[Farmall] U-haul and tractor hauling

[Mike Sloane]

I have hauled a Cub in a small rental box truck, but it wasn't all that 
satisfactory (I had little choice at the time).

There are several disadvantages to using a box truck, as others have 
suggested:

It is very difficult to properly secure a tractor inside a truck, 
although I have to say that the tractor dealership where I worked used 
to take deliveries of new compact tractors in 45' trailers. The trucking 
company used to nail timbers in front of and behind the wheels to keep 
them from rolling. I think that it is a risky practice, at best.

Depending on the configuration of the truck, you many end up with 
protruding fender wells inside the body, making loading and unloading 
difficult.

The inside height of the body many not be enough for the SH or M.

The rental trucks are driven by anybody and everybody, and even though 
the companies try to have their agents maintain them, there have been 
recent stories on the TV news of how horrible some of those trucks 
really are (and these were name brand outfits, not Joe Shmoe Rental Co.) 
Let's face it, by the time the rental companies get rid of a truck, it 
is pretty well used up.

You are going to have to register, inspect, insure, and maintain any 
truck as if it were being used daily, even though you might only use it 
a couple of times a year.

For all of the above reasons, most folks invest in a flat bed utility 
trailer, usually one with two 3500 lb axles, brakes on both axles, and 
either a ball or pintle hitch. Tags are cheap, maintenance is 
minimal,and the insurance minor (usually part of the tow vehicle's 
policy). Then they tow the trailer with a 3/4 ton pickup or larger (I 
use a 1 ton mason dump). You can use a lighter trailer and truck if you 
are just going to haul a Cub, but a SH or M (at 5000+ lbs) requires at 
least a trailer rated at 7000 lbs and a tow vehicle with 8,000-10,000 
GVR to be safe. You also have to consider the width of the rear tires - 
most low bed utility trailers have an inside width between the wheel 
wells of about 84". A true flat bed can be as wide as 102" and still be 
legal, but you either have to have a tilt-bed trailer or drive the 
tractor up taller ramps. Some folks put an electric winch on the front 
of the trailer to help the tractor get up. Also to be legal, each tie 
down chain and chain binder needs to be able to support the entire 
weight of the load.

Mike

Nadzam, John [MCCUS] wrote:
> OK as a relatively new tractor owner I am looking for a way to get my
> current two (51 M, 53 SH) not only from Ohio to PA. but around in general
> (and maybe get more).
> 
> I don't have a tow vehicle so trailering isn't an option yet, but I found
> this site.
> 
> http://trucksales.uhaul.com/
> 
> how practical would it be to build a ramp and use one of the box vans to
> haul a tractor around?
> 
> John

> 

-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
mikesloane at verizon.net
Images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>

Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who 
are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. -Mark Twain, 
author and humorist (1835-1910)


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