Trailer Ramps ............

[Soundguy]

Since this thread has been drug up I'd like to add I still have not purchased any ramps to load my tractor into my dump trailer. One of these days I will buy some though. I did end up making a pair of ramps out of some steel that I had hanging around. I used 2" square tubing with some small angle welded across 'ladder' style, every 6". Boy they are heavy though.

heavy is good. I made a center ramp to load my trikes on my gooseneck. I used 3" angle for sides and top hanger.. about half way down i welde don 1/2" plate and 1/3" bar straps for the first 1', after that is 2" heavy angle cross bars all the way to the top.. it's heavy.. but I don't have to worry about a 4000 pound trike crumpling it and killing me while trying to load ..

 

[sparc]

Since this thread has been drug up I'd like to add I still have not purchased any ramps to load my tractor into my dump trailer. One of these days I will buy some though. I did end up making a pair of ramps out of some steel that I had hanging around. I used 2" square tubing with some small angle welded across 'ladder' style, every 6". Boy they are heavy though.

That sounds like the ramps that came with my Maxum low profile dump made by Cam. They are about 5 foot long and i wish they were 6 foot. Heavy yes but rated for 7500 for the pair. I emailed and asked them when i first bought the trailer last year. You can see the ramps stowed on the dump bed in the photos at the link above. They are a ladder style ramp made from 2x2x1/4 tube with 2x2x1/4 angle rungs spaced about 6 inches apart. They are heavy, I'd calculate about 82 pounds each.

This is the response I got last October when I asked about the rating for the D-rings and the ramps:

"11,781# breaking strength per d-ring
7500# rating on the ramps as a pair."

That's all I got out of them, those two lines were their entire response. No "thanks for buying our product", "have a good day", nothing else. It was almost like they didn't want to put it in writing but now that they had been asked they couldn't not answer.

 

[Barthbill]

Thanks for the good ideas here. I have an ornery back, so need to keep the ramps from being heavier than necessary. So any information on the cross-pieces would be very helpful. Does 6 inch cross-piece spacing work pretty well for cars and compact tractors?

 

[Soundguy]

i use pieces of 2: angle ( heavy ) cut and laid across 2 other angles to from my ramps. 6" spacing should work for everything but lawn carts and such with very, very small tires.

 

[dstig1]

Not sure if you saw my post on the aluminum ramps. Here is a direct link. If you want to save your back, this is the way. They are like 30-40 lbs each and plenty sturdy. I love mine. You can't get light and sturdy with steel, but you can with alum. If you need to get ramps made, by the time you are done you will have a couple hundred in steel already. These are a godsend as I have to lift enough heavy objects as it is.

5,000 lb Per Axle Truck Trailer Ramps

 

[Sparrky]

I am a welder and for a number of years I moved equipment for people I worked for. I used white oak planks 3 inches thick and 13 inches wide 7 feet long. I moved backhoes, buldozers TD8, listed weight was 16 thou, and 225 timberjack skidders. I moved a timberjack 230 skidder but found it was more weight than i wanted on the trailer behind the 1974 1 ton international that I had. Never had a ramp break. I could have welded up some steel ones but steel on a frosty morning is slippery.

 

[Kernopelli]

I made my folding ramps out of heavy galvanized grate, much like is commonly used for catwalks and drain systems in paved areas. Local scrap yard had quite a bit for $4 sq ft. I made "hinges" out of heavy angle and pieces of DOM with compatible O.D. and I.D.. Welded the grate side of the hinge and bolted the trailer side so it can easily be removed if needed.

 

[Soundguy]

I am a welder and for a number of years I moved equipment for people I worked for. I used white oak planks 3 inches thick and 13 inches wide 7 feet long. I moved backhoes, buldozers TD8, listed weight was 16 thou, and 225 timberjack skidders. I moved a timberjack 230 skidder but found it was more weight than i wanted on the trailer behind the 1974 1 ton international that I had. Never had a ramp break. I could have welded up some steel ones but steel on a frosty morning is slippery.

the trouble with wood is it can crack and go at any moment. metal (steel) usually gives and bends or gies you some warning. i'm not a fan of aluminum ramps either. seen them stress crack from work hardening from flexing due to being used undersized, and as with the wood.. give way completely with you half way in the air.
evey
I value my hide too much for that when steel is easy... everybody is free to do what they feel safe with...

 

[bcp]

I've always thought steel ramps could be about 2/3 or half the weight and the same strength if they were built as trusses instead of beams.

A simplified drawing:

View attachment 275188

 

[Barthbill]

I am a welder and for a number of years I moved equipment for people I worked for. I used white oak planks 3 inches thick and 13 inches wide 7 feet long. I moved backhoes, buldozers TD8, listed weight was 16 thou, and 225 timberjack skidders. I moved a timberjack 230 skidder but found it was more weight than i wanted on the trailer behind the 1974 1 ton international that I had. Never had a ramp break. I could have welded up some steel ones but steel on a frosty morning is slippery.

the trouble with wood is it can crack and go at any moment.

Yes. I wonder if gluing nailing nine 2 X 4s together, side by side, would make a ramp that would not be prone to splitting.

I value my hide too much for that when steel is easy...

I'm guessing I could make wood ramps pretty quickly, with a framing nailer. Quicker than I could cut and weld two ladder type ramps. Maybe cheaper, too. But, then, I'm better at nailing than welding.