How big a travel trailer would you move with a 1025R?

3645 Views 38 Replies 22 Participants Last post by arnoha, Jan 21, 2022

arnoha

Discussion Starter · Jan 10, 2022

I'm thinking about picking up a travel trailer to keep on the property. Unfortunately, despite having 10 acres, it's hilly and has a ton of difficult maneuvering for large vehicles. As a result, it would be much, much easier to move the trailer on the property with my 1025R instead of using the full-size truck. So...how big is too big? How much would you move around with a 1025R? Particularly with all three pull options: 3pt, tow bar, FEL. Three variables, too...total weight, tongue weight, and length.

(Note, despite the hills, the actual movement of the trailer would be on the flat parts. Not trying to yank something super heavy up a hill with a little tractor. The flat parts are just really tight to move around in.)

Reactions: 2

1 - 20 of 39 Posts

highlandranger

· #2 · Jan 10, 2022

Probably better to get someone with actual experience moving trailers to comment but I've pulled cars on level ground using a trailer hitch mounted under the PTO (aftermarket accessory) and straps. Used to do it with an old toro lawn tractor too.

I think most travel trailers weight less than a typical car (under say 3000 lbs). That said I had someone steering and manning the brakes and this was on blacktop. On turf, might need ballast to make up traction difference and someone with some chocks ready to make sure it didn't get away from you or have a situation where the trailer started pushing the tractor if there was an incline. And steering a trailer - seems like shorter the trailer harder to control . . . YMMV.

Interested to hear what those with actual experience have to say.

SulleyBear

· #3 · Jan 10, 2022

2

Personally, I wouldn't want to move it with the 3ph arms as there is no way to prevent the lifting of the 3ph arms when backing, etc. I would either use the Heavy Hitch rear ball mount with an extension, with the ball mount flipped upside down, to raise the ball position on the hitch. Or, I suppose you could use either the 2" square receiver on the bucket or on the front plate or on the pallet fork frame.

Depending upon the ball hitch height, you may have to raise the FEL arms to get the ball mount to line up with the trailer tongue. My limiting factor wouldn't be the size of the trailer as much as the tongue weight of the trailer. I would surely want the tongue weight to be comfortable for however its being lifted.

I ONLY move items with the rear Heavy Hitch mounted in place of the rear "tow point". I pulled my open aluminum trailer down the hill to the yard debris pile and going down the hill, the 7' x 16' open aluminum trailer loaded with lawn debris gave me the ride of my life and shoved the tractor down the hill. My trailer weighs maybe 900 pounds empty and had maybe another 800 pounds of debris on it. On flat ground or pavement, no issue at all. On any slopes, gravel or grass, its probable the tractor is going to be pushed around by the trailer.

Automotive lighting Automotive tire Asphalt Road surface Floor

Wood Tool Gas Machine Bumper

See less See more

Reactions: 3

Pedals2Paddles

· #4 · Jan 10, 2022

Your tractor weighs about 2,000 to 2,500 lbs depending on what you have for weights on it, with 4 little tires and a short wheelbase. Moving a 1000lb+ trailer on hills can easily result in a sudden reversal of who's towing who.

On flat ground, moving a trailer with less than 700lb tongue weight using the 3 point hitch or a frame mounted hitch should be fine. You must have tongue weight, and the trailer can't be on the verge of tipping back since it will otherwise just lift the tractor up and now who's towing who again. With more than 700lb tongue weight, it will probably be too heavy to move. I'm not a fan of using the loader for moving trailers. I do not want a wildly dynamic rolling load attached to my FEL.

I move my 14ft 1000lb empty weight landscape trailer around all the time with the 3 point. Even the slight hill of my paved driveway is fine with that. But I wouldn't go towing it down the mountain on the road.

Reactions: 1

SulleyBear

· #5 · Jan 10, 2022

I move trailers on flat ground all of the time and stage them from the parking area to the pavement so other vehicles aren't driving on the lawn, etc. As long as the ground is flat, its very easy and works well. You have to extend the ball mount out from the rear of the tractor because of the tow point and Heavy Hitch mounting place on the rear being tucked so far up under the tractor.

