So after having a Big Tex 22gn stolen a few months ago I'm pondering the best replacement.

Considering flat deck trailers 30-34' overall length including 5' dovetail with mega ramps.

1. Would you go pierced beam or above the frame design? Some guys I trust say they have seen issues with pierced beam trailers rubbing the tires when loaded or going over rough ground.
2. What brand would you recommend? Load Trail seems to have the best reputation among many dealers. Also considering Diamond T out of Oklahoma. Diamond C is nice but too pricey for me and they don't seem to have the Hutch style suspension, despite a high price.
3. Dexter or Lippert axles? Which do you like?
4. Standard welded suspension or go with Dexter's Hutch style adjustable suspension?
5. Is powdercoated trailer that much better than painted?
6. Is any brand known for doing a better job with the wiring to prevent issues?
7. For having an engineered frame, has anyone seen how sloppy the ramp hold downs and jack handle are on the newer PJ trailers?
8. Maxx D of similar length seems to be a few hundred pounds more empty weight than competition. Worth it or just a reduced load capacity?
9. If truck GCWR is 32710, max towing is 23000, GVWR of truck is 12300 and max payload is 3825, which axles and weight rating would you go with? All numbers provided here are as per Ram website for my specific VIN. Ie: Go with 10K axles on trailer or 12K? Derate or uprate the trailer to specific weight, and if so, to what? for example - Load Trail with 2 - 10K axles has standard GWVR of 22k, but they can uprate them to 24,000, which is where Big Tex is at 23,900. A lot of brands are 22k or 22500.
10. If you are limited by the axle weight to 20k or 24k depending on 10 vs 12k axles, have you ever seen or heard of law enforcement actually calculate cargo weight? The farm exception for Class C license stops at 20000 GVWR for the trailer, so sticking to only that amount would keep me from having to get a Class A non-CDL license.
11. Which length would you go with? I've been told 32' is most popular. Would you go to a 34' to keep from having to push bales forward to get them to fit on a 32'?
12. Thinking to stick with electric brakes since EOH is just more to go wrong on something that won't be used all the time.
13. Would you upgrade to 17.5 tires instead of 16"?
14. Trailer mounted strap ratchets worth it?

ETA. 15. Torque tube - For loading hay this seems worth it.
16. Under frame bridging. Necessary?

Anything else I missed?

Following this thread. In the market for pretty much the same trailer in the 32'-36' range.

Nope you got it all...

I know it is an unpopular opinion but I have a new policy on my farm (where able): F POWDER COATING.

I know I'll catch hate because it's the cool thing and everyone loves it - but I have been very disappointed in several powdered coated items I have bought to the point it has turned me off the process. And I KNOW that's in all in the prep - yes- I agree; properly prepped and applied pc is a great durable and lasting coating. However, I have found that few manufacturers put the time in to properly prep the metal and what I often receive is candy coated trouble. This has been my experience with big companies and small shops (who often send out PC work anyway). Poorly prepped paint can be equally as bad but I can easier fix that than trying to scan off a bad PC job.

My CM bed on my daily truck has looked like ass since it was about a year old. Where it wasn't flaking and peeling off yesterday…. It is today. Since I interact with it daily, ya, it really has a big impact on the sample, but it's not the only thing I've been disappointed in. I love the TM model tool bed and I'll have another - but it will be primed so I can paint it myself. I'm out on in their powder coat.

If you choose powder coat I hope your experience is better.

Following

Bookmarking this. Milkman will be my go to when my time comes for doing the same. Thanks MM

I went through what you are going through about 5 years ago.
My back is shot and I was done with lifting heavy ramps.... the spring assist is BS as you still initially lift the heavy weight.... so I made my mind up to go power tail or hydraulic tilt bed.
I needed the trailer to haul my skid steer or my JD 6615 Ag tractor, my Humvee to car shows, pipe, and round bales.
I did not want 8 tires on the ground.
After shopping for months I bought a PJ 35' with half hydraulic tilt bed.... with upgraded tandem axles and 17" tires.
I also opted for electric jacks, torque tube and under frame bracing. Dexter axles.
It has been great. No ramps to screw with and no jacks to manually crank down. Simple to load cars, trucks, tractors, wheeled implements etc. I can haul 12 round bales and 32 ft pipe.... and only 4 tires to worry with.
I also bought the tie down rings that slip in and out of the stake pockets... really nice for tieing down with straps.

