Loading problem.

fj12ryder wrote:
You haven't seen it yet because I don't think anyone has done it. I looked into it but there isn't enough clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the trailer to allow you to drop the trailer more than an inch or so. 6-8 inches is totally out of the question. On any trailer I've seen anyway.

For some reason they want these things waaay up in the air. I'd love to be able to drop mine about 6" but it ain't gonna happen.

I would double check EVERY aspect before you lower the trailer. I would NOT do it, but then again, I lLIFTED mine via construction of a subframe. Why do we want em high? Clearance is the answer!! If you use them off road like me, you want clearance....not just at the rear, but at the truck bedrails. Stock I only had about 6" at bedrails and it doesn't take much of a dip to eliminate that. Now I've got a little more than 8" and my trailer rides horizontal vs nose high.

If you lower it, will you have clearance at bedrails? How about in the wheel wells? The tires will be up in them if it can be done and might look goofy or rub if you hit a dip in road especially if fully loaded. Will the brake wires need to be tied up or something to keep them from harms way?

Look under it and see if axles are flipped (i.e. if leaf springs are sitting on top of the axles). If they are, you should be able to go back to the 'old' way of axles on top of springs. You gotta be sure your clearances will be ok though and that you won't end up nose high going down the road which would load your rear axle more than the front. You should gain (lose in your case) about height of axle. Call around to some suspension shops in your town...ask your dealer....its not a do it yourself job without a major lift to hold your trailer while its all switched around.

The cheaper simpler fixed has been mentioned numerous times. Get a motorcycle ramp, block the trailer ramp up to desired height and put the m/c ramp on the end of it. Use a camlock type tiedown or something to hold the m/c ramp against back of trailer ramp so it doesn't slide out backwards. Before you do all this, get the bike inside, lower ramp onto blocks and see if you high center bike. Trial and error and you'll know how much block you need and if resulting ramp will still be too steep.

facory wrote:
Backing the truck's rear wheels up onto wheel ramps helps raise the front of the trailer. My concern is that you are increasing the incline of the ramp to the point that it becomes dangerous to drive the cycle up. If the ramp is dry and has an abrasive coating for traction you may be OK. However, when it's wet it really creates a problem. I do not recommend a running start as you could lose control. It needs to be eased up the ramp. That brings us back to the incline of the ramp, especially if loading when it's wet.

Another solution may be to use an addition ramp that can be positioned to contact the trailer's ramp about half way up. A longer secondary ramp of this kind will decrease the incline. You could also elevate the leading edge of the ramp and then use the secondary ramp to get you up to trailer's ramp. That way the incline would be less.

Your problem really seems like a design flaw of the trailer's manufacturer. Maybe the axles are placed to far rearward which makes is harder to get the right incline.

Just some thoughts.

Wouldn't it decrease the angle? If the door is on the rear of the trailer and you raise the front you lower the rear, decreasing the angle. Of course if raised enough you could create a bad incline on the inside of the TH and cause problems but to raise it that high would cause other problems......

You haven't seen it yet because I don't think anyone has done it. I looked into it but there isn't enough clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the trailer to allow you to drop the trailer more than an inch or so. 6-8 inches is totally out of the question. On any trailer I've seen anyway.

For some reason they want these things waaay up in the air. I'd love to be able to drop mine about 6" but it ain't gonna happen.

I tried walking it up. Kind of tricky but it still hit. Going to have to jack stuff around. I was hoping some one had moved the axle from the bottom of the springs to the top and drop it 6 to 8". Haven't seen that yet.

My ultra would hit (on our previous rig) until I figured out that just taking my weight off the seat gave it the clearance it needed.

Hey! I put the rubber door stoppers on 6x6 blocks and bought a portable tri fold ramp to put on the door. Changes the angle enough that my goldwing don't hit anymore. Good luck with whatever you find works for you.

Backing the truck's rear wheels up onto wheel ramps helps raise the front of the trailer. My concern is that you are increasing the incline of the ramp to the point that it becomes dangerous to drive the cycle up. If the ramp is dry and has an abrasive coating for traction you may be OK. However, when it's wet it really creates a problem. I do not recommend a running start as you could lose control. It needs to be eased up the ramp. That brings us back to the incline of the ramp, especially if loading when it's wet.

Another solution may be to use an addition ramp that can be positioned to contact the trailer's ramp about half way up. A longer secondary ramp of this kind will decrease the incline. You could also elevate the leading edge of the ramp and then use the secondary ramp to get you up to trailer's ramp. That way the incline would be less.

Your problem really seems like a design flaw of the trailer's manufacturer. Maybe the axles are placed to far rearward which makes is harder to get the right incline.

Just some thoughts.

I would like to see picture of the standoffs. That might be useful. The back of my trailer is about 3' off the ground.
I don't have a wife and if I did I wouldn't let her try and hurt her self either. Just looking for a reasonable solution.
Thanks,
Dean

My Keystone has standoffs (4") on the top of the ramp and a steel plate that flips over to the ground makes the angle better and the plate makes a smooth transition from the ground. That mod would be easy. You could probably get them from Keystone. Had an Rvision once that was set up the same and the prior owner hauled his HD bagger in it. Drove right in. That is the safest, simplest solution I know of. 4 standoffs mounted to the top on gate and a hinged plate that flips onto the ground. No big deal. Have the wife load it so you don't get hurt. LOL.

Looks like it might just work if I jack everything else up.
Thanks,
Dean