L4701 Trailer

[fried1765]

re: is currently worth $1,000 more than I paid for it.

but.....ONLY if you sell it NOW......

when the economy swings the other way, it'll be worth $3400, so $2000 LESS than 'today's price'...

If you think there is a real likelihood that the economy "swings the other way".... that far....., your thinking may be a bit fuzzy.
That would be called deflation, and is highly unlikely, unless there is an impending economic collapse.
Cars, and some other high cost discretionary items may be somewhat affected, but I very seriously doubt that tractors, trailers, and machinery will take much of a hit.

At 81 years old, I have absolutely NO intention of selling my 14K trailer, or much of anything else.
I'll leave that task to my children.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

well I'm seeing a 40% reduction in my raw steel prices, so the 'big boys' will also be able to make cheaper trailers..Now IF they pass along the savings, that's another matter.

 

[drumminj]

well I'm seeing a 40% reduction in my raw steel prices

Off the recent peak? Imported or domestic?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

yes off the peak, so back to where it used to be, maybe 10% higher ?
steel from usa or canada... hmm is USA steel 'imported' ? technically yes I suppose..

 

[jyoutz]

yes off the peak, so back to where it used to be, maybe 10% higher ?
steel from usa or canada... hmm is USA steel 'imported' ? technically yes I suppose..

When 25% tariffs were imposed on imported steel, US steel just raised prices to match.

 

[jyoutz]

well I'm seeing a 40% reduction in my raw steel prices, so the 'big boys' will also be able to make cheaper trailers..Now IF they pass along the savings, that's another matter.

I have a friend who has a fabrication shop. He says steel prices are still at record high costs. Where are you located?

 

[mcmxi]

I paid $5,600 (correction) for the MidSota 15k 22' trailer back in February of last year. It had been used twice, was basically new and it's a keeper. I bought it for the MX but I've used it for all manner of things. I'll be using it a lot this spring for the new barn/shop build.

Trailers are cheap when you think about the amount of material and labor in them. It would be hard to build a trailer that's half as good for the same amount of money.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: It would be hard to build a trailer that's half as good for the same amount of money.
Can actually build them twice as good for less.
You can if you consider it a 'labour of love' with a design that matches your real needs.

Have to ask, for $6500 did your trailer come with backup lights on it ?

 

[mcmxi]

re: It would be hard to build a trailer that's half as good for the same amount of money.
Can actually build them twice as good for less.
You can if you consider it a 'labour of love' with a design that matches your real needs.

Have to ask, for $6500 did your trailer come with backup lights on it ?

I paid $5,600 ... and no, it didn't.

I'd be interested to see your build sheet with cost for a trailer "twice as good for less".

 

[SteveBX23]

To the OP, renting while keeping an eye on the used market would be my advice if you are that torn on a trailer. I paid $2K for my used 12’ Bri-Mar dump trailer last Spring. Yes, it’s used and certainly shows signs of it, but it was functional and road worthy right away and has been invaluable to me personally, aside from just hauling a machine. Since you have an L47, I think it’s safe to assume room to store it isn’t a problem?

 

[jyoutz]

As to the advice above, better talk to your dealer if you end up deciding to have them pick up and deliver back your tractor. Mine will deliver a newly-purchased tractor, but for maintenance or service, I have to hire a co. to come get it and then bring it home. Even for warranty work.... The dealer is about 40 miles from here and the trip costs me $240 each way. Almost $500 round trip.

I called a local trailer sales dealer. They said they would rent an equipment trailer for $100/day, so $200 instead of $500. I plan to get a trailer sometime for other tasks as well, but have some other financial priorities at this time.

 

[jyoutz]

To the OP, renting while keeping an eye on the used market would be my advice if you are that torn on a trailer. I paid $2K for my used 12’ Bri-Mar dump trailer last Spring. Yes, it’s used and certainly shows signs of it, but it was functional and road worthy right away and has been invaluable to me personally, aside from just hauling a machine. Since you have an L47, I think it’s safe to assume room to store it isn’t a problem?

A L47 would need a 20’ trailer minimum; far more expensive than a 12’ trailer.

 

[SteveBX23]

A L47 would need a 20’ trailer minimum; far more expensive than a 12’ trailer.

