# How bales of hay can a 40" trailer carry



## kelvintim018 (2 mo ago)

I have a friend who just bought a 40" trailer and he was asking how many bales of square hay of 2tie 14×18×36 (60lb) can a 40" trailer carry (on a flatbed)


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## MTB98 (Feb 13, 2021)

I assume you mean a 40’ (foot) trailer?😉
40’Lx8’Wx8’H=2560 cubic feet of space on the trailer stacked 8’ high. 
A 14x18x36 bale is 9072 cubic inches or 5.25 cubic feet. 
2560/5.25=487.6 bales or round down to 485. 
485 bales multiplied by 60 pounds = 29,100 pounds. 
So short answer is how much weight is the trailer rated to carry? Divide that by 60 pounds.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Been a long time since we hauled loads of little bales. I would say 60 to 70 bales per layer laid flat. 6 layers high times 70 would be 420. Depends if you have uprights on the end to stack against and you pack good and tight or if loading with a grapple. Just make sure you strap good lengthways and cross ways. If it's a low trailer you may get 7 high.


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## JOR Farm (Aug 27, 2019)

I use old cotton wagon's with 1 side and each end wall still present, and all hay is bundled in 14 bale packs. I haul 39 bundles so 546 bales never put a strap on, if it's hand stacked I probably wouldn't try anymore than around 400.


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## BirdDoc (Jun 26, 2021)

A lot. It's going to depend on the trailer weight rating. Also depends on average weight of the bales. Several hundred bales at least.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

It's not a question of how many CAN it haul, but rather, how many SHOULD it haul. From some of the other comments, it appears you could easily exceed your GVWR and/or GCWR by loading the trailer to full capacity. If you have some truck scales nearby, it might be worth a few dollars to get your actual tare weight and go from there. Some states are more enthusiastic than others in enforcing weight limits and in the event of an accident, plaintiff's attorneys love overloaded trucks.


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