Choosing the Right Agricultural Trailer

An agricultural trailer is a vehicle, generally without an engine, that is hitched to a tractor vehicle to move it. Agricultural trailers are used to transport produce, equipment and farm supplies.

Choosing the right trailer depends on the payload or configuration you’re planning on. Other elements to consider include how many axles you’ll need for the trailer as well as the recommended power to tow it. Also, remember that you’ll need to comply with your local legislation whenever the trailer is driven on the road. For example, quite often, there is a legal speed limit depending on the number of axles and trailer weight. The braking systems for your trailer must also be appropriate for the trailer weight and speed of travel.

In this guide, we’ll discuss the following points:

Trailers according to configuration
Axles required for the trailer
Recommended power to tow the trailer
Categories of agricultural trailers
Price

View our agricultural trailers

What types of trailers are there?
As you search for the right trailer to meet your needs, you’ll need to know what you plan on hauling and how heavy it will be. While there are quite a few other questions to ask yourself, in this section we’ll focus on the different types of trailer available. Here’s a list of the most commonly used trailers and and what they are most appropriate for.
- Loader wagon: This type of trailer is commonly referred to as a self-loading trailer and is used for both harvesting and transporting loose grass intended for silo storage and animal feed.
- Flatbed: This type of trailer has a tray and is mainly used for transporting agricultural equipment and products such as hay bales.
- Dump: This type of trailer is known as a tipper trailer. It’s used to transport equipment and products such as fertilizer and grain. It’s often used upstream to harvesting machines such as combine harvesters.
- Hook lift: This type of trailer is less commonly used than the others. Its purpose is to transport heavy machinery and agricultural waste. It’s used in biogas plants for transporting manure and other substances.
- Chaser bin: This type of trailer is a multi-purpose machine used for transporting diverse cereals, receiving cargo from harvesters and loading seeders. It is often used in parallel with a harvesting machine to transport and discharge harvested products. It often has large wheels and can be moved around easily.
Loader Wagon

Hook lift

Flatbed
How many axles do you need for your trailer?
The number of axles influences the maneuverability and stability of the agricultural trailer. Single axle vehicles are easy to maneuver.

The more you increase the number of axles, the more you increase the difficulty of maneuvering the machine.

On the other hand, single axle vehicles consume more fuel when transporting heavy loads or on uneven terrain.

Multi-axle trailers provide good balance for moving large loads or moving over uneven terrain.

This is why the total authorized weight (unladen weight of the trailer + maximum payload) differs, mainly according to the number of axles.
- Up to 16 tonnes total weight, a 1-axle trailer is adequate
- Between 16t and 29t, a 2-axle trailer will be needed
- For 30t and more, a 3-axle or more trailer will be required
3-axle Chaser Bin

2-axle Dump
How much power do you need to tow the trailer?
The power required for the trailer will depend on its size and weight. Here is what we recommend in terms of power in accordance with the weight of the trailer:
- For 10t and less: 100 hp
- From 10t to 12t: from 125 to 135 hp
- From 12t to 16t: 165 hp
- Over 16t: 272 hp
2-axle trailer

Agricultural trailer
What are the categories of agricultural trailers?
Depending on the European legislation, we can differentiate between 4 categories of agricultural trailers according to the permissible masse per axle.
- Category R1: comprises trailers, the sum of the technically permissible masses per axle of which does not exceed 1,500kg.
- Category R2: comprises trailers, the sum of the technically permissible masses per axle of which exceeds 1,500kg but does not exceed 3,500kg.
- Category R3: comprises trailers, the sum of the technically permissible masses per axle of which exceeds 3,500kg but does not exceed 21,000kg.
- Category R4: comprises trailers, the sum of the technically permissible masses per axle of which exceeds 21,000kg
What are typical agricultural trailer prices?
The standard price for an agricultural trailer will depend on the country you buy it in, but here we will use the average prices in Europe to give you an idea. The price of a new agricultural trailer is estimated to be between 1,000 and 2,000 euros per tonne of payload. For example, a small volume agricultural trailer (up to 15t) costs between 2,500 and 25,000 euros. A large volume agricultural trailer costs between 35,000 and 45,000 euros.