'We screwed up' videos are valuable. Everyone learns something and that could prevent a poor and potentially dangerous decision from being made. Thanks, gentlemen.
Question that was not 100% admitted was WHO made the mistake? ;) Based on the conversation Andre had with Roman about it, seems like Roman was the one that went and got the wrong one with the Raptor and Andre was not around. Had Andre been involved in the decision making, I doubt he would have bought the "wrong" trailer to begin with. Roman wanted something more versatile, but at the same time, had no clue what that might be. lol
@@badgerpa9 Yes, but the crux of that one is about "replacement for displacement"... not necessarily the loading of stubby on the new trailer. Hope they show it, though.
I like how TFL took a small miscalculation regarding trailer choice and turned it into a really good episode. This shows how even the professionals such as TFL Trucks can misjudge things from time to time. Thanks for sharing everything, whether it be the good, the bad or the ugly! Can't wait for the Raptor R vs Ranger tow comparison. I'm pulling for the Raptor R to get the better mileage.
The Ranger will be giving all it has. The Raptor will toy with the load. I know what a 2.7 can do but this is a 2.3 I believe so it will be working in lower gears. On the open road the Ranger will make up for starting and getting up to speed. I will go with the Ranger but it won't be a blow out.
I hope the trailer dealer in Parker gets some good advertising from this. That was sweet of them to exchange the trailer and you did not have to pay much more for the tilt bed . Plus you can remove the fenders easily with the tilt bed
It wouldn’t surprise me to find the two trucks *very* close in fuel economy in towing. Couple suggestions: (1) do both a flat tow loop and an uphill Ike tow loop, and (2) can you get a gas HD truck to compare against as well?
On those self-tilting decks, you just have to watch that the first axle on doesn't pass the pivot point, causing the deck to come back down, before the rear axle gets on the deck. If that happens, the tail of the deck smashes the bottom of the vehicle and the vehicle can't be loaded. With 20-foot deck and truck wheelbase over 10 feet, this is presumably going to a problem with the new trailer.
That’s as my thought. That’s how you end up with the powered ones that need to be unhooked from the truck to be operated. Ramp extensions are the way to go without getting a car trailer
I love my tilt trailer. Was unsure the doors would open on my 28 Model A high boy roadster so I took it to the trailer place and drove it up and opened the door. Worked fine so no drama.
The wood deck on that tilt trailer will be slick as cow snot as soon as it gets any moisture and will still need booster ramps for something as low as a corvette to help with the angle. Then you still have the interference of the spare tire in that front location. And from experience I can tell you if they try to load a long wheelbase vehicle like a crewcab truck, as they pull it up on the ramp the front end weight will start to tilt that trailer and the tail end of the trailer will smack the shit out of the front lower quarters of the bed and the driveshaft. Obviously they had no idea of what they were needing, so I say shame on the trailer dealer for not working with them more to get them the correct item to start with. But now that you have it here are some modifications that will make it usable. Bolt down expanded metal strips for the tire paths. Think of what you see on semi and tractor steps. That will solve your traction problems even with snow and ice. Cut off the spare tire mount and have a new one built to lay the tire forward at an angle on the tongue so it is out of the way. Make at least the drivers side trailer fender a hinged fold down unit. Even U-Haul trailers have this feature. Look at having a hydraulic ram system installed to lift/lower the bed. And it's not so much that you made a bad decision, but again more the fault of the dealer to not sell you the correct trailer to fit your needs.
Great video. The rest of us aren't famous youtubers and would never get that lucky to return the mistake so honesty is good and it shows that even pros make mistakes
It's an equipment trailer, not a car trailer - the approach angle problem shouldn't have been a surprise. The lack of convenient points to attach tire tie-downs is also the result of buying the wrong type of trailer.
Poor Stubby, I hope you do not leave the stickers on him long. Glad you could swap trailers. Also nice to see a sales person that knew the trailer, she seemed to know what she was doing. Be safe.
Next time, apply your parking brake on tow vehicle before loading......that will stop the rocking back and forth while loading which also puts huge stress on the transmission.
