Tilt bed trailer questions??

[44magnum]

Ok, I'm looking at getting a flatbed lowboy gooseneck tilt bed trailer. I want one with a 16K GVWR no higher. What brand would you guys recommend? I have been searching and I haven't found much other than "Gator" and "Liberty" trailers. I really like the Gator but it doesn't appear to have a hydraulic tilt system, all it seems to have is a couple shock absorber/coil spring things. And hopefully this is a stupid question, but how do you drive something with a long wheelbase (say F350 CCLB dually) on it without a hydraulic cylinder to hold it up in the air? Is there some sort of lock or something? I need it to be able to haul anything from a lowered Corvette to F350 CCLB dually to a forklift. Thanks guys!

[44magnum]

Well I got a quote form back from Gator trailers and it was $8200, didnt seem real bad to me. I think the tilt bed add a fair amount. And they have a lot of std features the others dont. Then I got a quote from southwest trailer and it was over $10K for the same dam thing basically, with a 6-8 week build time as they dont stock it. These things are more expensive than I thought. I need to find one used!

[k.thed]

Might look at Titan trailers? They're out of Kansas and they make ALOT of custom trailers. I know we've bought about 6 trailers from them and they were all custom built exactly how we wanted them. Right down to the number of clearance lights. And I know they have some tilt deck trailers, I've just never had one. Hope that helps.


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[dr.deere]

should check out big tex i believe they have a gooseneck tilt but not sure they seem to reasonably priced

[shell_guy]

Why do you only want 16k gvw? When it comes to trailers DOT and scales don't care what the trailer is rated for, the only thing that matters is your tag weight (registered weight). DMV will register it for whatever weight capacity you want.

[44magnum]

Well I want a 16K because my truck is rated at 10K and I don't want to get a cdl. The local DMV/DOT up in Iowa would only license it for what it was rated at. I guess I will have to check down here in Texas. But I doubt they will license a trailer for more than its GVWR. I also haven't found any tilt deck higher than 16K that wasn't an over the wheel. I don't want an OTW. I suppose a 7 ton would work just fine. Thanks again.

[Strokeittothemax]

Hey idk what your going to be using the trailer for but if its going to be wood, we have one and in the winter the skid loader would slide and wouldn't climb the trailer :/

[RedBKM]

You might try Econoline trailers Econoline Trailers - Utility Trailers - Equipment Trailers - Gooseneck Trailers - Flatbed Trailers - Industrial Trailers - Hydraulic Trailers - Dual Tandem Trailers - Trailer Parts - Trailer Sales and more.
They make a nice 7 ton gooseneck tilt.

I use their 6-ton tilt top and love it. The approach angle is about 11 degrees which is great for extremely low vehicles. The original deck was slippery when wet. I replaced the front 12 feet with new oak and the rest with angle steel for more grip. Other than that it has been great.

[44magnum]

Ya I had seen those. I see yours has a tension adjustable hydraulic cylinder, how does that work when you drive something long and nose heavy on it? is there some sort of lock to keep it tilted? also how do the 14.5" tires hold up? I didn't even know they made such a size. I enjoy how the "7 ton" is a 16100 GVWR.....

[RedBKM]

When the trailer is empty it will tilt itself when you release the latch pin. The trick is to adjust the valve based on the weight of the vehicle so the deck doesn't slam down when loading. I leave mine at about 50% and drive very slowly. The latch is automatic so once it locks you can back up to move the weight over the axles.


Its funny you mention the cylinder because I'm planning to convert to power up/down. My tractor and anything running I always load front first. I've winched a few pickup trucks backend first and had to adjust the valve AND use a rachet strap to get the bed back down. Power up/down would solve all this.

The low profile tires are 14 ply and they seem to hold up fine. I'm on the third set and they aren't hard to get. My local tire shop sells them for $89.

One thing you will notice about Econoline is they use larger brakes and 8-lug wheels.