Loading and unloading pallets on an Equipment Trailer

[shooterdon]

I need advice on doing this safely. I want to load and unload pallets carrying 1/3 of a cord of firewood on an equipment trailer. Approximate weight of pallets is 1800 lbs.

Is it safe to go up and down the ramps carrying the load on the front FEL?

Would it be safer to have a loaded pallet on the rear as counter weight? Someone suggested that but it seems that would incrase the risk of flipping backwards...so I am confused.


Thanks,

 

[IndyIan]

Load and unload from the sides... With your loader on even with nothing on the forks, you won't be able to lift enough on the 3 pt to worry about doing wheelies unless you are climbing a seriously steep hill. Use a significant counter weight, be it a loaded pallet or whatever.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I have never in my life seen someone drive on a trailer loading several pallets. Be sure to video all that. I think you may be fixing to get famous.

You had better block the back of that trailer if driving on. If your truck is in park or in gear, and you pick rear end of truck up, rear wheels off ground, only ones holding, where which way you suppose it will go? When you hit them ramps to go on? I don't care if they are triangle ramps, I've seen them fold up and back tire could not continue forward. Blocking rear of trailer prevents that from happening.

You can put chock blocks in front of truck and trailer wheels. Don't leave in park, park will break. E brake only. Push pallets on from rear, one at a time, if trailer has sides. I have taken a paint roller and rolled burnt motor oil or diesel on wooden floor to help with the slide effect. If trailer don't have sides, load from the side, it's the preferred method. If it is flat but has fenders sticking up, stack a few empty pallets and set your pallet on them.

 

[jeff9366]

I need advice on doing this safely. I want to load and unload pallets carrying 1/3 of a cord of firewood on an equipment trailer. Approximate weight of pallets is 1800 lbs.

Trying to unload from the rear will likely cause the tractor and load to rollover.

I suggest using a fairly long 5/16" Grade 70 chain or a fairly long 3/8" lower grade chain, or two nylon equipment straps to skid each pallet off the truck bed and down the truck ramps. You do not want the tractor touching the ramps at any time.

Attach the chains/straps to your tractor's drawbar, NOT the FEL.

Still hazardous but perhaps less hazardous.


Another thought: Attach the 'free' end of the chain/straps to an immovable object, then slowly drive the truck and trailer combination forward. No tractor involved in unloading.

Prioritize safety over speed of unloading.

 

[4570Man]

I always load pallets from the side and drive the machine on behind them.

 

[shooterdon]

Thanks guys. Will be loading and unloading from the sides.

 

[jimglassford]

You did not specify the trailer. Equipment trailer can be a single axle 8 foot long, 16 foot double axle bumper pull, a fifth wheel style or even a semitruck lowboy.

 

[jb1390]

I have a platform up over the gooseneck of my trailer, and regularly carry implements up the ramps to place them on that platform. The heaviest one is probably the land plane at somewhere around 1300 pounds, hanging sometimes off the front edge of a bucket, so a fair amount of weight way out front.

But, when I move pallets of wood pellets, I load them from the sides. It's more efficient to load and unload that way if nothing else. If I had to carry them in something like my dump trailer, and couldn't load from the sides, then I would carry them up the ramps and wouldn't think that hard about it. But my tractor is stable carrying a ton of wood pellets on the forks, and both my truck and my trailers are rugged enough to withstand it.

I'm not sure why some people seem overly concerned with carrying a heavy load up ramps. Assuming you have the rear of the trailer supported appropriately to handle the weight (should be considered regardless of front load), truck in 4wd and level, etc, I don't see a specific issue with going up ramps. That is also assuming you have adequate counterweight and the tractor is stable with the load. There is more to think about, but it's not impossible to do that way. If you are on the edge in terms of tractor stability or load capacity of the trailer, you could run into issues.