Trailer Suports for loading/unloading

[IronBenderII]

Anybody build any or see a good design? I'm looking at how to support the end of the trailer when loading and unloading my trailer so all of the weight isn't on the ball hitch. I know you can go with a good old fashion chunk of wood but what fun is that?

Jack

[Aces'n'8s]

I'm assuming you want to support the "end of the trailer" that attaches to your tow rig. So what about a heavy duty trailer jack from Bulldog or the like? Some of the heavy equipment trailers have the sliding jacks that are held with a clevis pin. Basically, it's a big steel foot. I would tend to shy away from any support that has a wheel...unless it is solid nylon or similar.

[Eric]

Buy two more trailer tounge jacks and put one at each end of the trailer. Just jack them down when it is time to load/unload, and fold them back up when you are done.

[Ben W]

Mine has a swinging leg welded to the inside of the rear crossmember. Pull a pin and it swings down for loading.

[whypave]

I did this on each side of my open deck trailer and it works like a charm. You definitely need the flip up variety. I got my set from Northerntool.
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/147390_lg.gif

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=292440&R=292440

I was always worried that one day the tongue of the trailer would pop off the hitch under that load and send the trailer tongue into the back of my tailgate :)

Buy two more trailer tounge jacks and put one at each end of the trailer. Just jack them down when it is time to load/unload, and fold them back up when you are done.

[withamc]

I use jack stands.

[Ken Carter / BRUISER]

I did this on each side of my open deck trailer and it works like a charm. You definitely need the flip up variety. I got my set from Northerntool.
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/147390_lg.gif

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=292440&R=292440

I was always worried that one day the tongue of the trailer would pop off the hitch under that load and send the trailer tongue into the back of my tailgate :)


This is exaclty what I am gonna add to mine now that it passed inspection :)

[Dustball]

I use jack stands.
I tried that once, couldn't get the stands out from under the trailer once the trailer was loaded with my truck on it.

[ScottFJ40]

I tried that once, couldn't get the stands out from under the trailer once the trailer was loaded with my truck on it.
That's why they make jacks.

[withamc]

I tried that once, couldn't get the stands out from under the trailer once the trailer was loaded with my truck on it.
I leave a little clearance (1" - 2") between the stands and the trailer. Then I can just grab the back of the trailer, lift a little and pop the stand out. Just drive off the things in the dirt.
Yes, it would be cooler to have the integrated jacks. No, I don't have enough time in my busy schedule to bother with it.
It always amazes me when I see people load their trailers without any support under the rear.

[64Trvlr]

I was always worried that one day the tongue of the trailer would pop off the hitch under that load and send the trailer tongue into the back of my tailgate :)

Why would you worry about loading? What about when your towing with a load? What kind of hitch do you have?

[n9emz]

I use jack stands.

I tried that once, couldn't get the stands out from under the trailer once the trailer was loaded with my truck on it.

Once on the trailer, I pull up to the headache bar and that frees up the jackstands. Then I position the vehicle where I want to chain it down.

[speedo]

I have fold down ramps and have a single post stand that folds straight down on the same pivot as the ramp. usually has a little clearance before it hits the ground when the buggy is loaded.

Gus

[Lil Toe]

The problem with swing jacks is they aren't really rated that high in weight and are difficult at best to fit or reach the ground on deckover trailers.

My 14k rated deckover has an I-beam frame, so I welded a piece of 6" c-channel up and down before the dovetail. I then used 3 1/2", 1/4" wall box tube as an outer sleeve welded to the c-channel and 3", 1/4" wall boxtube as a jack. I welded a piece of flat stock to the btm of the 3" tube and drilled several holes in it and used a tractor hitch pin to set the height. $50 or so of material and it should hold anything the trailer can. Sorry no pics, keep forgetting.

I did this after we loaded a 2 1/2 ton style dump truck and we could see air under the truck tires!!

[CanuckJeeper]

May be I'm oversimplifying...

How about a piece of 2 1/2" square tubing welded to the frame, verically, and a piece of 2" tubing that runs inside it, with holes all along, and a flat piece of stock underneath it? You can slide it up & down, and lock it in place with a hitch pin or similar.

This would prevent any wasted time to jack up & down the rear of the trailer. Just release the pin, and jam the pin at the level you want, on each side. It would even help for uneven terrain. Then load up the vehicle as far forward, tuck the legs back in place, position the vehicle properly, latch it down, and off you go.

