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Hauling hay question

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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 10:42 AM
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iweb's Avatar
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Hauling hay question

I have a car hauler bumper pull that is rated at 12,000 lbs and is 18' long including a 2' dovetail. I also have a goose neck 4 horse stock/horse trailer that has 6 lug wheels and I think the bed is 16' long.

What can I haul the most hay in? I have no idea what the horse trailer is rated at, its a 1978 Champion. And since the horse trailer is enclosed how many bales can I stuff in there?

Its a 200 mile trip so I want to get the most hay I can in one load.
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 10:47 AM
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I'd say the car hauler.
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 11:13 AM
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From: hills of cali forn ya
don't exceed four bales high (if you still use square 36 inch bales) and remember that when wet at loading , they dry on the outsides but get heavier in the middle of the load so take your turns wider and slower as you travel. check your tie downs at first 10 miles then 50 miles after...

thought that might help you with the weight....always good idea to hit a truck scale if unsure. no loose straps! number one reason to get pulled over.

good trip!
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 11:30 AM
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What size and weight of bale are you hauling?
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 11:55 AM
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From: Kerrville eastern new mexico, west texas
you can go higher then four bales you should be able to get over 50 on it if their small squares. take 2 straps from the front and 2 at the back and use a ratchet or *** along to pull them together
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 03:55 PM
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I can put 100 bales (two high) on my 20' utility trailer, about 30 in the bed. 70 - 80 lb rectangular bales.
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 04:07 PM
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The bales are 100-120 lbs each. I hauled 2 one ton bales which were 4'x4'x8' so they were low and couldn't tell they were back there.

Weight wise my car hauler will haul 4 ton but I think it would look like a sky scraper coming down the hiway.

So you are saying about 20 bales on the car hauler? How many do you think I can stuff in the horse trailer?
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 04:16 PM
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I would prefer hauling on the car hauler it's easier to load/unload. With that said I have a 20' gooseneck stock trailer w/ 16' floor and using the nose I can stuff 90 avg size small square bales weighing 70-80 lbs. I have also stuffed 3 1500 lb round bales in there too, the rear gate came within 6" of closing so I used a strap. I had to use a chain and a tree to drag them out.
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 04:24 PM
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Why not cross stack 100 120 lb bales, strapped down well on the car hauler?
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 05:31 PM
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I pull an 8 x 16 bumper pull car trailer and I put 150 square bales on it 6 rows high. Strap it and forget it, it's never been a problem.

Jeff
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Old Oct 3, 2009 | 10:59 PM
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Strap 'em down. I look at the trailer springs and as they approach "flat" I back off. Then I take it slow. If I remember correctly this load was about 22K GVRW. Not a big deal in terms of weight but it was a bit tippy due to the terrain here in North Central Idaho.
Attached Thumbnails Hauling hay question-haydude.jpg  
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Old Oct 4, 2009 | 07:22 AM
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Stack it nice and tight, then strap it down well. If my last row is the direction of IDhorsehaulers, I run about 4-2X6's length wise to hold them in place.
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Old Oct 4, 2009 | 08:28 PM
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I used to haul hay when I had horses. Stacked the square bales about 5 bales high and two bales wide. I then put a single row of bales down the center on top to tie the load together. Then I used chains and a come along to hold everything in place. The chains need to be pulled tight with the come along. I never had any problems. As said earlier, take it slow around turns, check your chains or straps frequently and keep an eye on the load using your mirrors. I saw a guy with a load of hay driving a little too fast going around a sharp curve which tilted to the outside and he dumped almost the entire load. Again, tighten your chains/straps and use some common sense any you should be ok.
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Old Oct 5, 2009 | 05:01 PM
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On my 25' dovetail I gooseneck I stack the center row down the length of the trailer and one on either side of the center row across the trailer. The next row going down the trailer goes to one side or the other and the next row goes the opposite. The next row goes back to the first configuration. This method cross ties the load to help keep it on the trailer. Use as many straps or chains as needed. I get 30 small bales on each row which is approx. one ton. I try not to overload the tires/axles incase of an accident to hopefully show no act of negligence on my part.
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Old Oct 5, 2009 | 07:08 PM
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From: Kerrville eastern new mexico, west texas
if you do it right for traveling you can put 400 bales on a 40 ft going six high
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