Vermeer Rake should I trailer or pull home?

jacksonduper · Dec 13, 2023

I bought a Vermeer VR1022 rake about 100 miles from home. I was wondering thoughts on pulling it home with truck vs putting on trailer. It measures 20 feet and the longest trailer I have is 18 feet. I feel like I could possibly block up hitch and have it hang over back.

Thoughts?

Joe

Tom in TN · Dec 13, 2023

Jackson,

How wide will the rake tines be? It looks from the picture that it would easily fill one lane of a good highway and would be too wide on a county road.

Tom in TN

rrlund · Dec 13, 2023

I don't know what you're going to gain by putting it on a trailer. It has automotive type wheel bearings. A trailer won't change the dimensions of it unless you take it apart.

cjunrau · Dec 13, 2023

we drag ours all the time. Just take a ratchet strap to hold the top together in case the cylinders leak down. Go as fast as you can without wagging the tail.

John in Mich · Dec 13, 2023

Personally, I would trailer it. Yes, has bearings and good tires? No suspension. Is that 100 miles of nice smooth road? Somehow, I doubt it. If it hangs out the back of a trailer, flag it. Try to do the 100 miles in daylight. Be sure to secure it to the trailer with chains and binders.

westga · Dec 13, 2023

Three months ago my new Kuhn rake was pulled 180 miles home. I would pull it.

DoubleR · Dec 13, 2023

I would back it on your 18 foot trailer and put a red flag on the hitch.

Butch(OH) · Dec 13, 2023

Off your topic but rake and road related. many years ago I was going down a state route and saw something on the road and straddled a rake tooth, a little futher I starting seeing others scattered along with other oarts and pieces. Popped over a hill and in front of me was a pick up going 40-50MPH pulling a parallel bar rake and it was in gear! with parts flying everywhere. Truck pulled over and woman driver come out so I stopped. She said something is vibrating, I said more than that, it is destroyed. She more or less brushed me off and took off again, wish I knew the rest of the story to tell but unfortunately I do not.

J Hamilton · Dec 13, 2023

Wow! I couldn't imagine how fast it was spinning at that speed

rustred · Dec 13, 2023

myself i would haul it on a trailer. no suspension on that rake and hitting pot holes or rough road that thing will be bouncing. plus i see the rake wheel are not fully upward. plus would need to tie them together.then the bouncing and being top heavy you dont know if a weld will let go and cause an accident. way safer to trailer it. i would not be pulling that at 60mph for 100 miles. you also could remove them rake wheels from the fram and cylinders, but that would require a loader tractor as a last resort if need be. just tie them both together unless there is a safety lock on them.

flying belgian · Dec 13, 2023

Surely there has to be transport locks on those cylinders. Otherwise strap them together. Wouldn't bother me a bit to pull that thing 100 miles. Even if you go 40 mph by time you load, tie hitch and chain it to trailer then unstrap at home and unload you could be out raking hay already.

DeltaRed · Dec 13, 2023

Pull it. Use a come a long to secure it in the retracted position, Flag it,check tire pressure and bearings and(if ypu want,SMV sign) drive. Have pulled one of those several times.

caterpillar guy · Dec 14, 2023

By the looks of the picture if you pull it you can get by without any permits. If you load it it now becomes an over sized load and requires permits with signs and flags technically. SO now you have the problem solved just pull it and save the permit problem.Also the permits will only be good on State,US or interstate highways. Now if you really want to load it check out the your local state laws Some states like WI if you are not over 10 feet wide and it is farm equipment if you stay off the interstate you don't need a permit just signs and flags this is straight from the WI state permit office,I was told this. IL if it has a wheelbase and is farm equipment no permit needed unless it is over height or over 14 feet wide which then will require pilot cars for it. Your rake also is not that wide I do believe. Run the route you think you want to take to check it out so the return trip is either already known or you can make changes for rough or narrow places in it.

showcrop · Dec 14, 2023

Check with your authorities. Twice I have moved mowers over 150 miles behind my truck. They sent me a permit with the route that I was to follow. Interstate highway. When uncertain check with the authorities.

SETX · Dec 14, 2023

I own two Vermeer 1022 rakes. I pull them behind my pickup or behind the trailer still attached to the tractor with no issues.
At times this could be 50 miles a day total.

Red

BarnyardEngineering · Dec 14, 2023

"The authorities" are clueless. Dad bought an IH 510 21-hole grain drill that measured 10' from tip to tail, because the previous owner had welded a hitch to the rear to pull a packer behind.

It would fit sideways on my trailer just fine but because of this welded-on hitch it was going to be over width. He called the county sheriff's. They had no idea. He called the state police. They had no idea. So we said, "eff it," loaded it and hauled it home with the tongue hanging 6" off the driver's side and the packer hitch sticking a foot off the passenger's side. Drove through downtown Geneva NY, passed multiple cops. They didn't give us a second look.

I would tow this rake. The wheels and bearings are the same ones you find on a 3500lb trailer axle. Rated for high speeds. Have the seller raise the wheels up into transport position, ratchet strap things together for security, and hit the road. You don't have to pin the throttle and go 65MPH right off the line. Start slow, feel it out. I have yet to find a piece of equipment that couldn't handle 40MPH. Even at 40MPH it's only 2-1/2 hours home.

showcrop · Dec 14, 2023

(quoted from post at 06:21:45 12/14/23) "The authorities" are clueless. Dad bought an IH 510 21-hole grain drill that measured 10' from tip to tail, because the previous owner had welded a hitch to the rear to pull a packer behind.

It would fit sideways on my trailer just fine but because of this welded-on hitch it was going to be over width. He called the county sheriff's. They had no idea. He called the state police. They had no idea. So we said, "eff it," loaded it and hauled it home with the tongue hanging 6" off the driver's side and the packer hitch sticking a foot off the passenger's side. Drove through downtown Geneva NY, passed multiple cops. They didn't give us a second look.

I would tow this rake. The wheels and bearings are the same ones you find on a 3500lb trailer axle. Rated for high speeds. Have the seller raise the wheels up into transport position, ratchet strap things together for security, and hit the road. You don't have to pin the throttle and go 65MPH right off the line. Start slow, feel it out. I have yet to find a piece of equipment that couldn't handle 40MPH. Even at 40MPH it's only 2-1/2 hours home.

It sounds like the authorities were not the ones who were clueless. He could also had called the county waste management district or the state health department, LOL.

Bruce from Can. · Dec 14, 2023

I would just pull it home . I have hay ground 30 miles from home, and have been pulling my rake there and back for years, 60 mile round trip. Never had a problem.

Destroked 450 · Dec 14, 2023

I would tow it but watch your speed in curves as those takes are a bit too heavy.
When I purchased my NH BR7070 round baler we hooked it to my 1/2 ton pickup and towed it 295 miles from northern Indiana to Kentucky doing 50 mph on secondary roads

ss55 · Dec 14, 2023

It looks more than 10 feet wide folded for transport. I would stick to gravel roads.

Vermeer Rake should I trailer or pull home?

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