no experience other than my Gen-Y hitch and their good customer correspondence
based on visual only and knowing what looks stronger I like the discount ramp units better

 

gen-y states limited lifetime warranty

Aluminum Loading Ramps - GEN-Y HITCH %

Heavy duty all-aluminum construction Made in the USA by certified AWS Welders. All Gen-Y aluminum loading ramps exceed the weight testing requirements.

genyhitch.com

 

Ya it was interesting that discount ramps were all 1in thicker but I wanted to call both and I was HOPING the gen-y was just made from thicker material but I haven’t been that lucky lol… plus not much more.

appreciate the insight with their hitches and new warranty knowledge at least.

 

the discount ramp had higher capacity options than the gen-y

i wish those ramps were not so stupid $$ I would like to replace my 5 foot metal ramps on my dump trailer with some longer lighter units

 

you may not want top learn how to weld aluminum but crazy prices like this are why I am ordering a PrimeWeld tig lol

 

I think everyone should learn to weld the various methods

Tig-R-Be Fun on aluminum, mash the pedal and move like Obi Wan and his light saber

 

I would be concerned with the longevity of aluminum loading a skid loader, especially if you run tracks. Maybe could bolt the tread face from a truck tire to the ramps to increase traction, and protect the ramp cross grips.

 

I could grab some old conveyor cuts and have two short rolls for a ramp cover good idea by the way but the skidsteer has rubber tires thankfully. I just want to get away from steel. 140lb+ Each and mine lasted 15yrs but probably had 4 repairs and they’re just done hahaha. The discount ramps bed are more $$$ but they’re also 1in thicker so that makes me little more comfy but not sure if it’s needed.

the more $$$ are are roughly 1/4 of the trailer cost so it’s a tough pill to swallow lol…

im blessed to have many friends who would fix aluminum for me otherwise I’d take the time but I’d make more sourcing it out and keeping me working for the time being.

 

Don't blame you fro wanting to get lighter ramps, I was just concerned with damage. I have steel tracks on the skid most of it's life, and have experienced all the fun things they do on trailer ramps. since you are just running rubber, there would be no need to a covering on the ramps.
A dedicated skid trailer is real handy for hauling the skid, but cant haul anything else on it. Currently have a Diamond C 14k tilt deck ...no ramps, flat deck

 

make steel lighter ? ;-)

 

make steel lighter ? ;-)

I am glad to see that someone is finally copying a great ramp design that my 1989 Zieman trailer had. Zieman ramps are light, yet strong. I am in the process of copying this to rid myself of the 150lb ramps on my Towmaster. They just suck.
@Hydro I almost pulled the trigger on a Diamond C tilt deck equipment trailer today. The sales person quoted me the wrong price. I wish I could have forced her. She told me $7k, but it was $9,600. Still good for a 14k tilt with 4’ stationary deck. Not good, but good for these days.


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I’ve considered welding a bar on with fold downs but I’d still have to buy new ramps and even steel ones are going up like crazy. My trailers rear is so low profile already.

The steel ones slide into a slot at the rear under the main trailer deck. But are heavy. All the aluminum and ones are 2x thick so they won’t fit in the slot but way less than 1/3 in weight. Appreciate all the feedback I feel better knowing I was at least go in the right direction

thankfully I’m not actually hauling cars with the trailer just doing mobile services.

 

you sure that needs ramps ? lol

 

if mine was not a dump trailer, and it was a car hauler I would have done away with the slot and slide ramps and went to fold down/ in type since they act like a safety for any load on the trailer

and when empty they can fold onto the trailer deck to eliminate the air brake effect

how far above ground is your deck when hooked to the truck on flat ground ?

 

I like the idea of laying the ramps down on the trailer deck when not being used… I guess I was just Nervous about permanently or semi-permanently attaching the ramps to the trailer.

The ramp hook at the end of the trailer is about 10 inches off the ground. I service a lot of cars though as well and it seems like every car 2015 and newer is extremely low profile.

I service a lot of cars though as well and it seems like every car 2015 and newer is extremely low profile.

For example For example earlier this week I did a 2021 corolla, 2020 Subaru WRX, and a 2020 Lexus car of some kind. My bent steel ramps are 7‘6“ and I still had to bring some 2 x 12‘s so that the bottom of the bumper and air dams don’t get scratched or bent.

