Tilt trailer

Junkyard Dog

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Sanford, NC
I've got a 10k dexter torsion axle and I'm wanting to build me a tilt trailer. Single axle. Anyone have a tilt trailer with torsion axle they could share some photos of how everything is mounted?

Thanks
 
I got a double axle if you want some pics. i can bring it out to your place if you want to study it.
 
Single axle, torsion axle , tilt?

Of you build this please document it and share it
 
fourtrax said:
I got a double axle if you want some pics. i can bring it out to your place if you want to study it.
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I will let you know on this. Ive thought about building it as a tandem since I have two axles but I really don't need it. I'm wanting one just big enough to be able to transport my little fork lift.
 
Junkyard Dog said:
I will let you know on this. Ive thought about building it as a tandem since I have two axles but I really don't need it. I'm wanting one just big enough to be able to transport my little fork lift.
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If you are going any distance I highly recommend a dual axle. If you lose a tire in transit you don't lose the trailer (considering that a forklift is going to have a center of gravity that is relatively high compared to the axle centerline.) It also lets you use weight distribution without over stressing a single axle or pair of tires.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
If you are going any distance I highly recommend a dual axle. If you lose a tire in transit you don't lose the trailer (considering that a forklift is going to have a center of gravity that is relatively high compared to the axle centerline.) It also lets you use weight distribution without over stressing a single axle or pair of tires.
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Those are very good points, I have 5 dual axle trailers as it is, they are just a little aggravating to get the fork lift on cause of their height/ramps and FL has solid tires. Love to up grade it to pneumatic tire lift one day but that's a whole other story. I figured if I built it tandem it would need to be a minum 16'. Single id do 10-12'. I really like the looks of the butler 15-16' tilt trailers and some hudsons.
 
Junkyard Dog said:
Those are very good points, I have 5 dual axle trailers as it is, they are just a little aggravating to get the fork lift on cause of their height/ramps and FL has solid tires. Love to up grade it to pneumatic tire lift one day but that's a whole other story. I figured if I built it tandem it would need to be a minum 16'. Single id do 10-12'. I really like the looks of the butler 15-16' tilt trailers and some hudsons.
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Easier said than done but you can still do a tilt deck just set it up with the pivot aft of the rear axle torsion bar centerline and a triangular lip at the end of the deck with diamond plate that the solid rubber wheels can grip. You could drive up to the end of trailer with the forks elevated, lower the forks to push the deck down to drive onto the end, then lift the forks back up to drive up the rest of the way on. Once all the way on I would have a hitch pin up front to latch the tilt.
 
I've been talking about building a setup like this for years, but the width is always an issue for tractors and I didn't have any axles laying around, so I've never done it. With a forklift, you might could get away with it form a width perspective. Make the frame of the trailer narrower than the legs on the torsion axle. Make 2 pivot collars of some sort (bearing, bushing, etc) that line up with the trailer frame, shown by the green circles below. Fab up 2 torque arms (red rectangles) that are 90 degrees to the torsion axle and allow you to pivot it. Install 2 hydraulic cylinders (blue arrows) that go from the trailer frame to the torque arms. The hydraulic action will allow you to raise and lower the trailer by manipulating the angle of the axle, and the hitch or trailer jack will keep the front end up, allowing the back to tilt down to ground level.
1776173780522.png
 
jeepinmatt said:
I've been talking about building a setup like this for years, but the width is always an issue for tractors and I didn't have any axles laying around, so I've never done it. With a forklift, you might could get away with it form a width perspective. Make the frame of the trailer narrower than the legs on the torsion axle. Make 2 pivot collars of some sort (bearing, bushing, etc) that line up with the trailer frame, shown by the green circles below. Fab up 2 torque arms (red rectangles) that are 90 degrees to the torsion axle and allow you to pivot it. Install 2 hydraulic cylinders (blue arrows) that go from the trailer frame to the torque arms. The hydraulic action will allow you to raise and lower the trailer by manipulating the angle of the axle, and the hitch or trailer jack will keep the front end up, allowing the back to tilt down to ground level.
View attachment 455389
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I rented a trailer a few years ago from Sunbelt that did that. Looked really close to the below, used a self-contained 12v hydraulic system and cylinder to twist the torsion mount.

1776221634967.png
 
My axles have about a 60" mounting width so I can make the width work for a fork lift. I have thought about an i-beam tongue and main rails, the axle(s) would bolt to these and then the deck would set inside this and have a pivot point somewhere on the main rails. If any of that makes sense. Kinda like alot of the tilt equipment trails do that have the little fixed area at the front.

I forgot to mention originally but I have 17.5 wheels for these so I should be able to get enough tire for a single axle application if I go that route.
 
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