Asking for Suggestions for First Equipment Trailer

Hello all, My first real post on the forum... I'll tow with a 2024 F-150 3.5 EB (~13,500 lbs.) I'll seldomly tow from point A to point B and back (45 miles of gentle terrain) I'll be towing a 2026 Takeuchi TB235-2 Transport length 16' 1" Weight 7639 lbs. What trailer and/or trailer characteristics would you recommend? Thanks in advance.

That sounds like a bad idea with a F One Fiddy. You will exceed the hitch capacity by the time you include the weight of the trailer and excavator attachment. Give the One Fiddy to your girlfriend and get a Superduty. Check out the overload-of-the-day thread. https://mail.heavyequipmentforums.com/threads/overload-of-the-day.87146/

Welcome. 500lb hitch danger & guess tare weight of 5000lb truck & 8000lbs excavator at 13000 no room add a trailer. Need a heavy trailer combined say 10k rating

A bigger/stronger truck may be necessary...

Everyone beat me to it but I would agree you don't have enough truck. A friend of mine will tow my dump trailer (empty 5000lbs)to a job for me with his F150 he would never tow it home for me full. It is also worth mentioning that even if it could tow it could it stop it. I would recommend no less than a F250 and would step up to the F350 if you can afford it, then when you get a skid to go with your mini, you could probably tow both, maybe. For trailers I prefer a gooseneck with hydraulic dovetail but would also consider a bumper pull gravity tilt trailer. you are going to be limited when loading things from the side on the tilt because of the fenders, You might also look at a low profile dump trailer you will probably need one some day,and could start and finish with that and skip the others

kailor said: I'll tow with a 2024 F-150 3.5 EB (~13,500 lbs.) Click to expand... Please don't do this, no matter what your dealer tells you. This is a nice truck but not enough to tow and what's more important, stop, the load your thinking of towing. kailor said: I'll seldomly tow from point A to point B and back (45 miles of gentle terrain) Click to expand... Do you have a trailer now? I ask because every new trailer owner thinks it'll be seldom until they have ready access to a trailer. You'll likely do more towing than you expect. And heavier loads than you expect. We all do it... kailor said: What trailer and/or trailer characteristics would you recommend? Click to expand... The trailer is secondary here. You first need a truck that can handle the load you have in mind. And when you have a trailer you're going to end up loading something even bigger and heavier than you think. As mentioned above get a 3/4 truck at a minimum. After that you can look into a trailer of your choice. For a starter trailer I'd recommend a 14k tandem axle trailer with reliable brakes at all wheel positions. I prefer electric brakes over surge brakes as they give you better control. For moving equipment I prefer a ramp trailer over a tilt deck because most of them are more robust than a tilt. With a tilt, sooner or later you or a friend that borrowed your trailer will unload a machine without releasing the tilt latch and will turn that nice flat deck into an arched deck ...

My f150 is rated to tow 11400. Ive done it before and if its whats at the junk sale with the trailer ill do it again. I dont make habbit. Its uncomfortable. Id reather gross 100000 on 5 axles in the hills of wv in the dark with no permits.... Not that i would ever do that

kailor said: A bigger/stronger truck may be necessary... Click to expand... It is not about the GO! - It's about the WHOA! AMBMike said: With a tilt, sooner or later you or a friend that borrowed your trailer will unload a machine without releasing the tilt latch and will turn that nice flat deck into an arched deck ... Click to expand... That's why you never let friends borrow a truck, a piece of equipment or especially a trailer. I shut my non-profit rental business down years ago due this.

CM1995 said: It is not about the GO! - It's about the WHOA! That's why you never let friends borrow a truck, a piece of equipment or especially a trailer. I shut my non-profit rental business down years ago due this. Click to expand... I hear you can get lots of new budfys if you buy a auto lift or a car trailer

I’ll jump in too. I was in the heavy haul business. Short story is, stopping is the MOST important concern. I had a 12K rated tilt trailer I used to haul small forklifts for the Cat dealer so I didn’t have to tie up a lowbed for the little stuff. I had a new 02 GMC2500HD I used for the lifts. It worked well but a few times I got one of the bigger lifts that made me a bit uncomfortable. A 1/2 ton pu is not safe for this stuff without years of experience and then it’s still risky. Anything can happen.

They called them 1/2 tons for a reason

Thanks for all of the replies. I'll upgrade to a 3/4 ton or hire the towing/hauling done.

kailor said: Thanks for all of the replies. I'll upgrade to a 3/4 ton or hire the towing/hauling done. Click to expand... Depending on how much you will move the machine, hiring it out may be the cheapest option. This mini can be hauled on a single axle car roll back which are a dime a dozen. Local towing outfits haul CTL's, mini's and other small machines for the Cat Rental store on single axle roll offs all the time.

It takes a proper truck to get the job done, don't mess around with 450, 550 weenies. *

Bigger truck for sure. Even a 250 is a bit small. You can get a 350 with the single rear wheels. A lot of the smaller guys around here will buy a fifth wheel dump trailer for their pickup, and haul their mini or skid steer in it. Then you have something to haul material around in as well

There is a big difference between a 250 and SRW 350. Springs being the main difference.

cuttin edge said: Bigger truck for sure. Even a 250 is a bit small. You can get a 350 with the single rear wheels. A lot of the smaller guys around here will buy a fifth wheel dump trailer for their pickup, and haul their mini or skid steer in it. Then you have something to haul material around in as well Click to expand... The dump trailer is a great way to go.

Problem with that is finding one, they don’t want to trade a house for!

If you're only going to be hauling the mini-ex very occasionally I think your F150 would be OK. It would be legal according to the trucks rating. A tandem 18' bobcat type trailer with 7000lb. axles would be ideal. You would be about 5800lbs. shy of the max. trailer rating. A good 14K trailer even if made made from tubing instead of channel would be well under 5800lbs. You would want the best brakes on it though. There are much worse cases of overloading a 150 but technically you aren't overloaded. If you were hauling the mini-ex on a frequent basis a larger truck would be the best option. People haul a holiday trailer that weighs as much or more than your mini-ex with an F150 all the time.

Deere500a said: Welcome. 500lb hitch danger & guess tare weight of 5000lb truck & 8000lbs excavator at 13000 no room add a trailer. Need a heavy trailer combined say 10k rating Click to expand... The weight of the truck isn't included in the tow rating. As long as the loaded trailer isn't over 13,500lbs. he'd be legal.