Well the parking pin inside the transmission... But yes, I've seen too many runaway videos where the truck and trailer just take off while being loaded...
i think this was a great video! And much needed! If the rest of us bought the wrong trailer, i'm sure we wouldn't get a deal like they did. Good on the trailer dealership for making the exchange painless for the TFL folks. We all make mistakes in this world, and it's nice to see this work out nicely.
If you have to use this trailer for this job, take the spare off and throw it in the bed of the truck--either one. If it is a constant thing, put the spare mounted flat on the tongue. Or buy a 2' longer trailer. As to the ramps, a couple of 2x6's do wonders...
When I saw the chin spoiler hit @2:21 I wondered how much of it would rip off when it catches while backing off. Either it flexed enough, or the trailer was tilted more for unloading.
14K trailer going to add a decent amount of tongue weight. Throw a truck up there and I would probably be looking into weight distribution hitches for that ranger regardless of what the ford spec says. I wouldn't be using that suspension hitch that moves the ball further away from the rear axle. It would start taking weight off the front end.
I was surprised by the discussion during the drive how the trailer seemed to be rear-heavy and causes bouncing on the Ranger. In Finland that would make the trailer immediately illegal. The tongue weight is never allowed to be below zero or exceed 80kg.
@@Miksa I think that was just an expression of the feeling. Of course when it’s unhooked it will rest on its front jack meaning it has probably still 1-200lbs if not more.
How many garages will the Ranger fit in that the RaptorRRR won’t? Parking spots? What’s the difference in cost of a set of tires between the two? An oil change? Most folks won’t tow very often, so towing fuel economy also won’t matter for most folks.
A 16k tandem axle gravity tilt trailer would be a much better choice! They are available in 20', 22', and 24'. Probably cost less and maybe even weighs less. You can have dealer certify it as a 10k trailer so you can use regular license plates.
1; lower tire pressures on the trailer when riding empty for a better ride. 2; there are loads of "do it all" trailers. Tilt is mandatory as well as holes on/in the deck to PROPERLY tie down vehicles from the tire. No issue what so ever with the fenders on the trailer if you choose the right one. Wood on the deck is way to old school and doesn't get any holes to tie down. 3-4 tie downs on the edges/top are way to scarse.
Sometimes a ramp trailer like you’re getting there will also not be able to load low profile cars because if the front end sticks out too much, it may run into the upward tilt of the ramp before the wheels begin raising the rest of the car.
I hope I’m wrong, but it looks like you traded one mistake for another. The saleswoman said the deck is 66” wide. A RAM 1500 has a 68” track width, and is almost 80” wide overall. Even the Ranger is probably too wide to fit. This trailer will limit you to hauling equipment less than 66” wide. Seems like a car hauler trailer would be better for your application than an equipment trailer. Also, it appears the front tires will pass the tilt point before the rear tires are on the deck, or does the deck lock in the tilted position?
The pickups will fit, because the tires can overhang the width of the tilting deck (although something like a Raptor may be a problem getting the front fender flares between the trailer fenders). I absolutely agree that a car trailer would be more suitable for hauling cars and pickup trucks than this equipment trailer. Essentially, they swapped a highly unsuitable folding-ramp equipment trailer for an unsuitable tilting-deck equipment trailer. The new trailer is a 14FT-20, from Big Tex Trailer's 14FT series of 14,000 pound self-tilting equipment trailers. Their website (which I can't link in a comment on this TH-cam channel) has a "detailed measurements" drawing which is missing actual lengths, but indicates that the pivot is behind the middle of the deck (presumably so that it sits down when unloaded). That means that the deck will start coming back down when the front axle is less than 10 feet up the deck (in the 20-foot deck model), so any wheelbase over 120" (which means every pickup truck) won't work. I've seen a neighbor get caught by this when he tried to move a pickup with the trailer that he usually uses for his skid loader. I don't see any way to lock the deck up, there is no manual available on the website, and if there were a mechanical catch it would likely be impossible to release under load. It could have a hydraulic lock, but the sales rep didn't suggest that in the tour.
I was hoping no one caught my slip up on the platform width. It is 6'6" wide not 66" wide. You'll have to forgive me I was a little nervous. On the full tilt the deck does not lock in the tilted position.
@@brianb-p6586 Thank you for your detailed response. I got the 66” inch width measurement from the video, but I see that was cleared up in another comment as being 6’ 6”, a big difference.
