Any reason I shouldn’t buy a 18′ 14K TA CAM Full Deck Tilt

[jyoutz]

A 1/2 ton truck will pull a heavy trailer. Where it gets dicey is at highway speed when you need to quickly stop or slow down. The trailer tends to push the truck around. You always feel the weight of the trailer when you tow with a 1/2 ton, but not so much with a 3/4 or one ton truck. The heavier truck controls the trailer, not the other way around.

 

[xhoghead]

I am looking at buying the following new, mostly for toting my lx2610 and zero turn around, and any other miscellaneous uses. Can anyone recommend for or against? Didn’t really want to spend this much, but after thinking about it, thought the tilt was worth the extra money.

18′ 14K TA CAM Full Deck Tilt
$10,455.00


Description:
80.75″ Wide x 18′ Long
14,000 LB. GVW, 3280 LB Curb Weight,
10,720 lb Payload, Tandem 7K Axles
HD Slipper Spring Suspension, 4” Drop Axles
(4) Wheel Electric Brakes, EZ Lube Hubs
235/80R16 LRE Radial Tires on Steel Wheels
HD 6” C-Channel Wrap Around Tongue
HD 6” x 4”x5/16” HD Angle Iron Main Frame
HD 3” C-Channel Steel Cross Members
All LED Lighting – Recessed in Rubber Grommets
Commercial Sealed Wiring Harness
Zip Breakaway Cable, 7 Way RV Plug
Aluminum Tool Box
Adjustable HD Cushion Cylinder
Stake Pockets and Rub Rail
Pressure Treated Pine Decking
(6) 5/8” HD D-Rings and 2 Banjo Eye Tie Downs
HD Adj. 2 5/16” Ball Coupler, 12K HD Drop Leg Jack
Epoxy Primer, W/ High Grade PPG Paint
Three Year Warranty
Color: Black

I have a full tilt 22' trailer and I love it. It's wider than yours between the wheel wells. The full tilt has a lower angle of departure than the partial deck tilt. Other guys can give you advice on what weight you can pull with whatever you plan to pull it with. I leave you with this quote. It's better to have something you don't need than need something you don't have.

 

[fried1765]

A 1/2 ton truck will pull a heavy trailer. Where it gets dicey is at highway speed when you need to quickly stop or slow down. The trailer tends to push the truck around. You always feel the weight of the trailer when you tow with a 1/2 ton, but not so much with a 3/4 or one ton truck. The heavier truck controls the trailer, not the other way around.

It is important to have the trailer braking (controller) begin at the very instant that your tow vehicle braking begins, and to increase at a more rapid rate than tow vehicle braking.

 

[jyoutz]

It is important to have the trailer braking (controller) begin at the very instant that your tow vehicle braking begins, and to increase at a more rapid rate than tow vehicle braking.

True, but my heavy duty Dodge/Cummins truck handles those loads far better than my previous F-150. As you say, proper adjustment of the brake controller is important.

 

[fried1765]

True, but my heavy duty Dodge/Cummins truck handles those loads far better than my previous F-150. As you say, proper adjustment of the brake controller is important.

The point being, that MOST here DO NOT have a..... "heavy duty Dodge/Cummins truck"!

 

[jyoutz]

The point being, that MOST here DO NOT have a..... "heavy duty Dodge/Cummins truck"!

My point is that it’s not a good idea to trailer heavy equipment at interstate highway speeds with a half ton truck. It’s ok for low speed local trailering, but I always shake my head and try to get away from those people with light duty trucks pulling heavy equipment on the interstate.

 

[Chad D.]

My point is that it’s not a good idea to trailer heavy equipment at interstate highway speeds with a half ton truck. It’s ok for low speed local trailering, but I always shake my head and try to get away from those people with light duty trucks pulling heavy equipment on the interstate.

We’re talking about a LX2610 on a trailer that is overkill. I see nothing wrong with having a huge margin of excess capacity. Doesn’t mean it’s going to be used!

