Hi all, new to this forum and I like what I see so far... Ok, so it looks like I've talked the wife into a backhoe and single axle dump truck. Question I have now is about either a tilt trailer or one with ramps. Is there an advantage to one or the other? I don't expect to be doing a lot of loading and unloading or going real far either. Probably no more than 75-80 miles at the most. I've never used a tilt trailer before (except with snowmobiles) and I was wondering if they slam down when you get past the tipping point. I can see where it would be nice to not deal with the ramps. One last question, does the tilt generally cost more than beavertail, assuming the specs are the same? Thanks a lot guys....
i would get tag trailer with ramps because i never really liked tilt trailers a 20 ton tag trailer with ramps 2007 interstate is 12,750 and a 2008 generic tilt trailer is going for 22,900. these arent the same brands and are almost brand new my exseperience with a 1984 trailking 20ton with airbreaks 9ramps0 is my way to go.
Ramps are the way to go. A little more stable when loading a rubber tired machine.
i would get a tilt, you don't have to deal with setting the ramps up... to much of a hassle. Most tilt trailers have a ram so they don't slam down.
The best of both worlds - a tag with wide hydraulic ramps. Small electric over hydraulic pump mounted in the beaver tail of the trailer with a battery wired to the truck to keep it charged. Simple, fast and efficient. I retrofitted my 55K lb tag with this setup and I won't have another tag without it.
That sounds interesting, do you have any pictures of that set-up?
Ramps versus tilt... h-m-m-m-m. I think I would go with ramps. Only because the shock / piston is just one more thing to service / repair. If ramp breaks, you can pile up some 4x6s for a temp solution. If the piston fails, well, you can see where this is going. How about a tilt that can be locked down if need be and carry a set of ramps in case of uneven terain? 2 birds, one stone? Just my 2 cents...
My thoughts exactly. Not to mention what pressures are put on the metals when slamming. Control of the machine during loading say if your brakes are not fucntioning up to par. Come Digger242j chime in here. !!!!! How many close calls did we have over the years??
I don't have a picture of my trailer and it will be a while before I can get one. The trailer is a Betterbuilt 22.5 ton tag . We shop fab'ed the setup. It uses a small electric over hydraulic motor mounted on a tray welded between the frame rails in the beaver tail, similar to this one . It has a remote control, like the one's used for small 1 ton dumps, that has a up and down button, mounted under the frame rail on the drivers side of the trailer at the beaver tail. Cut a piece of plate for a cover with 4 bolts to secure it. We fab'ed some mounting brackets for the 2 hyd cylinders, one on the ramps and one on the channel at the rear of the trailer. Run the hyd hoses and run a hot wire with quick disconnect to the trucks battery to keep the battery charged in the tail of the trailer. In all it cost around $1800 with labor to install. All the parts can be bought from Northern Tool or other large supply house. Used the existing ramps for the setup, just widened them the full width of the pivot bar and added metal plate, instead of wood inserts, with square stock welded on the plate to aid in traction. The tricky part is getting the geometry right for the hydraulic cylinders. It's not as pretty as a factory installed version but it works well and saves the back.
I think the Q that should be asked is ... what are you going to do? Is this a buisness venture or Personal toy. Working on your own projects or others? I couldn't reconomend anyone to start a buisness in the economy that I have right now, unless the person could pay for everything with cash and was going to work on his own stuff, enturn saving $$$ by doing it himself. In regards to your Q about ramp or not, ... Ramps get heavy, so you may need want power ramps.. this all adds to the complexity. I think a tilt ramp would work just fine... pluse with ramps you have to have stands at the rear other wise the weight of the machine will bend the trailer all the hell over time. Also I think loading and unloading with out a truck on a ramp would be a little safer, easier then with ramps. Personal opinion using a smaller trailer, truck and machine.
ya, I agree.....I would starve trying to live off backhoe work around here. My use will be weekend warrior. I've got 2 different properties that need work done, culverts, stump removal, gravel added, topsoil added....etc. etc. I may also be doing some snow removal, not sure yet. I'll be looking to keep the cost down so I guess I'll stick with ramps and just deal with it. Does the pintle hitch have a lot of jerking due to the play in the hitch?
I'm a new user and I cannot post a new thread, so I added my question to this topic because I need advice about buying a trailer. I'm a trucker from Ontario Canada pulling a 48 ft stepdeck (36" deck) for Landstar System. I want to upgrade my trailer to either a 53 ft tridem or a RGN with: 1) 29 ft well; 2) decks in the front and rear; 3) option to add a third axle. Loads for those trailers pay much better... Most of you guys deal with construction equipment and that's what I like hauling. Hence, my question: for a trucking operation what do you think is better if I don't like hauling stuff over 50,000 lbs - a low 53 ft stepdeck with 3 axles or a 48 ft RGN? I've been trucking since 2005 and switched to flatbed/stepdeck in 2007. Did a couple of motor graders and front-end loaders recently. The latter weighed 34,000 lbs but was 10'7" tall. Note: 99.9% of what I haul goes across the border between USA and Canada. I live near Toronto.
What trailer is best for a trucking operation: a 48 ft RGN or a 53 ft tridem low step?
Man what a tough question??? I have tried to figure it out too. I went with ramps for the simple fact if you have a tilt once you load it you're done. I know you said a backhoe but what if you get a tractor or skid loader and some attatchments then you have a problem. Other than that if you plan on a backhoe only then you can find some pretty decent used tilts out there. Like others have said most have a hydraulic "shock" cylinder to ease the slamming aspect. I have found some older Millers and Hysters with air brakes to be decent priced and well built. The hydraulic ramp deal, they are nice but expensive to buy or have built. If you are poor like me and use some hillbilly engineering and have all kinds of junk laying around and a fridge full of beer you can work wonders.
I used to have a truck leased to Landstar Inway in the 1990's and did pretty good with them. A 53' tridem aluminum or combo would be lighter then I'm assuming a mechanical double drop like you're saying with a flip 3rd axle option? If it were me at it again??? A 53' lo-pro step combo steel/alum. with a dovetail/ramps, container locks, and a coil package for heavy concentrated loads. A 48' RGN I suppose a mechanical detach like a Trail King or something?? I guess if Landstar still has the LCAPP thing you could get a discount on a new one but you know when you order something custom the price is custom too. I ran a new 1995 Western Star and a new 48' East alum. flat and could scale 52,000 and hauled a lot of stuff most other guys couldn't because they carried too much junk or had heavy trailers. But I stayed in the states and mostly on the East Coast to Midwest.