JP

[DRM]

Is it that big of a deal that you need them? I don't even use my ramps any more, just pull the 4Runner on and off without them :p

[ScottFJ40]

Is it that big of a deal that you need them? I don't even use my ramps any more, just pull the 4Runner on and off without them :p
I don't think anyone that's on bigger than 32's needs ramps. His point is how to support the rear of the trailer when loading/unloading so the coupler doesn't pop off the ball.
I don't use anything myself though, just drive it on and off, guess I'm asking for trouble?

[64Trvlr]

His point is how to support the rear of the trailer when loading/unloading so the coupler doesn't pop off the ball.

Why would the coupler "pop" off the ball when loading and not when towing? :confused:

[yarddog]

His point is how to support the rear of the trailer when loading/unloading so the coupler doesn't pop off the ball.


:eek: If this happens you better get a new hitch asap. I've been loading mine for a long time without supports and ball has never come apart. I could see supports helping to not stress the trailer as much but if your ball pops off it could come apart on the road.

[ScottFJ40]

Why would the coupler "pop" off the ball when loading and not when towing? :confused:
Hell if I know, I'm just saying what the original poster said.

[ScottFJ40]

:eek: If this happens you better get a new hitch asap. I've been loading mine for a long time without supports and ball has never come apart. I could see supports helping to not stress the trailer as much but if your ball pops off it could come apart on the road.
I agree, I don't use anything, and drive on and off mine all the time.

[4x4not]

By driving onto the very back of the trailer without supports you are putting A LOT more upward stress on the ball than you would while towing, but if it even has a chance to pop off while loading then you still need to get a new hitch!

[Ben W]

I didn't put the support on because I was worried about the ball. I did it because I don't like lifting the back tires of the pickup 3' in the air when loading a tractor.

[4x4not]

Yeah, but that has GOT to be funny looking :D

[IronBenderII]

yeah,it thrashes my truck around like a mofo on loading/unloading, so I'm just looking to take that strain off.

jack

[High5]

i'm not saying that it isn't better to use supports but i have never used them.

[randii]

yeah,it thrashes my truck around like a mofo on loading/unloading, so I'm just looking to take that strain off.
Yup -- can't be all that easy on the truck OR the trailer.

Walk around the parking lot next time you're around a bunch of unloaded trailers that carry 4x4s. BTDT, and easily a third of the ones I see at Loon Lake are visibly arched and sprung. Maybe they are old trailers, thrashed hard, and born of substandard steel, but ramps or some sort of wheelie bars :p seem like cheap insurance.

Oversimplifying a bit, the load on a good trailer is carried by the tongue/axle triangle, and cantilevered front/rear by the deck. Point-loading the extreme rear of the trailer with the heaviest part of the truck is a crummy load scenario, even before you consider transient loads and momentum. Most heavy-use trailers either have ramp-stands or deck-drop capability, as well.

Food for thought.

Randii

[randii]

This year in Moab I watched one of those costs-more-than-my-neighborhood coaches come rolling into camp. He pulled in, set the parking brake, hit a few switches, and deployed self-levelling jacks all around... NICE. The only thing he was missing was a dwarf to pop out of the blackwater stow and hook-up the dump hose for him!

As much money as there is in our hobby these days, it is only a matter of time until somebody comes up with a similar setup...

Randii

[JCC]

May be I'm oversimplifying...

How about a piece of 2 1/2" square tubing welded to the frame, verically, and a piece of 2" tubing that runs inside it, with holes all along, and a flat piece of stock underneath it? You can slide it up & down, and lock it in place with a hitch pin or similar.

This would prevent any wasted time to jack up & down the rear of the trailer. Just release the pin, and jam the pin at the level you want, on each side. It would even help for uneven terrain. Then load up the vehicle as far forward, tuck the legs back in place, position the vehicle properly, latch it down, and off you go.

JP
I did this on both sides of the rear of my utility trailer. I did it to support the trailer when I haul gravel and use my compact John Deere to unload the gravel. Before I came up with this idea, I bent my rear trailer axle.
I have seen my truck wheel almost off the ground when loading, but that is when I towed with a Dakota. Now that I have a Ram 2500, the truck barely even moves. JC

[bronco75]

I used to have unistrut 2" square tube as supports on rear corners of my trail when I pulled it with g20 chevy van but once I started towing with cc dually or motor home i got rid of them and have never had any problems.My trailer is a factory built 16' but I have widened it and added drive over fenders and have truck tool box and tires rack on frt so far for last 20 years of use it hasn't bowed any and I haven't have any problems with the ball and its still a 2" but it gets replace every couple years just because and this year it all gets upgraded to 2 5/16th

[jefe]