My personal setup is not terribly far off, and it performs really well. My truck is a a 2018 Tundra CrewMax, and my trailer is a 20’ PJ flatbed with fold down heavy duty ramps. I had it built with 1/4” plate fenders that you can drive on, and with tires that would typically be on a 14k trailer. Chain tray, tool box, spare mounted up front, it all adds up to a trailer over 3K pounds.
With my B2650, grapple, grader/scraper, and flail mower or tiller all on there, I’m about out of room.

Total loaded weight is 7,600 to 8,000 pounds, depending on what all I pack with me. I have zero issues hauling this up and down the interstate, and it handles beautifully.


My point is to buy as much trailer as you think you may ever need.
The manufacturer can see are the trailer regardless of wheee it is sold. All they have to say is the trailer is rated for “X”.
Mine is rated to 8,800# to make registration simpler. It’s on the title.

 

[PaulL]

My point is that it’s not a good idea to trailer heavy equipment at interstate highway speeds with a half ton truck. It’s ok for low speed local trailering, but I always shake my head and try to get away from those people with light duty trucks pulling heavy equipment on the interstate.

This is true enough, but depends on the machine. An LX isn't much more than a B in weight. I tow my B2601 on a single axle unbraked trailer, pulling with a VW Touareg rated to tow 3,500kg (about 7,000lbs).

The trailer weighs about 250kg (500lbs), the tractor about 900kg with loader (1,800lbs). I'm well within the towing capacity. I find it hard to believe an F150 with a tandem braked trailer wouldn't have significantly greater capacity.

Yes, it's nice to have more safety margin. But these are relatively small tractors, and not everybody carries all their implements with them at the same time as the tractor (I certainly don't, other than the loader). Of course, my main use in trailering it is to get it in for servicing, not taking it places to do work. If you're going to do work then yes you need implements as well.

 

[BAP]

My F150 will tow 10k lbs in its current incarnation and is Wired for trailer breaks. Tha trailer weighs 3000 lbs, so theoretically I could tow something 7000 lbs. My tractor only weighs 2000 lbs. Should be ok and it gives me a little headroom, especially if I get the next size up truck in the future. That is my thinking anyway.

Your F150 may be able to tow 10k but has a small load carrying capacity for the tongue weight of a trailer that heavy with a load on it. Many people confuse towing capacity that truck companies put versus what the load carrying capacity of the truck really is.

 

[chim]

Not all directly related but:

Where I worked, we had Appalachian build a utility trailer with a side access gate ahead of the axles. It has been working well.

We had a local trailer shop - https://www.thetrailershoppe.com/ - build a couple galvanized utility trailers because PA loves to salt the roads. They've been great. They built the trailers and then sent them out to be galvanized, somewhere near Philly I think.

Our insurance carrier had a meeting with us several years ago to explain the requirements for towing trailers in PA. It isn't a simple thing, at least for businesses.

 

[HowardTractor]

Your F150 may be able to tow 10k but has a small load carrying capacity for the tongue weight of a trailer that heavy with a load on it. Many people confuse towing capacity that truck companies put versus what the load carrying capacity of the truck really is.

I guess I am a little confused. My truck has a towing capacity of 10700 lbs. It has a class 4 hitch which rates at 1000 lbs. But the amount of weight that is on the hitch is really determined by how I position the load. The closer to the front I position the load the more weight rests on the hitch. I know too that positioning the load properly and distributing the weight on the trailer properly provides safer travel, and the trailers weight rating considers the distribution.

So for my vehicle I would probably want something <= 10k gvwr, correct? But I don't understand why it would be a problem having a trailer that was rated at say 15K gvwr if the trailer weight + payload was less than 10K lbs with less than 1000 lbs at the hitch.