I also have a 9" drop ball mount which I invert to pull the trailers which have a tongue height higher than the ball position using the rear HH 2" receiver tube. Positioning the trailers on flat ground, the tractor works very well as the short wheel base permits you to really make tight turns, etc to get it positioned. But you have to extend the ball mount position to reach out from the rear of the tractor. You also wouldn't want too much tongue weight as you will need to keep the FEL on the tractor, especially with the ball mount extended rearward from the back of the tractor. The further back the ball mount is extended, the more leverage is on the rear of the tractor lightening the front steering wheels..........

What are the sizes of the trailers you are considering and their total weights / tongue weights?

See less See more

John D 2

· #6 · Jan 10, 2022

I have a 14 ft car hauler that weighs about 1650 lbs with about 260lbs tongue weight that I move in and out of my garage with my 1025R. I use my 3 pt trailer hitch, back up to the trailer, pick up the tongue and move it where I need to. Granted its not hilly, but the tractor has no problem raising the tongue and moving this trailer.

arnoha

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 10, 2022

SulleyBear said:
I move trailers on flat ground all of the time and stage them from the parking area to the pavement so other vehicles aren't driving on the lawn, etc. As long as the ground is flat, its very easy and works well. You have to extend the ball mount out from the rear of the tractor because of the tow point and Heavy Hitch mounting place on the rear being tucked so far up under the tractor.

I also have a 9" drop ball mount which I invert to pull the trailers which have a tongue height higher than the ball position using the rear HH 2" receiver tube. Positioning the trailers on flat ground, the tractor works very well as the short wheel base permits you to really make tight turns, etc to get it positioned. But you have to extend the ball mount position to reach out from the rear of the tractor. You also wouldn't want too much tongue weight as you will need to keep the FEL on the tractor, especially with the ball mount extended rearward from the back of the tractor. The further back the ball mount is extended, the more leverage is on the rear of the tractor lightening the front steering wheels..........

What are the sizes of the trailers you are considering and their total weights / tongue weights?

With a family of 5, I'm mostly looking at lightweight bunkhouse models. Probably in the "24" series, with overall lengths just under 30'. Lightweight is relative, though. These things are around 5000-6000 lbs. Which is why I ask the question...that seems marginal on a 1025R, but I have no direct experience and maybe that is reasonable? These little machine often do way more than you think they could. On the other hand, making a mistake there might pitch both my tractor and trailer off the side of the hill. Possibly with me included in that package for a ride I definitely am not enthused about taking.

ClydeLogan

· #8 · Jan 10, 2022

I would not do it on a slope ever again. When I first got my 1025R I tried moving my trailer, which has a 600 lb tongue weight using the 3 point hitch receiver attachment. I was using 4 WD low, but when we started down a slope the trailer took over. I was really lucky it was a straight and short run downhill, because there was no way to stop and no way to steer.

Reactions: 5

dodgeman

· #9 · Jan 10, 2022

I agree, on flat ground only. I had moved my car hauler trailer, about 2000 pounds with both my 2025r and the Kubota BX I owned, and that was up and down some hills.

Reactions: 1

sschweik

· #10 · Jan 10, 2022

I have a 27’ trailer, about 5200lbs. Tongue weight is roughly 520. Add 2 30lb tanks and battery to that. I move my trailer about 1,000 feet seasonally up a slight include in fall and of course down in spring across my yard. I use a trailer hitch on my 3 point arms. It struggles a bit starting off but once I start moving it seems to handle ok. I am going to take the propane tanks off this spring hoping to feel better about moving it. I use the loader for front weight which seems to be enough

