Gooseneck tailer remodel

[Anonymous Poster]

I have a homemade 8'x16' gn trailer I've had for a while.
What I would like to do is put a dovetail on it so it wouldbe more usable. I bought it to haul round hay bales on but am no longer farming and would like to be able to haul tractors and such on it.
What is the angle that the dovetail should be set at and the lenghtit needs to be?
I am an experienced welder and fabricator.
Thanks.
Jeff

 

[Loges1]

It depends on how tall the deck of your trailer is. A 3' dove on a 3"on 12" pitch would probably work. That should give you 9"of drop. With a taller deck you can go with a longer dove or a steeper pitch, but I wouldn't go much steeper. Just my .02

 

[Bowhunter]

Grantsburg! Welcome to the board "almost" neighbor.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Jeff,

Another Hoosier here! Welcome aboard.

Anyhow, I'd just like to suggest looking at a couple at a local dealer for the angle you need. Most seem to be 5' long. I've even seen some that would hydraulically level to the bed. Another thing to consider might be to make the bed itself a hydraulic tilt bed. See how easy it is for me to create extra work and expense for you here? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Whatever you decide to do, please post some pictures so we can all see it.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

It would be interesting if you could supply us with some numbers.

What I'm curious about is where the axles are and or if you're considering relocating them to allow for your additional length.

Let's pretend the axle question is a moot point because you're an accomplished fabricator.

I say go for a five foot dovetail. But let's make it trick as in kewl.

The angle of the dangle would be perfect if the height of the dovetail was exactly half of the existing distance from the deck of the trailer to the ground.

The reason half is kewl is you can then have three fold over ramps that when folded up give you a five foot longer flat bed.

It isn't an original idea. But that doesn't mean it isn't a good one. You now have a trailer with a lot more capacity for some things that is a really good equipment hauler.

Don't forget to incorporate torsion springs in the ramps. Ramps can be heavier at the end of a long day. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[KWentling]

I can speak from experience here, having done this to my homemade 24' gooseneck. I'd did as wroughtn harv suggested on mine, (going 1/2) but if I was doing it again, I'd go 1/3rds so you don't have such a steep transition from the dovetail to the bed. That would break it up into two shallower angles. My transition is too drastic for loading a car, for instance, or loading my 830 Case with the 3-point blade on it. I made my ramps so when folded up they make a flat deck. They also contact the ground at the back of the trailer so when loading, the front of the trailer doesn't raise. I also repositioned the axles and added a third axle. You might want to use springs on you're ramps so they aren't so heavy to handle. I've hauled backhoes on mine.

Kim

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks for the response guys.
But I have decided to sell this trailer it is 8' x 16' with tandam 7,000 pound axles and is set up to dump. I have the hydraulic hoist for it but it is not installed.
I plan on buying a newer 16 - 20 foot gooseneck lowboy.
Jeff