@@rickcollins1796 It is a very significant difference, but some trucks with wide tires will be wider than even 6' 6" (78", 1829 mm). For instance, the current Raptor has a front track width of 67.9" (1725 mm) and tire section width of 315 mm (stock) or 12.5" (optional), for a width between front tire outer sidewalls of 80.4" (2042 mm) and across the front tire treads of 78.5" (1994 mm)... and that's stock.
@@AngieDavid-mx5dn Thank you for the clarification. Don’t be hard on yourself, no one can recite the specs for everything on the lot, especially with a camera pointed at you!
Trailers take a lot of thought. A lot of manufactures will list ramp angles and deck to top of tire. I do not think trailers are as universal as people think.
I don't quite get the benefit of the ramps either! When folded it means you have a load of trailer length you aren't using, but still have to manouevre. Normal pull-out ramps just make so much more sense to me!
I'm surprised the dealer didn't help you decipher what your use of the trailer was originally. They would have told you right off the bat, that utility wasn't for hauling cars at all. Like you said, those are designed for equipment and materials. You'll be wayyyyy happier with a tilt bed for what you're using it for. Good on the dealer for swapping it out.
@@larrysmith6797 Oh, I totally agree. But the point still stands, the dealer could/should have investigated the use of the trailer a little to make sure the proper usage.
You guys have a good entertaining channel. I one question though. Sometimes (a lot) of times you sound very new to this truck genre. Are you really city boys?
When I run into this problem I just use oil changing ramps on the rear wheels of the tow vehicle. Also, if you're constantly putting vehicles on trailers how come you don't have wheel straps to make it easier to tie down?
Good idea, but the latch mechanism looks like it is entirely down at frame level, with no way to hold the deck up. It would have to be a hydraulic lock, and I don't think it has that.
I think towing that Ram on that trailer with the Ranger will be over the 7500lb tow capacity. I have a hard time imagining the ram to weigh less than 4k. Good test either way, over working the truck is always nice to see.
I believe a engine can run leaner on less load and give better fuel economy . With turbocharger or supercharge engine has a higher load than normal aspirated engine and can’t run the air fuel mixture as lean . It would be great to see this tested . Weather Conditions have to be the same though .
Watching Roman and Andre bouncing up and down around the 14:15 mark makes me realize why I bought a Super Duty. It gets annoying real quick on long trips.
I have a BigTex trailer, a 10ET 20 foot (16 ft + 4 ft dovetail), I love it, but gotta think it thru when shopping. I got mine without the MEGA ramps, I got slide in ramps for this reason. As for the spare tire, I had the same issue. I got a spare tire mount that uses a side stake pocket from Amazon for like 50, now my spare is mounted on the side. The only major issue that I had was that my trailer came with no working brakes! Whoever assembled it, pumped the wheel bearing grease in too fast and blew out the rear hub seal on all four wheels, which saturated the inside of the brake drum with grease on all four. I ended up pulling all my brakes and used several rolls of paper towels and several cans of brake cleaner, but I cleaned up my brakes, re-seated my seals, and pumped the grease in the right way... slowly. That was 2 years ago, been towing happily ever since. And I tow quite a bit. I'm a used car dealer and I tow my inventory back from auction, and the auction that I go to is about 190 miles from me.
"Whoever assembled it, pumped the wheel bearing grease in too fast and blew out the rear hub seal on all four wheels, which saturated the inside of the brake drum with grease on all four." That's the stupidity of the Dexter EZ-Lube feature, used by careless idiots. You have my sympathy. I would have replaced the brake shoes and demanded reimbursement from the trailer manufacturer or dealer.
