Equipment Trailer - slide-in ramps VS tilt bed

[gkh7890]

Looking for feedback from owners with slide-in ramps. Getting older and not too interested in fighting w/ folding ramps anymore.

I had an 18' (16 + 2 dove) w/ folding ramps & spring assist. Sold it. Need longer, ideally 22ft.

Looking back at experiences with my folders at times, a slider wouldn't limit me if I'm just a little too long. Savings is b/w $1,500 & $2K over a tilt.

Appreciate your thoughts & experiences.

 

[bcp]

Equipment rental business near here is replacing all their ramped trailers with tilt beds, for safety, they said.

Bruce

 

[bdog]

Tilts are nice but limit you with certain things. Particularly when loading multiple items on them. The trailers themselves are also more expensive and heavier. I prefer ramps they are not that hard to handle for me particularly on pickup trailers. The ramps on my 53' semi trailer dang near take to people to handle. If your physical condition makes them tough to handle tilt may be the way to go.

 

[Fallon]

I love my 16' tiltig deck, so easy to load & unload. Unfortunately it's to short. The only reason I haven't replaced it yet is the super long tongue. I can hang the bucket or impliet off the deck on the tongue to balance things out. Looking to replace it with a 22' with 6' fixed deck. As the pivot on most tilting decks is between the axles the axles tend to be further forward than a fixed deck (unless you have a fixed deck infront of the the tilting part). The equal length hanging behind the axle as in front means the back of the deck isn;t that useful. Anything heavy on the back can cause balance issues. So plan on getting a bit longer of a tilting deck than a fixed deck to get the proper balance on loads.

 

[Tomtint]

I have both. One is a 18' with fold down ramps the other is a 20' tilt. By a mile the tilt is easier to load and the use. If I did it again, .. I would get a tilt with 4' stationary in the front and maybe a deck over version.

 

[kthompson]

I had a 10 ton trailer with flip up ramps. Could handle them with no assist system but it got old. I almost only hauled my 5 ton excavator on it and learned how to use it to handle the ramps right easy. Did sell that trailer for lighter trailer with lighter ramps. Have used trailer with slide in ramps do think they are lighter to work with. Just don't think they are as simple.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have always been a slide in ramps guy. My 18' trailer i had with slide in ramps my 5 year old daughter could operate

 

[George2615]

Last two trailers I've owned have been full tilt.
Yes, they do cost more but as I got older things like a rotator cuff injury and arthritis made it hard to use ramps. I wanted to lessen the risk of doing more damage and a tilt bed was the way for me to go.

 

[rustyshakelford]

It kills my back to have to lean over and mess with sliding ramps in and out. I was seriously considering a hyd dove tail trailer for my new stuff due to getting tired of messing with ramps. Ended finding a great 30k trailer with triple ramps and swapped them out for monster ramps. Make life easier on you. Flip up ramps with springs are easy. If they limit what you can do make sure they can be easily removed

Brett

 

[RedNeckRacin]

To **** with the slide in ramps. I despise them and would never encourage anyone to buy them. MY hands have never gotten along with them and I'm more than strong enough to handle them. I always worry about them sliding or not staying where I put them when I'm loading or unloading. If you think flip up ramps were difficult with the spring assist you need to look at other trailers. My wife can easily pickup the ramps on my 14k GN. Tilt trailers have their place and are great if they fit your needs. Personally, I don't like the added cost and weight. If I had a semi and a need to load equipment alot, I'd have a sliding axle tilt trailer like the rental companies run.

 

[Sysop]

Slide in ramps are the devil. Especially ones that slide in from the rear. Only way I would buy a trailer with slide out ramps is if they slid in and out the side of the trailer. Tilts are okay if they work with the balance of your load or are hydraulic tilt. I know a guy that got a 20' trailer that the rear 16' would tilt. His tractor was too tail heavy and he couldn't climb the bed far enough for his tractor to drop the bed. He lost a few hundred bucks when he had to sell it. He bought a Big Tex with their "Mega-Ramps" and loves it.

 

[Fallon]

One other feature on the gravity tilts... As they are balanced between the axles (minus the weight of a fixed front deck & what is on that, if you have one) it's trivial to calculate your balance. Drive forward until the deck barely tilts & you have perfect balance. Drive forward another foot or so & you get your optimal 10-15% tongue weight. No guessing tape measurer for suspension squat or scales required.

I'm sold on gravity tilts for my needs. Worth the extra bit of weight & cost. Hydraulic tilts are nice to, but I can't justify the extra cost on them & you loose your easy ballance guide because of the hydraulics & not necessarily balanced deck geometry.

I've got a bad back, so I'm biased against things like ramps that can be awkward & blow it out. I can wrangle them but they are annoying.

 

[downsizingnow48]

He bought a Big Tex with their "Mega-Ramps" and loves it.

A local Big Tex dealer has a 10k 18ft equipment trailer with the mega ramps for $4200. Looks like a pretty good deal to me.

This is a useful thread because I have had slide in ramps and didn't like messing with them. Also have had the tilt down ramps, they have limitations as to the width of equipment that can be safely loaded. I did not know about the mega ramp option, it looks like it might be the way to go.

 

[Xfaxman]

To **** with the slide in ramps. I despise them and would never encourage anyone to buy them. MY hands have never gotten along with them and I'm more than strong enough to handle them. I always worry about them sliding or not staying where I put them when I'm loading or unloading. If you think flip up ramps were difficult with the spring assist you need to look at other trailers. My wife can easily pickup the ramps on my 14k GN. Tilt trailers have their place and are great if they fit your needs. Personally, I don't like the added cost and weight. If I had a semi and a need to load equipment alot, I'd have a sliding axle tilt trailer like the rental companies run.

They are called Rollback Trailers and you don't need a semi, a pickup will do just fine: Rollback Trailers, Tilt Trailers & Heavy Car Haulers in Texas | Kwik Load Trailers

The trailer axles are back farther than a same length tilt trailer.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

FAXMAN, That's a pretty slick trailer but I don't think It would work well in the winter time up here. I like the ingenuity though. The hydraulic ones you can supposedly inch worm your way out of a slick spot if need be.

 

[gkh7890]

I appreciate everyone's input/feedback. Love this site....great topics and great people. I'll let you know what I end up with :thumbsup:

 

[9973720wb19]

had a tilt trailer - would not work with low sports cars.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Tilts are nice but limit you with certain things. Particularly when loading multiple items on them. The trailers themselves are also more expensive and heavier.

I have found this to be the biggest drawback of the tilt decks, if your only going to use it to load a single vehicle it would do fine. I have a 20 foot trailer with ramps that slide in from the rear, one spring release and pull the ramp out till it hits the stop, when finished slide the ramp back in till it stops and the spring latch closes.

 

[Tomtint]

A couple things I like about my tilt.. loading the Kubota is much easier. It's a low boy tilt so the backhoe does not hit the ground when loading.. unlike my ramp trailer where it drags for about a foot. And loading the skidsteer in the winter if there is snow on it, is much easier than driving the skid up slippery ramps at steeper angles. ... them suckers can be slippery.

 

[NC419N]

Big Tex with Mega Ramps :thumbsup: Used Slide outs for years and years I will never ever go back there again. Can see lots of advantages to tilt but draw backs especially for loading multiple items would hinder me from going that route. But to each their on