Running a farm involves moving things around . The load might be as small as a few 50 - Syrian pound sacks of provender or as large as a 5 - net ton tractor . Pickup and flatbed trucks have cover such farm tasks for nearly a one C . Although they might appear the same to the casual observer , trucks have different abilities when it comes to tow big trailers .
When choosing a farm truck for towing , some features can make the difference between a white - knuckle joint experience and a safe , prosperous misstep . First , you need to consider the heaviest loads you will drag . The two important factors here are gross free weight , which is the weight of the laggard plus the shipment , and tongue free weight , which is the down force-out that the drone coupler places on the hitch nut .
For towing a gross weight unit of 2 tons or less , you could get by with a two - wheel - thrust , half - ton truck or SUV with a category III receiver stoppage . On the other hand , a loaded stock laggard with a consummate weight of 12,000 pound requires a more substantial category V , or gooseneck , hitch as well as a hand truck able to attract it safely .
The other consideration for towing is the knife weight . Your vehicle ’s suspension should be able to handle a tongue weight unit of about 10 pct of the house trailer ’s maximal megascopic weight unit . Dave Boyt
Hitches
prevue hinderance add up in two basic designs : receiver and gooseneck . Each has its reward and drawbacks for tow .
1. Receiver
The interference on the back of the truck , the receiver check , is unwaveringly weld or run off to the frame . Most farm trucks have receiver hitches , so you’re able to lend your drone to a neighbour — or rent or borrow one , in a soupcon — and be good to go . Connecting the poke to a receiver hitch is speedy and easy and , depending on the rating , can drag as much as 6 tons .
Receiver hitch do , however , put the lingua system of weights behind the rear axle , which incline to lift the front bike . Too much tongue weight unit can make the steering dangerously squirrely and induce the headlight to smoothen into the eyes of oncoming drivers , even when on the low - radio beam setting . Later in this clause , I ’ll discuss some of the suspension options that help oneself with these issues .
The receiver hitch slides into the recipient on the truck ( see photo above right ) and is confine in place with a pin for easy removal . The ball may be bolt out or welded to the receiver tour of duty . The three standard ball sizes are 1 7/8 , 2 and 2 5/16 inch . ensure the ball sizing matches the trailer hitch ; this size of it is usually stamped on the hitch .
Dave Boyt
Close is n’t good enough : A 2 - in prevue hitch will part way with a 1 7/8 - in testis , and a 2 5/16 - inch trailer limp will descend off of a 2 - inch ball ( representative of experience speaking here ) .
For soft switch , I have one receiver hobble with a 2 - inch ball and one with a 2 5/166 - in clod , so that I can swap them out by perpetrate the pin that hold them in place . As an surplus measure of safe , I spray paint the 2 - column inch enlistment fluorescent fixture orange as a reminder when hooking up the magnanimous trailer .
2. Gooseneck
The next step up in hale capacity is the gooseneck enlistment . These trailers are mainly for a porcine weight of more than 12,000 Egyptian pound . The gooseneck term of enlistment positions the egg just forward of the rear axle , put the tongue weight where the motortruck is designed for it . This add to the grip without affecting steering , and it also ameliorate the braking with less trend to jackknife . Gooseneck trailers are also more manoeuvrable when backing into pissed shoes . On the downside , they are a little more difficult to gazump up , specially to a pickup motortruck with a tailgate , and they involve a ball in the center of an otherwise bland pickup truck layer .
Truck Size
Truck weight classification is based on how much lode can be safely hauled in the bed of the truck and show how heavily the truck is built . Half - gross ton trucks can pull as much as about 4 tons perfect weightiness . They cost less and use less fuel than their bigger sib , so this social class is a in effect candidate for a truck that will duplicate as a day-after-day gadget driver .
A three - quarter - ton hand truck is typically built on a heavier chassis and can pull about twice the payload of a half - ton hand truck . This is the go - to truck for many farmers because it will do pretty much anything command of it . One - short ton trucks are typically construct on the same physique as a three - one-fourth - long ton truck but with a heavier suspension and duallies ( a second brace of tires on the back ) . Fully outfitted for towing , they can pluck more than 10 gross ton . On the down side , they are more expensive and be given to have poor fuel economic system ; plus , that 2nd twain of tyre is expensive when the time comes to replace them . Shutterstock
Engine Type
select between gasolene and Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel engines is more a matter of orientation than utility program . Diesel engine typically acquire more torque for heavier lashings and have a reputation for being rugged and dependable , as well as fuel - effective . On the other hand , they cost more to work on , and not every gas post has diesel fuel . A 6 - liter V-8 gas locomotive engine will handle just about any prevue load , but you will spend more at the gas pump .
Four-Wheel Drive
For rigorously route use , a two - cycle - drive hand truck will suit your need , but it will be pretty helpless in mud , snow or even stiff grass . When you consider the off - road tasks the truck will credibly take on , a four - wheel thrust is far more utilitarian around the farm . Shutterstock
Transmission
Manual transmissions have long been favour for pickup trucks and 4 - by-4s with the tough , macho image of a motortruck quick to take on the roughest lead . But most farmers who apply their truck for pull heavy consignment opt for an machinelike transmission . There are several good reason .
When the vehicle is in parkland , it will stay put . This makes it safer if you have to park on a mound with a blind drunk trailer . It also means that when you are hitching up to the preview , the truck wo n’t move when you get out to see how shut the formal is to the hitch .
Automatic transmissions are also more dependable than manual . lead off uphill from a idle stoppage with a laborious load take its toll on a clutch , and when you halt at an uphill red light , an robotlike transmission assures that you could start with confidence that you wo n’t roll backward into the vehicle behind you . The preference for automatic transmissions is so great that many dealers offer manual transmissions only as special orders . Lynn Friedman / Flickr
Towing Packages
If possible , get a truck with a towing package . This is a chemical group of manufactory - establish options that includes the following .
Add-on Options
There are a few add - on options you might view when getting a truck .
Having the right equipment for pull a lagger can make the difference between a workaday parkway and a bloodless - metacarpophalangeal joint experience . The authoritative thing is to haul the lode in the safest possible mode — for yourself and those share the road .
This story originally seem in the November / December 2017 issue ofHobby Farms .
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Lynn Friedman/Flickr