@@brianb-p6586, You nailed it, Dexter EZ Lube. I called BigTex, and the guy I spoke to said that I could bring it back and their tech would check it out and see if it was a defect from the factory (which would be covered under warranty), or if it was something else (no warranty coverage), and if the tech ruled against me, I would be responsible for diagnostics + repair, and if I don't pay, I don't get trailer back. Rather than roll the dice, I chose to do it myself. Manufacturer + Dealer were the same, because I bought the trailer at the manufacturing plant in Mount Pleasant, TX. So the trailer literally had 0 miles on it. It was never transported to a dealer. Since then I have difficulty trusting anyone but me with my trailers or trucks. The town that I live in only has 1 safety inspector, so he literally has a local monopoly on safety inspections. When my registration expired, I had to get it renewed. Just before, my brake controller literally went up in smoke. I ordered another from Amazon, was waiting for it to get here, but I figured I'd get my trailer inspected anyways. The inspector failed my trailer because my truck (which was not being inspected) had a bad controller. But he had a solution, instead of waiting on Amazon to deliver a Tekonsha, I could just fork over 300 and he would give me a no-name chinese brand and then pass me. I took my trailer to another town. They inspected the trailer and passed me. Last month registration expired again, went back to the same inspector. He failed me again because it's against the law to patch the sidewall of a tire, and if I wanted to pass, I'd have to cough up 300 for another tire. I don't know if the sidewall patch is true or not, but it didn't matter, none of my tires have patches. I look at the tire to which he objected, and there was no patch. There was some road grime on the sidewall, that I washed off with some soap and a water hose. I could of just used the spare tire, but I didn't feel like bothering with him anymore, so I had to go out of town again to pass inspection. I said I was a used car dealer. Last year, a guy from Guatemala bought a car from me. He speaks no English, but I speak Spanish, plus he had a passport which TX DMV allows for a non-citizen to use to buy/register a car. After 3,000 miles, he takes the car to the same inspector for an oil change. Inspector tried to bill my guy for 1k for an oil change. My guy, not being able to speak English, calls me and asks me to translate. Inspector said that the oil pan was destroyed, that the plug was just hanging on by a thread, and it'd be 1k to fix. I asked my guy to bring it to me. I changed the oil myself, for free, took me all of about 15 minutes, and I torqued the drain plug to 35 ft-lbs, no issues. Sorry for long rant, it's just that as of late, I have a hard time trusting mechanics and techs to do the right thing. I see good techs here on TH-cam, I just have a hard time finding them out here in east Texas.
Just whatever you do, don't unhitch when you lift the tongue like that. Seen way too many people drive on to an unsecured trailer and have the tongue of the trailer shoot up in to the air and either roll or run in to the tow vehicle.
I know Roman is the boss and all but maybe don’t let him make anymore purchases on his own. His track record, especially recently, hasn’t been ideal.😂 Glad the trailer dealer was able to help you out of that jam.
Unfortunately, the trailer dealer let him leave with another unsuitable equipment trailer, rather than a suitable car trailer or a power-tilt-deck trailer which would be way too heavy but would work.
I would not compare them. The Raptor towed a steel heavy trailer and the Ranger did it with Aluminium trailer. I say have both use same trailer that would be fair. One being super charged and the other is double turbo engines. Just my thoughts.
It’s kinda funny how the affordable, every-persons truck, is the one you guys put the poo poo stickers on 😂 somehow I don’t think you guys would do that to a G wagon.
The 4-cylinder vehicle got 6.5 not 8 MPG when you used it to tow the trailer and vehicle and it was not able to maintain freeway speeds, that is something you should be considered in this test. The smaller engine with a turbo may work for a short distance, around town but not for long distances it is inadequate. If you really wanted this test to be accurate you should be testing a petrol engine and diesel engine of about or as close to the same displacement but then it is known that the Diesel is a better tow engine that is why semis have diesel motors. What is needed to tow or haul is torque, not horsepower for this a diesel make more torque and less horsepower than a compatible petrol engine and going back to the 4-cylinder not being able to maintain freeway speeds you are not considering the effort the motor is going though to do the job a larger displacement can do the job easier, with less stress than a smaller one turbo or not if you did along with the other points I made here you would see your test is void.
My 6cyl truck from a competitors brand averaged 12mpg at 70mph with roughly similar weights in an enclosed, single axle, equipment trailer... Turbo 4s are good for small cars and city driving. Not real work loads.
Interesting that you call that style of trailer a Dove tail whereas we would call it a Beaver tail. Different countries divided by a single language......
Next time head east to between Wiggins and fort Morgan and go to TEMCO they will make the trailer exactly right for you and they are local not from Texas.
$8,300? that's a pretty penny for a trailer that size. Just 6 years ago I paid $1,700 for a new 18' dovetail with hidden ramps, otherwise, it looks comparable to what you have.
