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New trailer

PJL

PJL

Well-known member
My boss calls me today and says he found money in a use it or lose it fund. He said get us a new trailer for the cat that's easier and safer to load. The local trailer dealer sells the Big Tex tilt deck. Looks pretty beefy to me. Has a powered hydraulic tilt. Shortest deck is 22 feet. About 5 feet longer overall than the current ramp trailer. Any words of wisdom? The cat is a 7,900 lb LMC1200 crewcab.
 

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I couldn’t imagine a better option for a two track’s trailer. Gentle incline, no transition, no ramps to flip up and down, power up and down, a little extra room on the deck for a recovered or perhaps impounded sled, boss approves and encourages, etc

Congratulations, you deserve it for what you do!
 
What we have done on some vehicle specific trailers, mount landscape timbers on the trailer deck. a bit narrower than the inside dimension between the tracks.
That way in the dark and when the trailer is icy you always go on straight and won’t slide off the side.
 
I like big tex trailers, but they tend to be heavier duty, and thus heavier weight than some others. Is the additional weight of the trailer going to be an issue with the tow rig? In snow? ??



I went with a lighter duty trailer as it was going to be dedicated to the snowcat only. If I had the $$$$$ I would have gone aluminum.
 
I pulled a big tex 5th wheel trailer for awhile for a fabrication company. It was a well made trailer with adequate legal lighting but with little care taken to protect connections from the elements leading to corrosion issues. Second and more important to me was the fact that the rear marking light though it was there and in place it wasn't in a place where I could see it to mark the back of my trailer at night. And that fact made it one hell of a lot more miserable to pull at night than it should have been.
 
All flats are free. I never once paid to have a tire ruined. It's a free service.
 
Words of wisdom? Well...

You will find out fast you need some cleats on the deck for your grousers to catch on, other wise you may find it difficult to climb on aboard. I have a tilt bed trailer, and occasionally there are conditions, like ice and snow on the deck, and the cleats make a huge difference. If one track slips while climbing up, you will soon wish it was both tracks and not just one.. Seriously why take the chance?

I just used some 3/8" buy 1" steel bar stock lagged to the deck (mine is wood) about a foot apart and nearly half way up the deck. For me and my rig, this is a must, as I back on when I haul my ST4. I also built a splash shield around the nose of the trailer 4 ft high with a rain lip around the top edge. Sure keeps the slush and salt off the machine while on crappy roads.

Regards, Kirk
 
Thanks Kirk, that's the wisdom was looking for. I have had tracks slip on the ramps with the expected result. Any thoughts on Big Tex vs PJ vs Maxxd? They all seem pretty close to me.
 
Seeing that it isnt an extruded steel deck, i use two used snowmobile tracks and screw them to the deck length wise for the tracks for grip. They crawl right up. Our tilt deck, as gentle a slope it is, was a pain to crawl up on even in dry conditions. In the summer, just unscrew the old tracks and load other equipment.
 
PJL, I would recommend towing the one you intend to get. I've had a couple trailers with Dexter axles that the hubs were so far out of balance that with the tires removed (that's at a pretty short radius compared to an out of balanced tire) when the out of balance hub alone was turned to three o'clock, the hub would go to eight o'clock and then back to five o'clock all on it's own. Felt like sledge hammers out of balance when towing. These are on 10,000 and 12,000 lbs axles so maybe they haven't had that problem with the lighter ones, but I'd tow it first with that thought in mind.
 
Steel is generally not extruded, in fact I've never hear that trim used for steel decking. What are you speaking of? Safety plate?



Beartooth said:
Seeing that it isnt an extruded steel deck, i use two used snowmobile tracks and screw them to the deck length wise for the tracks for grip. They crawl right up. Our tilt deck, as gentle a slope it is, was a pain to crawl up on even in dry conditions. In the summer, just unscrew the old tracks and load other equipment.
Click to expand...
 
I think he meant expanded metal. After looking at several trailers and tips from here I have decided on a PJ F8 with beavertail and Monster ramps. No tilt deck.
 
PJL said:
I think he meant expanded metal. After looking at several trailers and tips from here I have decided on a PJ F8 with beavertail and Monster ramps. No tilt deck.
Click to expand...


………. steel against steel , unless magnetized, very slippery... steel against a wood deck, well ,... alittle better... add snow & ice... way more fun. I was on the fence , for sooooooo long... about which trailer was the best for the application, and bang for the buck... which decides our thought process. so my solution was to ; borrow every kind of trailer I could get my hands on... like a demo... I have two trailers that were barter pawns, so all good.... and after trying every combo possible... my buddies ''Econoline'' 8' x 20' .. double axle... pintle hook …. ''deck over '' ….tilt deck ….. was the one trailer that I enjoyed using . its a one man show , user friendly , easy -on- easy -off; loader. I like the full width , loading deck/ramp.... my back hurts thinkn about ramps...even power assist … always something... now I've heard some complaints about the newer , kios controlled tilt decks. the pneumatic tilt cyls. were fool-proof... perfect... I choose an old ''Hudson'' … 8 x 20 ...tilt/deck over. ive used it for moving equipment …. works great,... '''blah-blah'' … that;s my 2 cents.... thx for reading …..
 
PJL said:
I think he meant expanded metal. After looking at several trailers and tips from here I have decided on a PJ F8 with beavertail and Monster ramps. No tilt deck.
Click to expand...

Good choice. I have a 26 ft (22+4) PJ T8 (Tilt) gooseneck and probably would rather have a beavertail. There are just so many times that snow is dumping, trailer is parked on a tilt (which compounds the climbing angle) and other issues make it hard to climb a wooden deck. With any type of trailer it never hurts to have a winch.
 
Got the new PJ trailer with the Monster Ramps. Easy loading. In the parking lot anyway. I like that the ramps are permanently attached. No more dragging them out from under the trailer, wrenching my back to put them on and having them slip off and drop the cat off the back. Total weight is 12,000 lbs. I had a guy put truck scales under the wheels and tongue jack. Rolled it back to get the right tongue weight.



It's snowing in the hills right now. Soon...
 

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Oh yeah, I've been watching it on the webcams. I'm ready. Cat was serviced this summer. A few repairs. Oil is topped off and it's ready.
 
We need to get you hooked up with Jim VT. He stays pretty busy doing snowcat work for the county, local snowmobiler club, and SAR to name a few.
 
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