New trailer holds about the same as the truck and wagon does.

For now keeping the straight truck and wagons and will probably run them as well. Should allow me more time to run beans all afternoon without stopping. Can unload everything in the morning waiting on dew to come off.

Nice thing will be the roll over tarp. I have a tarp for the straight truck but it's all folded up and is a  pain to scramble and get on when a storm is coming. Have to drag it on top of the load then the wind catches it like a sail and get it all tarp strapped down.

I think that you made a good choice deciding to keep the straight truck and wagons. The worst thing that will happen is that you do not end up using them much and decide to get rid of them after a season or two! However I think your point about having the extra capacity in soybeans is very true - you hate to be on the road when the beans are right and you could be on the row!

The point about the tarp is also well founded. Even though we all prefer not too, there are times when we each harvest until the last second before the storm to get everything possible combined.

We have not raised soybeans for the last 4 years or so but I remember one comment my dad made after we got our first truck (early 70's GMC with a Detroit and 30 foot JET). "Why would you want to quit combining (often later in the evening) soybeans to have to get in a tractor and pull a couple of wagons home at 20 miles per hour. I can tarp the laod and jump on road going 55!

I think you will find that the steel trailer will treat you fine if you do not pull it on salt. Our steel trailer held up well and looked pretty good the first 3 or 4 years we owned it (we bought it used). Then we pulled it in January on salt several times one winter. Over the next year you really noticed the condition of the trailer suffering. We own an aluminum now but I would not hesitate to buy another steel if we were not going to pull it during the winter.

Couple of questions:
1. Do you only haul to the elevator direct from the field or will you be dumping into bins on the farm at all? If you are dumping on the farm what type of auger do you plan to use?
2. As I recall you do an excellent job of keeping your equipment put away in the shed/barn. Do you have room inside for the new rig?

I can not wait to see some pictures of your new unit in the field this fall!

Ryan

Yes I haul field direct on forward contracts so there are no issues with unloading at bins as of yet.

I just barely have room to squeeze everything inside in existing buildings but it is all tightly packed. I think there are going to have to be some items leave that don't get used anymore to make more room for things.

I had looked at some tandems that used to be Lowes delivery trucks. They were either Chevy 7500 or 8500's with nice boxes and hoists but they were more than twice as much as what I have in this tractor/trailer combo.

 Right on Von, right on.

 Thanks for the pictures and story. That is a sweet setup.

Basically truck and wagon your limited to 25mph with SMV on wagon. Semi should be able to go 50-55 loaded. Every trip with the truck and wagon is a white knuckle adventure mainly due to other drivers passing on double yellow lines on hills and in general not paying attention. Pretty hilly route across the river up a couple hills. You need to have pretty good speed to get up the other side. Where the video ends is where someone tries to pass almost every trip. I can usually see someone coming over the next hill but the cars passing cannot.

Here is the route 

This Ford has the 8.3 Cummins and the automatic. I was a bit hesitant on the auto but I liked how it drove and it seemed to handle the load just fine. I've always preferred manuals but I guess there are lots of automatics in applications more demanding than this (garbage trucks, buses, and concrete trucks)

Hopefully it will be trouble free. This was originally a Ryder truck.

No plans to run to Needmore Rd. .............yet.

I'm not too far  but hard to catch (still lots of extra running while Mom gets back to full strength)

Looks good Von.
I need to upgrade my old trucks soon.

Very nice looking set up.  Scrolling down the pictures and hit the interior of the C60 gave me a flash back to the first truck I got to drive.  I think you will be happy having both trucks for bean harvest.

Spring has been no treat here. Very wet and very late and things are off to a slow start. Now with every little rain water stands right away we are still super saturated. 

Rather low isn't it. :-)

Main reason is that seems to be the best rpm where everything synchronizes to shift without using the clutch. Run the rpm well past that and when it drops back to the red line you can shift into the next gear very easily. I try and  be as gentle on the clutch as possible as I know it's being pushed really hard with full loads. This is only a 4 speed with 2 speed axle and fortunately I have a really low 1 lo to get moving in the field.  If it's soft I try and stay on hard surfaces.

Heading down the hill across the river bridge I usually stay in 3rd lo and run the tach up to 4200 - 4500 or whatever is wide open throttle. It gives enough momentum and does not lug down too far getting up the other side.

You can hear it in the video clip linked above.  Might take a bit after clicking on it but it should play in Windows Media player.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and replies.

I think you have a nice rig there for short 4 mile hauls. Can move a lot of grain with your outfit  too.

I used to haul about 3.5 miles to one place. Stopped going there now the other 2  I go to are are about 4.5miles  and 11 miles one way. THe hills and traffic and other drivers are my biggest concerns as it just seems a lot of folks are not paying full attention to what is going on around them when they are driving.