Trailer ramp extenders?

[Marcus Miller]

I have seen but cannot find, a product that was a trailer ramp extender, essentially a long triangular preice of aluminum, that the current ramp set into. The product was a foot or two longer, to extend the length of the ramp, no wood required.

Has anyone else seen such a thing? my searches of the web turned up nothing.

I should just buy longer ramps, but the 4 footer are built with storage space under the trailer...

Marcus

[CaptainWho]

I've done that with Rhino ramps, but it didn't work out well for me due to the distance between the supports on my main ramps. The tires could get too far down into them when the ramp was that much closer to horizontal.

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Doug "Lefty" Franklin
NutDriver Racing

[kennyr7]

Try www.pitpal.com. They sell a hinged foldup ramp extender. I bought it and think it works well.

[bldn10]

I'm having a hell of a time getting my ITS RX-7 on and off my trailer w/o dragging the splitter or exhaust pre-silencer. The trailer is dove-tailed and I have 5' ramps but it is still an ordeal to get it on. Are there any available lowering kits? Any other ideas?

[kennyr7]

If you are using an open trailer, you might want to consider backing the tow vehicle up a set of ramps (like the kind you use for oil changes). This will reduce the angles that a low ground clearance car needs to pass over. Also, it's a CHEAP solution.

[its66]

I used to have the same problem loading my RX7. I made a pair of 5 foot ramps for my trailer. My original ramps hook in between my new ramps, and the trailer, effectively forming a bridge. I can now drive up on the trailer with no boards and without jacking up the tongue of the trailer. I can send some pics to anyone interested, or, if you are in the southeast, I could make some more. I think they might be a little expensive to ship though.

Jim
[email protected]

[CaptainWho]

We have the same problem with our RX-7s, plus the exhaust sometimes wants to drag or try to hang up. We've made the splitter on one of the cars easily removable with three bolts and some Dzus connectors. We'll do the same to the other car in the coming off-season.

We're still trying to work out a good solution to the exhaust dragging issue. We usually jack up the tongue of the trailer as high as we can without disconnecting it from the tow vehicle. As I mentioned, we tried Rhino Ramps as "bridges" and we'll try it again after we've filled in the gaps in our current ramps.

Edit: It would be great so see some photos of what you've done, Jim. Please send them to DougF at NutDriver.org

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Doug "Lefty" Franklin
NutDriver Racing

[This message has been edited by CaptainWho (edited August 03, 2004).]

[Marcus Miller]

Can you send me the pictures also please?
marcusATmiller-motorsports.com

I was thinking of using the ramp trick on the tow vehicle, but that makes loading and unloading by yourself very difficult.

I have seen curved ATV ranmps, has anyone seen such a thing for cars? a log enough one might work....


Marcus

[JIgou]

My current trailer does not have a dovetail, so I have to do something to load my Spec Miata.

In the past I used to jack the front of the trailer up. Now I use the Rhino Ramps and drive the truck's rear wheels up on the ramps to load/unload the car. (I got the ramp versions rated at 10k lbs or something ridiculous....)

Works like a charm. Gets the tongue of the trailer up higher than when I jacked it up. Simple to use with no help.

All that said, I'm still paying attention to the ramp extension solutions being mentioned--

Jarrod

[Mike Spencer]

Originally posted by Marcus Miller:
...I was thinking of using the ramp trick on the tow vehicle, but that makes loading and unloading by yourself very difficult.

I'm trying to picture this and I must be missing something. This sounds like a real why-didn't-I-think-of-that solution. Does it put the trailer at such a steep angle that you are afraid the car will slide off when you get out?

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Mike Spencer
NC Region
ITA/7 RX-7 #60
1990 RX-7 Convertible (street car)

[Marcus Miller]

Mike,
That's exactly what I'm envisioning.... I may purchase a set of rhino rmaps while I gether time and bits needed to build Jim's extensions...

Marcus

[JIgou]

It just hit me: the rhino ramp thing works very well for me 'cause I've still got the parking brake in my car. That (plus putting the car in gear before I unhook it) holds the car on the trailer for me.

Yes, it is fairly steep - enough that I could roll the car off the trailer without starting it if I really wanted to (and I didn't have a mongo lip to climb with the ramps, but that's a trailer-specific issue.)

If keeping the car on the trailer without a parking brake is what you meant by "hard to do by yourself", then you've got a valid point (if engine compression won't hold it for ya).

Jarrod

[racer_tim]

Just use your floor jack and raise up the front of the trailer when you're loading / unloading the car.

I've seen that done with many competitors over the years.

I have to do that when I load the car in the driveway, since it slopes down from the garage, and I drag the seat mounting plate on the end of the trailer.

I don't have the problem when on level ground.



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Tim Linerud
San Francisco Region SCCA
#95 GP Wabbit
http://linerud.myvnc.com/racing/index.html

[Mike Spencer]

Originally posted by racer_tim:
Just use your floor jack and raise up the front of the trailer when you're loading / unloading the car.

I've seen that done with many competitors over the years.

You didn't specifically say so, but I believe you are saying jack the trailer while it's still connected to the tow vehicle. That would work, too, assuming you don't have to go too high.


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Mike Spencer
NC Region
ITA/7 RX-7 #60
1990 RX-7 Convertible (street car)

[Marcus Miller]

Originally posted by JIgou:
If keeping the car on the trailer without a parking brake is what you meant by "hard to do by yourself", then you've got a valid point (if engine compression won't hold it for ya).

Jarrod

Yep, no parking brake. I'm not sure the car will stay on the trailer even, in gear.

Marcus