I’d like to have short ramps but every time I try to get shorter ones a new low profile car calls up.

i’m probably just gonna have to bite the bullet and spend almost a grand on ramps 🤦‍♂️

 

I have one of these , maybe something like this would serve your needs. My Son's drag car goes right up on without any extra ramps.

HDT - Diamond C Trailers

This intelligently crafted HDT low profile hydraulically dampened tilt bed trailer is ready to take on your world, one heavy load at a time.

www.diamondc.com

 

Unfortunately the trailer I use is a specifically modified car hauler so I can stand underneath and spray a non drying coating. But we do have a tilt deck just like that and some other flatbeds. The wedge trailer is a modified custom build though. I wont say I've never hauled cars for personal reasons or events/friends but its 99% a mobile service for undercoating.

 

I had a friend with air suspension on a 3500 Chevy. He ran tandem drop axles and a front wheel drive from an olds Toronado(455/ turbo400). He could set the back end on the ground for his hot rods. Is there any way to use air bags on your trailer to eliminate the need for ramps??


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@backhoebill I looked a several trailers before settling on the Diamond C , ...liked the tilt latch and how the bed pivot works, better than the others -- I did make a mod to cause the latch to auto reset, that way the tilt will click in the lock position. Is real handy feature.

@JustinOOO9 I missed the picture you had posted a few posts back ...nice trailer for doing the seal coating -- a set of aluminum ramps would work nice for it -- I am thinking the thinner ones tho, since you are pretty close to the ground already
Side Note : I got a coat of woolwax on my old International dump truck, after talking to you about the product, ...worked out pretty well. ...Thank you for the advise

 

Glad you liked it. I really think it’s a great maintenance program for rust prevention. Yes I’m a woolwax undercoater. Been using the stuff since 2016. I think you may have posted when I was seeking someone on the east coast to grab a commercial grease pump for me? I use that now primarily with some spray equipment from Canada hahaha.

Appreciate all the input I only need longer ramps for all the low profile cars I do. I would say 70% are suvs/trucks but a nice supply of low profile cars too. I just didn’t want to carry short ramps for trucks and long ones or extensions for low profile vehicles.

 

@backhoebill

I actually have considered that but not sure of the investment and fab work compared to just $1k for 8ft ramps. I can be very indecisive lol.

 

I have a few deck overs with the solid steel ramps, for cars I just bought a tilt trailer.

No more ramps to deal with and easy to load

Equipment Trailers & Tilt Trailers For Sale - Big Tex Trailers

Big Tex Trailers offers quality Equipment & Tilt Trailers for hauling machinery, vehicles and more. Boost efficiency. Easy loading and unloading. Learn more!

www.bigtextrailers.com

Tilt Car Trailers for Sale | Kaufman Trailers

Tilt car trailers are a great fit for transporting your low clearance sports cars. Full range of options like diamond or wood floors.

www.kaufmantrailers.com

 

he will have a hard time walking under those to spray woolwax ;-)

 

thats what loaders are for haha, just dont crush the plate tipping it up.

 

Nice! I feel silly and not sure this is the wisest of choices but an update... For now I didn't want to spend $1000 on ramps for a trailer I paid $4500 for. I got some 2x12s and added metal ends, and two 10in wide angle iron braces about 3ft long with a little 4x4 support under. cost me about $5 since I didn't have short enough bolts that matched in all the bins. made myself some diy ramp extensions.

I had some 10k rated 5ft aluminum ramps that work great for probably 80% of vehicles I service and for the low profile cars i set them about 2ft up on them on the cross bars of the aluminum ramps and worked fine for a 2021 corolla that had like 1k miles on it. I am just so cheap I don't know how my other half deals with it lol. I may end up buying the aluminum ramps eventually but this worked really well and like I said cost me like 5$ and maybe 30 minutes to cut/drill the metal braces hahaha. so now i have 5ft aluminum ramps and these little like 3.5ft extensions.

If anyone thinks im too cheap and should go the other way let me know. I won't be offended and maybe you're right after all haha.

 

As long as the approach angle isnt to high stressing the center of the board that should work.

I would cut grooves or put mesh gutter guard on to of them for traction.

 

I never added the second pic dang it. Ya I cut some very shallow slots and made sure they were oiled very well. We shall see how long they last but im
Optimistic at this point

 

I like it. My inner cheapskate is in agreement. Those should last a while. If you had to buy the lumber, it could have been expensive!!LOL


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