After looking at all those really nice trailers, something a little different...
Towing is not a joke at all but these pics kind of are. I have never towed this trailer in this condition (notice no plate on the trailer).
My Dad bought the trailer 30 years ago and it sat in a shed without moving for at least the last 25 years. It’s old but very little use. Rarely have a use for it but it’s one of those things when you need it you need it and it’s way too big to leave sitting in the shed in an unusable condition. The biggest thing we have to haul is this tractor, so before doing any renovation on it, put the tractor on it just to make sure it fit, and that’s when these pictures were taken.
It has two 7,000lb Dexter axles but it’s only 16’ long so wasn’t sure it would fit. It is pretty tight but it’s legal and weight distribution puts an appropriate amount on the tongue. Tractor as it sits runs a bit shy of 6000lb so it’s well within the limits of the trailer. I pull a 9500lb camper with the truck with no issues so it should pull this. If I was going to haul routinely or serious long distance probably would get something more user friendly and newer.
Now that it’s cold out and things have slowed a bit, pulled the hubs, cleaned and repacked bearings, replaced grease seals, cleaned the brakes (they work much better now), installed breakaway kit, swapped 3/16” ‘safety’ chains for 3/8” Grade 43 chains, cleaned up wiring and installed a standard RV plug in place of the custom setup that only fit one truck (which is long gone), replaced the 35 year old tires, festooned it with conspicuity tape, and got a license plate for it.
It does have the donut clamp rims, which is one of the reasons I would have gone a different route if I used it constantly. Have used them previously with no problems, just have to check torque before heading out. And when you put them on, I was taught to torque the clamps in a star pattern to 20, 40, 60, 90 lb-ft. Never had a problem with them. Always kind of wondered if people who had problems took too big a jump in torquing them.
Haven’t had the tractor back on it since rehab completed. Will take a picture or two next time the tractor is on it and post if this thread is still active.
