wood vs. metal for dovetail and ramps???

[disney]

Good morning all. I have been in the planning stages of ordering a deck over for some time, and would like to hear opinions and experiences between wood covered dovetails/ beaver tails and/or the ramps themselves (flip overs), vs the angle iron (or diamond plate) option? I currently do not own any kind of equipment trailer, but use would be somewhat infrequent, and likely less than 100 miles per trip, so I can not really justify hydraulic dove. Weight will be a consideration as there are times it will likely be towed by an excursion. Metal tracks very unlikely, and I have large qty of 1/4" stainless lag bolts I could 'bolt' into the wood, leaving the head just above the wood, to give tires something to 'bite' onto when wet. Thank you, in advance.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The disadvantage of fold up ramps is that you loose a lot of trailer length when folded. I prefer the stowable ramps just for this reason. It isn't a big deal to pull them out and place them on the trailer even for me @ 67 years old with a bad back.

Cons to a Metal deck is very slippery even when dry so that is a condition you may want to avoid. Steel is going to be much more expensive to purchase but may even out over the years due to having to replace wooden deck boards. Unless you go with aluminum deck material, steel is going to rust over the years and require frequent painting to prevent this. Be advised that most trailer mfg. don't paint the underside of boards or steel so that is an issue that should be addressed. Underside coating of steel is almost a must have.

Cons to wood is that it will rot out if not stored under cover even if you keep the boards coated, very slick when wet especially if you put preservative oil on the boards.
Note: putting used motor oil on the boards as some folks do wont help much with preventing rot. Outdoor storage will result in about 5-7 years of usability before replacement might be necessary. A good yearly treatment of wood preservative will extend this time.

 

[disney]

I should add/clarify the flat deck will be wood. And I understand the potential to lose space with flip overs, but I am aware of that, and while I respect those who like/use pull out ramps (I'll add I have great respect for those who say they are not difficult to use, as I have found the larger ones to be very heavy/ difficult for me to handle) I have zero interest in any ramp that is not permanently attached.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Metal on the dove. Angle iron or channel. Not plate, helps with cleaning the tires when loading. Plate and wood is extremely slippery and dangerous. Haven't been able to load a 4wd backhoe due to rain and mud. Kept slipping.

Get the metal ramps. Most manufactures now offer a pin up option for them also. If you need the room on the dovetail, you can pin the ramps so they stand straight up. I'm going to be doing that for my 25+5

Another reason to avoid slide in ramps is due to their design. I have never seen any that support the load on the ground. On flip up ramps, they set on the ground which reduces the shock and load to the rear axles. My experience is with heavier equipment than most on here work with but its the same concept

Brett

 

[dieselcrawler]

The ramps on my deckover are made of angle iron cross bars, and the dovetail deck is wood. It's worked well enough for me. It boils down to traction on the ramps and dovetail... Wood and steel both have their pros and cons.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would get 3 way ramps made out of metal angle.

My current trailers ramps will come off, stand up vertically, or fold flat on the deck.

 

[dodge man]

I've got the angle iron ramps that stow under the trailer. Not a bad arrangement but they are heavy and I suspect it's common because it's cheap. My dovetail is the diamond plate and is very slippery, much worse than wood.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I've got the angle iron ramps that stow under the trailer. Not a bad arrangement but they are heavy and I suspect it's common because it's cheap. My dovetail is the diamond plate and is very slippery, much worse than wood.

I have the same thing but mine pull strait out. You never lift them.

I'm guessing yours go in the side of the trailer?

 

[terryknight]

i have a deckover GN with a wooden deck, metal angle iron beaver tail, and fold flat ramps and a car hauler style 20ft bumper pull with wooden deck, wooden beaver tail, and slide in ramps. they both have their advantages.

i got 17 years out of the pressure treated deck on the GN (it was at the end of it's life), just replaced it with white oak last week. never expect to replace it again while i own it. the fold flat ramps have built in support (that is a big plus), i will eventually get around to adding a way to pin them straight up. it is great to have a completely flat deck to haul hay, or anything else you want that needs a flat deck.



when i need to replace the beaver tail on the car hauler i will replace the wood with the angle iron. the slide out ramps can be a boon when you are hauling something that overhangs the rear of the trailer, but i need to carry 6x6s with me to provide some support to the rear of the trailer. when i need a flat deck i need to use a sheet of plywood and a 4x4 to get it

 

[ClaySlayer]

I've got a 20ft car hauler (10k) with dove tail (16.5/3.5)...all wood. Ramps are pull out and I've got adjustable stabilizer legs on the rear to keep from picking up the rear of my truck. I typically only use the ramps about half the time as having the dove tail allows me to load and unload without ramps...especially when the ground is uneven and I can backup to a high spot.