Tilt trailer or ramp/gate? Noob needs some solid advise

[autobon7]

Not having owned a trailer I have been looking and pricing. Found that the tilt beds are 200-300 cheaper (in my area). Any advantages or drawbacks to either one? My thought is with a tilt trailer the constant slamming from my Swamp Fox may not be a good idea.....but I just don't know. Any advise is most appreciated.

Morgan

[tracmaster]

I have had both and prefer the ramp....plus my baby cant fall off the back...I also prefer the trailer be made of round tube rather than angle iron...hope this helps.

[BW3]

I have a 2 place snowmobile tilt trailer, I use both the tilt with no issues and have a set of aluminum 1000 lb rated ramps that I use to load and unload as needed. If I was to do it over again I would have gotten a 4 place tilt trailer both for carry of extra's like a snow plow and/or my Argo trailer but better still my friends 6 wheeler to other riding areas .
Good luck in what ever your choice will be and Happy trails...
bg

[tattooman]

When I owned a two place snowmobile trailer, I would set my ramps up on the side of it so that once on the trailer my max took up minimal space and I had room to put my max trailer on the back or what ever else I was loading up. Also kept most of the weight forward. Trailer seemed to ride smoother.

[ARGOJIM]

Both trailer types work fine as long as you buy enough trailer. I you buy a trailer rated for 1000 lbs that weighs 300 that only leaves you with 700 lbs before maxing it out. I prefer at least a trailer rated for 3000 lbs.
As far as tilt or gate drawbacks, with a tilt trailer you will need to get you weight either side of the pivot point to get it to tilt so if buy chance the machine breaks down you will have to push it up and over pivot point to get it loaded, ramp gates are nice but do decrease fuel mileage as the mesh gate adds drag tying to force the air though the gate (more so when empty).

[autobon7]

All good points being made. Has anyone had a bad experience regarding one type or the other? Even though the tilt is cheaper I am leaning a bit towards the gate. Will prolly buy one in the next couple days.

[famvburg]

I have used both over the years and I prefer, and own, two ramp trailers.

[MAX IV Mark]

Here are some observations of mine.
trailers with ramps make it easier to control vehicles without good brakes or that are unable to move on their own.
Trailers with tall fold up ramp/gate are convenient for making sure nothing falls off the back, but have a lot of wind drag and hurt you mileage more.
Tilt trailers have the property of reminding people that don't tow regularly to make sure there is tongue weight. You cant lock it down until you are far enough forward. Some people think putting the vehicle is the center of the trailer is good enough. But if you have a rear engine machine like a MAX, Bobcat, air cooled VW, or Raider snowmobile putting it where it looks good is a bad thing.

[Dozerlarry]

I have used both over the years and I prefer, and own, two ramp trailers.

Same here.

[Twizted1]

I have friends that swear by there tilt trailers. Myself, I hate them. I've owned a couple and had troubles with them. It was before I had my Conquest. But mowers and quads would slip going up when the floor was wet. They come down hard when loading. You can't see if one of the kids have ran by your truck and under them. Your load is not protected by side panels or a tailgate if a strap where to break or fail due to human error. But that's just my opinion.

[Dan67]

I've owned both tilt and ramp trailers. For me I prefer ramps. Tilt trailers have a bad habit of slamming when loading and unloading and they can rattle like crazy when empty. The last 2 trailers I bought had folding ramps where the ramp folds in half to reduce drag and increase visibility. Ramps can also be locked which is a plus when traveling.

[fmints]

Ive also had both types but for different usage. I had a tilt trailer for my motorcycle, and my main reason for the tilt then, was that I wanted to be self sufficient whenever I went to the racetrack. I also got it for little of nothing. I only used it for one bike only and it was very useful. It would not have worked out had I had to load up two bikes on the trailer.

I have a ramp trailer for my 6's and I could not see using anything else other than that. my trailer is an atv trailer can be loaded from the rear and from the side and I love it. Im not worried about drag honestly, cause im already pulling 2 machines and the trailer anyway, the drag is not going to make that much difference on wire ramp. And to calveat with Dan, I like the ramps also because they can lock and secure your machines from rolling off in case a strap or two breaks during transport. I would think that tubular framed trailers would be much more sturdy than angle iron. Bottom line I pick the ramps!!

[Tomo]

hi
Tilt trailer and flat top /ramp trailer
Ramp trailer When loading your 6x6 by an inexperienced operator ,the 6x can do a shuffle, balancing on the middle axle only causing the 6x to change direction . The way around this is to use some speed . This may be alright for the trailers over 8 ft long but using a short trailer this does not work as well .
A RAMP TYPE TRAILER IS BEST TO HAVE A LOW DECK HIEGHT 15-17 INCHES [cuts down on the angle of the ramp and allows shorter ramps ]
Typical ramp length 4ft is short 5ft ideal and 6ft long
The longer the ramp the stronger it has to be . It is also a lot heavier.
The alternate to hinged ramps welded on is have the ramps locate by a drop pin when being used
Storage for this removable ramp is under the trailer deck at the rear . [either slide up the length of the trailer or across the trailer ]

Tilt trailer
A tilt design is always a compromise as is a flat deck
The tilt design First the deck height has to be around 17 inches
Trailer has to be around 8 ft long will require mini ramps [to stop the angle from being excessive 5-6 inch block under the rear ] The ramps will need to be 3ft long
At least a 10 ft and even better a 12 ft will require little or no ramping
If u use a tilt trailer make sure u have over centre lever lock downs to prevent rattling

To make your trailer deck as low as possible 15-18 inches, 13 inch wheels ,low profile leaf springs ,drop axle 2,3,4 inch.

tomo

[Dan67]

Before I got my 20' trailer I borrowed a friends 16' and it had the removable ramps that slide into a sleeve under the trailer. Man those rattled like an SOB. Sometimes it sounded like I was plowing the road.