Can flatbed trailer handle tractor?

[MrChris]

I have a bumper pull 6'x 16' dual axle landscape trailer. It has the flip down ramp which is the full width of the trailer. It has the metal mesh grilling supported by 4 angle irons. The trailer is rated at 5000# with two 3500# rated axles. The ramp is rated to support 2000#. My question is can this trailer handle my 3500#tractor? My biggest concern is getting up the ramp. I was wondering if I could simply bolt on a 3/4" sheet of plywood to add enough strength or do I have to weld on more angle irons. Also will the three pin hinges that attach the ramp to the flatbed support the extra weight as well? Thanks.

 

[Diamondpilot]

The trailer will be fine but get rid of the flip down gate. Not only is it not strong enough but it kills your gas millage. I had the same set up, a 16' dual axle and haul my 5,200# tractor all the time. My trailer has a wood floor and with the gate off it weighs about 1,250# empty. I would not have believed it but I gained 4 mpg with my rear gate off. I need it off for a 500 mile trip. I put it back on and my mpg went back down. I will never put it back on. I did some research on drag and a mesh gate like this creates more drag than a sold gate like your plywood idea would. I instead had a local shop make some ramps out of 2x2x1/4" angle iron. They made a rack out front to hold the ramps during transport or you can simply strap them to the trailer or throw them in the back of your truck. The ramps are much stronger and now I can haul things longer than the trailer which was a problem with the gate on.

Chris

 

[john_bud]

Yep, trailer good, flip up ramp -> bad!

If you want to keep it, you will need to add some structure. Angle would probably be fine.

jb

 

[pat32rf]

I'd definitely ditch the ramp. My dad converted his old sailboat trailer to carry his Bobcat(trailer rated at over 10,000lbs). He made two angle iron ramps spaced for the bobcat wheels that hinged on the trailer so that when they were down they formed a support point for the rear of the trailer to eliminate the tongue lift when loading/unloading. This also meant that he could drive onto the trailer when it was unhooked from the truck, or unhook the truck and run to town without unloading the cat.
I've also seen the same thing with the ramps sliding on a piece of 1" steel rod to give some variation in load axle width.
If you want to load a riding lawn mower or something light you throw a piece of plywood between the ramps but you can still us the trailer for longer poles, docks etc by loading them between the upturned ramps.