Correcting bad trailer design

[673moto]

Have this little equipment trailer that has these ripper shanks on the back... I’m sure customers really love the drag marks on their driveway!

any ideas for a fix?
Maybe some industrial rollers?
Just cut them off and deal with it?

 

[skyking1]

Notice the function. That ramp system has those two pivots, and the arms stop the rotation of the one part and then the other rotates. It lets you fold those ramps up. Don't hack them off and live to regret it. See if you can replicate the function first. You might be able to shorten and alter them, and make a bar up higher on the back of the trailer that they would contact and keep working as intended.
What they did was quick and dirty and cheap.

 

[673moto]

I did notice the function and was thinking of welding up rollers to contact both the frame as intended but also to eliminate dragging the ground. ...

What they did was quick and dirty and cheap.

that about sums things up these days...

 

[673moto]

Ended up hacking them off and welding .5” plate onto the frame where they contact.
Still works
and I had a chance to fix a few stress cracks that were developing ... I’d better keep an eye on this trailer.

 

[Tags]

Who’s the manufacturer of the trailer?

 

[673moto]

Iron bull.
Cheapest trailer I could find so I’m not all that mad about it. ... it’s actually been a decent little trailer.
Would recommend it considering how expensive these things are getting to be

 

[southernman13]

I think the design has to do with not allowing the trailer to squat while loading it.

 

[1466IH]

That "double" hinge allows the ramps to fold over flat on the dovetail. If you are OK with pinning the ramps straight up and down while driving you can remove that all together

 

[Tags]

That design also gives the ramps flexibility when unloading on unlevel ground or when the back of the trailer is higher/lower to the ground it allows the ramps to not get “stuck” once the trailer is loaded.

 

[673moto]

That design also gives the ramps flexibility when unloading on unlevel ground or when the back of the trailer is higher/lower to the ground it allows the ramps to not get “stuck” once the trailer is loaded.

Yep...
By cutting the tabs the ramps are now able to drop a bit lower to the ground and I feel that less stress is being put on the trailer during load/unload. ... and no more drag marks on customers driveways!