[AT] an update on my new trailer

[Cecil E Monson]

	I thought I would just write a short update on the 20 foot
beavertail trailer I bought to haul my tractors and in particular, my
JD  2010 crawler with the dozer blade.

	After I got the trailer home, and thinking about the comments
from the List about tongue weight, I decided to have someone who knows
what they are doing check out the hitch on the rear of my GMC dump truck.
I first went to a truck frame and axle shop I trust and he sent me to a
man who specializes in hitches on trucks - most of which are about 10
times as large as my little GMC one ton.

	He looked it over and told me the hitch assembly on the rear of
my truck was not strong enough to handle the load I wanted to tow but
that he could take the entire old assembly off and replace it with some
thing heavier that would work out OK. He told me he doesn't carry light
weight pintle hitches for small trucks and to go buy something that
would handle 6 tons or better, get better "D" rings as all he handles
were 1" thick rings that were an overkill, and then bring the truck back
in. He also said my truck had a heavy duty suspension on it and would
easily handle a ton of weight on the hitch.

	I went to the new Tractor Supply store near Liberty, NY and they
had the pintle hitch on the shelf that I wanted. A combination pintle and
ball that would take a weight of 6 tons on the hook and a ton on the ball.
I bought a pair of 5/8"  "D" rings to go with it and took the truck back
to the truck shop.

	They had it done the next day. They must have a pretty fancy rig
for cutting steel as they made a great looking rear mount of 3/4" steel
plate that was gusseted and welded to the rear frame of my truck and it
looks like it came out of a factory. As the new trailer has a 24" high
hitch on it and my other trailers with 2 5/16" ball hitches have 18" high
hitches, I had them drill the rear plate so I can move the pintle hook down
for the smaller trailers.

	So thanks again for your comments. I think I now have a safe and
easy to use truck and trailer combination that will haul anything I have.

Cecil

>     It is a 5 year old commercial made 20 foot beavertail with a
> pintle hitch and rated at 16000# GVWR and 12000# maximum load. It has
> a pintle hitch, tandem axles and a 4 foot beavertail with spring assist
> ramps. The frame is 8" channel with plenty cross members. Deck is oak.
> All lights work and the trailer appears to have been well taken care of.
> There is a large chain locker in the front between frame members. It has
> electric disc brakes on all four wheels. New tires all around and a new
> breakaway switch/battery combination. Three "D" ring tie downs on each
> side.
> 
>     The seller used it to haul a small excavator that weighs about
> the same as my JD 2010 dozer and pulled it with a Ford F-350 one ton
> dump truck. My 3500 GMC 4WD with the diesel engine should pull anything
> a Ford F-350 gas would pull, I would think. I paid considerably less
> than half of the cost of a new trailer for this and consider it to be
> a bargain. No rust at all and in very nice condition. 


-- 
The nicest thing about telling the truth is you never have to wonder
what you said.

Cecil E Monson
Lucille Hand-Monson
Mountainville, New York   Just a little east of the North Pole

Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment

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