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Reactions: 1

Shortcut

· #11 · Jan 10, 2022

I move trailers from the main driveway to the side driveway and park them in a line that a truck / vehicle would not be able to do (too tight turns). Of all the trailers (enclosed 6x12 tandem axle, 18' car hauler, and dump trailer 6x12 tandem axle), the enclosed is actually the heaviest at about 3000 pounds. Dump trailer is just under. 3032 handles them fine (even when loaded to a certain extent). Used to have a kioti back in the day that was a 1 series size per se (cs2410). It could move the enclosed but you swore when you turned it was going to turn/push the tractor over. Now on the 3 series, I wired up an aftermarket brake controller to 12 volts on tractor. When moving the trailers, I can simply slide the switch on the brake controller and allow the trailer brakes to stop the trailer. If things get uncomfortable, slide the switch on controller and get trailer to stop for you. Pulling and moving the trailers is not the big concern. Stopping them is the important part. Brake controller and some wire is under 150$. Was worth it in my opinion. Moving a 30' trailer with a 1 series though is probably more than I would want to try. Tight, sharp turns are going to result in significant tire scrubbing which would not be a huge deal on a vehicle but the lateral force transposed to the tractor is going to want to turn it over sideways (I came close with the kioti on perfectly flat ground). If you have a large enough tractor and use the 3pt (albeit there are concerns there as well) then you can lift up tongue and get some of the load off front axel and help with the scrubbing. On loose dirt it may not be an issue, but paved or hard ground and you can certainly feel it.

See less See more

Reactions: 3

Pigpen

· #12 · Jan 10, 2022

sschweik said:
I have a 27’ trailer, about 5200lbs. Tongue weight is roughly 520. Add 2 30lb tanks and battery to that. I move my trailer about 1,000 feet seasonally up a slight include in fall and of course down in spring across my yard. I use a trailer hitch on my 3 point arms. It struggles a bit starting off but once I start moving it seems to handle ok. I am going to take the propane tanks off this spring hoping to feel better about moving it. I use the loader for front weight which seems to be enough

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah that’s about what I was thinking about for maximum weight and size I know I whould not try to move my 40 foot travel trailer with my 2025r it weighs in at just under 9000lbs but have moved my car trailer and then my junk trailer with it

ironpony

· #13 · Jan 10, 2022

5200 lbs. nope, no way, if anything goes wrong you are along for the ride. Things go bad fast.

sschweik

· #14 · Jan 10, 2022

What’s going to go wrong? If the back end drops trailer drops end of it, going up/down incline it will stop when Tongue digs in. I am going at a snails pace. I have been doing this since 2012

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hall00

· #15 · Jan 11, 2022

As long as you are on flat ground, you'll be fine.

Pick it up with the 3pt and go slow.

rtgt

· #16 · Jan 11, 2022

What does your owners manual say the max tongue weight and max trailer weight is for your tractor? If your within those limits you are good to go.

Presuming that the trailer has brakes, you can also wire in a brake controller on your tractor for some extra stopping power.

Reactions: 1

Montana Dan

· #17 · Jan 11, 2022

arnoha said:
I'm thinking about picking up a travel trailer to keep on the property. Unfortunately, despite having 10 acres, it's hilly and has a ton of difficult maneuvering for large vehicles. As a result, it would be much, much easier to move the trailer on the property with my 1025R instead of using the full-size truck. So...how big is too big? How much would you move around with a 1025R? Particularly with all three pull options: 3pt, tow bar, FEL. Three variables, too...total weight, tongue weight, and length.

(Note, despite the hills, the actual movement of the trailer would be on the flat parts. Not trying to yank something super heavy up a hill with a little tractor. The flat parts are just really tight to move around in.)

I would not use a SCUT to move a travel trailer of any size. Way out of it's league. What could go wrong?

Reactions: 4

jimmylh

· #18 · Jan 11, 2022

I move my 18 foot flatbed trailer around the yard all the time with my 1025r so I can mow around it. I use the 3 point with a hitch attachment. I don't know the tongue weight is, but it picks it up with no problem.

Pedals2Paddles

· #19 · Jan 11, 2022

Montana Dan said:
I would not use a SCUT to move a travel trailer of any size. Way out of it's league. What could go wrong?

Facts or data to support the 1025R being incapable of moving any trailer of any size? 🤷‍♂️

Reactions: 1

dixie460

· #20 · Jan 11, 2022

I move my boat around all the time using my FEL. I welded a hitch receiver to the bucket. Not sure on tongue weight, it's a 17' fiberglass boat. It flexes the top edge of the bucket a bit but I'll fix that by welding some c-channel across the top.

Now this is on flat ground, I'd not do this on a hill unless I wanted a Darwin award.

Reactions: 2

1 - 20 of 39 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.