What size trailer would haul 150 bales weighing 50-60#? Is the 5x7 too small and lightweight?
The 5’ X 7’ would be appropriate if you want to make about 8 trips.
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^^^This:). If you do try to overload it, you also run the risk of bending the axle — before you’re half way home.
We use the BIG race car trailer to get hay — it’s a LOT bigger and sturdier than a utility trailer. We carry 125 bales on it. We might be able to fit another row on top but we live on a Deliverance Road with trees hanging over the road and hairpin turns everywhere.
simply put — there is no way this side of Hades and back anyone on this mortal earth can 125 bales of anything on a utility trailer — not even bags of shavings.
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I use my son’s go cart hauler flat bed trailer, its deck is 4 by 8 … it can easily haul thirty bales and that would be the max I would ever think about putting on it… but usually I get get 20 bales of two string at a time as my source is just a few miles away
150 bales at 60lbs each equals 9000 lbs. NINE THOUSAND POUNDS. You are going to need a substantial sized trailer if you intend to pick it all up in ONE trip. Definitely a 2-axle trailer, I would go with a minimum 12k GVWR, just to have some wiggle room.
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For reference, I can fit 80 bales in my 2+1 if I don’t put any in the dressing room. My trailer 8’ tall and 19’ in the horse area. It weighs almost 10,000lbs with hay on it, and that is with hay going to the ceiling.
Our 5.5x10 aluminum utility trailer is only rated for something like 2500lbs, and our 5x8 from Lowes is only rated for like 1500. You would need a dual or maybe even triple axle trailer for what you’re talking about doing.
Triple axle might be overkill for loads under 20k. Trailer cost skyrockets when you get into triple axles, or dual tires on axles. If you can justify the cost, go for it, but most backyard horse people probably don’t want to spend that much $ for a flatbed.
We have a 36’ deckover gooseneck with a GVWR of 14k, and use it constantly for all manner of things but we seem to be in the minority when it comes to what we consider a “hay trailer”.
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Our hay dealer has a 5 ton minimum. Thats 10,000 lbs. He arrives with a full deal flatbed truck stacked sky high. That’s a lot of hay. I can get about 30 bales in the back of a pickup, stacked precariously. Thats not even a ton for 50 or 60 lb bales.
I can’t imagine a trailer that would fit 5 tons of hay.
We have a 16 foot pipe (so heavier built than cheaper ones, although not the very stoutest construction) utility trailer with two 3500# axles; the trailer itself weighs approximately 1800#. Subtract the 1800 trailer weight from the 7000 axle capacity (2 x 3500) and that’s the maximum weight we’d load on the trailer.
Around here, feed store coastal hay bales generally run 50-55# each (average closer to the lesser weight), but we usually get our hay straight from a producer, with the bales closer to 60+, so we can’t carry 100 of them when buying out of the field.
Here’s a link to a utility trailer manufacturer which I googled, showing various sizes and carrying capacities, to give you an idea: https://www.bigtextrailers.com/utility-trailers/
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I buy 300 bales a year, at 55lbs that’s 16,500. It shows up on a flatbed semi trailer.
Not sure a 5’ x 7’ trailer is roadworthy and/or has a license to be on the road?
If it is, my guess is one axle at 3000# or less.
A full pickup bed is 5’ x 8’, not that big.
We have hauled 56 70lbs alfalfa bales in a 5’ x 16’ standard two axle gn stock trailer, packed tight in there.
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You realize you’re talking about hauling a minimum of 7,500 lbs. You need a trailer with a minimum of a 10,000 lb GVWR. A larger trailer would be better to keep from maxing out your axles. Dimensionally speaking, a nice flat deck 8’ x 16’ would work nicely.
everyone is talking about maxing out the axles of the trailer, you better also look at the load rating on the tires which is stamped in the sidewall
I can put that much on our heavy duty car trailer or on one of the equipment trailers that we haul the articulated loader around for work with but yep, a small utility trailer- that ain’t gonna happen
We have a 5’ X 10’ single axle utility trailer (not the cheap kind from TSC or Home Depot - it was a custom made one from a farm equipment dealer with wood deck, removable gate/ramp, etc.) . It will haul a max of 35 standard bales (about 60 to 65 pounds each). Any more weight and the fenders would be touching the tires. We can fit another 15 bales inside our Suburban - so our total load is about 50 bales at once. Our trailer can safely haul one large round bale - two puts too much weight on the tongue.
We wish we had a double axle trailer, but only had a budget for a single back in 2001 when we bought ours. But the 5’X10’ is very maneuverable and useful for all sorts of tasks on our farm and also hooks up to our tractor. Make sure and get one with a jack attached, no matter what size you get.
