Would you mind doing me a favor and taking a couple measurements on your trailer?
I'm talking about stuff in the 7k-10k weight range 2-axle trailers of course, but what I am looking for are two numbers: the dimension from the coupler to the front of the deck and the dimension from the front of the deck to the center of the axle group, or basically, to the center of the fenders. I have one plank with a soft spot in it, so this spring it will be time for re-decking. After about 13 years of use I guess can't complain.
When I built it I made it 16' long, which was all I needed, and it was easier to get both metal and wood in the correct lengths at that size. I knew what I was going to be hauling most of the time and how it would balance, so I put the axles quite a ways back. It is 9'-6" from the front of the deck to the center of the axle group, and only 6'-6" from the axles to the rear, with 4'-6" from the coupler to the front of the deck. For a bunch of reasons - loading and unloading angle being the biggest - I'm thinking that while I have it stripped down I'm going to put a beaver tail on the back. that will allow me more of an effective length on the ramps, which will be good when loading low slung vehicles. Not to mention that I peeled the hoop off the bottom of the backhoe boom that protects the hydraulic hoses because of the same problem.
I'm thinking that if I add a full 2' of beaver tail it would be 9'-6" / 8'-6" in front of and behind of the axles. I can still balance the load the same as I did before, and I don't think the dead weight of the extra 2' of deck will cause me any balance issues. I just wanted to know what the dimensions on everyone else's trailers are - mostly out of curiosity.
Also, don't worry about the difficulty of the job, the amount of time it will take, the cost effectiveness, or safety of the project. That has already been weighed in before I made the decision. All I have left is to decide on the length of the beaver tail and the exact angle of it.
I'm talking about stuff in the 7k-10k weight range 2-axle trailers of course, but what I am looking for are two numbers: the dimension from the coupler to the front of the deck and the dimension from the front of the deck to the center of the axle group, or basically, to the center of the fenders. I have one plank with a soft spot in it, so this spring it will be time for re-decking. After about 13 years of use I guess can't complain.
When I built it I made it 16' long, which was all I needed, and it was easier to get both metal and wood in the correct lengths at that size. I knew what I was going to be hauling most of the time and how it would balance, so I put the axles quite a ways back. It is 9'-6" from the front of the deck to the center of the axle group, and only 6'-6" from the axles to the rear, with 4'-6" from the coupler to the front of the deck. For a bunch of reasons - loading and unloading angle being the biggest - I'm thinking that while I have it stripped down I'm going to put a beaver tail on the back. that will allow me more of an effective length on the ramps, which will be good when loading low slung vehicles. Not to mention that I peeled the hoop off the bottom of the backhoe boom that protects the hydraulic hoses because of the same problem.
I'm thinking that if I add a full 2' of beaver tail it would be 9'-6" / 8'-6" in front of and behind of the axles. I can still balance the load the same as I did before, and I don't think the dead weight of the extra 2' of deck will cause me any balance issues. I just wanted to know what the dimensions on everyone else's trailers are - mostly out of curiosity.
Also, don't worry about the difficulty of the job, the amount of time it will take, the cost effectiveness, or safety of the project. That has already been weighed in before I made the decision. All I have left is to decide on the length of the beaver tail and the exact angle of it.
