Automatic transmission question..

I've been checking out some bale trailers. They can be loaded from the back or the side.

My question is, if these bales are slid on from the back, 8 in total, will all this force ruin the park in an automatic transmission over time?

First, what type of equipment and automatic transmission are you talking about. I say this because not all equipment types that use automatics have a parking brake built into the transmission. Regardless though it really doesn't matter in the long run if you think about what your doing.

Most cars, and lite duty trucks have a parking paw inside the transmission but they also have an emergency brake on each rear wheel. In that case between the emergency brake being set and the transmission's parking paw it shouldn't hurt anything at all. If there is a park position with a parking paw and a drum or disc brake on the driveline, it won't hurt anything. If the transmission just has a park position and no parking paw in the transmission then the actual parking brake will be holding things, so again the transmission won't be hurt.

Basically in any vehicle that has true parking brake that is functioning properly or one with a parking paw inside the transmission engaged with the emergency brakes also set, the brakes will be taking the load instead of the transmission. In other words let the brakes do the work and thw worst your going to do is slide the vehicle and the transmission will never see any of the load.

Thanks.. a 3/4 ton dodge truck is what I had in mind for towing.

Like Wayne says,

Set your emergency brake.

But, do you really think you can 'slide' 8 big round bales? Just asking, seems like a feat.

Allan

I put my Dodge in neutral and put the parking brake on when loading my tractors because of this issue .most brakes won"t hold the jolting of loading and the wheels will turn , at least mine do . it"s a 96 , 3500 dually . carry a couple chocks also.
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Use wheel chocks and the trailer jack to keep it in place?

Looks easy enough to slide them on steel.

http://gobobpipe.com/redrhino.htm

The trailer I have now is made such that I have no option to slide them, they have to be loaded from the side. Just thinking it would be quicker to load with a spear than a grapple. To load in a single line with a spear, you pretty much need to push on.