I think you screwed up twice. 14' flat bed is to short to haul a full size truck. 18' min. 20' more likely And the longer bed the less approach angle too
You might want to consider putting diamond plate down following the tires path. Once it gets wet, the plywood deck is going to get slick. Unless you're using a winch. Hope the new trailer works out.
I’m confused, why couldn’t you leave the ramps up? They weren’t hitting the trailer until you pulled the pin. Also with those axles so far back that would have been way too much tongue weight.
Stubby barely fit. What else could they do with this trailer. Classic Is both less expensive but more expensive. As it would not serve purpose for other vehicle testing
I had issues with the spare always being in the way in an enclosed equipment trailer... Moved it up to the side of the tongue so it's out of the way but still easily accessible
Why not do some towing videos with vans? Like a minivan? As they can also tow. It seems like you only are towing with trucks, and not other vehicles that can actually tow.
Should have bought a proper Brian James Trailer or an Ifor Williams Trailer Transporta. A beaver tailed trailer is good, but it isn't really a car carrier from the outset. However, this was clearly a video about the importance of correct trailer choice and trailer safety. Just come out and say it at the beginning instead of insulting peoples' intelligence.
The BigTex brand that they used has proper car transporters, too. They just chose an unsuitable equipment trailer then replaced it with a likely more suitable equipment trailer, instead of buying a car trailer from the same dealer.
'We screwed up' videos are valuable. Everyone learns something and that could prevent a poor and potentially dangerous decision from being made. Thanks, gentlemen.
Next time you buy a trailer, take Mr. Truck with you, he knows trailers.
No. Mr Truck knows trucks. Mr. Trailers knows trailers.
@@caedom21 😂
It takes a big person to admit they made a mistake. Kudos. And good on the dealer for letting you exchange the trailer.
Question that was not 100% admitted was WHO made the mistake? ;) Based on the conversation Andre had with Roman about it, seems like Roman was the one that went and got the wrong one with the Raptor and Andre was not around. Had Andre been involved in the decision making, I doubt he would have bought the "wrong" trailer to begin with. Roman wanted something more versatile, but at the same time, had no clue what that might be. lol
@@WW-wf8tu Objection your honour, speculation. Sustained, 😄
Love TFL. Wish you'd have shown the loading of stubby on the newer trailer so we could see the difference in its load-ability.
That will be over on tfl-trailers. 😅
They said they will be doing that video still.
@@badgerpa9 Yes, but the crux of that one is about "replacement for displacement"... not necessarily the loading of stubby on the new trailer. Hope they show it, though.
I like how TFL took a small miscalculation regarding trailer choice and turned it into a really good episode. This shows how even the professionals such as TFL Trucks can misjudge things from time to time. Thanks for sharing everything, whether it be the good, the bad or the ugly! Can't wait for the Raptor R vs Ranger tow comparison. I'm pulling for the Raptor R to get the better mileage.
"Professionals" lol.
Professional yuppies more like it lol.
The Ranger will be giving all it has. The Raptor will toy with the load. I know what a 2.7 can do but this is a 2.3 I believe so it will be working in lower gears. On the open road the Ranger will make up for starting and getting up to speed. I will go with the Ranger but it won't be a blow out.
Buying entirely the wrong type of equipment is not a "small miscalculation".
I hope the trailer dealer in Parker gets some good advertising from this. That was sweet of them to exchange the trailer and you did not have to pay much more for the tilt bed . Plus you can remove the fenders easily with the tilt bed
It wouldn’t surprise me to find the two trucks *very* close in fuel economy in towing.
Couple suggestions: (1) do both a flat tow loop and an uphill Ike tow loop, and (2) can you get a gas HD truck to compare against as well?
Please, when you make mistakes let us walk out your journey with you. This was great. I enjoy having others make the mistake so I don't have to.
On those self-tilting decks, you just have to watch that the first axle on doesn't pass the pivot point, causing the deck to come back down, before the rear axle gets on the deck. If that happens, the tail of the deck smashes the bottom of the vehicle and the vehicle can't be loaded. With 20-foot deck and truck wheelbase over 10 feet, this is presumably going to a problem with the new trailer.
