Can't get the 355 into my new trailer- advice on extending the ramps

I just picked up a 20 foot Interstate enclosed trailer for my 355. It has a 6 foot rear door/ramp. The front end of the car doesn't even come close to going up the ramp without scraping the front end. Any advice on what type of ramp extensions to use? I was thinking of using 10 or 12 foot 2x12's with some 4x4 supports to get it in to the trailer. Should I get a local welder to make some ramps for me? Gary Almond has done some transporting for me- he has an over wheel well ramp system which is pretty slick but I wouldn't know where to begin on something like that. Any advice/ pics would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Chris

 

i think you should be backing in. i trailered my 308 from md to fl. in dec. same size and style as yours. when we left we pulled the car in. once on the highway we got a vicious fishtail. we pulled over and turned the car around, backing in, got back on the road and no more problems. over the wheel ramps sounds good though. i ripped my seat climbing through the window as i couldn't open the door because of the wheel wells. as for fabricating the ramps themselves, any welding shop can take care of that. some 2" steel angle with expanded metal decking should do the trick.

 

Another option is to jack up the front of the trailer as high as you can, which of course lowers the back significantly.

The problem with ramps is always handling them. Steel ramps are realy frikin heavy unless you get very clever and build very thin wall 4130 trusses, which gets expensive if you don't happen to own a tig welder and have some engineering training or freinds who do. Your 2x12 idea isn't bad, but as you said requires supports at least every 3 feet, 2 would be better and that is a lot of blocking to carry around and set-up every time. Aluminum is probably the best bet for a balance of cost and handling. T

hen you need to get them tied down GOOD and they need to go in and out in such a way that there is very little change of dinging the car, which may people find out is much easier to do than they may have realized. If your car is basically stock ride height, you should be able to slide them under the car so there is no chance of dinging paint, but you'll want to install some cind of clips to the floor of the trailer so you don't need to try and get straps under the car, but over the ramps...that would be horrible.

good luck!

 

The local guys, who do this for a living carry all kinds of wood planks in their trailers - different widths, lengths - I've seen them load and off load in all sorts of situations. Steel is ok for loading and unloading from a smooth flat surface, but anything other than that and you're back to wood planks to make up for unusual gaps between the trailer ramp and the surface.

 

Couple of suitably shaped planks of wood, sometimes simple is best.

 

Jack up the hitch end of the trailer and get some wood ramps.

 

you could also play with driveways, hills to get the right angle. this isn't a great solution because you never know what waits at the other end. i have had success with several pieces of wood. light and easy to slide them under the car once your up too. custom made steel might work for the intended purpose, ie; level ground, but maybe not when you get where you are going.

 

I had a 355 and an intersate trailer so I've been through this exercise. You can't take anything steeper than 3.5" of rise over 42" at stock ride height. I ended up with 2x8x8' and then did a second plank at 48" and a third plank that was 6" long. That gave me 4 7/8" rise over 8'. Slide the planks under the car when it's loaded. Don't leave them on the side.

The 355 fits between the wells with about 2" on either side. You don't need wheel well ramps and want to keep the car as low as possible. The only car I've loaded that was really close in width was a Ford GT.

Three other tips with the 355. Cross the tie downs in the back to keep it from jumping sideways. Pull it up a foot or so further than you'd think in the trailer. It's a pretty rear heavy car and the 20' will sway if you don't keep the tounge loaded. Be careful where you tie to. I always used the wheels with padding or a wheel bonnet. I generally don't trust tying to the suspension or sub-frame.

Last thing. if you can swing it have a winch put in and an electric tongue jack put on. Winching them in is much easier and safer.

 

RMDC is right..........

Every single truck driver and flatdeck driver I know uses wood planks......6' or 8' long 2x4's......

 

Appreciate the replys. Agreed I think wood might be more versatile on different surfaces and also something I can configure at home. Boulder, I am having trouble visualizing your plank system-where do the second and third planks go? Are you supporting the planks with 4x4 or something else at different intervals. Pics or diagrams would be helpful.

Also any good internet sources for through the wheel tie-downs?

Thanks
Chris

 

Another trick you can try in the interim is to buy a set of plastic wheel ramps you can back your tow vehicle up onto - this way, you can leave the trailer attached to the tow hitch when loading-unloading.

Awdirect sells some great towing accessories. I use the Car Carrier Tie down kit. http://www.awdirect.com/awdirect/catalog.cfm?dest=itempg&itemid=9940&secid=92&linkon=subsection&linkid=458

There are a ton of tie-down solutions, so this one may or may not work for you.

In regards to trailer fishtailing, that may have more to do with an improper tounge weight than the direction the trailered car is facing - I've purchased a great tongue weight scale to help me figure out where each car should go - then I can simply mark on the trailer when the front tire should be, like you see at an Airport gate.

Hope this helps!

 

Why fool with ramps when it's so doggone easy to remove the front bumper and just drive in?!

Here's ernie's great bumper-removal write-up:
Bumper Removal:
1)Remove the trunk liner. You will need this out so you can access the four bolts that hold on the front.
2)Take the two front tires off, then remove both front fender wells. These have to come off so that you can unplug the side maker lights, and to loosen the four bolts, two on each side, that hold the bumper in place on the sides.
3)If they are still on the car, remove the airdamn covers, that go from the bottom of the bumper to the wheel wells.
4)Now that you have all the bolts loose slide the bumper off some but not all the way. This will give you a little bit more room to get your hand up under the bumper to disconect the plugs for the fog lights and turn signals.
5)Remove the bumper. You will see two L-shaped rubber pieces, on the back of the bumper, with some metal spacers on the bolts that you just slid out. You can take those off, so they don't get lost at the shop.

A few tips. After you have the bumper off, while it is still fresh in your mind, put the screws and bolts back in the holes and on the bolts they came from. This way you don't loose any. Also when you go to put the rubber pieces back on, the L goes on upside down and the bottom of the L points out, toward the side of the car.

 

Thanks for the info. I think I finally figured it out. Stacked some staggered 2x8 under the loading ramp similar to what Boulder was talking about. There is more room between the wells for the car than I thought there would be. Just need to get the D-rings mounted next week- still would like some recommendations for through the wheel tie downs.

Bought a new Duramax/Allison Silverado to pull the trailer. Man that thing is strong.

I'll be making a roadtrip down to Colorado pretty soon. I have a CEL intermittently coming on that needs attention. Gotta love being out in the middle of nowhere...

Long live Ferrarichat and thanks again,
Chris