What hitch ball to trailer a Farmall M?

3500sport · Feb 28, 2010

I have to pick up my Farmall M tomorrow. I went to uhaul and picked up a hitch. I didnt think about weight and picked their class III package with ball that says its rated to 7500 lbs.

Is this enough? I"ve read that the M weighs around 4800-7000 lbs. This one has your standard features narrow front end and runs off propane. I"m thinking the trailer is going to weigh around 2000 so if I get lucky and the M is 5000-5500 I"m good. Help is appreciated!

old · Feb 28, 2010

A 2 inch ball is enough for what you want to do. There is some many different company's that make them and no 2 have them rated the same. Or in other words the rating is very deceiving on most any thing like that now days and it more or less a way for any given company to say hey you can not sue me you had 2 lbs over what it was rated for

LenND · Feb 28, 2010

Did you check the hitch size? All Uhaul equipment here take a 2 5/16 inch ball. And they won't rent it with anything else plus you have to furnish your own ball. BTDT

3500sport · Feb 28, 2010

I was just concerned with the weight of the hitch.

The ball says 6000 lbs but uhaul brags (they put it together) 7500 with their clamp force technology. But I'm thinking the tractor + the trailer will be over 7500 lbs do you guys think it will be ok? Or should I take it back and get a Class IV?

Thanks for the quick replies guys!

3500sport · Feb 28, 2010

(quoted from post at 20:48:27 02/28/10) I was just concerned with the weight of the hitch.

The ball says 6000 lbs but uhaul brags (they put it together) 7500 with their clamp force technology. But I'm thinking the tractor + the trailer will be over 7500 lbs do you guys think it will be ok? Or should I take it back and get a Class IV?

Thanks for the quick replies guys!

I mean the weight of the trailer + tractor. Uhaul didnt have a trailer I could use so I need to go to united rental and rent a 9000 lb rated equipment trailer (which was cheaper than uhaul to boot)

But here is the link to their package

http://store.uhaul.com/Hitch_balls__mounts/Moving/Towing_Starter_Kits_w_Drop

It looks like a really solid setup but this is my first time towing with my truck (2007 dodge ram 3500 with a 6.7 cummins)

old · Feb 28, 2010

I can not talk for others but I have hauled an M and many many others behind my 1980 Chev with the common run of the mill resees hitch not sure what it is rated at but I do not think all that heavy. I know when I pulled mobile homes the ball used had 10,000 it and believe me a mobile home is a good bit heavier then that and I pulled them cross country at 70 plus MPH

tractorsam · Feb 28, 2010

When trailering a tractor (or anything else really) I always like to stop and think - what's going to happen if this all goes pear shaped? In a lot of cases (sudden stop / collision) that tractor/trailer is going to try to continue on through your tow vehicle.

I like my tractors, but I don't want any of them (not even a cub) sat on me!

So if you have ANY doubts as to the capability of your tow gear you may want to rethink what you're doing. If it was me, I'd take it back and get the bigger hitch (provided you've got the vehicle to strap it to).

Me, I wouldn't want to try and chance an M and a trailer weighing less than 7500lbs. I know my Farmall 300 with some ballast and a 16' flat deck trailer that's barely adequate for it comes awfully close to 9000lbs!

Just my two cents worth, Sam

Haas · Feb 28, 2010

If you are using a tag-a-long (bumper hitch) trailer and it is not over the wheels deck, the M will not fit between the fenders of the trailer unless the M wheels are turned in which is not likely. You will need for the wheels to fit, as to balance the load, the tractor will need to be forward so some weight is on the tongue of the trailer. If the M has loaded tires, it is going to be too heavy for your rig. It is essential for you to have trailer brakes as well when hauling this much weight. Anything over 2000 lbs is required by DOT to have trailer brakes. You don't say what kind of vehicle you are pulling with, or how far you have to go. If a short distance, you can probably push things a little but if you are going far, you best make sure you are with up on everything. For hauling an M, you really need at least a 3/4 ton truck as the towing vehicle.

Haas · Feb 28, 2010

I got a phone call and did not see all the other replies before I posted mine. If you have Dodge 3500, you definitely need a class IV hitch. The difference between a III and IV won't be that much and the Ram 3500 will definitely handle that plus more. I don't think you'll find any trailer in the weight class you are talking about with anything besides a 2 5/16 ball. I'm surprised you Ram does not already have a hitch. Most all of them come with that already on there. If you don't have the hitch, you probably don't have the brake control either. You will need that as well.

David G · Feb 28, 2010

I copied these specs down.

2" ball with 3/4" shank: 3500 or 5000# capacity
2" ball with 1" shank: 5000 or 6000# capacity
2" ball with 1-1/4" shank: 6000, 7500 or 8000# capacity

The trailer will probably come with a 2 5'16 hitch, which will make the discussion mute.

David G · Feb 28, 2010

More Specs

Class 3

Trailer hitch with capacity of up to 5000# gross and 500# tongue weight. Also sometimes refers to a hitch with a 2" receiver regardless of rating.

Class 4

Trailer hitch with capacity of up to 10000# gross trailer weight and 1000-1400# tongue weight. Although many times any hitch with a capacity greater than 5000# gross weight is referred to as a Class 4.

Class 5

Any Trailer hitch with capacity greater than 10000# gross trailer weight and 1000-1200# tongue weight. Usually a 2.5" receiver or in some special cases a 2" receiver.

3500sport · Feb 28, 2010

I appreciate all the replies. I'm going to get a class IV ball and mount. I bought my truck from a wholesale dealer (got a great deal) so I didnt get a ball or mount with it.

It is about a 3 hour drive from there to here. all the trailers in that weight range are around 1500-2500 lbs + a 5000-5500 lb farmall...

GordoSD · Mar 1, 2010

Get a 2 5/16 ball. It should be marked 10,000 pounds on it. Then get the proper slide in coupler. That shoulsalso be marked 10,000 pounds. TSC has them.
Then get your brake controller installed in your cab.
Drive the whole affair to the rental place and have them wire up your lights and brake controller and check everything working
Have a merry trip.
DON'T use a 2 inch ball, and DON'T go down the road with a plain old hitch that you don't know the rating on.

David G · Mar 1, 2010

Being uniformed and taking a chance does not make it a wise decision. It is better to find out the facts and potenially save a life.

mkirsch · Mar 1, 2010

Always get more capacity than you think you will need.

If you have a load you think will weigh 7500lbs, get hitching equipment rated to handle 10,000lbs.

old · Mar 1, 2010

Well as for the ball rating that was in 1995 so I maybe off on if it was rated for 10,000 or more but I have found most ratings in company numbers numbers not true ratings as in so a person can not sue as easy if something does go wrong with them

What hitch ball to trailer a Farmall M?

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