I too am done with powdercoating, for the same reasons you listed plus another real fun one. I had a practically new landing gear fail on a plane from a bad weld that was concealed by thick powder coating. The coat was so thick you couldn't see that the weld didn't make contact with a bushing at the fuselage attach point, and the gear broke with 80 hrs/6 months/100ish landings on it. Replacement gear was sent sandblasted and we painted it.

https://www.kens5.com/video/news/local/san-antonio-police-swat-to-get-new-tactical-vehicle-after-city-council-approval/273-06c8438f-8237-47f2-9b03-8aa553a96b60

Don't think I can keep up with the SA police swat team now. $400000 for a tactical skid steer and trailer. Wonder what happens when they don't have a person licensed to haul it to the crime scene?

All paid for by our tax dollars.

If you are hauling any amount of hay regularly you cannot replace a good dumping hay trailer. Eliminates the need for a tractor on the other end of the haul and speeds up the process dramatically.

We have a 34 including the 5 ft dove tail. I've always wished it was 40. For hauling joints of pipe that are 40 ft long, and occasionally a tractor with an implement. It's never been too long, but has been too short several times. Bought it new in 98 so may upgrade one day. Usually easier to balance a load over the axles and carry less on the truck with a longer trailer. I recently upgraded a 20 ft bumper pull to a 24 ft for this main reason.

My brothers and I have 5 flat bed goose necks … 2 BigTex and several other brands … 2 -24s 1-30 and 2-35s… they all work about the same .. I Like the 2 big Tex the best because they have the flip over ramps that are spring assisted .. not sure what the ramps are called ( maybe dove tail ? )2 of them are 24 ft low boy goose necks, these work great for moving a skid steer, not so high.

A buddy in the road construction business sold us the last 2 trailers used for $1000 each.. you don't turn down 7 year old 35 ft trailers for $1000 .. wasn't worried about the brand at that point

The biggest problem w having these trailers is no one wants to unload them so you have to find one with no load left on it !

Dayyuummmm! 1000 bucks ! Where the heck am I when those kind of deals float around

No kidding. And I thought I got a deal on the 30' that was stolen. I overpaid by a few grand apparently.

CenterHillAg said:

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I too am done with powdercoating, for the same reasons you listed plus another real fun one. I had a practically new landing gear fail on a plane from a bad weld that was concealed by thick powder coating.

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If things work out they'll be changing the name of sears tower to CenterHillAg's Big Ol G Damn Building?

But don't you end up restacking the hay off those trailers with a machine anyway?

Maybe I'll put one on my wish list, in which case you can suggest your favorite. Right now I need a do it all trailer though. I'm not looking to take over my hay haulers job, but rather be able to do anything necessary especially when Deere wants $7/ loaded mile to pick up stuff and on farm service would bankrupt me.

jagsdad said:

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Dayyuummmm! 1000 bucks ! Where the heck am I when those kind of deals float around

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They sold 4 trailers.. not sure how we got 2… my brothers are buddies w one of the guys, pretty lucky I guess

Although with as rough as some of our roads are I think I would still have to strap stuff down. Some companies really ripped the state off. Broke a spring on a little 4 bale hay van once because of it.

You have a point about being able to balance it out. Just not sure I need the extra weight all the time on the SRW truck.

Our hay hauler can get 17 on his 32 if he pushes them forward, and has them stick over a couple feet off the back. He is already plenty heavy with a dually.