I am just thinking, what if I end up upgrading to the 3/4 ton truck and we get another piece of equipment for the farm that might be heavier. Do I need to then sell the old trailer and buy a new one with more capability when I could get something initially with more capability but only load to what is appropriate for my current truck's capabilities.

Is my logic incorrect? I'm just asking because I don't know and want to make sure that I am safe on the road and not damaging my truck either. That thing needs to last with the way prices are.

 

[jyoutz]

This is true enough, but depends on the machine. An LX isn't much more than a B in weight. I tow my B2601 on a single axle unbraked trailer, pulling with a VW Touareg rated to tow 3,500kg (about 7,000lbs).

The trailer weighs about 250kg (500lbs), the tractor about 900kg with loader (1,800lbs). I'm well within the towing capacity. I find it hard to believe an F150 with a tandem braked trailer wouldn't have significantly greater capacity.

Yes, it's nice to have more safety margin. But these are relatively small tractors, and not everybody carries all their implements with them at the same time as the tractor (I certainly don't, other than the loader). Of course, my main use in trailering it is to get it in for servicing, not taking it places to do work. If you're going to do work then yes you need implements as well.

The key factor is what distance and speed are you towing. My comment is related to someone towing long distances on interstate highways at highway speeds. Because that is my point of reference. Going anywhere for me involves lots of miles on interstates. If someone is towing at lower speeds on secondary roads, then my concerns are less important.

 

[dirtydeed]

There's more to it than that. Technically, you'd need to know what your GCWR is of your tow vehicle. For your F150, it's likely in the neighborhood of 15K (GCWR). Since your truck is about 5K, that puts you in a max trailer GVWR of approx 10K. The 15GVWR trailer plus your truck GVWR puts you in excess of 20K GCWR.

Since the operative word in GCWR is the "R" for "Rating", it doesn't matter if you're towing an empty trailer or full load. If the trailer is rated (ie. registered) for 15K, you're still over the GCWR. Are you going to get pulled over? Not likely.

As I said above, you CAN de-rate the trailer in PA. That's not a problem at all. You could also re-register the trailer at full capacity if you were to get another tow vehicle down the road.

also, regarding your note about the Appalachian tilt deck trailer. There's no way that 20 foot 15KGVWR trailer weighs 2,500 lbs. It's much heavier than that.

 

[fried1765]

There's more to it than that. Technically, you'd need to know what your GCWR is of your tow vehicle. For your F150, it's likely in the neighborhood of 15K (GCWR). Since your truck is about 5K, that puts you in a max trailer GVWR of approx 10K. The 15GVWR trailer plus your truck GVWR puts you in excess of 20K GCWR.

Since the operative word in GCWR is the "R" for "Rating", it doesn't matter if you're towing an empty trailer or full load. If the trailer is rated (ie. registered) for 15K, you're still over the GCWR. Are you going to get pulled over? Not likely.

As I said above, you CAN de-rate the trailer in PA. That's not a problem at all. You could also re-register the trailer at full capacity if you were to get another tow vehicle down the road.

also, regarding your note about the Appalachian tilt deck trailer. There's no way that 20 foot 15KGVWR trailer weighs 2,500 lbs. It's much heavier than that.

THIS is posting provides EXACTLY what you need to know !!!
And...conditions do vary by STATE!

Example: YOU can register YOUR trailer in Maine for $20 per year! (from one to ten years between renewals)
YOU do not need to be a Maine resident, own Maine real property, or have a Maine mailing address!
Seems goofy...but TRUE!
The bottom line.......
Maine profits from trailer registration fees.....from anyone/anywhere!

Just check out the number of Maine tractor trailer registrations when you are on the highway!
Maine currently has 1.15 million registered trailers.
354,000 of those trailers are registered to out of state owners!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Personally I would get the longest you can.

18 ft seems a little short. I have a 20 footer 7k regular deck, and I am always wishing I had stepped up a bit more in both length and weight capacity. I kick myself regularly now.

