Towing a utility trailer with 2 pallets of sod

Next month I am picking up 2 pallets of fescue sod as I am ridding my front yard of this atrocious water guzzling Kentucky bluegrass.

2017 Tacoma TRD OR 4x4

6' x 10' utility trailer
Estimated weight: 500 lbs. - 800 lbs.

Each pallet of sod is about 3,000 lbs. 1260 sq. ft. of TTTF (Turf Type Tall Fescue) sod.

I know the towing capacity is 6,700 lbs.

Distance is about 50 miles.

If I'm 100-200 lbs over, am I going to be ok? I know it's going to be very close.

I'm looking for a little advice or tips here.

I don't have access to a bigger truck.

Thanks in advance.

 

Check your trailer if you haven’t, most 6x10 trailers don’t have the axles or brakes required for a 6000lb load.

 

it's a rental from Tractor Supply.

 

That can’t even handle a single 3000lb pallet. You need to rent a real trailer from an equipment rental company.

 

Based on what ive looked at on their website, the trailers they show for 6x10 are all around 2k lb capacity. Id see if you can just rent a uhaul, let them load it on the dock, and then just unload by hand.

 

Thanks guys. I'll have to go rent a box truck.

 

Id check with the place youre buying from first to make sure its doable. The 15' uhaul is about 6.3k capacity but I forgot they probably have a lower deck height. Im sure theres other box trucks you can rent though.

 

I think the 15' should work.

 

The sod farm has a forklift. So they can load it.

 

Again id call and make sure. If theyd be doing it from a dock the ramp might be too steep for a forklift with that amount of weight. I also don't think ive ever been loaded or offloaded from a dock with a forklift at my last job. Pretty much only pallet jacks entered the box so not sure if it will fit. Usually semis get the forklifts.

If loading it off the ground id make sure they have a pallet jack to make sure it all gets to the back of the truck. Gonna want both of those pallets next to each other in the back. You arent using all 15' of that truck so they are gonna be deep in there.

 

Most sod farms deliver.

 

These clowns want a $500 delivery charge to go 50 miles. I refuse to be price gouged.

They are the only sod farm with TTTF sod (fescue) nearby.

 

Yeah, you got the wrong trailer, and truck too. Don't do that. No friends with at least a half ton & a proper trailer? Hell, ya might get it done for lunch and a little gas money!

 

I've gone over before. Remember that your transmission will take a beating. Just go extra slow and you should be fine. I wouldn't take it on the freeway.

Check for delivery prices. Sometimes it's just not worth the small savings. Not to mention all the paperwork and the rush to return the trailer in time.

 

The cheapest route might be to rent a 4 wheel car trailer capable of one pallet and making two trips. That alone is close to your payload limit. This also assumes you have a trailer brake controller already installed in the truck. I doubt you can do it with a box truck. $500 for delivery might be starting to look better.

 

Check the local classifieds/social media. I'll bet a dollar to a donut you can find someone local to make that 50 mile haul for waaaay less than $500!

 

only thing I can add, why not use seed? for under $100 you can get enough seed (blue tag, firecracker and/or titanium 2ls/SLS) for ~1000SF (approx 2 pallets of sod) and you'll have a fully germinated lawn in 3 weeks.

 

The trailer pictured, the 10 footer, cannot accept 2 pallets from a forklift. Or anything loaded else by forklift, unless it is a slung load.

OP, I hope you have a crew to install the sod.
You're going to have to unload the material from rental box truck to return it and stack the sod again. Then install.
This is a brutal project. Definitley not something to do in the summer. My back hurts just thinking about putting down all that sod, nevermind all the prep work to change-over an established lawn.

 

^^^
This sound like a lot less work!

As others have said, one pallet would overload the rental trailer by about 33% and probably damage it.
Also a 4000 pound trailer without brakes would not make for an enjoyable or safe trip.

 

That trailer IMO is too small, although the six lug axle is probably rated for 5500-6000 pounds it is still too light for the load you plan. You can get by towing that amount of weight as long as you don't have to stop very fast, I haul up to 7K with my 2011 in a dump trailer but it has brakes on both axles.

What you said about getting rid of "water guzzling Kentucky bluegrass" is humorous, because tall fescue needs at least as much water during the hot midsummer as bluegrass does. How high up in Colorado are you, and how much rain do you get from April to November? Here in the Southeast, if you don't irrigate your lawn, fescue turns brown from lack of water if the temps stay above 85-90 with no regular rain.