Still another trailer question

[Turfman]

I saw an 18 footer this morning with a dovetail on it. Mine is a 16 footer, completely flat. I have seven-foot ramps to load with that are stored in the side. I wonder what the purpose of the dovetail is? It gets the rear lower to the ground, but unless I’m missing something here, you still need to ramp it to get the tractor on. The dovetail makes the back of the trailer harder to use for traditional loads. Just wondering why anyone would dovetail a trailer?

 

[Ozarker]

People who intend to haul cars often get a dovetail trailer. The dovetail make the angle between the ramps and the trailer less severe and allows you to load vehicles with low clearance onto the trailer without scraping the bottom of the vehicle.

You might also need a dovetail of you are loading a tractor with a mid mount mower. No way could I drive a mid mount up onto my 16' trailer with my ramps. I can drive PU trucks on it and my full sized van because they have enough clearance but I could never get my wife's Pontiac Grand Prix up on it.

 

[JimC]

The dovetail lets you use a shorter ramp, 5' vrs 7'
that way you don't need the curved ramp to put a riding mower on your trailer.

 

[Von]

I think it has the same effect as your longer ramps. I have 6 ft. ramps on my flat 16 ft. trailer and can get just about any car up on the trailer. Have had Porsches and Mustangs with no problems of hitting. Plus I can put my tractor with MMM on and not hit. So I guess a dove-tail lets you use 4-5 ft. ramps and get the same effect.

 

[Kodiak]

There is another nice option for alot of dove tail trailers. Some of those with a two or three foot dovetail have short ramps that are hinged at the back. When folded up the ramps are flush with the deck. If you lay plywood across the ramps you have effectively extended your flat deck that much farther.

 

[surfacewave]

I've started investigating trailers but what I would like is a dump type for cordwood, dirt, mulch but also to haul the tractor once in a while. Are there any op0tions in this area? I have JD 4115 FEL, tiller, 60"MMM and a front blade. I'm thinking I would probably only haul the tiller and FEL to help outy the family. Any suggestions as to capacity etc...?

 

[rstcso]

I saw a CUT inside one of these yesterday <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bigtextrailers.com/trailers/TrailerSpec.php?trailer=25du>dump trailer</A>.

 

[Kodiak]

Nice trailer but wait till you see the orice on one!/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I agree with you about the dovetail making your trailer more of a one trick pony. A sixteen foot trailer with a four foot dovetail turns into a twelve foot trailer for a lot of non-car hauling applications. I prefer a longer bed that tilts. That way you have no ramps to worry about at all and a fully useable bed for hauling things other than cars.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I have one of each. The downside of the tilt trailer is they are not practical for anyone except those with big trucks to tow unless the bed is between the tires. That means the vehicle you're wanting to haul has to be less than eighty inches wide.

My little tilt trailer works just fine for hauling my tractor around local.

But my favorite trailer is the Trail King with the dovetail. Twenty foot of deck and five foot of dovetail. And when the ramps are folded over twenty five foot for hauling full lengths of steel. I can also haul a backhoe or another truck too.

I prefer a deck over trailer because it can be loaded and unloaded with a forklift. Without the dovetail my Trail King would need ramps umpteen feet long since the bed is so high.

I have started and occasionally find the time to work on what I feel will be the ultimate trailer for the small tractor owner. It's a twenty foot gooseneck that I've had since disciples were guys hanging out at the docks.

I removed the deck over bed. It was a twenty foot flatbed. I've built a bed between the axles that will hold the JCB. That's the last eleven foot of the trailer. It will have folding spring assisted ramps. The tractor when loaded will have on the front loader bucket and of course be backed onto the trailer.

Loaded in from one side will be the forks attachment. The forks will ride in a compartment under the bed while the mast will form a side for the trailer behind the axles. The other side will probably carry the concrete bucket. And the augers themselves will ride above the fenders. The auger motor and attachment plate will ride over the gooseneck.

The trick part of all this will be the dump bed. I have nine feet between the tractor compartment and the risers for the gooseneck. Here will be a dump bed. It will dump to the passenger side. The advantage of a gooseneck trailer is not just the better weight distribution. But the fact that you can jacknife right under the trailer when making turns.

So with this set up I can dump off to the side and pull away without the trailer wheels touching the materials dumped. I'm also thinking of making the driver's side of the bed a fold down panel. That would allow me to load and unload with a forklift without compromising the dump tailgait mechanism.

This trailer will be sorta like my truck bed. It is a compromise that's built to accomodate the many different things I do. But since I work generally by myself this trailer will allow me to be as efficient as I can be. My biggest problem to date is finding the time to get to work on it.

I figure when I get older my get up and go will do just that. With this trailer I'll still beable to do some of the things I do now with less physical effort.