Ramps vs. Tilt deck

[wolfpack2]

I have an Econoline 7 ton 21' deckover manual tilt bed Trailer. I work alone 100% of the time. I absolutely love the tilt feature. I simply release the latch, stand on the tail to tilt the bed down, drive the tractor on the trailer until the bed starts starts to tilt back and that's it. Loaded and you know with great confidence where the center of gravity for your load is with respect to your axles.

That said, I wish I had a 10 ton gooseneck tilt with 5 feet of fixed trailer bed up front so I could load an attachment up front. My current trailer is a conventional tow, so I load attachments in the truck bed.

I have to agree, I love my tilt deck. I can load it without any help or hurting my back lifting ramps. I don't need to carry blocks to put under the trailer to prevent lifting the truck. And I can load the backhoe without draging it on the deck or ground. I also learned from some of the comments here on TBN, so I ordered it with a 4 ft fixed front deck and 18ft tilt.

 

[two_bit_score]

I have to agree, I love my tilt deck. I can load it without any help or hurting my back lifting ramps. I don't need to carry blocks to put under the trailer to prevent lifting the truck. And I can load the backhoe without draging it on the deck or ground. I also learned from some of the comments here on TBN, so I ordered it with a 4 ft fixed front deck and 18ft tilt.

I like the way you carry your forks on that trailer. What keeps them secure?

 

[radman1]

I have both ramp and tilt bed trailers. Most used trailer is 24' tilt bed. It has a full 24' of tilt. Mine has wood floor and I can't remember having any problems loading due to wet floor or snow. Heavy ice cover could be an issue.
Battery maintenance is an issue. I do have a set of ramps under the rear that I can pull out and use if the battery is dead. I do have to strap on attachments if I load tractor and separate attachments. However, I have to tie down the attachments anyway, so it is not a big deal.
I do have a winch on the front which uses the battery as a bonus.
I have used my tilt trailer as a dirt hauler. It worked well. I put 10" boards on the sides and front. Loaded the trailer with dirt. To unload, I tilted the trailer and drove the CUT on the back and unloaded with FEL. It actually worked really well and can unload as fast as I can loaded. The tilt really assists filling the bucket. Need to take care not to overload the trailer even with low sides. There is a lot of surface area on a trailer and they can get over loaded easy. I have unloaded a ramped trailer with CUT and FEL but it is more difficult due to the ramps and approach angle.

It is rare that I prefer a ramped trailer over a tilt trailer.

 

[wolfpack2]

I like the way you carry your forks on that trailer. What keeps them secure?

I wrap a chain through them and secure it to the stake pockets. I had already removed the chains in the previous pictures as I was in the process of unloading.

 

[two_bit_score]

I wrap a chain through them and secure it to the stake pockets. I had already removed the chains in the previous pictures as I was in the process of unloading.

Makes perfect sense! Thanks for the extra picture!