Not bad for a small tractor!!!

[John 1594]

This is our harvest grain haulage outfit, 85hp 2wd tractor, on a Big K artic trailer, 14 tonne capacity, hyd brakes on all 4 wheels. Think the old girl does well to pull it tbh Fully loaded she tips the scales at about 22 tonne!

 

[MF565]

And I thought my boss was mad for hauling 10 tons of spud seed plus 3 bags of fert behind my 565 while planting spuds.

 

[John 1594]

will say that this trailer of ours, being an atric, doesnt give the puh too much hammer, it worked it loose first year it was on it, so i stripped it all down, cleaned all the bolts up and loctited them back in, its never moved no more. She needs an extra 2 gallons of hyd oil to get it tipped right up, but even with that weight, she will tip it on tickover no bother. It tows suprisingly well too, doesnt shimmy the back end about and its a doddle to reverse and turn round with the better steering lock of the 2wd. I have it on the 4wd sometimes, but its nowhere near as handy in tight spaces

 

[MF565]

will say that this trailer of ours, being an atric, doesnt give the puh too much hammer, it worked it loose first year it was on it, so i stripped it all down, cleaned all the bolts up and loctited them back in, its never moved no more. She needs an extra 2 gallons of hyd oil to get it tipped right up, but even with that weight, she will tip it on tickover no bother. It tows suprisingly well too, doesnt shimmy the back end about and its a doddle to reverse and turn round with the better steering lock of the 2wd. I have it on the 4wd sometimes, but its nowhere near as handy in tight spaces

That trailer wasn't an issue on the PUH, did about a dozen loads this year for where I work was slightly tetchy at times but that could of been the loose trackrod locking bolt allowing a hint of wheel wobble. Stopping was an issue but aslong as you kept it in high Multi-power it was fine. but it did the job. Glad it was only a couple of mile return trip doubt I would of liked to take it any further. That trailer was the better one of the two but also the longer one of the pair. My boss moaned about it but I said did it do the job and would a new tractor been any more use for the bit of work it did.

 

[John 1594]

thats the thing, may as well have the big shiny stuff in the field earning its keep and not stood on the headland doing nothing.

Place where i go help out at harvest used to hire two of mine every potato season when they were still growing them, Had the 1390 loader for moving muck about and tipping the muck trailer, freeing the teleporter up for loading lorries and keeping the drill going, then hired my 15 in for catching so they could have a tractor on the rolls to keep up with the vaderstad drill, suited us both fine as i drove the 15 all the time, and the old lad in the yard didnt mind the 13 either

 

[multi power]

big k are excellent trailers, very easy to pull, do the front wheels not lift when you tip? dont think i ever seen a artic tipper before

 

[John 1594]

no she steady as a rock when she tipped up, they not on in this pic but normally the tractor has a full set of weights on, this photo was taken in 2011, probably the weights were off because id been spraying quite possible. Planning to fit it up with a roll over sheet this year if i get time

 

[multi power]

i know nothing about cost of hauling grain but this has to compare very well to the big boys with chaser bins

 

[Paul_P]

I'd say that you may struggle in wet conditions in a field as the trailer isn't adding any weight to the tractor's rear wheels. Has it got pressure control to the TPL? (Massey style) A chain around the drawbar and links may be very helpful.....

Julian

 

[multi power]

I'd say that you may struggle in wet conditions in a field as the trailer isn't adding any weight to the tractor's rear wheels. Has it got pressure control to the TPL? (Massey style) A chain around the drawbar and links may be very helpful.....

Julian

the trailer does add weight to drawbar, the turntable is forward of the axle, big k trailers are very easy to pull, not at all like lorry drags

 

[John 1594]

the trailer does add weight to drawbar, the turntable is forward of the axle, big k trailers are very easy to pull, not at all like lorry drags

Its certainly a well thought out and designed bit of kit i will say, harvest time i tend to leave the trailer on the headland and bring the combine to it (mainly as ive got nobody to drive the trailer). Ive seen it sink in 6" on silt and have needed the diff lock in to get it moving, but once its rolling, it takes hardly and pulling on the road, and the brakes are good for such small units too

 

[multi power]

do you mean trailer brakes aregood or tractor brakes? has 1494 wet brakes? brakes on dads 1394 are not much good

 

[John 1594]

both, yes the 1494 has the better wet brakes. the trailer is on standard 8 stud solid axles similar to what was on a lot of the old marston trailers years ago, so they are not the biggest brakes, but on all 4 wheels they work well.

Reckon i can stop that lot from 30k as safely as a lot larger tractor pulling a smaller trailer at 40k, have had to pull it up sharp on a few occasions and was quite suprised how easy it stopped

 

[TEF 20]

They look a little odd tipped up.
Still who needs a sprung drawbar when you've got a big K !!

 

[John 1594]

They look a little odd tipped up.
Still who needs a sprung drawbar when you've got a big K !!

yours on its original wheels? they look a lot smaller than the super singles on ours?

 

[TEF 20]

Yes it is on 12.?/80 15.3 on a 6 stud rim

 

[John 1594]

they must have offered different axle options? notice yours is slightly different on the body girders where the sides go up, this one has removable sides (although they have never been off as i know) and 8 stud axles on normal hgv super singles. They tip up very high if you have enough oil to get the rams up on the 3rd stage!

 

[TEF 20]

I'm guessing but i think ours will be older, also it is just a 9 or 10 tonner

 

[John 1594]

I'm guessing but i think ours will be older, also it is just a 9 or 10 tonner

it certainly looks different to this one. Apparently this began its like on a ADAS experimental unit near ely think it was arthur rickwoods? Was yoked to a Ford TW20 and used for hauling carrots from the field to the grader

 

[TEF 20]

we have 2 big K s, a 28 foot bale trailer and the tipper. The tipper isn't as good to back with it being quite short. I wouldn't like to think I had to back it to a grader!