailer kit with brake controller?
Thanks,
 

skeets

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Oct 2, 2009
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First off how big of a trailer are you trying to pull? Are you going to keep it hooked up all the time? Does the trailer have electric brakes already? And please what do you mean by a trailer jack, I know what I think of but what do you mean?
 

Tooljunkie

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A trailer brake controller may be a good idea, but utilizing on board system may be difficult. If equipped with brake lights, you will be good to go. If no brake lights on tractor, then a brake switch will need to be added, whether its brake operated or hand controlled. A time delay type controller would be best, as inertia type may not react as desired. Having trailer brakes that are somewhat predictable could be used to your advantage, with time delay being adjustable.
 

Mbarrette

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Kubota U55, Kubota SVL75, Kubota B3030, Kubota L6060, Kubota ZG21, Kubota L4760
Mar 8, 2015
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Creston, BC, Canada
Sorry, I should have given more information on my set-up. The tractor is a Kubota L6060 and the trailer is a 14,000lb hydraulic dump with electric brakes. The jack I was referring to is the 7 spade connector required on the tractor side.
The trailer might be connected to the trailer several times per year.

I checked the manual and tractor, unfortunately it doesn't have brake lights or switch.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'm now looking around for a time delay controller and switch.
 

Tooljunkie

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Just saw a time delay controller on sale at princess auto.
For my preference would be a pair of switches on dash, one regular type and one momentary.and an indicator lamp of course. Actually, momentary wouldnt be needed, as most controllers can be manually activated.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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I would like to caution you on the use of a dump trailer on the back of your tractor.
While adding a brake controller is a great idea it doesn't help with 2 aspects.
One if the brakes engage on the trailer rather hard it's very easy for it to pull the front end of the tractor right off the ground and cause a complete instability issue. If you have a FEL that will help if not use plenty of front weights.
Next comes the dump issue, I have seen many a dump trailer flip a tractor on it's side because when it dumps the weight is shifted to the rear of the trailer off the tongue thus lifting the back of the tractor off the ground, front pivots and over it goes.

The L6060 is a pretty large unit 3990lbs to 4365lbs but 10K+lbs on a dump trailer can toss a 4k tractor on the ground in nothing flat! :eek: ;)
 

hedgerow

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Jan 2, 2015
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Malcolm NE
I would like to caution you on the use of a dump trailer on the back of your tractor.
While adding a brake controller is a great idea it doesn't help with 2 aspects.
One if the brakes engage on the trailer rather hard it's very easy for it to pull the front end of the tractor right off the ground and cause a complete instability issue. If you have a FEL that will help if not use plenty of front weights.
Next comes the dump issue, I have seen many a dump trailer flip a tractor on it's side because when it dumps the weight is shifted to the rear of the trailer off the tongue thus lifting the back of the tractor off the ground, front pivots and over it goes.

The L6060 is a pretty large unit 3990lbs to 4365lbs but 10K+lbs on a dump trailer can toss a 4k tractor on the ground in nothing flat! :eek: ;)
I have several dump trailers that I pull with a tractor. I have never had the brakes hooked up. Slowing down has never been the problem. Dumping is the problem usually the bumper pull ones are the ones that will try to lift the tractor up when dumping. My goose neck ones have never been a problem. I had a 5603 JD 90 Hp cab tractor I pulled a lot of trailers with but it was too light in the back and you had to watch the bumper pull trailers. Now we do all of the pulling with a 4440 JD and never have a problem. We pull the trailers 15 miles from our other farm. Never a problem with out the brakes hooked up. Some of our trailers are old grain trucks made into trailers so their are no brakes to hook up.
 

Mbarrette

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Kubota U55, Kubota SVL75, Kubota B3030, Kubota L6060, Kubota ZG21, Kubota L4760
Mar 8, 2015
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Creston, BC, Canada
Wolfman, Hedgerow thanks very, very much for the warning.
The trailer is a bumper pull deck over unit, so it sits really high of the ground. We hooked the empty trailer to the tractor with the loader on the ground, lifted the dump half way and put weight on the back end of the trailer with our excavator. You were absolutely right. Even with the loader down it doesn't take much of a tail load to send the back end of the tractor to the moon.

Yes, the tractor has a FEL, but I don't have wheel weights or ballast in the tires. We are now thinking we need to add wheel weights and trailer ballast then try another controlled test.

We have 200+ yards of heavy dirt to move straight down a hill with a grade of 20%. We thought the trailer brakes could be used if the trailer started pushing the tractor down hill. We were planning another practice run down the hill with our skid steer tethered to the back of the trailer.

We will haul small loads, but it's always nice to know your limits.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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Sandpoint, ID
Mbarrette,
THANK YOU !!!
I really appreciate you not just discounting a potentially hazard or deadly situation! ;)
So many people ignore good advice :rolleyes: and bad things happen!:mad:

Dealing with a steep grades and a load, My first choice would be to opt for a Cat to run up and down the hill, but sometimes we got to use what we have on hand!
I have mine set up for hill and grade work, low profile, extra wide tires help a lot.
with yours I would load the tires, also weight the rims, weight the front rims and front end with enough to help keep traction for steering, keep all the weight as low as possible.
I would also run cleated or studded chains, they will add 100% more for the tractive effect than just rubber.

Put a momentum brake controller in it like a prodigy, they work great and also mount it within easy reach as to be able to manually add more braking effort if/and when needed.
It also would help with braking if you chain the trailer wheels with a standard set of chains too, they need traction or they will slide on hard braking.

Another thing you could do is to put a strait shank ripper bar on the 3 point of the tractor, things get out of hand you drop that and your going to get strait and slow down immediately, you can get them set up where they miss the drawbar! ;)

Be safe, no one like brown stains on the seat :eek: or worse yet a upside down tractor! :eek::eek:
 
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Mbarrette

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Kubota U55, Kubota SVL75, Kubota B3030, Kubota L6060, Kubota ZG21, Kubota L4760
Mar 8, 2015
31
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6
Creston, BC, Canada
New Curt Venturer time delay brake controller and Reese connector now installed and ready to work. All that's left is to add wheel weights and load the tires. I'll post pictures of her maiden voyage when we take the trailer on a test run. Hopefully, the pictures aren't of a mangled up L6060 and trailer:eek:

Thanks for the guidance gentlemen,
 

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