Equipment Trailer - slide-in ramps VS tilt bed

[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