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How much weight can our tractors pull ?

9K views 36 replies 21 participants last post by  4x4_Welder 
#1 ·
Looking to tug a 14' enclosed car trailer into a tight spot that my truck can't get.

How much tongue weight have you put on your tractor ?

Tongue weight is 450lb, trailer weight is 3100lbs. Think I could move it with the Custom 6 with 12hp Tecumseh ?
 
#2 ·
on flat ground, probably so. on a hill, absolutely not since you won't be able to stop it or control direction of travel.

the big killer is the tongue weight, i don't know if it will bend your hitch or not. if it doesn't bend it, you will need a good bit of weight on the front to hold it down.
 
#3 ·
If you got the tongue weight down to under 100 pounds, and you are on hard level ground the weight wouldn't be an issue at all. You could even put something (or a few people) on the very back of the trailer to bring the balance back. Keep the jack stand on the trailer down most of the way too, that will keep you from ending up on your head if it does pop the front wheels up.
 
#4 ·
Forget the pics I want videos of that move!
 
#5 ·
All cameras will be checked prior to attempting this, even making sure neighbors don't have anything rolling. :fing32:

I need to move the trailer about 20' between a house and a fence with about 2" on either side to spare. Level ground, just very tight and not my house.

Might have to find somebody with a small p/u truck or a UTV to move it.
 
#6 ·
Will you need to back it through the tight space or can you pull it straight through? I have a 28' snowmobile trailer that I keep in the garage. I have just under 1" on each side of the opening to back it in. The first time I backed it in my son was guiding me and I didn't touch either side all the way in. My son was shocked. I haven't been so lucky every time since!

Having the video will help everyone know where any week spots might be (after the fact)! It could also prove what these tractors are capable of.
 
#7 ·
Well weight wise, I have moved 4800lbs dead weight with a decked-out Suburban. I have also towed my 6500lb truck up my driveway with a stock Suburban. So weight shouldnt be an issue. Tongue weight will be. If you have ANYTHING to put on the front, plow, blower, etc, put it on. Make sure your brakes are adjusted properly too.
 
#9 ·
:ditto:
 
#12 ·
#13 ·
Have someone sit on the hood of the tractor, put it in 1st and let 'er rip. feather the clutch so the person on the hood doesn't end up on the hitch. It'll pull it. I think you'd be shocked what that little tractor could do.
 
#15 ·
Heres my record.
I was collecting square bales of hay with my 1969 SS12. I was towing a 5x10 trailer. I probally had 18 bales on the trailer. I got on the tractor, put it in gear, and slowly let out on clutch. The front end lifted off of the ground in a hurry. I jumped on the clutch and the tractor came back to earth.
So, my safe load would have been 17 bales :trink40:

BTW: I had WWF in the front tires, and a ball on a drawbar on the 3pt
 
#17 ·
I know its not a sears but I have some input

I move a 18' car hauler (even with my camaro on it) & a 18' bowrider, regulary with my snapper, I HAVE to take off with the axle in the low range and any speed (1-6) If Itake off in high 1 and Im not carefull the car trailer loaded will make it pop a wheelie for a brief second.

As for using a YT/GT to move trailers around the yard ..... best idea ever, so much easier, tears up the yard less, and dang you can get in some tight places.


On a side note, Im thinking of welding a reciever hitch on the front frame of the snapper to make moving trailers even easier.


REMEMBER :wwp:
 
#19 ·
I actually have to move an 8x10 shed for my son from one side of his yard to behind his garage on the other side in the spring. We were going to try and get it done before winter but he's been working over time till Thanksgiving.
 
#20 ·
I move my 16' tandem trailer all the time from behind my garage to the driveway and with the 3PH I can lift it high enough to where the front tires barely touch so it doesn't scuff the lawn on tight turns. I moved it the other day with about half a load of oak firewood on it. The X729 handles it well.
 
#21 ·
I remember back in the day my dad had a trailer dolly. Not one that you would pull by hand but one that you would hook to your car. This thing was heavy duty. And it was for highway use, not just yard use. It had the two wheels and a ball for the trailer and a coupler for the ball on your car. It took the weight off the back of the car and put it all on the dolly.

I bet a guiy could rig up a garden tractor type dolly like that. The back hitch on my tractor(s) are kind of bent from hauling heavy stuff with a ball hitch.

