Ramps or tilt bed for excavator

[Rooster75]

I bought a Komatsu PC150 excavator last fall. I am looking for 18 or 20 ton trailer but don't know which would be best for my equipment. I have tri axle dump truck, also TD 8 dresser dozer and 580 SL back hoe. Would tilt be safer and easier or stick with ramp trailer like I have now. Thanks

 

[stumpjumper83]

Alot of times a tilt trailer weighs alot more than a conventional ramp type. For instance I have a 7 ton tandem tilt deck, 18' & a 9 ton tripple deckover lowboy, 20' + beaver, and the 9 ton is only 600 pounds heavier and its alot more trailer. That being said the tilt is alot easier to load on, but mine is a low deck tilt where the fenders stick above the floor, so it really isnt fair to compare.

I would just keep using the trailer you have now unless you want to upgrade or have to for weight reasons.

 

[Rooster75]

Thanks for response. The trailer I have now is just a 10 ton Hudson with electric brakes. My trackhoe weighs around 34000 or 35000. Specs say it weighs 33965 but it has manual thumb added on so it weighs a lil more. I am gonna have to upgrade to heavier trailer just don't know which would be better route tilt or ramps.

 

[Komatsu 150]

It will probably weigh out a bit more. Our 150-5 weighs 37,000.00 with a 42" bucket and no thumb. Various police officers have been kind enough to help us check the weight a number of times. They are always disappointed that we're legal (just barely). I believe the specs are for a dry machine, no bucket, narrow tracks.

 

[stumpjumper83]

I'd prolly go to a ramp type, cause i think with a tilt your going to be over 80k loaded. Figure 30k for the triaxle, 10k for trailer, and 38k for the excavator = 78k

I'd want to have the ability to have a second bucket or pipe in the dump... A tilt would put you too close to that illegal line for comfort.

 

[ironmule2004]

How much were you gonna ask for the 10 ton?

 

[Rooster75]

I would like to get $6500.00 for it. Its a 2005 model,electric brakes and all new tires. I have not advertised it because I haven't found a 20 ton trailer yet.

 

[ironmule2004]

What part of Arkansas are you in?

 

[OBPM]

I had considered a tilt trailer for my equipment but opted for a ramp type because I wanted the ability to transport additional equipment, implements or materials on the trailer as well. With the tilt I was limited in that aspect. There are some tilts, depending on the length with a fixed flat deck forward of the tilt bed, but again the transport options were limited.

 

[Rooster75]

Ironmule I am in Morrilton about 1hour up I-40 from Little Rock. OBPM I am concerned about loading the back hoe mopst of all,don't know how well that will work out. In the future I would like to have sheeps foot roller which I could move with a tilt deck, but tilt decks are not cheap right now.

 

[Fastdirt]

I drove a setup for five years with a tilt deck and it was great for loading and unloading. I was hauling a 15 ton excavator everyday. It was very nice not dealing with ramps. It was a tandem axle 20 ton trailboss that was custom ordered. I weighed the whole setup one day at the rock quarry and it was 68,500 lbs. the truck weighed about 24,000 and the machine was 30,000 so it left the trailer to be close to 13,000 lbs. Very heavy. It slowed the truck down unloaded. I've been looking around everywhere for a 20 ton tag trailer lately and the tilt trailers seem to be almost twice as much money used. If money wasn't an issue I'd be buying a tilt, but monet is an issue so I'm getting a 20 ton tag with ramps. When I worked at that company we had six rigs all with 20 ton tilt tags from various manufactures and some had blown hydraulics where the deck would slam down and some would occasionally yank the whole hydraulic cylinder from the crossmember mounts. Some decks were also bent because guys would back 953's or excavators of the end and realize they didn't unlock the deck first. Not good! I prefered the tilts that had a front section that was stationary because once you got loaded you could chain it down and wouldn't ever have to use the lock.