That’s as my thought. That’s how you end up with the powered ones that need to be unhooked from the truck to be operated. Ramp extensions are the way to go without getting a car trailer
Almost all hydraulic dampened gravity tilt decks have a lock out valve. Tilt the deck, close valve, load, then open the valve.
@@8BWN great... if it has that.
I love my tilt trailer. Was unsure the doors would open on my 28 Model A high boy roadster so I took it to the trailer place and drove it up and opened the door. Worked fine so no drama.
Why would you buy an equipment trailer instead of a car hauler if your intended use is to haul cars not small tractors?
City folk I tell ya 😂
The wood deck on that tilt trailer will be slick as cow snot as soon as it gets any moisture and will still need booster ramps for something as low as a corvette to help with the angle. Then you still have the interference of the spare tire in that front location. And from experience I can tell you if they try to load a long wheelbase vehicle like a crewcab truck, as they pull it up on the ramp the front end weight will start to tilt that trailer and the tail end of the trailer will smack the shit out of the front lower quarters of the bed and the driveshaft.
Obviously they had no idea of what they were needing, so I say shame on the trailer dealer for not working with them more to get them the correct item to start with.
But now that you have it here are some modifications that will make it usable.
Bolt down expanded metal strips for the tire paths. Think of what you see on semi and tractor steps. That will solve your traction problems even with snow and ice.
Cut off the spare tire mount and have a new one built to lay the tire forward at an angle on the tongue so it is out of the way.
Make at least the drivers side trailer fender a hinged fold down unit. Even U-Haul trailers have this feature.
Look at having a hydraulic ram system installed to lift/lower the bed.
And it's not so much that you made a bad decision, but again more the fault of the dealer to not sell you the correct trailer to fit your needs.
These guys are professionals. They've been in this biz for years.
In the youtube business you mean. I get the vibe they knew it wouldn't fit but did it for drama.
The battle with tilt decks is when your wheelbase is longer than the length from rear of deck to pivot point. It’s a pain in the butt.
Or when you want to load multiple things like UTVs or ATVs.
Great video. The rest of us aren't famous youtubers and would never get that lucky to return the mistake so honesty is good and it shows that even pros make mistakes
Pros? You're kidding.
It's an equipment trailer, not a car trailer - the approach angle problem shouldn't have been a surprise. The lack of convenient points to attach tire tie-downs is also the result of buying the wrong type of trailer.
Poor Stubby, I hope you do not leave the stickers on him long. Glad you could swap trailers. Also nice to see a sales person that knew the trailer, she seemed to know what she was doing. Be safe.
Next time, apply your parking brake on tow vehicle before loading......that will stop the rocking back and forth while loading which also puts huge stress on the transmission.
Well the parking pin inside the transmission... But yes, I've seen too many runaway videos where the truck and trailer just take off while being loaded...
@@svpracer98 the pin isn't designed for that type of load. Just apply the parking brake as well.
Parking pawl.
i think this was a great video! And much needed! If the rest of us bought the wrong trailer, i'm sure we wouldn't get a deal like they did. Good on the trailer dealership for making the exchange painless for the TFL folks. We all make mistakes in this world, and it's nice to see this work out nicely.
If you have to use this trailer for this job, take the spare off and throw it in the bed of the truck--either one. If it is a constant thing, put the spare mounted flat on the tongue. Or buy a 2' longer trailer. As to the ramps, a couple of 2x6's do wonders...
When I saw the chin spoiler hit @2:21 I wondered how much of it would rip off when it catches while backing off. Either it flexed enough, or the trailer was tilted more for unloading.
I appreciate this video at the end lots of knowledge an average person may take for granted.
Thanks guys, we learn with your videos so we learn more with videos like that; nice job
14K trailer going to add a decent amount of tongue weight. Throw a truck up there and I would probably be looking into weight distribution hitches for that ranger regardless of what the ford spec says. I wouldn't be using that suspension hitch that moves the ball further away from the rear axle. It would start taking weight off the front end.
Depends on how a loaded vehicle is positioned.
I was surprised by the discussion during the drive how the trailer seemed to be rear-heavy and causes bouncing on the Ranger. In Finland that would make the trailer immediately illegal. The tongue weight is never allowed to be below zero or exceed 80kg.
