ZRT on Tilt Trailer without a ramp?
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bertsmobile1
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You have to be very careful.
Most tilt trailers are designed to dump rubbish at the tip, not load mowers so the angle is way too steep to drive a mower up onto without a ramp
Most tilt trailers are designed to dump rubbish at the tip, not load mowers so the angle is way too steep to drive a mower up onto without a ramp
Hammermechanicman
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I have a small 8' tilt in the middle trailer i used for a couple years with my mower business. Drama is an understatement. I don't care how slow you go when it tilts it goes very fast and ZTRs are more drama than tractor mowers. I installed a boat trailer winch to pull mowers up because driving them on was kinda dangerous. I still have it. You want it?
tgzzzz
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No thanks. Sounds like all agree it's dramatic.bertsmobile1
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I inherited a 10 x 4 tilt trailer from one of my customers as it had become too small
It was custom built for a 2000 series Cub Cadet back in the 90's .
Because it was a MOWER trailer rather than a RUBBISH trailer it has a shock adsorber built into the end to slow down the movement
It works perfectly and drops even the heaviest mower gently as I drive on
However as I tow it behind a Mitsubishi L300 and not a 4 ton Dyna the trailer sits nose down so the loading end never gets close enough to drive anything on without ramps .
If I fit a gooseneck hitch tounge high enough for the back to come within 1" from the ground then I can no open the tailgate so scratch that idea
Now an off the shelf tilting trailer for a mower is $ 10,000
An off the shelf tilting trailer for rubbish is $ 6,000 and does not have the shockie because it is designed to be loaded when flat and tipped up suddenly when full so the contents falls out all by itself .
Thus when tipped back flat , it would be empty
So all of the cheapskates bitching about their trailer slamming up or down as just too cheap for their own good .
It was custom built for a 2000 series Cub Cadet back in the 90's .
Because it was a MOWER trailer rather than a RUBBISH trailer it has a shock adsorber built into the end to slow down the movement
It works perfectly and drops even the heaviest mower gently as I drive on
However as I tow it behind a Mitsubishi L300 and not a 4 ton Dyna the trailer sits nose down so the loading end never gets close enough to drive anything on without ramps .
If I fit a gooseneck hitch tounge high enough for the back to come within 1" from the ground then I can no open the tailgate so scratch that idea
Now an off the shelf tilting trailer for a mower is $ 10,000
An off the shelf tilting trailer for rubbish is $ 6,000 and does not have the shockie because it is designed to be loaded when flat and tipped up suddenly when full so the contents falls out all by itself .
Thus when tipped back flat , it would be empty
So all of the cheapskates bitching about their trailer slamming up or down as just too cheap for their own good .
tgzzzz
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Gotcha and thx for the detailed post. I didn't know there was a real difference as I was referring to the cheaper tilt versions. I knew I could do it but it's now clear I don't want that adventure several times a day.
bertsmobile1
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The best set up I have seen & what I have always intended to do was a 3' high tailgate with 5 hinges & 2 hinge springs
The tailgate was made with expanded metal mesh over a 2" x 2" steel tube 2mm thick frame with a solid steel plate about 1' long added across the end .
Trailer tilts to about 30 deg and tailgate sits about 1/2 above the ground.
Between the front A frame for the tow ball they welded a plate with a short pillar on it onto which the air shock sits so the shock will clear the bottom edge of the trailer floor as it tilts the other end is mounted about 1/3 the height of the loading board .
Mine is similar but without the mounting pillar .
You can do a similar trick with a boat winch but in that case it won't drop while you are on it which makes it difficult to get off & of course you risk the mower rolling backwards over you as you get off
Mine is balanced such that my weight will cause the floor to drop once the mower is on but prevent it dropping if I am not there so the floor will not drop till the mower is all the way in .
I fitted a different shock that was longer ( longest made ) in the hope that the extra length would allow the floor to tilt further so it touched the ground but it was too strong and altered the balance so I had to get out of the seat then squeeze right up the front before it would drop & if the catch did not trip it would tip up again as I was getting off .
If you are going to do this full time a tilt trailer is well worth the extra $$$
My commercial customers who use standard trailers with tailgate loading ramps are forever busting their gauge wheels on the decks as they go from the floor to the ramp because all of them are too short so there is a very sharp corner ( hill ) at the hinge .
The other thing to consider is getting a trailer with a very wide axels & drop axels are even better as that lowers the floor height of the trailer.
The caveat with that is it limits the slope of driveways you can go up without bottoming the trailer.
A converted 2 or 3 horse float makes an ideal mower contractors trailer
They are covered , have a high roof with lots of space for long things above our head like pole saws & line trimmers & they come with a loading ramp suitable for ZTR's
Down side is they are heavy so need to be hauled by a truck .
If you are not terrified by spending money the "adventure caravans" also make good mower trailers with the added advantage of having a mobile lunch room up front & a dunny .
There are a lot of them that have a drop floor at the back designed to allow motorcycles to be loaded
The tailgate was made with expanded metal mesh over a 2" x 2" steel tube 2mm thick frame with a solid steel plate about 1' long added across the end .
Trailer tilts to about 30 deg and tailgate sits about 1/2 above the ground.
Between the front A frame for the tow ball they welded a plate with a short pillar on it onto which the air shock sits so the shock will clear the bottom edge of the trailer floor as it tilts the other end is mounted about 1/3 the height of the loading board .
Mine is similar but without the mounting pillar .
You can do a similar trick with a boat winch but in that case it won't drop while you are on it which makes it difficult to get off & of course you risk the mower rolling backwards over you as you get off
Mine is balanced such that my weight will cause the floor to drop once the mower is on but prevent it dropping if I am not there so the floor will not drop till the mower is all the way in .
I fitted a different shock that was longer ( longest made ) in the hope that the extra length would allow the floor to tilt further so it touched the ground but it was too strong and altered the balance so I had to get out of the seat then squeeze right up the front before it would drop & if the catch did not trip it would tip up again as I was getting off .
If you are going to do this full time a tilt trailer is well worth the extra $$$
My commercial customers who use standard trailers with tailgate loading ramps are forever busting their gauge wheels on the decks as they go from the floor to the ramp because all of them are too short so there is a very sharp corner ( hill ) at the hinge .
The other thing to consider is getting a trailer with a very wide axels & drop axels are even better as that lowers the floor height of the trailer.
The caveat with that is it limits the slope of driveways you can go up without bottoming the trailer.
A converted 2 or 3 horse float makes an ideal mower contractors trailer
They are covered , have a high roof with lots of space for long things above our head like pole saws & line trimmers & they come with a loading ramp suitable for ZTR's
Down side is they are heavy so need to be hauled by a truck .
If you are not terrified by spending money the "adventure caravans" also make good mower trailers with the added advantage of having a mobile lunch room up front & a dunny .
There are a lot of them that have a drop floor at the back designed to allow motorcycles to be loaded
Hammermechanicman
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I bought a nice 6x12 trailer with fold down ramp. Mounted a HF electric winch on the front. I am too old to be pushing dead mowers onto a trailer.