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goliver 04-18-2012 18:20:28 69.171.160.123 Report to Moderator	Just got a new tractor hauler a 95 ford 7000. It has a flat deck on it 20' long. I know i can get both tractors on it. I want to put a dove tail on the back about 4' long at about 30 degrees,then take the 4' ramps of my goose neck to complete the system. One guy said 3" channel 1/8 thick would be stout enough, i think 3/16 is better. Dont want it to heavy more of an how much is just enough. tractors weigh between 3500to 5500 pounds. [Reply]   [No Email]
goliver 04-21-2012 16:39:02 69.171.160.113 Report to Moderator	Re: dovetail/ramps in reply to goliver, 04-18-2012 18:20:28   I am not worried about the turning aspect of it as the previous owner cut 6' off the back to start with.The rear axle is only 3' from the end of the truck,so it wont be much difrent then most delivery trucks around. Today i mocked up half the dove tail and 30 degrees looks steeper with steel there 22 looks alot better. So i will be making the ramps longer possibly having wood blocks to put under the ramps,or there usally a ditch around to back into. Far as wet ramps only twice have i had to load in wet conditions.   [Reply]  [No Email]
George Marsh 04-22-2012 06:02:18 50.104.235.201 Report to Moderator	Re: dovetail/ramps in reply to goliver, 04-21-2012 16:39:02   Where I got into more trouble with wood ramps is when it snows or I had wet mud on the tires. If you do go with wood ramps, you may want to think of perhaps making more than one set of knees to support the weight in the middle of the ramp. Another fix would be to cover the wood ramps with expanded metal. Just try it, if it doesn't work I'm sure you will find a fix.   [Reply]  [No Email]
mkirsch 04-19-2012 07:51:02 64.80.110.75 Report to Moderator	Re: dovetail/ramps in reply to goliver, 04-18-2012 18:20:28   The dovetail hanging way off the back of the truck is going to annoy you to no end. Every time you go around a corner it's going to whip out in the other direction. Besides, it's not nearly long enough. 8', or even 9' of ramp to get up on to a deck that's 48" or so off the ground is a VERY steep angle. 30 degrees or more... People flip tractors over backwards on angles half that steep, and even if you back on, a little wet is going to turn the thing into a ski jump.   [Reply]  [No Email]
George Marsh 04-19-2012 15:05:05 50.104.235.201 Report to Moderator	Re: dovetail/ramps in reply to goliver, 04-18-2012 18:20:28   I had a 16 ft 7k utility trailer that I made ramps for and converted it into an implement trailer. Last year I bought a new 20 ft 14 k implement trailer with a 2 ft dovetail and 5 ft ramps. If I can get the pics to work, I'll show you how not to build ramps. You want the knees to be in front of the hinge pin not behind the pin, like my new trailer can with. The ramps would kick up on you when loading or unloading a heavy object. As for using 3 inch channel, I think it will work. Here is why. I load a 4640 pound lawn roller on my ladder ramps which are made using 3 inch channe. Think about it. A 4600 pound tractor would not have all it's weight on the ramp at once like my roller does. If I were you I would build 5 or 6 ft ladder ramps and have them hinge on the end of the trailer and make then slide for different size wheel bases. I wouldn't put a dove tail on the trailer, because another 4 ft will give you a tailgate swing. You turn and the tail of the trailer may swing into something. Instead of a dovetail, I would make shorter knees on the ramps and make sure the knees are in front of the hinge. I'll show you a pick of how I did that. Start out by putting perhaps 1 ft of blocking at the end of the trailer. This will prevent the tractor from putting the end of the trailer on the ground. After you have the ramps attached to the end of the trailer, take your heavest tractor you want to transport and put the front wheel almost on the trailer. You will find the springs of the trailer will convert your 20 ft trailer into a large dove tail. If you like the incline angle, measure the distance from the ramps to the ground and make your knees that long. If you like the distance the trailer is compressed, go ahead and pull the tractor all the way on. Make sure your knees are short enough to lift the ramps. This is what I did with my new trailer. I like the ramps much better than the factor ramps. I like the shorter knees, my incline angle is much less too. Lift springs are nice too. LOL. Post back and let us know how it works. George   [Reply]  [No Email]
massey333 04-19-2012 06:41:19 209.173.189.232 Report to Moderator	Re: dovetail/ramps in reply to goliver, 04-18-2012 18:20:28   Just something to think about.You are going to have a very steep incline at only 8FT of incline.Most good trailers at 33"-36"deck Ht.will have at least 10 or 11FT of incline area,and your truck is what 48"or what high.Just something to think about,on wet ramps at least.   [Reply]  [No Email]