a point of warning about weight distibution hitches!

any salesman that tell you they take weight off or allow you to tow more is quite frankly talking out of thier arse!
they actually add weight.
what they do is level the hitch by using torque via spring force via the towbar and the chassis to pivot the chassis around the rear axle this actually ADDS weight and forces the trailer to ride more level.

the correct term is a load levelling hitch.

dont believe me go have a look at the videos on youtube by automotive engineers turned motoring journalists robert pepper and john codogan.

they are dangerous if used incorrectly and can cause serious structural damage to your vehicle when used, fitted or selected incorrectly. traversing gutters culverts deep pot holes and dips or washouts in the road are all problematic for load levelling hitches and often this is when they fail or damage the vehicle

if you want to tow more than 2.5tonnes go get a proper light truck and no im not referring to a pick up truck most of them are toys. i mean a proper body truck.

the best thing to shift old crawlers around is a old bogie drive prime-mover fitted with a beaver tail traybody which will do d4 size gear maybe d5 size
or shell out for a small prime mover and a drop deck trailer and cart a few at once.
many blokes over here shift d4 and smaller on bogie drive tiltray trucks and simply hire truck and driver when required.

caterpillar13 wrote:

how often are you going to move the d2, maybe contact a local tow company and have them move it 1 or 2 times a year, cheaper than a trailer and all of the liability falls on them.

 

EXACTLY!
to only move it a couple of times a year contact a local company that has a tilt-tray truck. most of em have a winch so if your machine doent want to play nice doesnt matter put it out of gear and drag it up. best bit you dont have to pay to insure or register a suitable truck and trailer to use maybe 5 times a year, nor pay for servicing or DOT inspections either (depending on vehicle).

we shifted our not running d4 about 65km to a mates place cost us $150 bucks for 2hrs work and the driver placed it exactly where we wanted it he winched her on and lowered her on the winch.
one local collector him and his dad bought a old tiltray to shift around there own sizeable tractor collection to help cover the cost they will move other people tractors basically for fuel money and a bit for their time. maybe a collector near you does the same thing.

trainzkid88 wrote:

if you want to tow more than 2.5tonnes go get a proper light truck and no im not referring to a pick up truck most of them are toys. i mean a proper body truck.

 

I can tow 3.5 tonnes with my Ranger and have done so on numerous occasions. These guys are talking about real pickups not the toys we have over here in Aus. The closest thing we have at the moment is the Ram 3500 which can tow 8000kg. The upcoming F150 will be able to tow 4500kgs.

Last time I hired a tandem axle tilt tray to move a non running roller it cost me $360 for two hours work. I was recently looking at buying a non-running 977K and the best super tilt price I could find was $220 per hour plus GST.
If your taking your machine to shows and your going to be there all day what then? Hire a tilt truck to take it there and again to return it to your place or hire him/her to stay there all day. Going to get very expensive very fast especially since most tilt tray hire is from depot to depot so you can't hire him/her to take your machine to the show and that is all you will be charged for.

Thanks Phil.  I agree its not feasible for me to hire someone to move my tractor to shows.  I'll explore other options and worse cast I'll have to let it stay home.

yes most tow companies charge would charge you to take it there and then the same to take it home. the time we took our to a display we were able to get a combined rate we had to wait a day for them to do the job though.

my point was just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. and read any vehicle spec sheet carefully. and salespeople are full of bullshit make sure your fact check their claims. when something happens is the wrong time to find out.
yes im aware the US has different towing limits than we do.

the dual rear tired 3500 series gmc, ford and dodge pick ups are classed as light trucks in australia due to their size and carrying capacity. but when you run something at it maximum especially when there more car than light truck it doesnt do em any favours. be careful. i dont want to see people get hurt.