There is a guy hauling out of south Texas now with a SRW Ford pulling a 40' that is hauling 22 4' wide hockey pucks. Says they are 4x5s but probably more like 4.5, if that, since pics show 9 on a side.

Knowing my luck the battery would be dead every time I wanted to use it.

milkman00 said:

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https://www.kens5.com/video/news/local/san-antonio-police-swat-to-get-new-tactical-vehicle-after-city-council-approval/273-06c8438f-8237-47f2-9b03-8aa553a96b60

Don't think I can keep up with the SA police swat team now. $400000 for a tactical skid steer and trailer. Wonder what happens when they don't have a person licensed to haul it to the crime scene?

All paid for by our tax dollars.

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"Tactical Skid Steer" is something I never thought I'd hear…

Also, who is electing some of these city council members in San Antonio? That video was ridiculous.

milkman00 said:

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1. Would you go pierced beam or above the frame design? Pierced beam is going to get your load and center of gravity as low as possible for a float. I haven't seen issues with rubbing but could see it happening with overloading.

2. What brand? Having worked with of most of the big manufacturers, Load Trail and Diamond C are at the top imo. Diamond C is ridiculous on prices though.

3. Dexter or Lippert axles? Which do you like? As an Ag Mechanics teacher, we build a lot of trailers using Dexter axles. Seems to be more common and easier to find parts.

4. Standard welded suspension or go with Dexter's Hutch style adjustable suspension? Haven't looked into adjustable suspension

5. Is powdercoated trailer that much better than painted? We powdercoat all of our trailers. Load Trail's Powdercoating is top notch. Big Tex does a wet paint epoxy on most of their goosenecks that seems to be really durable, as well.

6. Is any brand known for doing a better job with the wiring to prevent issues?

7. For having an engineered frame, has anyone seen how sloppy the ramp hold downs and jack handle are on the newer PJ trailers? PJ is owned by the same company as Big Tex… quality has gone down

8. Maxx D of similar length seems to be a few hundred pounds more empty weight than competition. Worth it or just a reduced load capacity? Don't know much about Maxx-D, but they seem to be well-built.

13. Would you upgrade to 17.5 tires instead of 16"? I'd go with the 17.5" with upgraded stud size.

14. Trailer mounted strap ratchets worth it? Depending on what you are hauling, they are awesome with the slide railing.

ETA. 15. Torque tube - For loading hay this seems worth it. Torque tube would be necessary on a trailer of that size.

16. Under frame bridging. Necessary? Bridging is necessary depending on Main Beam Size, but probably needed with most trailers.

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BKS_Aggie08 said:

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milkman00 said:

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1. Would you go pierced beam or above the frame design? Pierced beam is going to get your load and center of gravity as low as possible for a float. I haven't seen issues with rubbing but could see it happening with overloading.

2. What brand? Having worked with of most of the big manufacturers, Load Trail and Diamond C are at the top imo. Diamond C is ridiculous on prices though.

3. Dexter or Lippert axles? Which do you like? As an Ag Mechanics teacher, we build a lot of trailers using Dexter axles. Seems to be more common and easier to find parts.

4. Standard welded suspension or go with Dexter's Hutch style adjustable suspension? Haven't looked into adjustable suspension

5. Is powdercoated trailer that much better than painted? We powdercoat all of our trailers. Load Trail's Powdercoating is top notch. Big Tex does a wet paint epoxy on most of their goosenecks that seems to be really durable, as well.

6. Is any brand known for doing a better job with the wiring to prevent issues?

7. For having an engineered frame, has anyone seen how sloppy the ramp hold downs and jack handle are on the newer PJ trailers? PJ is owned by the same company as Big Tex… quality has gone down

8. Maxx D of similar length seems to be a few hundred pounds more empty weight than competition. Worth it or just a reduced load capacity? Don't know much about Maxx-D, but they seem to be well-built.

