Are my ramps safe?

[jhogan2424]

I am new to excavators and have a question about loading the IHI 15NX that i recently purchased onto my trailer. The trailer is a common 16 foot rig with slideout ramps that are 4 foot long. The trailer is NOT a dove tail. When my ramps are attached the angle created is about 23 degrees. Is this angle safe to drive the excavator up? I used a different trailer to get it home that had a much lower angle to the ramps but now that trailer is not available and all i have is the one described. I am new to excavators and am just a little afraid of inclines right now.

 

[jhogan2424]

 

[rankothge]

you can safe loading and unloading turning blade another side. ramp is suitable.

 

[tuney443]

Just go slow and steady and you'll be fine.Be prepared when going over the knife edge that you will change planes rather swiftly.You can either put down a couple tires app.2-3' back from the rear of the trailer and/or use your bucket to counter the ''severity'' of the transition.Whatever you do,DON'T panic and stop quickly,that's how accidents happen.Slow and steady.

 

[sheepfoot]

Don't really like the set up but if that's all you have you can go with it. I don't like the ramp mounting to the top rail, and not having a kick leg to support the machine so it does not lift your truck up when on the tip point, and I would add a extra 2' to the ramps. If it were me I would fix it so the ramps are mounted to the rear pin, extend the length of the ramps, install the supports to take the weight to the ground and put some short chains to hold the ramps up to transport. Take the time to make it safe for you, loading equipment can get you hurt fast along with people around you, and cause damage to the towing truck and trailer.

 

[powerjoke]

Be careful about how far out in front of you throw the bucket to help pull you over the break over....... Or don't let one of your green hands load a mini hoe lol

Pj

 

[tuney443]

Be careful about how far out in front of you throw the bucket to help pull you over the break over....... Or don't let one of your green hands load a mini hoe lol

Pj

OUCH---you see powerjoke,if you had that superior brand,you know ''like a rock'',that bucket would have just bounced off that tailgate with maybe a little paint scratch or 2.

 

[jhogan2424]

Thanks so much for the help and suggestions. I will use this trailer for the short term and be on the lookout for a more suitable trailer that I can dedicate to hauling the mini. I wanted to get a little seat time on the mini so that I could familiarize myself with all of the controls etc. before attempting to load/unload it on a trailer so I dug up a stump that had been in my way for a while now. I am REALLY liking this machine and I can see that it has a lot of potential to do many things.

 

[Nige]

If it was me I'd use a couple of pieces of suitable cribbing under the rear end of the trailer chassis while loading/unloading the excavator. if you can find something about maybe 1" less in height than the chassis when you climb the ramp with the excavator the load will come on to the cribbing. When you are up and on the trailer move the excavator as far forward as it will go and the weight should come off the cribbing.This will keep the weight off your trailer hitch to a large extent while loading & unloading while at the same time keeping the rear of the trailer stable. You may have to mess about adjusting the height of the cribbing before you find what suits you best.

As others have said. Go slow and don't make any sudden moves.

 

[clintm]

just turn around put bucket on ground as you back on trailer push down on boom and out on stick it will be a smoother and more controlled ride onto trailer deck after a couple times you will look like a pro done it 1,000's of times just wait till you have to load it in the rain with some good slick mud caked on the tracks and your boots good fun. p.s. always make sure trailer is level side to side or you (will slide off). it always is better if trailer is faceing downhill

 

[lumberjack]

I don't use ramps, it's fast, easy, and smooth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k--otEiyuFo

 

[mitch504]

Yep, that's exactly how I load my Cat, (little bigger, 49,800 lbs), and my brother does his Takeuchi that way also.

 

[td25c]

Ramps look good jhogan2424. LOL mitch... Load & unload the Hyhoe the same way.

 

[dirty4fun]

Once you get unloaded make sure there isn't something in the ground you don't want to hit. I have everything checked by JULIE before digging. It is free and one call gets all utilities there to mark out their stuff. Hate to have you get hurt or damage under ground things that cost big money. The fiber optics around where I live are 100K a minute for down time plus repairs. So if you are going to do much digger you might want to get insurance.

 

[Nige]

Note the cribbing under the rear of the trailer chassis in TD25C's photo to stabilize the rear end of the trailer while loading/offloading. you heard it here first folks ......... :tong

 

[td25c]

Good point Nige. That might be something that jhogan2424 could add to his ramps for stabillity. Maybe fabricate a stand on the bottom of the ramp that would rest on the ground while loading.

 

[mitch504]

Yes, I definitely agree about the cribbing, when I load my hoe, I am loading over the side and I always use cribbing under the side just to take some of the twist off the lowboy, though it is a 1971 50-ton non-detach that weighs in the mid 20's. :tong

Loading over the rear on a light trailer behind a pickup with all that leverage it is easy to either bend a trailer, or worse, lift the rear wheels of the truck off the ground and go for a wild ride. Don't laugh, there's been many a truck wrecked like that. When I put a 535 Cat on my little lowboy, it lifted the tail of a heavy spec Mack about 4 feet off the ground. It didn't move because I had good trailer brakes.

If that was my trailer, I would take some 2" angle and run it down to an inch or two off the ground, and then run it to the middle of the ramps. This would make it much harder to bend the ramps, too. It would be easy to add a foot or so to the ramps at the same time.

If the ground is a little uneven and the ramps won't go down, just put them down and backup. If you can't lift them, pull forward.

 

[brianbulldozer]

Whether you are using the ramps or going over the edge I would wear your seat belt until you get very proficient and comfortable. If you are not real experienced on the machine, things can go bad real quick.

 

[ben46a]

Those ramps look perfectly safe to me. Some simple stands on the trailer would be nice, and once you get comfortable you won't even need the ramps.

 

[ValleyFirewood]

I usually just put a set of jackstands under the trailer on the rear crossmember. I had made some "drop legs" with a set of 1000lb rated tongue jacks. Darn things folded right up the first time I used them while loading my Bobcat.

I have a 12k trailer, probably similar to what you have. The ramps are I think 6.5ft long though, also heavier duty.
(2x3 1/4" c channel for the runners)

I looked up the specs on that machine and it's around 3800lbs so I'd imagine those ramps would be just fine. I would use the ramps even though it's certainly doable to load it without them once you get used to the machine... less strain on the trailer.

I've moved around a Takeuchi 138 (around 8000lbs) and had no troubles loading or unloading.


I'm not sure the "spec'd" angle most mini-exs are supposed to be used at but I dug holes on the side of banks that were probably 45*... steep enough that the other guys working said I was "bleeping crazy".

Got the machine in place using the tracks and bucket, put the blade down to level it off as much as it could and dig. Just had to watch out to not pull to hard while digging or or would slide the machine downhill a bit.