22.5 Bessemer weight

[Mike Helmick]

All,

What's the weight of a 22.5HP Bessemer? Would a tandem 3500# axle trailer handle it okay?

Thanks.

-Mike

[RHudson]

Hello,
until someone who knows post: i looked at a 20 or 22.5 Reid a few months ago, the fellow said it weighed around 3600 lbs. my 20 hp oil city/south penn weighs in at around 5000lbs. and i think the bessemer is probable built heavy like the oilcity. if you trailer is truly a gross 3500 lbs, i would think long and hard before trying it. might you trailor be 7000 lb gross? each axle being 3500 lbs?

i feel for you brother, i just purchased a 40 hp about 600 miles away, and am considering how to best get it home.

[Mike Helmick]

Thanks for your reply. I'm actually looking at buying a trailer & the Bessie is the heaviest engine we have. Was trying to figure out if paying the extra $$$ for 5200# axles is worth the cost.

[Rex Pyles]

They are closer to 6000lbs

[RHudson]

Well Mike,,,if you have some spare money, i'd go for the heaver gross trailer, if you have the truck to pull it with.

just like i wished i had saved up a couple hundred more dollars for the stronger winch.

the money has long been forgotten, but i still have to deal with a too small capacity winch.

i would hope the stronger axles would have better brakes and hopefull both axles braking.

like a lot of things: how does the wife feel about it? and how will she feel about it when the weaker axles throw a bearing some raining night a couple hundred miles from home. fun fun fun.

[Andrew Mackey]

Worse yet, ever see a folded axle on the interstate? Troopers don't appreciate overloaded equipment For the extra piece of mind, and the braking upgrade, go with the extra weight axles. (you never know - you might get a BIGGER engine!
Andrew

[Brian Triebner]

A Bessemer 22.5 hp oil field type open case engine has a shipping weight of 5640 lbs with standard clutch . This is out of a 1920 parts book. Brian

[JKKD]

Don't forget that a tandem 3500# axel trailer (7000 gross) with a wood deck weighs about 2000 lbs so the max load added to the trailer should be 5000#. Sounds like you'd better move up a size or two. Also, don't go cheap on tires and always carry a good spare.

Jamie

[Mike Helmick]

Thanks to all for the advice.

-Mike

[George Andreasen]

Mike, I just towed my 25 h.p. South Penn all the way from West Virginia to California last summer. Like you, I did a lot of head scratching and scheming first. I ended building a brand new single purpose trailer for the trip. It was a simple rig using 2" x 5" box (3/16" wall) and two new brake equipped 5200 lb. Dexter axles. Don't try to scrimp on anything. I bought all new components including a weight distributing hitch rated at a minimum of 10000 lbs. The total cost came to about $1100.00 and weighed in a 1000 lbs., which combined with the engine weight was just about at the limit of my 2003 Ford F-150.
It was a long trip but the rig towed beautifully and cruised at 80 mph on the interstate. If you build (or purchase) a 10000 lb. capacity trailer, GET THE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTING HITCH!! It made all the difference as far as comfort and safety. Check the internet for componets...good buys out there. Best, George

[Mike Helmick]

George,

My truck has a stock GM hitch. Is there a way to adapt a stock hitch or are you talking just a new receiver? WV to CA must've been a heck of a ride. Thanks for the advise.

-Mike

[Mike Monnier]

You can probably pull it with your stock class 3 receiver hitch. The weight distributing hitch he is referring to is a drawbar like is used commonly for pulling travel trailers. It has attachment points for lift bars to shift some of the trailer weight forward on the truck and an attachment for a sway controller. With a rig that heavy you will need all of this towing hardware to keep it safe going down the road.

[Greg Downard]

My Reid 15hp weighs in at 4235 lbs. engine only. Add the trailer weight empty the water barrel w/ 30 gals. of water, oilers, 100lb LP cylinder, piping, and we have 6012 lbs. I have 2 new 3500lb axles under it and have no problem.

Just had to replace those house trailer 6000lb axles because beings they are what they call a 1 time use axle, I found them going to @#** fast. The ride and pulling is alot easier too with the new axles and tires. I use standard GM hitch and a Reese 10,000 lb pig and equalizer bars 2 5/16 ball.

[Steve Hall]

My wife and I brought home our newly purchased 22 1/2HP bessemer this morning. We just read your question and all the answers to it. We used our stock 1980 Datsun PU and car trailer with 4 brakes to haul home our baby. No problems whats so ever! Lifted up the head end with a bucket loader and hooked our elctric winch to the other end on the eng. Pulled her right up on board. Wedged 2X4s in front and behind the flywheels and nailed them down to the trailer deck. A few chains and a few HD ratchet straps. Left the winch hooked to it also. Only had to go 35miles to get her home. A doz curves and hills on rough back roads. Plus a half doz stops. No problems, an uneventful trip. However if we had to go any further we would have used our Ford F250 3/4 ton truck with our 19,500LB gvw gooseneck trailer. Enjoy the photos, Steve & Darlene

[RHudson]

very nice,,,now for the real fun. how are you going to mount it? how about cooling?

i just put in an order for some custom cut white oak to mount a reid and a bovaird...can't wait to start on the skids.