Anyone haul their tractors in an enclosed trailer?  I am thinking about getting an enclosed gooseneck that will double as winter storage for my car.  I wonder how hard it would be to tie things down so they don't move around when your going down the road.

I think you will like the enclosed trailer. What size are your tractors? I have a 7' wide by 14' long enclosed trailer and have used it for hauling four Cub Cadets. And I also use it to haul my Hit & Miss Engines. I have a friend who has a Gooseneck enclosed trailerand he uses it to haul a Farmall 100 tractor. I have also slept inside the enclosed trailer at many shows. Mine also provides storage in the winter. Merton

In the earlier post I forgot to add if you order one make sure you get lots of tie down rings inside the trailer. And if they offer a heavier floor, get it.

Merton,

All my tractors are in the H farmall to Oliver 77 size.  If I got what I really want it would be a trailer with sleeping quarters in the front.  My wife said I could buy one when the house is paid off (2-3 years), but it's still fun to look.  I'm thinking in the 38-40 foot range.

Anyone haul their tractors in an enclosed trailer?  I am thinking about getting an enclosed gooseneck that will double as winter storage for my car.  I wonder how hard it would be to tie things down so they don't move around when your going down the road.

Two minds with similar thoughts, Joe.  I have been looking for an affordable enclosed trailer in 7 x 12 or 7 x 14 size.  I need it for golf cart and four wheelers.  My thought is the same.  Enclosed would offer winter storage as well as dry transport.  I have my 20 ft. tilting flat bed as well as an 8 ft. snow mobile trailer. The 8 ft. is O.K. for a four wheeler, but is not long enough to move a golf cart to obtain proper balance of the trailer.  The 20 ft. is easy to load and unload, but is over kill for a golf cart.  You have to know that I am all ears on this thread.

Charlie V.

Charlie,

The smaller golf-cart size trailers seem to go for almost as much money as the bigger ones.  I have a brand new 6X12 enclosed trailer sitting in my yard right now.  The boss decided he needed to have one for work, so after he bought it ($3,500), never used it, and let it sit in the parking lot for a year, I got tired of looking at it and brought it home (he knows it's there).  I don't expect it to move anytime soon, fortuantly I have plenty of room to store things like trailers, I just wish I could have convinced him to buy a 20 footer so I could get some use out of it.

I also like the idea of being able to haul things plated as an RV without the watchful eyes of the road patrol.  I have been looking at race trailers for quite some time, but now I have my eye on an older 30-foot four house trailer with a camper in the front.  It's 7.5 foot wide and they only want $3,000 for it.  I might go look at it after work today, I think it would be wide enough for most tractors.

Because I am in the company of people with experience I will ask a question or two.  My ideal enclosed trailer for what I need to accomplish would be 12 to 16 in length and a minimum of 7 feet wide.  In addition, I am looking for two axle with brakes and a V nose for easier pulling.  An aluminum frame would be a plus, but is pretty hard to find in a used unit in my search so far. Having said all of that, anyone have any comments or advise you wish to offer.

Thanks,

Charlie V.

I've thought in the past that an enclosed trailer would be nice to have.  Although I've never thought of using an enclosed trailer for a tractor.  But then in the past my tractors have been big enough that getting into an enclosed trailer wouldn't be easy.

Also my tractors are pretty trailer queens that I try to keep cleaned and waxed.

However, when it comes to engines I think an enclosed trailer would be nice to have in a lot of cases.

I've hauled engines across the country several times and from experience now that they can be pretty grimmy and coated with all sorts of stuff when exposed to the weather on the road.  Would be a lot nicer starting out with a clean engine and still having a clean engine when you arrive at a show.

There is also the increased security of transporting it out of sight.  I know of many nights parked at motels hoping no one messed with my trailer load.

But on the flip side hauling things in the open invites people to talk to you at rest areas or anywhere you stop and they see something odd on your trailer.  Have had people tell me of other engines which I would have bought if my trailer hadn't already been full.

I saw an interesting set-up by an IH collector. He had a nice trailer finished out with skylights and a black and white checkerboard floor. After he unloaded his tractors, he turned it sideways behind them to create a museum for IH memorabilia. He filled it with stuff like IH toolboxes and tools from the 70's, dealer uniforms, hats, unopened oil cans, calendars, gas cans, fire extinguishers, literature and whatever else he could find that IH put their name on. It was far more interesting of a display than most of the tractors at the show.

The drawback I have against closed trailers is that I want to watch the load. What would happen if a chain or binder came loose and you couldn't see it? You would have a huge mess.....
Dave

Dave,

You have to admit that there is some amount of faith that everything is still tied down even with an open trailer.  I am constantly checking the side mirrors to see that everything is secure, but you can't see the whole trailer.  I suppose once everthing is tied down inside, you could always stop once and a while to check (I do that with my open trailer anyway).  You could also install a camera in the trailer with a viewer in the truck, as those things are getting pretty cheap now a days.  I like the ease of loading my rusty finds with an open trailer, but once you get one up and running nice, an enclosed trailer seems to be the way to go (especially if you want a place to sleep without paying for a hotel/motel).

It's fun to dream...:rolleyes:

I finally bought an enclosed trailer, just this morning.  I have been looking for almost a year and ran into a deal I couldn't resist.  It is from a local construction company that had four 30-foot enclosed goosenecks that they were pulling off the road after several years of service.  It's a triple axle with a 14,500 GVW.  It a little rough, and needs TLC, like most of my tractors.  It came with an Onan generator and is hard wired with internal and external plugs, and electric heaters.  Only had to pay $1,000 for it.  Will be brining it home on Saturday.  For some reason my wife doesn't share my excitement...

Sounds like a lot of trailer for $1k.

Hope it works out for you.

How about posting a picture of that big trailer.

Wow $ 1,000.00 - That's a steal!

I thought it seemed like a steal to, they were posted on craigslist for about two weeks before I called.  When I found out they were still for sale, I jumped at the chance.  It is not a new trailer, and it has it's share of cosmetic defects, but everything is fixable, and all the major components are there.  They told me about 15 people had looked at the trailer before I bought it and most complained it was too much money, or needed too much work.  I couldn't wait to get them the $1000 as I have been shopping for over a year, and $1000 doesn't buy much of anything anymore.  It's not even that old, with a 1997 manufacture date.  I'll try to post a photo when I get it home, plan on picking it up on Saturday.