I don't take the ramps when I go Jeeping. I bought (2) 4K lb crank-type jacks from Harbor Frieght. That's 8K lbs of jacking power. They have large weld-on bungs with 4 holes(I welded them near the rear of the 8"x6" angle iron frame), a pin with keeper and chain, and fold up when not in use. Even the crank folds in and out of harm's way. They're $20 ea. They work great. Saves 150 lbs of ramp storage weight, and the attendant rattling, clanking white noise. You guys that just do the macho "watch me flex this trailer frame" when you go on and off an unsupported platform will break the back of the trailer in the long run, unless of course you have at 15K trailer, then you don't need no stinking jacks, unless of course, you pull the rig through sandy or muddy areas, and then you need to go to 4wd and lower the pressure on your tow rig just to get that anchor to camp/trailhead. I've seen these scenarios over and over. Another plus with this method is the ability to load my jeep on without it being hooked to the Dodge. Yeah, it happens.
I actually store my Jeep on the trailer (as I have little parking area) and run the jacks down to take some of the weight off the trailer tires. I got a higher capy front tongue jack and use a foot in storage.
regards, as always, jefe

[BlueAngel]

I built my trailer with 5" C-channel frame, so not a lot of flexing of the frame. I have ramps, but I currently don't support the rear when loading/unloading, What I am worried about is the ball latching mechanism weakening and breaking off, I have a standard fulton 10K coupler. I estimate the up force on the ball is about 1/3 the weight on the front axle of my jeep (about 1000 lbs). maybe this is within the design criteria of the coupler, who knows...

[thump93yj]

This year in Moab I watched one of those costs-more-than-my-neighborhood coaches come rolling into camp. He pulled in, set the parking brake, hit a few switches, and deployed self-levelling jacks all around... NICE. Randii


Hmmm... I pulled these electric jacks off my gooseneck when I bought it... replaced them with manual dropleg jacks... was gonna sell them...

Now I'm thinkin'.... maybe I could mount them on the rear to balance my gooseneck/camper/hauler combo???? hmmmm....

I believe they're 2,500 lb rated. I don't really need supports like what we're talking about here... just leveling... don't want the trailer "rocking" too much at night :laughing:

[Bostonyj7]

This is what I came up with. Simple and easy. its 1.5 stock , sliding inseide 2" square. It slidesdown at the bottom of the foot, so I can just pick it up and put it awayhttp://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/FNZR2/Chu/foot3.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/FNZR2/Chu/foot1.jpg

[NotSafe]

I use the cement block that I use to put the front jack on while parked.. I just throw that cement block under the back on the dove tail, done and easy

[nissancrawler]

I installed swing down camper stabilizers on mine, works great. You drill two holes on each side and bolt them down. Quick and easy. They're rated for 1,000 lbs each. I leave them about 1" or so off the ground, so it lifts a little on the truck, but not excessively.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f56/chevyman_57/trailer/DSC00615.jpg

[lockman]

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200307337_200307337


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j282/zukthing/127564_lg.gif
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diU9-cpRPfA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS4rFsggy8c&NR=1

[yager]

im just using 2 5k wobble jacks on the back corner, ~$25 each at the farm store. They can be pivoted up or removed. I also got extra mounting stubs to weld on up front, so I can use it to stabilize or level up the camper if needed.

As for why, I have a lighter tow rig at ~6,000# and my 4k jeep can lift the back tires off the ground. Loading on a hill and having your tow rig fly down the street with you riding 1/2 on the trailer can be interesting :)

With the jacks I can now load/unload without the truck even hooked up. And its good as a parking brake to keep the trailer from rolling away empty etc.. (edit: not suggesting they are a replacement for a wheel chock)

oh ya forgot... the guy parked next to me, in the pic, has 2 simple tube insert things. When they are down, they only stick up 2-3" and his jeep tires can go up over them np.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=352528&stc=1&d=1202680442

[stssts]

I welded on the pin style round trailer jack mounts on the sides at the back of the trailer and use two 5000lb jacks to take the load from the trailer. I load a 9000lb trackhoe and a skid steer and didn't want to end up bend the trailer over time. I can put them on when I want them or take them off so they aren't in the way.

[TEX]

I don't think anyone that's on bigger than 32's needs ramps. His point is how to support the rear of the trailer when loading/unloading so the coupler doesn't pop off the ball.
I don't use anything myself though, just drive it on and off, guess I'm asking for trouble?

Seems to me the main concern would be loading/unloading on a grade where you could "lift" the back of the tow rig enough to jacknife or roll forward or back. If the problem is having the hitch pop off the ball, it's a hitch/ball issue :eek: