# Flatbed Suggestion for 3/4 ton truck



## Goatman (Jun 11, 2010)

I have a dodge 2500 cummins. I'm looking for a trailer to haul hay with. What would be a appropriate size for this truck? I don't want to overload it. All comments and suggestions would be appreciated!!


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## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

I have a 2006 dodge 2500 cummins, and I pull a 30 foot tandem axle dual wheel gooseneck trailer all day long with 23 4x5 bales of hay. I also pull the same trailer with my kubota m9540 4x4 cab and loader on the front and my kubota m4700 on the back. These trucks are extremely stout they will pull anything you load on them!!







The bigger question is how much can you pull legally!!


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Don't put a trailer on it. Goosenecks are the worse thing that ever happened to a pickup. Buy a bigger truck. I have lost a back window, a tailgate, and numerous dents in the bed. Also hard on tires and drivetrain.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

With a Dodge 3/4 ton, a 32 foot tandem dual is little bit big, but it has worked well for us. I've pulled my bro's a few times, his boy hauls 5x6 round stalks with a 3/4 ton and 32'. Use common sense when you load it, and be aware that any triple axle or tandem dual behind a 3/4 ton makes the DOT smile in a way you won't like.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

A couple of weeks ago I had to go about a 120 miles to pick up a disk. I put my 35' gooseneck on my Chevy HD C2500 diesel using the logic that I'd only be pulling around 13K and the Chevy would use less fuel than the F-350 dually (gets about 11 mph when fully loaded). The 2500 did not like that trailer. I had to refuel when I got up there and it just about used a full tank coming back indicating about 6 mpg for the trip. Yes, you can pull a big trailer with a 3/4 ton truck but you better look at the rear-end ratio before you do it. You may need an extra fuel tank.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Goatman said:


> I have a dodge 2500 cummins. I'm looking for a trailer to haul hay with. What would be a appropriate size for this truck? I don't want to overload it. All comments and suggestions would be appreciated!!


Depends what you are going to haul.I have a 30' with tandem duals.I'd sooner have the duals then singles any day.Its alot more stable.Doesn't cut into soft fields as easy.If you have a flat you can limp it a little ways,usually.Pull it with Dodge 2500 cummins also.373 rear end.355's suck with heavy load.I have about 350,000 miles on this trailer.I will haul 11,12 or 14 bales depending on wt of hay.5x6 bales.I like pickup and 5th wheel for manuveribility alot of places you can't get a semi in.And a semi around is one more thing to keep up,license and insure.


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## KerryAll (Jun 4, 2011)

swmnhay said:


> Depends what you are going to haul.I have a 30' with tandem duals.I'd sooner have the duals then singles any day.Its alot more stable.Doesn't cut into soft fields as easy.If you have a flat you can limp it a little ways,usually.Pull it with Dodge 2500 cummins also.373 rear end.355's suck with heavy load.I have about 350,000 miles on this trailer.I will haul 11,12 or 14 bales depending on wt of hay.5x6 bales.I like pickup and 5th wheel for manuveribility alot of places you can't get a semi in.And a semi around is one more thing to keep up,license and insure.


-not to mention having to say no (or yes) to neighbors and friends who know you've got that semi!


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## Goatman (Jun 11, 2010)

Thanks for your guys input! I'm looking at a 24' tandem axle. The axles are just 7000lbs each. Would it be a bad idea to add a third 7000lbs axle??


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Goatman said:


> Thanks for your guys input! I'm looking at a 24' tandem axle. The axles are just 7000lbs each. Would it be a bad idea to add a third 7000lbs axle??


 That is what I run is a 3-axle 7000lb each 24 ft gooseneck. Our loads run 8 to 10 ton of hay. Pull with either 3/4 ton chevy with 3508 gas (really likes its gas) or 3/4 ton chevy duramax. Duramax gets about 7 to 8 mpg loaded and trailer tires last about 20000 miles. Semi with 855 cummins and 53 ft dropdeck hauling 25 ton gets 5 mpg loaded and tires last for a long time.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

One consideration that many folks do not think about is the weight of the trailer itself. This weight reduces the net carrying capacity of the trailer. That's why you see a gooseneck trailer with 14k axles only have a carrying capacity of 9000 pounds or so and one with 10k duel tandems have a capacity of 14-15k pounds.

For this reason, it is fairly common to see folks overload their trailers. You can get by with occasionally overloading a trailer. However, a normal diet of overloads will stress the equipment over time.

Just one more thing to think about....


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## Fowllife (Sep 10, 2010)

RockmartGA said:


> One consideration that many folks do not think about is the weight of the trailer itself. This weight reduces the net carrying capacity of the trailer. That's why you see a gooseneck trailer with 14k axles only have a carrying capacity of 9000 pounds or so and one with 10k duel tandems have a capacity of 14-15k pounds.
> 
> For this reason, it is fairly common to see folks overload their trailers. You can get by with occasionally overloading a trailer. However, a normal diet of overloads will stress the equipment over time.
> 
> Just one more thing to think about....