But then you do need some weight on your rear tractor tires or the tires will just spin. I have one tractor, 1981 GTV 16 HP twin with rear wheel weights and chains kept on all year for just such a purpose. Also has a dozer blade on front for pushing stuff around.
 
#22 ·
When I had my GT225 I could not hook my tandem trailer to the tractor because it sat too low, especially if I had something on it. I made a dolly back in the spring from an appliance dolly that I put garden tractor tires on and along with a bigger axle and reinforcement. Works great. I never had problems with wheel spin, just the GT225 was low on power. Now I have the X729 and don't use the dolly anymore. When I was using the dolly I would put blocks in the center rocker to hold the front wheels off the ground on the trailer so it would pivet easier with the dolly and not scuff the grass, now with the 3PH it will lift it high enough to take the weight off the fdront axle so it doesn't scuff.
 

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#24 · (Edited)
This tractor

pulled this 17' boat

after tropical storm Lee filled it with 2 feet of water. I only did this on level ground and pulled it onto a slight grade for it to drain. There's 450 lbs of cast iron weights bolted to the rim and 150 lbs of Rim Guard in the tires. I weigh 225 lbs, and my 200 lb father had to sit on hood to keep the front end somewhat manageable.

When the boat's not full of water, the tongue weight is too heavy for the both of us to pick it up and the tractor will move it around effortlessly. Providing it's fairly flat terrain, I wouldn't balk at hauling heavier loads. When descending an 8 - 10 percent grade, a 1,000 lb trailer is too much for the brakes. I have to stop before I hit the hill, select first gear, and let the engine brake the load. I only attempt such feats when the tractor's fully ballasted and the chains are on it. Even under those conditions, I would never try to descend the aforementioned grade with more than 1,000 lbs. Even with 1,000 lbs, it's quite dangerous. I have to shut the tractor off to stop it because if I push the clutch in to stop, the tractor immediately bolts.
 
#25 · (Edited)
After lookig at some of those video's maybe I'm being too cautious. the reason I started this thread is because I brought home a couple of loads of firewood and was going to move the trailer to my back yard with the JD. The 3PH handled the weight fine and the front didn't feel light so the trailer didn't have too much tongue weight but when I started pulling the tractor sounded like it was straining pretty good to pull it. I unloaded about half the load and it pulled fine. This was a a full cord and face cord of oak on the trailer.
I emptied wood forward of the tandems and behind the tandems, left about 4 rows of wood diractly over the axles and the JD seemed to handle that just fine. With the full load it just seemed like the hydro drive was straining.
 

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#27 ·
After lookig at some of those video's maybe I'm being too cautious. I emptied wood forward of the tandems and behind the tandems, left about 4 rows of wood diractly over the axles and the JD seemed to handle that just fine.
With the full load it just seemed like the hydro drive was straining.
When the hydro doesn't make much noise, it's not doing much work. When you make them strain, they growl at you. When it's too much work, they scream.

You will have to take on something considerably heavier than that bit of firewood on your tandem to make a hydro in the big GTs scream at full throttle. It will spin the tires before that happens.
 
#29 ·
I moved my 18' travel trailer with a 12 hp GT. Started at idle and bashed the drive control full forward and did the same with the throttle as soon as I could get my hand on it. Just a bit of showing off for a visitor who said that the little tractor couldn't move that big trailer. The engine stumbled slightly when I moved the throttle so fast, but that was it.

He never made that comment again. The trailer weighed 3600 lb and the MF12H had a FEL and 3PH.
 
#30 ·
This just in.....literally.

Had a guy call this morning with a grenaded Dana transmission 4360-140 in a Craftsman LT (917.271552) that he uses to tow big stuff.

The big input pulley moves side-to-side about 2". Nice!

Both of the input shaft bearings are vaporized. All that's left is the outer bearing shells. The pinion gear and bevel gear are both damaged. I'll replace the 4 bronze bushings that the other trans shafts run on, since I've got it apart. $155ish for parts & shipping from our friends at outdoordistributors.com
 
#31 ·
There's just a little difference between a LT transmission designed to mow grass and a GT transmisssion designed to hook up to the ground. The former has a limited power handling capability while the latter has at least double, if not more capability, and the weight to make use of it.
 
#32 ·
Yes, I would say there is some difference. The Model you posted shows a cast rear, looks to be 6 speed simular to my RED. The one you need for Ground engaguements and towing is the 3 speed with hi-lo ranges. Two very different animals.
 

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