# Trailer capacities



## Faraway Farms (Jan 15, 2012)

I am planning to take a load of hay down south to help out with the shortages they have. I have never hauled hay this far so am wondering how many bales can fit on a flatbed. I will be hauling with my 95 F250 and have to rent a trailer big enough. I need some advice from others in the business. I would like to take 250 bales and have the truck capacity to do it. This is the only way I can keep the bale cost down, any less would make it unaffordable, but also I don't want to overload anything. How big a trailer do I need? Thanks.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I've hauled 240 bales stacked 6 high on a 25' goose neck. Make sure your electric brakes are working, adjusted properly and in good shape. You'll have close to 14,000 lbs pushing you. You'll need good stopping power!

Ralph


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

800 miles ? X $3.00 a mile=$2400.
$2400 divided by 240 bales?= $10 a bale frt.

It doesn't look feasible to me.

Hire a semi.800 miles X $4.00=$3200 divided by 700 bales = $4.60 a bale frt.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Do you not know anybody with a semi? Yeah, the semi is all out of pocket but it is going to be a lot cheaper, especially if you have more than one load to go. If your ford is a gas-burner, your going to have to pull a fuel trailer along too, it its a diesel, your still going to burn way more fuel on two loads than a semi will on a single. Plus, a semi might have a back haul to help defray the cost. Pickups and goosenecks are for local hauls only, you have to be efficient on the long hauls.


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## maknhay (Jan 6, 2010)

Please sir, with all due respect......I HATE THE TERM BACK HAUL. Every load on my truck is a front haul. I know freight can get expensive at times but a truck has the same expences no matter what direction it's going. If a freight rate won't let the truck make any money.....I'll run empty.

Several folks have mentioned your enormous fuel usage. If you meet up with the wrong (or the right one,really) DOT man you might as well hand him your keys. I'm certain you'r gross weight will exceed 26,000 lbs. You'll need fuel permits, CDL licence, health card, log book, DOT inspection on both pick-up and trailer, base state issued commercial plates, or a fist full of permits for each state your going through.....ect,ect,ect,ect,ect.


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## Faraway Farms (Jan 15, 2012)

My cost for fuel is $.50 a mile. I am not trying to get rich, just charging $2.00 a loaded mile. I don't have a semi but I could get access to one. I figure on making enough to make it worth my time. My full weight will probably be just under 25K I should be good there. Truck is inspected. I am not aware of needing a permit for under 26,000. My F-250 is rated for 20,000 lbs pulling.


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## maknhay (Jan 6, 2010)

At two bucks a loaded mile and not even 10 ton of hay......your doing your customer a great disservice. Put 24 ton on a semi and send it down the road. The only, and I mean the only reason your pick-up and trailer would be a better way to go is if the customer on the other end had such a small driveway and yard that the semi couldn't get in......which is normally the case. I've had several calls from folks wanting to buy a semi load of small squares for their horses and not too far into the conversation I find out said person is calling on behalf of eight other neighbors also needing hay.......and I quickly get visions of myself or any truck spending better than a day backing into numerous yards absolutly not truck friendly.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

I replied to your other thread before I read this one, didn't realise you were considering using a 3/4 ton.....I agree with everyone else. Don't think about it. I made the dumb mistake of sticking my 35' trailer on my diesel, 2500 chevy to go about 120 miles to pick up a disk a few weeks ago. In my deranged state of mind I figured because I'd only be pulling about 12-13K, it would get better mileage than my F-350 dually. The chevy didn't like that trailer at all and I think I averaged 6 mpg. Fully loaded, the F-350 gets about 11mpg and it stops a whole lot better. We appreciate your concerns and would love to have your hay, but I really don't think your plan is workable.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Another thing if you are going 1000 miles you could be looking at 4-5 nights in motels.$300-400.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

swmnhay said:


> Another thing if you are going 1000 miles you could be looking at 4-5 nights in motels.$300-400.


That would just be on the way back.....Down here, if he left it unattended overnight, it would be empty in the morning.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

If your 16 yr old truck brakes down (I pray it wouldn't ) you may end up paying a big price to do this good deed! No good deed goes unpunished! I too would try to contract out the haul via semi. If you have enough bales to send. Good luck and God bless your endeavor whatever direction you decide to go.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I think also that you should forget about it. Most of the local hay haulers around here use 350s or 3500s for the minimum of 250 bales. I think you'll be over weight with a F250 and 250 bales. Plus your renting a trailer will cost something. I've looked for a trailer to rent around here and had a tough time of it.

This summer I put an ad on craigslist looking for a semi driver/owner that would like to haul a load of hay to the Dallas area. I got a kid calling me offering to take my 600 bales with a 16 foot trailer and a F150 truck. He had no idea about hay bales in general or their prices. Maybe he was thinking the bales were the size of those little decoration straw bales they sell for decoration in the fall at craft stores. I did commend him on his initiative.


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