@@Miksa I think that was just an expression of the feeling. Of course when it’s unhooked it will rest on its front jack meaning it has probably still 1-200lbs if not more.
How many garages will the Ranger fit in that the RaptorRRR won’t? Parking spots? What’s the difference in cost of a set of tires between the two? An oil change? Most folks won’t tow very often, so towing fuel economy also won’t matter for most folks.
Relocate the spare tire and you could put a full size standard on that trailer
Raptor and Ranger two of the best looking trucks on the road to pair with a nice trailer as well.
I’m glad you did this video, I’ve been looking at vehicle trailers for a while now….
A 16k tandem axle gravity tilt trailer would be a much better choice! They are available in 20', 22', and 24'. Probably cost less and maybe even weighs less. You can have dealer certify it as a 10k trailer so you can use regular license plates.
Tilt trailers are great once you get used to them.
1; lower tire pressures on the trailer when riding empty for a better ride.
2; there are loads of "do it all" trailers. Tilt is mandatory as well as holes on/in the deck to PROPERLY tie down vehicles from the tire.
No issue what so ever with the fenders on the trailer if you choose the right one.
Wood on the deck is way to old school and doesn't get any holes to tie down.
3-4 tie downs on the edges/top are way to scarse.
Sometimes a ramp trailer like you’re getting there will also not be able to load low profile cars because if the front end sticks out too much, it may run into the upward tilt of the ramp before the wheels begin raising the rest of the car.
It's good to learn from the mistakes of others. Thanks for the lesson on trailer shopping.
Glad you guys showed us your trailer buy mistake
Equipment trailers are not great for vehicles.
I LOVE those boots yasss mam, awesome content as usual y'all stay safe stay blessed.
I hope I’m wrong, but it looks like you traded one mistake for another. The saleswoman said the deck is 66” wide. A RAM 1500 has a 68” track width, and is almost 80” wide overall. Even the Ranger is probably too wide to fit. This trailer will limit you to hauling equipment less than 66” wide. Seems like a car hauler trailer would be better for your application than an equipment trailer. Also, it appears the front tires will pass the tilt point before the rear tires are on the deck, or does the deck lock in the tilted position?
The pickups will fit, because the tires can overhang the width of the tilting deck (although something like a Raptor may be a problem getting the front fender flares between the trailer fenders).
I absolutely agree that a car trailer would be more suitable for hauling cars and pickup trucks than this equipment trailer. Essentially, they swapped a highly unsuitable folding-ramp equipment trailer for an unsuitable tilting-deck equipment trailer.
The new trailer is a 14FT-20, from Big Tex Trailer's 14FT series of 14,000 pound self-tilting equipment trailers. Their website (which I can't link in a comment on this TH-cam channel) has a "detailed measurements" drawing which is missing actual lengths, but indicates that the pivot is behind the middle of the deck (presumably so that it sits down when unloaded). That means that the deck will start coming back down when the front axle is less than 10 feet up the deck (in the 20-foot deck model), so any wheelbase over 120" (which means every pickup truck) won't work. I've seen a neighbor get caught by this when he tried to move a pickup with the trailer that he usually uses for his skid loader.
I don't see any way to lock the deck up, there is no manual available on the website, and if there were a mechanical catch it would likely be impossible to release under load. It could have a hydraulic lock, but the sales rep didn't suggest that in the tour.
I was hoping no one caught my slip up on the platform width. It is 6'6" wide not 66" wide. You'll have to forgive me I was a little nervous. On the full tilt the deck does not lock in the tilted position.
@@brianb-p6586 Thank you for your detailed response. I got the 66” inch width measurement from the video, but I see that was cleared up in another comment as being 6’ 6”, a big difference.
@@rickcollins1796 It is a very significant difference, but some trucks with wide tires will be wider than even 6' 6" (78", 1829 mm).
For instance, the current Raptor has a front track width of 67.9" (1725 mm) and tire section width of 315 mm (stock) or 12.5" (optional), for a width between front tire outer sidewalls of 80.4" (2042 mm) and across the front tire treads of 78.5" (1994 mm)... and that's stock.
@@AngieDavid-mx5dn Thank you for the clarification. Don’t be hard on yourself, no one can recite the specs for everything on the lot, especially with a camera pointed at you!
