Trailering my new BX25D?

[DiESL]

Hi Orange friends.

I'm new to the forum, and a new Kubota owner! I scored a sweet deal on a 200 hour BX25DLB-R recently and its already getting put to good use. I thank all the participants on the forum as I did a lot of research here before hand and found it a great resource!

My questions today are on trailers - I'd like to buy one that could haul the BX behind my 89 F150 ( 5.8L V8 ) over 1-2 hour, mostly highway trips. The truck is rigged and wired for trailer already with 2" receiver and both 2" and 2"-5/16th ball setups.

Presuming flat bed, what's best practice here in terms of the following:

1. Length of trailer? ( considering loader and backhoe )
2. Single axle / tandem axle?
3. Trailer brakes or no?
4. Aluminum chassis? Steel chassis?

Bonus question to the responsively minded:

While I can find specs for my BX, I'm unclear of the total tractor weight with loader and backhoe attached and would sure appreciate a confirmation there.
( LA240 loader, BT601 Backhoe )

Final question ( technical ):

Has anyone calculated, or tested over a single axle for instance, what the center of balance is for a BX25 ( yes I realize this is a stretch, but I worry about tongue weight. ) Feel free to call me a nerd. I've heard worse.

Glad to join OTT and thanks again for the wealth of knowledge in the forum!

 

[85Hokie]

1. Length of trailer? ( considering loader and backhoe )

NO LESS THAN 14' - 16' IS BETTER


2. Single axle / tandem axle?

DOUBLE - FORGET SINGLE, UNLESS YOU FIND A TRAILER WITH A 5K AXLE AND IS 14' LONG.

3. Trailer brakes or no?

BRAKES ARE A MUST - SINGLE AXLE BRAKES AT LEAST

4. Aluminum chassis? Steel chassis?

IF YOU HAVE $$$ GO FOR THE ALUM, OTHERWISE THE STEEL IS FINE


Bonus question to the responsively minded:

While I can find specs for my BX, I'm unclear of the total tractor weight with loader and backhoe attached and would sure appreciate a confirmation there.
( LA240 loader, BT601 Backhoe )

TOTAL WEIGHT OF ALL THOSE GOODIES IS ABOUT 3,000 - 3,200 NOT COUNTING LOADED TIRES OR ANY ADDITIONS (TOOTHBAR - FUEL, ROPS ATTACHMENT ETC).


what the center of balance is for a BX25 -

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION - AND A FEW INCHES MAKE A HELLVA DIFFERENCE..... I PLACE THE CURLED FEL BUCKET AT THE FRONT WALL CURLED DOWN, THE REAR WHEELS ON MY BX ARE SLIGHTLY FORWARD OF MY BACK AXLE ON MY TANDEM.

 

[beckmurph]

I believe the weight of your BX25 is over 2500#.
16' trailer
Tandem axles.
Brakes on both axles.
Aluminum or wood.

I hauled my BX25 on a 16' tandem axle trailer with brakes on 1 axle.
This was behind a 3.0 Ford Ranger auto. I had no problem with weight distribution. But, brakes on 1 axle did not stop as well as I would have liked.
Good Luck

 

[RonBoyBX25D]

As above, I would go for brakes on both axles and 16' trailer. If you will have a brush hog, go for 18 or 20' trailer.

 

[olthumpa]

Laws relating to trailers very GREATLY from one jurisdiction to another. If you are traveling from one State to another, never assume that they are the same. You will need brakes on all wheels.

I agree with the others recommendations.

Washington Trailer Brake Laws
Every trailer and pole trailer, and every vehicle combination must be equipped with service brakes adequate to control the movement of and to stop and hold the vehicle under all conditions of loading, and on any grade incident to its operation. Every trailer and pole trailer must be equipped with brakes acting on wheels except for those not exceeding a Gross Weight (GW) of 3,000 lbs. if the total weight on and including the wheels of the trailer or trailers does not exceed 40% of the GW of the towing vehicle when connected to the trailer. ​

 

[aeronutt]

This subject has a lot of threads already. The overall rule is to always have more trailer than you need. You'll never wish your trailer was 2 feet shorter or had 2K lbs less capacity. When you're panic braking after some jackwagon pulls out in front of you, there's no such thing as too much brake capacity or too many chains holding down the load.

For your particular situation, I'm not sure how to read the disparity between having a rather expensive awesome tractor and a rather low value '89 F150. I suspect you're not sitting on a gold mine so aluminum is probably out due to cost, but it would be a great way to save weight behind a half ton truck. My 18 foot car hauler weighs 2200 lbs empty plus 3500 worth of tractor plus 500 for "stuff" plus 1000 for comfortable headroom equals 7200 lbs. A 7K capacity (two 3500 lbs axles) works out just perfect for this. It's at the upper end of what you should be towing with that truck so a weight distribution hitch should be considered mandatory. If you are going to buy a new trailer, most dealers are very good about helping you choose the right one for your needs.

When figuring out the center of gravity, aim to have the weight centered directly over the front trailer axle to start with and adjust as needed from there. Too much tongue weight is better than too little, but only to a certain degree. Overloading the tongue can cause poor handling and painfully rough ride when crossing bumps. A scale is the only way to prove you got it right, and every truck stop in the country has one. Spend the $20 to weigh it both empty and loaded so you know exactly what your axle weights and overall weights are.

EDIT: Before I switched to a gooseneck trailer, I had one of these hitches with weight distribution bars and it was absolutely amazing how much smoother it rode! You won't like the price, but you will absolutely LOVE having it. http://www.airsafehitches.com/receiver-hitch

 

[85Hokie]

"Too much tongue weight is better than too little, but only to a certain degree."

excellent point ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If you ever place too much away from the tongue - you will be looking for a place to pull over quickly......and change your pants.

There is a sweet spot, it might take a few times to find it.

 

[bandaidmd]

I use my equalizer hitch on my 1/2ton pu every time I use my 16' landscaping trailer, if in doubt I go tounge heavy and adjust the bars.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[bearskinner]

Something to always think about when towing Anything. The best trailer in the world doesn't matter if you use a cheap 3/4" shank ball on a harbor freight tow hitch. Also, you have almost double the towing capacity if you use a load stabilization system, I.E. Easy lift, Sway away, etc. Just get a solid hitch ( not hollow) at least a 1" shank ball, 1 1/4" is better and some sort of sway bars. It makes all the difference in the world, and may keep you from getting SUED one day

 

[xtruckerbob]

I use a 22 foot steel floor tandem axle car hauler for my BX25D. Before we got our 3/4 truck we had a Tahoe. I measured the ball height empty and as I loaded the BX I checked my height again. This will give you the best possible center of gravity for your BX and trailer. I think a 1 inch drop max will tow the best. When I found the sweet spot I welded a spot on the floor so I could duplicate the loading position at a glance.