Transporting tractor

I think the restoration process would go MUCH quicker if it was here. Let me know - I appreciate it...

Class A CDL..Any combination of vehicles with a GVWR of 26,001 lbs or more provide the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 lbs.

I had Tx DOT impound my 48 ft drop deck once because the VIN tag had been scraped off long ago by a careless forklift operator. All 4 corners of the tag and the rivets were in place, but there was a deep rusty scrape right through the middle.

I was informed that anything on the road without a clearly readable VIN tag was "seizable". My trailer was held for investigation for 5 days until they could get the manufacturer to provide them with the "confidential VIN numbers" that are hidden in various places during munufacture and verify it was actually the trailer we held title to. The DOT further ordered a new tag from the manufacturer for us and would not let us put that trailer back in service until the new tag was "permanently attatched".

We towed ours last month about 20 miles. Used a 1 ton truck and a 14,500lb dual axle surge brake trailer. Rental with chains it was only $40 for the day. We maxed it out on both trailer and truck. Drove 25 mph the whole way. Hey it was safe that way any faster and she could have jack knifed us! When we got home our little 2500 tractor had the trailer wheels so hot I leaned against it to take off one of the chain tensioners and it was hot enough to burn my leg (not literally but made me jump back).

Things to remember the lower the better. But not so low the trailer tounge scrapes ground! If the front end of truck comes up too much you will catch air and you drive like your driving a huge boat. ITs drifty big time even at 20mph. STOP if thats the case and either shift the load on trailer if possible or get a large 3 axle trailer etc.

Ours just fit trailer the back tires rubbed the fenders of the hauler.

Oh and roll back = bad idead. No roll back here would do it. Hauling ourselves was option 2. They said roll back is too high and tilt too much it could roll the tractor. They all refused to do it that way, but would with trailer. Im talking towing co's not some guy with a truck.

I remember an article about trailering tractors that I thought was on here, written by a fellow that thinks like you and me. Wanted to link it but couldn't find it.

It makes no difference whether it's folks hauling "hobby" tractors or working tractors (landscapers are among the worst and the best), I see a load once or twice a week that just scares the bejavers out of me. Trailers out of balance and running all over the road, chains or straps just flapping in the breeze, tires with sidewalls that look like a turtle shell, trailer jacks draging the ground (not because they didn't raise them) . . . you name it.

I'm gonna look some more for that article, and will post a link to it if I can find it. There was some carping in it, but if you could get past that, it also was full of sound advice about trailer capacity and condition, securing the load, and loading and getting it down the road safely.

Bottom line, safety trumps expense and convenience every time.

First, you don't say if it's a wide or narrow front. Most car haulers that you can rent are open-bottomed, intended for cars and have no place for a narrow front to drive to the front (or rear) of the trailer. They also often have expanded metal tracks for the outside wheels, and you'd likely damage them if you bound the tractor down on its's chains as tight as you should. If you do decide to go the rental route, just be aware that I sat at a U-Haul counter for a long time one day while they tried to explain to a fellow why they wouldn't rent one of their car-haulers to him to haul a tractor. Theirs just aren't built for it.

The others are right about setting your rear wheels in, and you should plan on doing that at the remote site if you plan to haul it yourself. My gooseneck is a full 102" wide deckover, but my tagalong is just 82" between the wheel wells, and I have to watch things closely putting my BN on it with the wheels just two steps out.

You'd be right at the margins for weight on a 7,000 lb. trailer. Mine weighs a shade over 2k all by itself. A bare-bones M weighs a little over 5k. If you're talking wide-front, anything like wheel weights . . . you'd be pushing the limits on a trailer of that type that's in good shape (tires, brakes . . .) even if you allow for tongue weight lightening up the axles.

And I'm thinking a minmum of three chains -- Grade 70 with hooks -- will set you back a couple hundred or more, at which point the rollback starts looking even better.

If you do take it on yourself, be sure you bind the tractor down on the trailer in both directions, so it can't shift either way. You can run the chains away from the tractor's ends toward the ends of the trailer, or you can run the chains toward the middle of the tractor from either end, if that works better with the trailer you use. Either way, just make sure you have enough chain, and that it's as tight as you can get it. And check it aftr you've gone ten miles -- tighten up if it needs it..

Not trying to be a spoilsport. I had my first tractor brought home sixty miles on a rollback. As I acquired more tractors and had more occasion to move them around, I got the trailers that I now have, first the tagalong and, later, the gooseneck.

And I hope you have the kind of success and fun with yours that I had with mine, the kind that leads you to see it being worth the expense to get the trailer and rigging to haul it around, if that's what you ultimately want to do.

1. Tires can NOT be "loaded." No fluid.
2. No wheel weights. Take 'em off, leave 'em in the garage. Putting them in the truck doesn't buy you anything. Weight is the issue both here and with the fluid in the tires.
3. The rear wheels must be dished in. You can't get the tractor narrow enough to fit on a car hauler otherwise.
4. You may even want to consider removing other heavy items like the battery (probalby no good anyway), the belly pump (another ~100lbs that can be hauled in another vehicle on a separate trip), and even the belt pulley gearbox. Every pound you take off the tractor will make your trip safer and more comfortable.

A plain old bare-bones M should weigh around 5500lb. That's about the maximum you'd want on a car hauler with a 1/2 ton truck, and then you better take it slow and make sure the trailer brakes are good and reliable. A weight distribution hitch for the trailer is a must.

• Hobby farm

• Hobby farm

I rented this from United Rentals. Hope this helps. I did have to connect the trailer brakes because they had them disconnected. You will need those.

Most 1/2 ton trucks should be able to handle the weight if you have a good trailer with brakes. Chain it down with load binders and you should be fine. I think an M runs around 5-6000 pounds. Others will correct me if I'm wrong.

Here are some pics I took while stopped at a store.

Link

Link

I hope this gives you some reassurance! It can be done! :)