semi trailer ramp

[OkeeDon]

My son-in-law sustained some damage to his house and garage in the hurricanes. I have a lot of stuff stored in his garage, and need some more storage space, plus he's going to have to move some of his furnishings out while repairs are made. I started looking for a shipping container to put in his yard, but ran into a couple of problems. First, they are in short supply in our area right now because so many people have similar problems. And, my s-i-l's property is fairly low, so we're concerned about the possibility of flooding into the container.

However, I ran across a storage company that has a couple of surplus semi trailers for sale. I can buy one and have it delivered for around $2,000, which is less than the current quotes I'm gettting for containers. Plus, the trailer is a little bigger at 48' instead of 40' for the container. The trailer will obviously sit higher, eliminating the worry about flooding, and will be easier to move once we decide to get rid of it.

The disadvantage is that it will be more difficult to put things in it. The obvious solution is a ramp. I looked at some commercial ramps on the 'net, and they tend to be about 30' long, or 36' long if they have a 6' flat area at the top of the ramp (a little easier to manuever).

I can visualize several different ways to build such a ramp, but before I start, I want to submit the problem to the TBN brain trust. I'm sure there will be lots of ideas -- some wacky and some gems, and from experience, it may be the wacky ones that end up being the best! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Some facts: I haven't measured the trailer height yet, but I assume it will be somewhere around 4' to 5', or whatever standard loading dock height is. We do have the TC18 with FEL to get heavy things up the ramp, and I can fashion a set of bucket forks. The trailer will be sitting on an unpaved area. I have given some thought to digging a ditch in which to put the trailer wheels in order to make it somewhat lower to the ground, but I don't want to make it difficult to get it out when we're done with it.

Finally, if anyone has any negative experience with using a semi trailer for storage, let me know right away!

 

[beenthere]

Sounds like a good plan, to me. You likely can recover the cost of the trailer when you are finished with it, and want to sell it.
The forks on your bucket would also be my choice. Put things on pallets, and get a pallet mover to roll the pallets when in the truck. Just have to keep it fairly level.

I think I would dig the wheels in, and then just plan to 'dig' some ramps and plank them ahead of the wheels when time comes to move the rig out. A temporary set of steps to walk into and out of the trailer would be helpful.

Lots of ideas when it comes to someone else doing the work and spend their money. Sorry. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LarryRB]

the trailer is an outstanding idea,,, To get a ramp, call all your local moving companies, (North american, Bekins, Allied, etc,etc) We use to have heavy steel ramps to move computers off and on the high trailers, Today, they have gone reinforced fiberglass,, there should be a lot of those old ramsps around the various moving companies,, Once it is up on the trailer, leave it there.. You can drive a tractor trailer on them, so structural integrity/strength should be of no concern. They were all 38" or 42" useable ramp width. My machine ramo was 42, most household movers used the 38. Either way, they work awesome.

 

[MikeIA]

Are you wanting to drive the tractor up into the trailer?
That's going to have a big effect on the design.

An aluminum "van ramp" about 18 feet long would be an easy slope to walk up to carry furniture.
(and might be cheaper than building something out of wood...I imagine lumber prices are a bit high down there right now!)

Could you build a heavy, three-sided frame in your unpaved area and pile dirt to make a ramp? That's what the local implement dealers do around here.

 

[jwstewar]

Why not combine the two? Dig a little ditch put the trailer down into - say 1 or 2 feet and then built a ramp to the new lower height? Just now, you've cut or 30 - 50% of your height off and yet the trailer still isn't down so low that it'll be hard to get out.

 

[dummy]

<font color="blue"> Could you build a heavy, three-sided frame in your unpaved area and pile dirt to make a ramp? </font> Exactly what I was thinking. Cinderblock and concrete for the frame.

 

[Mark4510]

I think Jims suggestion is the way I would go. If you think you are going to be shuttling things in and out of the trailer with the tractor then I would go with the earthen berm to drive on.

You can sure use the dirt you cut out to build the ramp. I think the only downside would be that you will be 2-2.5 feet lower with the trailer and if flooding is a real concern then you may want to reconsider.

Perhaps put some road base on the top to improve traction and keep erosion at bay.

Mark

 

[KubotaSteve]

Since it is mainly for storage and wouldn't be used on an everyday basis, I think I would make the forks for the tractor and load stuff on a pallet to put inside the trailer. Then just make a set of steps to get in and out if you would need something. If you really want an in expensive ramp, you could check out some of the walking picks used with pump jacks. Depending upon the weight that the ramp would be required to hold, you could use an old extension ladder and put some of the rough OSB sheeting on it.

 

[aardvark]

Jim's idea is a good one. If you dig a hole to a depth that is half the height of the trailer (or slightly deeper), you could then take that dirt you dug out of the hole and pile it to make a landing at about the same height as the trailer. The landing would be about the same area at the top, as the hole you dug to fit the tires at the bottom.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Don,

Before you buy it, get inside it on the brightest sunniest day you can and have someone close the doors and latch them. Wait a few minutes to let your eyes adjust then walk the length of the trailer looking all around you with each step. When you get to the end do the same thing coming back. That is the best way to find out if you're likely to have any water leaks. I used to lease semi trailers out (road trailers, not storage) and that was the best way we found to look for leaks.

Also, if you can find one with one or more side doors try to get that one if all other things are equal. You'll never regret having the extra access point. Lastly, if you can, try to find an old household goods moving van trailer (like North American, Allied, Bekins, etc) because they'll have the extra door and a lower floor so you don't have to go up four feet AND have extra storage room inside.

PS You could always just come up here (home office of NAVL, Allied, Global and others), get one of their old trailers, mount a fifth wheel in the bed of the F-350 and take everything home. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif