A big truck needs a big trailer

After buying the new 2500 Ram, it was time to look into getting a larger equipment trailer. The trailer I had was only 16ft long and rated for 9000lbs. Plenty for hauling the tractor around, for sure. I bought it because I was previously hauling the old 8N around in the utility trailer rated at 3500lbs, which meant, I was really pushing the limits, especially if I had an implement on the trailer at the same time. It was sketchy, at best. I found the 16ft trailer on the side of the road for sale and it was at a price I was willing to pay. The previous owner had taken good care of it and everything worked as it should. It was shorter than I really wanted, but it would do. I could fit the 8N on it with an implement easily and it towed pretty well. The downside was, it had the wheels like are on a mobile home. They are called Dayton rims. They are open in the center and clamp to the hub using 5 clamps around the inside. It is nearly impossible to get the wheel to run true, there is almost always some "wobble". This made a noticeable imbalance that was mostly right at 55mph. No matter, it was still much safer than using the utility trailer. Plus, the truck towed it easily.

Fast forward to shortly after I got the new truck. Since the new truck can tow significantly more than the old one, why not get a bigger, more heavy duty trailer to go with it? Then, I can tow the tractor with 2 implements. Since I put a food plot in at a friends property, it would save time and fuel to not have to go back and forth to swap out implements. Makes perfect sense to me.

 The other problem was that I was told I could not get a new, bigger trailer unless I sold the current one. So, I immediately put an ad up on Facebook Marketplace to sell the 16 footer. Within an hour I had all kinds of people contacting me. Most were low-ballers hoping I NEEDED to sell it and would let it go for nothing. I even had one person offer to trade a snowmobile from 1998 for it. After a few days of dealing with low offers and wierd trade offers, I finally had someone ask to come see it before making an offer. We made an appointment and he showed up to have a look. Right away, he was excited about it. He had a small skid steer that he wanted to put on it, which was well within the weight capacity of the trailer. In fact, the guy I bought it from used it to haul a small skid steer. We made a deal and he paid me. He had to come back the next day to pick it up, but I gave him all the paperwork since he had paid the money.

The next day he showed up and hauled it away, happy as could be. He was going to go right to the Secretary of State and take care of the transfer because he wanted to haul his skid steer that weekend.

Trying to find a used 20 or 22ft trailer is nearly impossible. Either they are completely clapped out and nearly falling apart or they are new, and at new prices. I didn't really want to buy a new one, but it seemed that was how it had to be. I even decided on which one I was going to get and where from. All I had to do was get the money and go buy it. This was where I was again struck with decision paralysis.

Then, one day an ad showed up for a trailer that was only a couple years old and was not a bad deal. It was over an hour away, though. I messaged the owner and asked if I could come see it right away. At the price it was listed, it would go quickly. So, I drove out to see it and sure enough, it was in very good shape. He said he had only used it a few times, like all owners do who want to sell a trailer. But, this one looked like it had been used very little. We made a deal and I was heading home with a new-to-me 20ft 14,000lb rated equipment trailer. The ad said it was 22ft, but it was actually only 20. Still, a good deal on a 20 footer.

It has been sitting a while and will need a little touch up in the paint dept. My daughter will have a blast going at it with the rattle can. Unlike the smaller trailer, this one towed with no noticeable vibration at all, even at highway speeds.

While 4ft may not seem like a lot of extra space, it is. When food plot season comes, I will be able to take both the rotary mower and the disk on the same trip. Having booth tools available will make the job a lot easier and will make things go much faster, plus save a lot of money on fuel. As it turns out, the big V8 in the big truck gets terrible gas mileage, but I knew that was going to happen. I'm looking forward to doing some food plot work as well as the capability to bring home some bigger, heavier Marketplace finds.