Haha you may want to fact check your price comparison of a 12’ dump trailer to a 20’ trailer. That was a short sighted comment

And thanks for assuring my understanding that an L47 wouldn’t fit on a 12’ “trailer”

 

[jyoutz]

Haha you may want to fact check your price comparison of a 12’ dump trailer to a 20’ trailer. That was a short sighted comment

And thanks for assuring my understanding that an L47 wouldn’t fit on a 12’ “trailer”

A 12’ dump trailer is still cheaper than a 14k 20’ equipment trailer. Unless you’re thinking of those narrow lightweight 7k trailers.

 

[SteveBX23]

A 12’ dump trailer is still cheaper than a 14k 20’ equipment trailer. Unless you’re thinking of those narrow lightweight 7k trailers.

Nopee. I’m thinking directly of my 12k, 12’ dump trailer

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: I'd be interested to see your build sheet with cost for a trailer "twice as good for less".
last summer, tandem, 18', had less than 1500 in steel, about 1800 in running gear,wiring,battery bkp and yes LED backup lighting plus work lights,weighs less than 'store bought' versions so higher payload.

 

[jyoutz]

Nopee. I’m thinking directly of my 12k, 12’ dump trailer

Good luck finding anything like that for $2k nowadays

 

[minthral]

I looked into it for L3301 and in short, you want at least 10k GVWR trailer... Trailer itself will weight ~2-3k. Tractor loader backhoe (or some other heavy rear attachment) and filled tires is around 5k. That's going to be around 8k of weight already. Then you might want to bring extra attachments for 1k or hold something in pallet forks etc. Also should consider what if you were to upgrade to heavier equipment. A 20%+ buffer is good, so 12-14k is a good 'sweet spot.'

You need at least 18 foot trailer... 16 will be too short and ideally you probably wans 20 foot+ (but they start to weight more). My tractor sits in a 24 long garage. There is only 3 feet extra space front and back... (24-6 = 18). Equipment trailers will have kinda misleading numbers... for example an 18 foot trailer is actually 16 foot of deck with 2 foot ramp/dovetail in the back. It can still work, but it's smaller than you think..

End of the day, it costs 5-6k+ for a properly sized equipment trailer. New OR used (not much discount).

It's not worth it unless you need to transport a tractor often or to make money with it. Or have other reasons for the trailer...like people mentioned they have a dump trailer for dumping etc and use that. Also storing the trailer and keeping up with it might be a problem for some. Handling such a large trailer and having the proper truck to tow it is something to consider...even though full size 3/4 trucks can tow 10-12k now a days, that requires weight distribution hitch, gooseneck, etc. Lots of dangerous situations you can get yourself into...

I think pretty much all dealers will pickup and return your equipment for a cost. Yea it's not cheap, but much cheaper than owning a trailer.

Last... I would just do the maintenance yourself. I changed all the filters and fluids on my L3301 last week and it wasn't hard. Second time will be even easier...as long as you have the proper tools, it's very consumer friendly to service...plus you save cost of dealer doing it, transport, and etc. That could add up to be $500+ that you could use instead for something else.

 

[SteveBX23]

Good luck finding anything like that for $2k nowadays

Good thing I’m not relying on luck, huh? And it was only about 9 months ago…

Now that we have that little hijack behind us, the original point, that was clearly missed, and to the original poster, was that it would suck to have to rely on renting a trailer whenever it was needed. Patience is a virtue, and a good used trailer is bound to hit marketplace or CL sooner or later at a very fair price. Man, that was difficult….

 

[NCL4701]

Equipment trailers will have kinda misleading numbers... for example an 18 foot trailer is actually 16 foot of deck with 2 foot ramp/dovetail in the back.

Not arguing at all, but that’s interesting. I’ve always considered mine a 16’ trailer because it has a 16’ deck (slide in ramps, no dovetail). Maybe it’s technically something other than a 16’?

Regardless, it works, but just barely (I think the photos earlier in the thread support that contention), and is shorter than what I would select if I was just buying a trailer rather than taking over a derelict one already on the property for occasional use. Something with at least a 20’ deck (whatever the manufacturer chooses to call it) would be a better fit. With a loader and rotary cutter, disc harrow, or anything else adding a lot of length it would need to be longer than 20’.