Is a 20 ton enough to haul a backhoe, 15 to 17,000 lbs?
A 20 ton is 40,000 lbs, so yes, it will easily carry a backhoe. That's a large trailer, and will be subject to FET. You can get a smaller 10 or 12 ton trailer, something like what's called a Backhoe Pro or along those lines.
You plan on pulling an excavator too with it? 40K lb trailer is over kill for a tlb, like John said a backhoe pro would do it a 9 ton would even do it but would be right on the line for the weight issue.
Although, as somebody pointed out in another thread recently, you'll never regret getting a bigger trailer than you currently need, because some day soon you'll need a bigger trailer than you have, or words to that effect...
Excellent point Digger. Try to do some long term planning/analysis to determine if and when you plan to outgrow the smaller trailer. It may make perfect sense to go big right away instead of trying to trade up later.
I know alot of guys who do that buy bigger on the speculation that some day they would be getting a big machine that would need the tonnage to haul it .But what happens to most is that big machine does not come right away and the trailer starts to need alot of repair and in the end they end up getting a new one ,or it's to small and they need longer.
I saw this post earlier today and had a reaction similar to digger's. If you plan on growing your business it's not a bad idea to have a trailer that large. Just keep in mind the truck requirements to tow it. On the flip side, if all you expect to haul is your TLB, then I'd look for a trailer with a closer rated weight capacity. Otherwise your hauling around a lot of unnecessary weight in the oversized trailer. This will effect fuel mileage, brake wear, and wear and tear on the truck.
I currently work on mine reclaimation jobs and I'm thinking about buying a small ex to do some work on weekends thinking about buying a 11,000 machine. If all goes well I may buy a small dozer around 17,000 pounds. What size truck/trailer would you buy? I was thinking along the lines of a International single axle 32,000 gvw 10ft dump and a 12 ton trailer. . .
Go big or go home as long as you have a truck that will safely pull it with a load , why not
I agree!
That should work fine.