13. Would you upgrade to 17.5 tires instead of 16"? I'd go with the 17.5" with upgraded stud size.

14. Trailer mounted strap ratchets worth it? Depending on what you are hauling, they are awesome with the slide railing.

ETA. 15. Torque tube - For loading hay this seems worth it. Torque tube would be necessary on a trailer of that size.

16. Under frame bridging. Necessary? Bridging is necessary depending on Main Beam Size, but probably needed with most trailers.

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Thanks for the input. Load Trail makes a 32' without the torque tube for $16500. The same trailer with one and sliding rail and side toolbox was 19600.

Know anything about SurePull? My hauler recommended them. A 32' with torque tube was $15400. Non adjustable Dexter axles and the owner answered the phone . Built with 10" Beam instead of 12" with an over the frame design so only 1" taller than pierced frame competition.. Perhaps not as many frills. Owner said he wasn't a fan of the sliding ratchet rails on this size trailer bc they are never in the right spot since dove and tire areas are kept clear.

milkman00 said:

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But don't you end up restacking the hay off those trailers with a machine anyway?

Maybe I'll put one on my wish list, in which case you can suggest your favorite. Right now I need a do it all trailer though. I'm not looking to take over my hay haulers job, but rather be able to do anything necessary especially when Deere wants $7/ loaded mile to pick up stuff and on farm service would bankrupt me.

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Yes they still need to be stacked or put in the barn after dumping. But it's so much faster than unloading with a machine. We can load out during the day while baling and deliver sold bales locally without having to depend or wait on someone to unload or wonder if their equipment will work/ be where it's supposed to be to get unloaded. Plenty of time to stack the next morning before baling again when the dew dries. This trailer is a pride of the prairie and I bought it the next day after seeing one for the first time years ago. We usually pull it with 2500 Hd gas pickups but only haul 16 4x5 bales at a time on the 40 ft long cradles. Not loading the front of the trailer with an additional 4 bales, it is more balanced and not too heavy for short hauls with our pickups.

So do you load with your baling tractor or a different machine? Use double spikes and load over the side like an old school Hay Van, or push them forward? Pushing forward seems like lots of stress on transmission and emergency brake. Go Bob makes a stinger to help prevent wear I've seen though.

Don't know much about about Sure-Pull, but there are plenty of them around my area, as we are about 30 minutes from Emory. You may also look at Iron Bull and Delco, as well.

As for the I-beam, I personally think that 10" Beams may be a little light duty for a trailer of that length, even with a torque tube. 12" x 19# is pretty much the standard across the industry on trailers that size.

milkman00 said:

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So do you load with your baling tractor or a different machine? Use double spikes and load over the side like an old school Hay Van, or push them forward? Pushing forward seems like lots of stress on transmission and emergency brake. Go Bob makes a stinger to help prevent wear I've seen though.

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Load one bale at a time and push them from the back. Since they only ride on the pipe they slide very easy from lack of friction.

Most of the guys around here have a 100hp front end loader tractors and have zero issues. I've honestly never seen a major hay operation in the field with a skid steer. It would be a pain to road that thing 10-15 miles to each field.

Load from the back with truck in park. Have never had any truck transmission problems on the pickups used. We have a loader tractor to use while baling when everything is running or get a neighbor to bring his. One that I used from a friend recently had this double spear rig on a jd 7130 that loads two bales at a time onto the dump trailer. I'm ordering one soon as it saves lots of time.

That's a sweet double spear set up for that type of trailer. My double spear is for a single bale and I would load the front of that trailer over the rails by picking up the bales underneath like on our old Hay Van that carries the hay the same way down the road.

There's a guy in the Midwest with a loader bus that also uses a skid steer to stack hay. He has a pretty sweet setup.

My loader at the "hay farm" is on my 4440 that I also use to bale. So after I get done baling I switch over to hauling, since I use both rear remotes for the loader. Didn't know if yall were implying that you stopped baling to load hay at first, or used a rake tractor or something else.

I don't have enough labor to do it all at once.