You also need to add for your pin/tongue weight though. 20-30% tongue wiehgt is normal for a gooseneck, so depending on your truck you would be adding another 2-5k lbs. I do agree though, most guys overload.

Adding a 3rd axel may not be the best idea though. If you make a lot of tight turns, especially on paving, you may end up replacing a lot of tires, hubs, or axels. There is a lot of binding that takes place on a tri axel trailer. Also, depending on the type of suspension it can also be hard to ballance your load. It's easier to overload on axel and pop a tire of break something.

It may just come down to how much you plan on using it & how much you want to haul. There are couple of manufactures that use dual 8k axels. Replacement parts & tires will cost more for your heavier axels, but they will wear better under the same load. If your only hauling 2-3k miles a year on gravel roads a tri 7k axel would probably be fine. But if your pulling 20-30k miles a year on paving with a lot of turns repair cost on a tri may be quite high and you would be better off with a dual tandem.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

I guess the bottom line is that it really depends on how much hay (per load) you intend to haul, how far, and how often.

One of the previous posters mentioned that he put 350,000 miles on a dual tandem. For that much use, he definately needed the heaviest duty trailer available. Trying to save a few thousand on the initial purchase price would have cost him in the long run.

I also agree with the above poster regarding triaxles. If you need that much carrying capacity, I think you will find the dual tandem axles are heavier duty and will hold up better than three 7k axles. Just my opinion. I have neither so I don't have first hand experience with either.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

I will add a few observations made while pulling trailers (albeit infrequently):

The nicest riding units are single wheel (tandem or triple).

The most tire trouble usually comes with LRE triple singles, although overloaded duals will also have failures.

A spread axle tandem dual rides better than std wheel base when loaded, but rides worse than a std wheel base empty.

Spread axles will also offer more resistance to sharp turns. These are the times a person will wish for a DRW pickup.

Any trailer of size will have a pucker factor if you don't have good trailer brakes. My recommendation is to check out Maxbrake if you want a really good pickup trailer brake controller.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Some trailers have tortion axles and don't have a equalizer between axles.It can put extreme presure on 1 axle when crossing a hump like a RR crossing.Especcialy with tri axles.I've heard of welding peeling from the frame on a tri ax.

Just something else to think about.


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

Agree, would go with the duals! Mine is singles, my buddies is duals. They tow very simular, but singles dont have the safty, along with the weight abilites.

You will be testing the limits of you trailer lighter trailers at some point in my oppinion, along with loading heavey on the truck if you are you are going to max out a lighter trailer.

The only negative i see with duals is more tires to replace....

I dont think you what to go much over 25k gvw. It is taking a tole on my truck after 8 summers of day in and day out hauling at that weight... (F350 single tire 1995 ford with a powerstroke, 25 ft single tire dual axel gooseneck)


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

We run a 27 ft, dual axle, single wheel bumper pull for hay. We can still load the bed and the trailer holds 300-400 bales. 400 bales is over our axle rating so only in the field / short trips. We don't use a weight distributing hitch in the field as the bars are too low.

I'll say, I'm surprised how much the empty trailer weighs. If I did it again, I'd get 1.5" softwood deck, expanded mesh or very thin diamond plate floor. The 2.5" thick tamarack deck weighs 2000+ lbs by itself.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

haybaler101 said:


> Don't put a trailer on it. Goosenecks are the worse thing that ever happened to a pickup. Buy a bigger truck. I have lost a back window, a tailgate, and numerous dents in the bed. Also hard on tires and drivetrain.


I pulled a trailer for several years to the hay sales, will never do that again. Instead we use straight trucks for moving all our hay, last longer and depending on the comparative pickup and trailor actually might do better on fuel than a pickup. Have heard guys claiming they only get 7-9 mpg with a pickup and big trailer while my straight truck with a 466DT gets 11-12 mpg. Also much easier to maneuver a straight truck in a tight farmyard. I've never been stuck in a straight truck either but have spent 20-30 minutes after a sale pulling pickups with trailers out of a muddy auction yard.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I have a dump truck with high sides and a 12 body. I can also tow a 15 ton airbrake trailer for heavy equipment. I often wondered if I could load the trailer and the truck with hay, pull up, unload hay from trailer, then dump hay from dumptruck. Would it destroy the bales if I dumped them. Wouldn't look very professional.....


