Trailer Ramps ............
- Thread starter Ductape
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Barthbill
New member
Thank You, Bruce.
On your suggestion, I updated from 13 to 14 and everything works fine now.
Strangely, previous versions worked fine, but 13 didn't. Perhaps it was a bad loading of 13.
On your suggestion, I updated from 13 to 14 and everything works fine now.
Strangely, previous versions worked fine, but 13 didn't. Perhaps it was a bad loading of 13.
pat32rf
Veteran Member
Just as poor design has resulted in some unsafe steel ramps, the same can be said about wood ramps. In any given dimension you are probably stronger with laminated, BUT hollow laminated CAN be just as strong and lighter as well. If you don't know what you are doing, you are going to create acidents somehow.
Soundguy
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i also look at the 'big' picture.
weight vs size vs lifespan.
wood rots... moisture changes make it expand and contract, even if painted real well.. that means fasteners get loose.. when fasteners get loose, things move.. when they move they wear, and can get weaker.. and can let in more water or fungus, etc.. and crack more.
the steel ramp can be painted and suffers effects from corrosion at a much, much slower rate than wood.
toss a wood ramp on the ground for a month and a steel ramp the same. might get some surface rust on the steel ramp.. might get termite action or ence splitting on the wood!
a wood ramp may well be larger dimensionally than a steel rampas well. on a place where space is limited.. like a trailer..... well...
i'll stick with steel.
weight vs size vs lifespan.
wood rots... moisture changes make it expand and contract, even if painted real well.. that means fasteners get loose.. when fasteners get loose, things move.. when they move they wear, and can get weaker.. and can let in more water or fungus, etc.. and crack more.
the steel ramp can be painted and suffers effects from corrosion at a much, much slower rate than wood.
toss a wood ramp on the ground for a month and a steel ramp the same. might get some surface rust on the steel ramp.. might get termite action or ence splitting on the wood!
a wood ramp may well be larger dimensionally than a steel rampas well. on a place where space is limited.. like a trailer..... well...
i'll stick with steel.
Gary Fowler
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I like the weight of aluminum but no way would I spend almost $700 on a set of aluminum ramps when I could build steel for a couple hundred. It looks like most steel ramps are built to load caterpillars with and could be lighter for most all applications but since the trailer guys dont know what you are going to put on them, they use much stronger material than needed.
Last tractor with FEL that I loaded on my trailer, I just chocked the trailer wheels to keep the trailer in place as it wasnt hooked to the truck, lowered the FEL onto the trailer to push the trailer down and then drove the tractor up onto the trailer. Worked perfect and no heavy ramps to handle. I did this after watching a friend load his backhoe onto a trailer that was hooked to his truck. It just raised the truck up about a foot, so it can be done when attached but it looked like it put some strain on the trailer hitch that way. With it unhooked, the trailer tongue just raises up and the dovetail hits the ground so it loads easy.
Last tractor with FEL that I loaded on my trailer, I just chocked the trailer wheels to keep the trailer in place as it wasnt hooked to the truck, lowered the FEL onto the trailer to push the trailer down and then drove the tractor up onto the trailer. Worked perfect and no heavy ramps to handle. I did this after watching a friend load his backhoe onto a trailer that was hooked to his truck. It just raised the truck up about a foot, so it can be done when attached but it looked like it put some strain on the trailer hitch that way. With it unhooked, the trailer tongue just raises up and the dovetail hits the ground so it loads easy.