need trailer advice

First, my pulling vehicles are a 1984 Chevy full size 1/2 ton pickup, and an Isuzu NPR box truck.

I'd like to be able to transport my Ford 650 tractor or my John Deere B, or similar sized machines.

I want to be able to move machinery on occasion, like if I find a good deal on a good sized metal lathe, etc.

So I guess the load capacity needs to be in excess of a ton. Ton and 1/2 or 2 ton woudl be good, if I could pull it.

I think electric brakes would be in order, as would 2 axle with springs.

I need a flat bed ideally- a car hauler with just 2 treads and a gap in the middle woudl not do.

So- what do I look for? Is this a utility trailer, a car hauler, a landscape trailer, what?

Thanks-

This is an 850 Ford with a 5'Bush hog attached. It is on a plain 16' utility trailer with 3500# axles and no brakes. I pull this with a '99 F-150 4wd, Auto OD trans, 3.73 gears, and a reciever hitch. This is the before picture of my winter project. Last year I had a 640 and every two weeks I drug it about 100 miles every two weeks with a 6' landpride finishing mower. All I do is balance it to give me the right squat on the truck (Tounge weight = 10% gross trailer weight)and take it out of overdrive in the hilly country. If you have a TH700R4 in your truck I wouldn't pull the empty trailer in overdrive. Check your fluid for discoloration frequently, and don't ever let it hunt a gear. Your bumper should have a weight rating on it. My trailer weighs 1100#, 640 Ford about 2700#, and my finishing mower about 600#. You can check the laws to see what's required based on those weights. As for the rails, they are a bear to put up with at times with the inside clearance of 6'-4", but they stiffen the trailer. I had a 20' without the rails once, and the flexing of the trailer was awful. The only way around that is to have a stronger built frame, and that cost more money and makes the trailer heavy.

I just pulled a Ford 600 with a 5' Woods bushog from Southide Va. to Manassas. Used a 20 foot flat deck trailer. Brakes on both axles. Drive an F-350 Powerstroke SRW Crewcab W/6 speed gearbox. Didn't know the tractor was there half the time. Went 178 miles and burned 9.5 gal. of diesel.
Get the deckover trailer. You won't regret it when your hauling round bales, and the like. Don't skimp on chains and binders...

If I could find matching wheels for this beast, I could use it, but then it has no suspension, so I'd be concerned. At one time it had some sort of brake system, as there is a master cylinder and hydraulic lines to the wheels, but this is probably in pretty bad shape.

So, I figure I'll just sell it and put the money towards a better rig. If I had endless time, I'd buy a couple of trailer axles and leaf springs and rebuild it. But, time is a precious commodity these days and I want to spend it on the fun stuff.

As far as the 4 ply vs higher ply ratings. A 4 ply tire under the trailer would be limiting your weight carrying ablility by quite a bit. Nothing more frustrating than fixing a blow out on the side of the road, let alone the safety issues.

A 6 or 8 ply tire isn't going to put that much more stress on the bearing/hubs. If they can't handle the better tire, they aren't going to last under a load.

If I was hauling a tractor, I'd definitely pull it with the big box truck.

I don't follow your licensing fee comment. I would assume that a trailer licensed as a car huler would license higher than one called a utility trailer. Am I wrong on this?