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

If I was planning to haul hay I would ditch the 3/4 truck and get a straight truck as well. I was looking at used straight trucks this last fall to get large square bales of hay from the field and doing limited deliveries, but decided for now to find a used gooseneck 25-32 foot trailer tandem dual and just use a 3 point goose neck hitch on my loader tractor and hire someone else to deliver (beat up their truck not mine







. I don't even own a truck that can pull a goose neck trailer of any sort. I found that there are quite a few straight trucks around with 22k weight maybe 150k miles on them for around $30k. It's hard to find a good used 3/4 truck for that never mind a good trailer. Problem is later model 3/4 trucks are loaded to the gills with creature comforts so that makes them overly pricey. Straight trucks for the most part are barebones so they are not as pricey.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Another thing I forgot to mention in my last post, we have a Eager Beaver tandem axle trailer with duals I use behind the straight truck if the ground is dry enough, doubles what I can haul each trip and being able to drive the loader on and haul it to the next field instead of driving it insures I can pick all the hay I can up by myself instead of waiting for a ride back to get the truck.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Teslan said:


> ...decided for now to find a used gooseneck 25-32 foot trailer tandem dual....


If you're looking at used trailers, pay special attention to the condition of the brakes. In some cases you are almost better off to replace the whole axle assembly which gets pretty pricey. On the other hand, at least my experience with Dexters is that the auto adjustment doesn't work very well, someone may think they are loosing the brakes and sell cheap when all they need is an adjustment.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I'm actually I guess leaning more to buying a new one. It seems there aren't many used ones around here and most of them that are used in the oil and gas industry and have been used and abused a little to much for my taste. Or they are priced to high.


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## Goatman (Jun 11, 2010)

Thanks for all your input!!! I'm just a freshman in college so I really can't spend too much right now and I'm not running a lot of hay either. I plan on using the trailer to haul equipment as well sense we don't have a big enough trailer for that. My hope is that by hauling hay I'd be able to make a little more money...I'm not expecting too much, but every little bit helps! I had a few trailers picked out, but they move pretty fast around here. I'm keeping my eyes open and continuing to search. I hope to have one before hayin season. Everything you guys have posted will help me in my search! Thanks so much!


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## T & R Hay Farms (Jan 19, 2012)

Make sure if you get anything over 30' to get a torsion tube run down the center. Otherwise you will find your load tipped over when making a sharp turn. It is not a pretty sight. Also, I know you run a 3/4 but my dad and I run a 1 ton dually, and the stability is really nice to have witht he duals when turning corners.


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## cmsc (Feb 14, 2010)

we havea 34 foot gooseneck with duals and we pull with a f350 6.0 4x4 hauling hay small bales usually 300 or 160 with a wilmar wragnler loader or skid loader on trailer. When we haul big squares we normally haul between 24 to 32 3x3 on trailer or 12 14 or 16 plus the loader. its rolled across the scall weighting 48000 before put it handles just fine the 53ft step deck is the way to go as weelll


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I'm considering a 1987 32 foot tandem dually. It doesn't have the torsion tube. Maybe they didn't put them in the eighties. I'm going to use it for 3X3 bales. Do you think it is a good idea without a torsion tube at that length? It probably won't be used to haul on the road that often. Just mainly from the field to the barn.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

cmsc said:


> we havea 34 foot gooseneck with duals and we pull with a f350 6.0 4x4 hauling hay small bales usually 300 or 160 with a wilmar wragnler loader or skid loader on trailer. When we haul big squares we normally haul between 24 to 32 3x3 on trailer or 12 14 or 16 plus the loader. its rolled across the scall weighting 48000 before put it handles just fine the 53ft step deck is the way to go as weelll


DOT would love that! 48,000 lbs


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Teslan said:


> I'm considering a 1987 32 foot tandem dually. It doesn't have the torsion tube. Maybe they didn't put them in the eighties. I'm going to use it for 3X3 bales. Do you think it is a good idea without a torsion tube at that length? It probably won't be used to haul on the road that often. Just mainly from the field to the barn.


There is alot of difference in trailers.How heavy they are built for twist,etc.

Common sense goes a long ways, load the load even side to side especialy the front corners.It's when someone else maybe loading or unloading where they unload 1 whole side is where you will have problems.


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## Blue Duck (Jun 4, 2009)

Last year I hauled a guy 4 loads of round bales and on the last load he wanted me to look at his prize horses while his son unloaded my trailer. When I got back to the truck and trailer it was half unloaded (the left half). My 3 year old 40ft GN trailer was twisted so bad the right jack was almost touching the ground and the hay on the right side was about to fall off in the front. Other then a cracked frame gusset it survived but I learned my lesson.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I guess I never thought about unloading one side before the other. I always load from front to back and unload back to front all the way across. I must have some kind of common sense. But I figure if I get a trailer that long I should have the torsion tube in it as I would sometimes start with 3 3x3 bales on one of the front corners. That can be quite a bit of weight until you even it out.


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## Goatman (Jun 11, 2010)

I found a 24' with beaver tail gooseneck trailer comin up at an auction Saturday. Triple axle, electric winch, and steel deck. It looks like it has hauled some heavy stuff by the look of the deck. The beaver tail doesn't flip up. I think I'll run it up to$2500 as it isn't completely what I'm looking for and I've seen other trailers that are a bit more that would be ideal for my operation.


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