Trailer loading CTL question

[ENGINE902]

I'm in the market to upgrade my equipment trailer. For storage and getting into job sites, I'd like to keep it as short as possible. I'm looking at 20 ft., but not sure if a CTL with a 6 ft brush cutter will load to keep an ok weight distribution between the axles and tongue. Overall length of the CTL and brush cutter is about 17 ft., so a 20 ft. trailer doesn't give you much room to work with it.

I currently rent when I need a heavier CTL brush cutter. My local rental yard will send out a 6 ft brush cutter usually with a Kubota SVL75 or a CAT 259D if I ask for it. So far, I rent it with a trailer since I can't handle it with what I have now.

I could run some calculations to estimate the load distribution on the trailer if I knew about where the center of gravity is on a bare CTL. I figure it would be somewhere between center of the tracks and the drive sprocket? For an SVL75, there is about 2 ft between those points on the track. I'm going to figure it both ways, but I thought I'd see if anyone knew about where the CG was. I don't see anything identifying that point on the equipment specs. I assume Kubota/CAT know where it is, but don't publish it. TIA for any input anyone may have.

 

[AASC]

Run over a 4x4 on the ground, should show you exactly where center of gravity is. Stop when you level off, that will be it.

 

[Tags]

A 20 foot trailer should work OK, it just depends on where the axles land on the trailer. Some trailer manufacturers will either take their standard trailer and just extend the decking on the front or rear of the trailer. Extended to the front ends up giving you a shorter tongue, which could lead to the corner of the trailer hitting the back of your truck if you come close to jackknifing it. In reality, even though the brush hug sticks way out in front of the machine, it doesn’t weigh all that much. If you had to, you could slightly set the brush hog over the front of the trailer, likewise, you could also back it on and leave the brush hog hanging off the back a foot or two. We have an SVL 90 that we load on an 18 foot tilt deck and we stick the brush hog about a foot over the front of the trailer. It seems to work well. My feeling is, you can never have enough trailer deck, so if in doubt get a 22 foot, but a 20 foot should be able to handle what you want to do.

 

[southernman13]

20’ will be just fine especially if the axles are to the rear of center. I have. 16’ tilt that I love but the axles are bout right in the center. I tote my 97-2 w 6’ diamond mower in it but the rear of the machine is only about 12” or so behind the fender wells so there’s 5 or so feet of trailer deck not used. I have to put the mower deck up over the tongue jack to be able to haul it. I just tilt it back and go. But I won’t haul it far because the hydraulics will leak down.

 

[DDoug]

You don't have the option of backing the machine on the trailer to change the C.G. ?

 

[CM1995]

You don't have the option of backing the machine on the trailer to change the C.G. ?

It would put too much weight up front. Have to do the same when I haul a 279 with the bushhog. A CTL's weight is in the ass.

 

[southernman13]

Yes and it’s a tight fit tween the fenders hehe. At least in a bigger one. Loading by yourself it’s easy to damage them.

 

[DDoug]

It would put too much weight up front. Have to do the same when I haul a 279 with the bushhog. A CTL's weight is in the ass.

Yes, I understand, same as with my skid steer.
Sounds like the OP can't pull up forward enough to get some tongue weight,
and the trailer is tail heavy.
Gooseneck is a bit more tolerant of low tongue weight IMHO.