Do You Block The Trailer Rear End Before Loading?

Utopia Texas · Apr 14, 2015

I appear to be the only person in my group of friends that places a large wood block under the rear of my 20 foot trailer before I drive the tractor onto the deck. Will the weight and leverage of 8,000 pounds do any damage to the trailer hitch ball or suspension on a pick up truck? None of these friends load anywhere this much weight on their smaller trailers and 2 in the group have never even towed a trailer much less load one yet seem to know everything in their opinion. I have loaded and towed trailers for over 45 years and have always blocked the rear end first not wanting to see the rear end of the truck lift so high in the air during the initial loading. Am I being a girly man about this?

Panik · Apr 14, 2015

Lol - if you're being a girly man about it, then I guess I am as well. For loading lighter stuff I don't worry about.

However, I do have to occasionally haul around the wife's Land Rover Discovery which with all the mods is fairly hefty. (why it gets loaded onto the trailer is another story:laughing

. Trailer and Disco combined are around 8K, and I do try to remember to block the tires on the trailer. I just don't like the amount of movement I get when I try and load that much when its unblocked. Just makes me wince a little bit each time I forget to do it.

Tompet · Apr 14, 2015

Yes, I use wood blocks also under rear of trailer when loading or unloading tractor. I remember forgetting to do it and don't like seeing the rear of truck rise up...can't be correct with stress involved on hitch, trailer and truck. If is something like light like an old cub cadet and trac vac I move in the fall, then no. Once in awhile I have considered adding a couple of drop leg jacks to the back of the trailer, since I saw that as an option on some brands...but a couple pieces of cribbing works.

CowboyRon · Apr 14, 2015

Or you could do it like this guy.
How not to load a truck on a trailer: https://youtu.be/mrn3Yb3L_iU

CowboyRon · Apr 14, 2015

Or this one.
Chevy Truck With No Clutch vs 2 Rednecks Trailer loading FAIL!!: https://youtu.be/anBwMhiYeTk

gwiley · Apr 14, 2015

I put jack stands under the tail of my 10K trailer when loading/unloading the Bobcat 773 because my ramps don't have an appropriately long leg. If your ramps have a properly dimensioned support leg then that can save the trouble of handling a block or jack stands.

Silvic · Apr 14, 2015

My trailer manufacturer provides stationary block stand inserts that I use every single time. When done pull and rotate 90 degrees and go on your way. I would never ever even think of loading without it. Of course I load a rather heavy trailer payload. If I was loading a 1000 lbs lawnmower maybe not but anything with any weight you betcha.

No you are not being girly unless we men acknowledge that girls are smarter than boys and that only smart girls do the smart thing. If so then every guy I know who tows equipment with a ramped trailer, non tilt-bed, is a girl.

Egon · Apr 14, 2015

I installed two swing leg jacks on the rear of my trailer. Couldn't visualize loading without some type of support.

Diamondpilot · Apr 14, 2015

I do. I once lifted the rear wheels of a Ram 2500 four feet off the ground loading a large rock.

Chris

farmer2009 · Apr 14, 2015

If the trailer ramps don't have a good support leg then yes. If they do then I don't mess with it.

I once only blocked the center rear of a light 7k trailer pulled a 4.5k tractor onto it and bent the trailer. So now I block both corners.

KennyG · Apr 14, 2015

I carry jack stands on the trailer and always use them loading or unloading the tractor.

flyingcow · Apr 14, 2015

Utopia Texas said:
I appear to be the only person in my group of friends that places a large wood block under the rear of my 20 foot trailer before I drive the tractor onto the deck. Will the weight and leverage of 8,000 pounds do any damage to the trailer hitch ball or suspension on a pick up truck? None of these friends load anywhere this much weight on their smaller trailers and 2 in the group have never even towed a trailer much less load one yet seem to know everything in their opinion. I have loaded and towed trailers for over 45 years and have always blocked the rear end first not wanting to see the rear end of the truck lift so high in the air during the initial loading. Am I being a girly man about this?

Solid blocks of wood or jack stands. Takes a couple of minutes. plus emergency brake is set.

Sysop · Apr 14, 2015

If it is a dove/beaver/drop tail I just drive on with my tractor or anything else that will have clearance to do so. If the stress of driving up on the back and pushing it 10" to the ground, levering up on the back of the truck and the hitch is going to bend or break anything, it's not something I want to take down the road impacting bumps or taking the torsion of the turns and whatever else. If it will bend simply driving up on it slowly, what is it going to do if I have to brake hard or have to drop off the edge of the pavement some to escape an oncoming driver taking their half of the road out of the middle???

I'd MUCH rather break the trailer or hitch in the driveway loading up than going down the road at 50MPH...

My only concern in doing such a thing has only ever been taking enough weight off the rear of the truck the backend would move. For that reason I generally keep the truck parked in low range, chock both front tires front and rear, and put a chock between the axles of the trailer on both sides.

Dr_Zinj · Apr 14, 2015

I don't know Sysop. I'm all for building things 100% overstrength, but if your trailer front and truck back are being lifted 10 feet in the air loading stuff, I'd have to say you probably ain't doing something right. I'll go back to minding my own business and eating my lunch.

Sysop · Apr 14, 2015

If you look close it says " (inches) not ' (feet). I've never edited that post, it's always been that way. Vision been checked recently Doc? Eyes are one of the first things to fail us...

Sysop · Apr 14, 2015

Oh, and that is only how far down the back of the trailer has to go to reach the ground, not how far it lifts the truck. Being a dovetail trailer, the back part of the deck doesn't need to go down much to roll up on it.

RedNeckRacin · Apr 14, 2015

My ramps on my GN usually touch the ground long before anything bad happens if they aren't already into the dirt. This is exactly why I won't own a straight deck trailer with slide in ramps though. If you ever load anything with a decent weight, you have a good chance of picking the truck up off the ground.