Ramps for subcompact

Diggin It · Jul 26, 2019

Clearance, trailer height and ramp angle may be issues more than weight.

They brought mine out on a huge lowboy suitable for a full size dozer or excavator. They had trouble getting it over the trailer lip in part because of the MMM and BH. Once the front wheels, MMM and rear wheels cleared, the BH would try to hang up. We had to extend the BH boom nearly fully outward to drive it off the trailer. And it could only be backed on with the BH to the rear (trailer forward towards truck). Trying to drive it on would try to dig the BH body into the ground.

4570Man · Jul 26, 2019

If they’re an honest 5,000 pound set of ramps I see no problem. Your dealers opinion was likely formed by the dinky atv ramps. Here’s 2 sets I’ve built. Both are about 60” long. They’d have better traction without the strip up the middle but that’s there so I can load ZTR mowers without having to decrease the spacing a lot.

Jaylegger · Jul 26, 2019

They weight capacity is no problem but as others have mentioned I think you required something longer. A 7 foot arched would help a great deal in preventing MMM from hanging up on trailer and backhoe from dragging and hanging up on ground.

I bought a set of these years ago and despite being only 3000 lb capacity I've used them with my subcompact with backhoe, mower, and bucket attached a dozen or so times with no issues. The photo that accompanies the product shows my model of tractor on them so felt they'd do the trick. Also, Erickson ramps are tested at 1.5 times the advertised load capacity. You also never have anywhere that weight on the center of the ramp at any given time during loading or unloading.

NON FOLDING ARCHED ALUMINUM RAMPS – 3 LB. RATED (PER PAIR) << Erickson Manufacturing Ltd.

Fuddy1952 · Jul 26, 2019

My wife and I have new Mustangs we got and I was thinking about ramps for oil changes because they're very low ground clearance. Those may work for them.
If you have scrap posts around like 6x6s for those ramps something in the middle you could put under when using them would really add strength.

4570Man · Jul 26, 2019

Jaylegger said:
They weight capacity is no problem but as others have mentioned I think you required something longer. A 7 foot arched would help a great deal in preventing MMM from hanging up on trailer and backhoe from dragging and hanging up on ground.

I bought a set of these years ago and despite being only 3000 lb capacity I've used them with my subcompact with backhoe, mower, and bucket attached a dozen or so times with no issues. The photo that accompanies the product shows my model of tractor on them so felt they'd do the trick. Also, Erickson ramps are tested at 1.5 times the advertised load capacity. You also never have anywhere that weight on the center of the ramp at any given time during loading or unloading.

NON FOLDING ARCHED ALUMINUM RAMPS – 3 LB. RATED (PER PAIR) << Erickson Manufacturing Ltd.

What are you loading on to need a 7’ ramp? I’ve never had any trailer with a ramp that long. I think I could load a small tractor in the bed of my dump truck with a 7’ ramp parked on level ground.

Thomas · Jul 27, 2019

I'd use them.

Capstone · Jul 27, 2019

Thanks for all the info. Will be trying them out today.

Jaylegger · Jul 27, 2019

4570Man said:
What are you loading on to need a 7’ ramp? I’ve never had any trailer with a ramp that long. I think I could load a small tractor in the bed of my dump truck with a 7’ ramp parked on level ground.

Using the 4 foot fold down tailgate on a 6x14 trailer I had problems with the mid mount mower catching on the trailer without laying down 2x6's to lift the front or rear tires to clear. I had problems with the backhoe dragging without extending it but the real reason why I ditched the short ramps was because when traveling with my land plane I was required to load it up front and to do this I had to back it up onto the trailer while attached to the 3 point hitch and this took significant additional wheel ramping steps and about half hour of messing around to clear the apex of the ramp/trailer.

The ramps I quoted above came up on sale so I bought them and having the longer arched ramps just opens up far more loading options and ease in doing so. And yes the extra length would also allow loading of a tractor into the back of a dump truck easy enough which reinforces my point.