# Trailer to Pull in the Snow?



## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

*Can anyone lend some advice about pulling a trailer in snow? What should we use?*

This is for a crew that will be doing a couple dozen residential drives that can't be done with plow trucks. It'll also be used by a sidewalk crew. It will be pulled with a 4x4 F-150 with the 5.4 engine. My area has some hilly roads, but we won't be using the worst of them.

The trailer will hold two 2-stage blowers, shovels and stuff, a few hundred lbs of salt, and one smallish Deere tractor with a blower on the front and spreader on the back.

Would a single or double axle handle better in snow? 
Would the type of tires matter? 
Would it need to have trailer brakes?

I've seen other companies pulling snow equipment on open trailers before, so that's what I'm going on. If this whole thing is unreasonably dangerous, I know you guys will let me know.
Thanks in advance for any help!


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

What's the weight of the "smallish" tractor?
You should probably add up the weight of equipment, salt, etc and determine the hauling capacity you need. Size of equipment will also help determine the square footage of trailer bed surface you need. 
Naturally, a single axle trailer will be easier to tow.
I'm guessing you get quite a bit of snow per snowfall if you're using 2 stage blowers.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Tandem
No
Any trailer with a GVWR over 3,500 in Meatchicken requires electric brakes. And in the snow it would be foolish to not have them. 

I know it will add weight, but I would strongly consider an enclosed trailer. We pulled our Zplow in an open trailer for several years. It sucks. Snow, slush, salt, etc.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

I was going to suggest a box truck, but figured it's probably not in the budget. 
My sidewalk guys did alright for a few years with a van. 13HP two stage blower with ramps to load in the back door. A couple single stage blowers loaded in the side door and still had room for salt. 
Traction wasn't an issue with the weight in the van.
Much easier to park the van on city streets than a trailer.


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## Ajlawn1 (Aug 20, 2009)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Tandem
> No
> Any trailer with a GVWR over 3,500 in Meatchicken requires electric brakes. And in the snow it would be foolish to not have them.
> 
> I know it will add weight, but I would strongly consider an enclosed trailer. We pulled our Zplow in an open trailer for several years. It sucks. Snow, slush, salt, etc.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Ajlawn1 said:


> View attachment 218807


Back when a snow jockey could afford lumber, we built 4' sides oot of plywood around it...still sucks. Still got full of crap.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Ajlawn1 said:


> View attachment 218807


For the price of that and a decent trailer, he can buy a used van...

And the van can be used to protect flowers from freezing in spring. ..so I've been told.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

If it weren't for the tractor, I'd definitely consider the van. The more Bella uses them, the more I like them.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Mark Oomkes said:


> If it weren't for the tractor, I'd definitely consider the van. The more Bella uses them, the more I like them.


And, they come in handy. ..down by the river.


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

Open trailer sucks in the snow. Deck is slippery,ramp is slippery. Tie downs in the snow. Salt bags covered in snow.
Slipping and falling getting in/ out of the tractor.
Enclosed trailer is lousy too. Big,heavy, can't see around it. Yeah, your salt will be dry, but the floor will still get tracked up with snow and be slippery.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

jonniesmooth said:


> Enclosed trailer is lousy too. Big,heavy, can't see around it. Yeah, your salt will be dry, but the floor will still get tracked up with snow and be slippery.


Throw down some horse mats or anti fatigue mats

Caliber makes some pretty good stuff for trailers for anti slip for trailers.


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

We use a tandem axle enclosed for the z spray...wouldn't do it any other way with a trailer


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

EWSplow said:


> What's the weight of the "smallish" tractor?
> You should probably add up the weight of equipment, salt, etc and determine the hauling capacity you need. Size of equipment will also help determine the square footage of trailer bed surface you need.
> Naturally, a single axle trailer will be easier to tow.
> I'm guessing you get quite a bit of snow per snowfall if you're using 2 stage blowers.


Thanks that's a good point. Deere X570 weighs about 550lbs. Maybe ~650 with the blower. Add the rest up, and I'd say we're under 2500 lbs depending on who wants salt.