In my defense though, I did not have a tractor when I bought it...I bought it for pulling the Rhino and Ice fishing sled, and it was plenty at the time.

 

[HowardTractor]

There's more to it than that. Technically, you'd need to know what your GCWR is of your tow vehicle. For your F150, it's likely in the neighborhood of 15K (GCWR). Since your truck is about 5K, that puts you in a max trailer GVWR of approx 10K. The 15GVWR trailer plus your truck GVWR puts you in excess of 20K GCWR.

Since the operative word in GCWR is the "R" for "Rating", it doesn't matter if you're towing an empty trailer or full load. If the trailer is rated (ie. registered) for 15K, you're still over the GCWR. Are you going to get pulled over? Not likely.

As I said above, you CAN de-rate the trailer in PA. That's not a problem at all. You could also re-register the trailer at full capacity if you were to get another tow vehicle down the road.

also, regarding your note about the Appalachian tilt deck trailer. There's no way that 20 foot 15KGVWR trailer weighs 2,500 lbs. It's much heavier than that.

You were right, the trailer was 3200 lbs. I read it wrong. But I did end up getting that one. I pick it up in a couple of weeks. So technically my truck can haul ~7000 lbs with that. However, my tractor with implements < 3000 lbs. So I have plenty of head room there and should not stress the trucks capabilities. Then if we end up getting some heavier equipment, I can move up to the 3/4 ton, and not need a new trailer.

I told the sales guy I would be pulling it with a half ton and he said that was no problem. When I go to register I will see about derating. Obviously I would like to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.

 

[dirtydeed]

You were right, the trailer was 3200 lbs. I read it wrong. But I did end up getting that one. I pick it up in a couple of weeks. So technically my truck can haul ~7000 lbs with that. However, my tractor with implements < 3000 lbs. So I have plenty of head room there and should not stress the trucks capabilities. Then if we end up getting some heavier equipment, I can move up to the 3/4 ton, and not need a new trailer.

I told the sales guy I would be pulling it with a half ton and he said that was no problem. When I go to register I will see about derating. Obviously I would like to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.

Awesome. I hope that it does what you need it to do.

Did you order some fork stake pockets? I believe it was about a $300 upcharge, and it's not listed on their site as an option. If you think you'll have a set of forks it's certainly worth it.

Best of luck to you.

 

[fried1765]

Awesome. I hope that it does what you need it to do.

Did you order some fork stake pockets? I believe it was about a $300 upcharge, and it's not listed on their site as an option. If you think you'll have a set of forks it's certainly worth it.

Best of luck to you.

If you did NOT order stake pockets, you Definitely NEED to give them a quick call!
Stake pockets are a must for any construction/equipment style trailer!

 

[HowardTractor]

Awesome. I hope that it does what you need it to do.

Did you order some fork stake pockets? I believe it was about a $300 upcharge, and it's not listed on their site as an option. If you think you'll have a set of forks it's certainly worth it.

Best of luck to you.

Hmmm, I do have forks. Is this some type of stake pocket accessory to mount your forks?

Interesting... there are all kinds of stake pocket accessories. I guess they are good for more than just for adding sides to the flat bed.

Definitely have to look into that. Someone highly recommended getting forks when I got my tractor, so I did. And they have proven to be incredibly useful.

 

[dirtydeed]

Hmmm, I do have forks. Is this some type of stake pocket accessory to mount your forks?

Interesting... there are all kinds of stake pocket accessories. I guess they are good for more than just for adding sides to the flat bed.

Definitely have to look into that. Someone highly recommended getting forks when I got my tractor, so I did. And they have proven to be incredibly useful.

Ok. Let me clarify. They are fork carriers/holder. They cut a slot thru the frame and install tubular steel so you can keep your forks on the trailer....see the two slots in the first pic below.

edit: honestly, now that I think about it I'm not sure if they can do that with a tilt trailer????