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 | FFR2340
Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 1 Lake Elsinore, Ca. 
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2004-07-15 91045
Im thinking hard to get a Jinma 284 to help with the chores around our house. One of the chores is to park a 2 horse slant trailer near our barn, the tricky part is it must be moved down a short but steep loose dirt road. Currently I use our 2x4 Durango to park it but I really need a 4x4 to get it back up the hill. Could I somehow rig up a ball hitch on the three point and use it to move the empty trailer up and down the hill? The trailer weighs about 2700lb and has a couple hundred lbs of tonge weight when empty.
What do you guys think, will the Jinma 284 handle this or is it too wimpy?
Thanks,
Mark
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 | Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee 
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2004-07-16 91090
Mark, the 284LE weighs in somewhere just under 3,000 lbs. to my knowledge. You can move the trailer around with this tractor but depending upon exactly how steep and a loose dirt road you are talking; the tractor may not have enough tractive force to maintain traction and you could potentially slide to the bottom of the hill. With added wheel weights and or a FEL that would get the tractor weight up to around 4,000 lbs. and you use 4WD; I think you could safely move the trailer. Look in my profile pics. I have some pictures of a 3 pt. trailer hitch that also doubles as a "cherry picker or goose neck trailer hitch reciever that is a home built made for me by a friend who is a VERY good welder. This 3pt. trailer hitch has proven to be a VERY VERY useful implement. I have used it to move the boat in my profile pictures. The boat and trailer weight over 8,000 lbs. and the tractor and hitch moved it very easily and handily. My 4410 is equipped with eHydro which makes this task much easier but still a very reasonable task that could be done with a clutch and manual shift machine.
I STRONGLY recommend that you try moving a smaller and less heavy trailer or item first to observe how the load behaves on the steep loose dirt road prior to trying the large trailer and take it nice, slow, and easy. If you do begin to slide, the best thing to do is to drop the 3 pt. hitch to the ground and apply the breaks gradually to minimize the slide and hopefully again gain traction. You will just have to take your time and experiment to see what methods work best. Also try to maximize the trailer tongue weight by loading enough weight as close to the front of the trailer as possible to place the maximum amount of tongue weight on the rear of the tractor within reason to maximize the weight on the 3 pt. hitch and rear axle of the tractor for the best possible traction. ALSO make sure to attach some type of safety chain or cable to prevent the 3 pt. hitch from rising up in the air should the trailer weight shift aft and cause a total lose of tongue weight. This is unlikely but it could potentially happen and be disasterous. Better safe than sorry. I have an example of a safety chain in my profile pics.
My friend who welded up the hitch in my pictures uses his Kubota B2400 to move his 20 ft. goose neck trailer which weights much more than the trailer you are moving up and down steep hills. Take your time and have some help on hand and I think you should be fine with this task. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-07-16 91094
I agree with the ole' Chief, it probably will do it fine, but be careful or it could get more 'thrilling' than you want.
Best of luck. ....
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2004-07-16 91095
One important note: If you are going to move a trailer that heavy on the three point, you MUST have some substantial weight on the front end.
If you don't have an FEL.... you need one. If you do, you might need a big scoop of dirt or a stack of bricks in the bucket to even out the load.
I move a 4000 pound 5th wheel up and down some steep hills on a routine basis with my 4115. It's not quite the same because I tow it from the front of the tractor.... but the point remains that your tractor has plenty of mass and power to do the job if you carry ballast in the right place and keep the ground speed under 2 mph.
Oh... and keep the trailer ball as close to the rear wheels as you possibly can.... if it sticks out too far it becomes a big lever that can jackknife the load on downhill turns.
I use.. and highly recommend... Bad River three point hitches. ....
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 | beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1333 Michigan 
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2004-07-16 91107
Also keep in mind the risk of torque-overs when towing from a three point mounted hitch. Raising the towing height above the center of the rear axle adds another moment arm that increases the risk of a torque-over. Keep the three point mount at the same height as the rear axle. ....
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