Not much snow here honestly. But just enough that people don't want to have to do it themselves. 2-stage throwers let us put the snow where we want it. We are not a huge company. We have one Honda single stage and it does clean the ground better. But the 2-stages are faster and wider so those things help. Singles are lighter but we don't have to lift them up anyway. And if we can't drop the ramp right at the driveway, we can drive a 2-stage up over the grass to the sidewalk and start throwing. In anything more than 1-2" of snow, pushing a single stage 30 yards in the street is not fun or efficient for us. 
thanks again for your input


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Tandem
> No
> Any trailer with a GVWR over 3,500 in Meatchicken requires electric brakes. And in the snow it would be foolish to not have them.
> 
> I know it will add weight, but I would strongly consider an enclosed trailer. We pulled our Zplow in an open trailer for several years. It sucks. Snow, slush, salt, etc.


Yes for sure. I hear you. For an open trlr I'd build some kind of front bulkhead to block the stuff kicking up. I'd have no use for enclosed trailer in summer unfortunately.


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

EWSplow said:


> I was going to suggest a box truck, but figured it's probably not in the budget.
> My sidewalk guys did alright for a few years with a van. 13HP two stage blower with ramps to load in the back door. A couple single stage blowers loaded in the side door and still had room for salt.
> Traction wasn't an issue with the weight in the van.
> Much easier to park the van on city streets than a trailer.


Cool
Hadn't thought of that... might be too $$ tho


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

jonniesmooth said:


> Open trailer sucks in the snow. Deck is slippery,ramp is slippery. Tie downs in the snow. Salt bags covered in snow.
> Slipping and falling getting in/ out of the tractor.
> Enclosed trailer is lousy too. Big,heavy, can't see around it. Yeah, your salt will be dry, but the floor will still get tracked up with snow and be slippery.


Yeah if the tractor doesn't need to be used I guess the truck with a ramp rack can probably hold two or three 2-stage blowers and all the hand tools. Pain to clear entire drives with blowers tho. Then we'd need to toss salt onto some of them with push spreaders. Annoying. I'm hoping to use the Deere with the wide blower and with a spreader on the back


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

m_ice said:


> We use a tandem axle enclosed for the z spray...wouldn't do it any other way with a trailer


Is that what you use for spreading ice melt?


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

Thanks again to everyone for the help by the way


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## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

jato said:


> Yeah if the tractor doesn't need to be used I guess the truck with a ramp rack can probably hold two or three 2-stage blowers and all the hand tools. Pain to clear entire drives with blowers tho. Then we'd need to toss salt onto some of them with push spreaders. Annoying. I'm hoping to use the Deere with the wide blower and with a spreader on the back


Maybe give some consideration to putting a flatbed on the truck?
Frees up a lot of space.


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

jato said:


> Is that what you use for spreading ice melt?


No we have a plow for it


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

m_ice said:


> No we have a plow for it


Ewe ken dew both...


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Ewe ken dew both...


We don't like how it spreads salt so of the 2 man crew 1 plows while t he other follows with a drop spreader


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

jonniesmooth said:


> Maybe give some consideration to putting a flatbed on the truck?
> Frees up a lot of space.


Yes just talked to a fabricator 2 days ago about this. Next truck we get will be a 150 or 250 with a flatbed and the ramp rack welded onto it. I love the idea of having the mowing hand tools and fuel mounted lower too.


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

m_ice said:


> No we have a plow for it


Can that push very much snow? Do you need tire chains to do that?


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

jato said:


> Can that push very much snow? Do you need tire chains to do that?


It has atv tires for winter use. It works well as long as the runs aren't very long


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## Ajlawn1 (Aug 20, 2009)

m_ice said:


> as long as the runs aren't very long


They make medication...


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## Ajlawn1 (Aug 20, 2009)

jato said:


> Can that push very much snow? Do you need tire chains to do that?


As long as you have space to wind row the snow off 2-3" is doable... But if you have a ton of snow going to need a SSV or Snowrator with 4x4...


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

Ajlawn1 said:


> As long as you have space to wind row the snow off 2-3" is doable... But if you have a ton of snow going to need a SSV or Snowrator with 4x4...


Thats nice


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## jato (Dec 3, 2020)

Update: Picked up a new 7x14 sure trak single axle (5k) with brakes. Will be used for leaf cleanup, mulch, and snow, maybe for regular mowing as well. I tried to buy used but couldn't find much.


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## Beryy2 (Sep 7, 2021)

jato said:


> *Can anyone lend some advice about pulling a trailer in snow? What should we use?*
> 
> This is for a crew that will be doing a couple dozen residential drives that can't be done with plow trucks. It'll also be used by a sidewalk crew. It will be pulled with a 4x4 F-150 with the 5.4 engine. My area has some hilly roads, but we won't be using the worst of them.
> 
> ...


I never did it


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