Trailers take a lot of thought. A lot of manufactures will list ramp angles and deck to top of tire. I do not think trailers are as universal as people think.
I love the og ranger stickers!!😂😂 don’t listen to the haters!!!!!
OMG, those stickers are, well, just lame (on both trucks) . If you need to change that black Ranger for camera purposes, consider a professional wrap.
Love the raptor stickers, but I agree on the ranger. It would look better if the truck was white
That is a custom professional decal job. They have a video about it.
I don't quite get the benefit of the ramps either! When folded it means you have a load of trailer length you aren't using, but still have to manouevre. Normal pull-out ramps just make so much more sense to me!
dad used to have a 24 foot tilt deck and it was so dang handy! miss that trailer lol!
I'm glad you guys show life's Hickups... have a mistake, correct a mistake.
As always, fun video Roman and Andre! Looking forward to the next one!
I'm surprised the dealer didn't help you decipher what your use of the trailer was originally. They would have told you right off the bat, that utility wasn't for hauling cars at all. Like you said, those are designed for equipment and materials. You'll be wayyyyy happier with a tilt bed for what you're using it for. Good on the dealer for swapping it out.
It wasn't the dealer's fault. It was Roman's.
@@larrysmith6797 Oh, I totally agree. But the point still stands, the dealer could/should have investigated the use of the trailer a little to make sure the proper usage.
Probably a more interesting video than what you had planned. I enjoyed it.
You guys have a good entertaining channel. I one question though. Sometimes (a lot) of times you sound very new to this truck genre. Are you really city boys?
When I run into this problem I just use oil changing ramps on the rear wheels of the tow vehicle.
Also, if you're constantly putting vehicles on trailers how come you don't have wheel straps to make it easier to tie down?
Y’all should have bought a Diamond C. Hey maybe y’all can start TFL Trailer
Does the desk lock in the tilted position if you wanted to load 2 side by sides before lowering the deck to chain them down?
Good idea, but the latch mechanism looks like it is entirely down at frame level, with no way to hold the deck up. It would have to be a hydraulic lock, and I don't think it has that.
Through my experience, I believe that larger displacement engines "hold back" better on steep downhills.
Yes, larger displacements means more work required for the engine to turn, thus equaling better engine breaking.
I think towing that Ram on that trailer with the Ranger will be over the 7500lb tow capacity. I have a hard time imagining the ram to weigh less than 4k. Good test either way, over working the truck is always nice to see.
I believe a engine can run leaner on less load and give better fuel economy . With turbocharger or supercharge engine has a higher load than normal aspirated engine and can’t run the air fuel mixture as lean . It would be great to see this tested . Weather Conditions have to be the same though .
Happy THURSDAY EVERYONE ✌️ HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY
Good rule to follow buy as much trailer as you can afford
Watching Roman and Andre bouncing up and down around the 14:15 mark makes me realize why I bought a Super Duty. It gets annoying real quick on long trips.
Some of the bounce comes from that hitch sticking out a foot from the receiver.
I have a BigTex trailer, a 10ET 20 foot (16 ft + 4 ft dovetail), I love it, but gotta think it thru when shopping. I got mine without the MEGA ramps, I got slide in ramps for this reason. As for the spare tire, I had the same issue. I got a spare tire mount that uses a side stake pocket from Amazon for like 50, now my spare is mounted on the side. The only major issue that I had was that my trailer came with no working brakes! Whoever assembled it, pumped the wheel bearing grease in too fast and blew out the rear hub seal on all four wheels, which saturated the inside of the brake drum with grease on all four. I ended up pulling all my brakes and used several rolls of paper towels and several cans of brake cleaner, but I cleaned up my brakes, re-seated my seals, and pumped the grease in the right way... slowly. That was 2 years ago, been towing happily ever since. And I tow quite a bit. I'm a used car dealer and I tow my inventory back from auction, and the auction that I go to is about 190 miles from me.
"Whoever assembled it, pumped the wheel bearing grease in too fast and blew out the rear hub seal on all four wheels, which saturated the inside of the brake drum with grease on all four."
That's the stupidity of the Dexter EZ-Lube feature, used by careless idiots. You have my sympathy. I would have replaced the brake shoes and demanded reimbursement from the trailer manufacturer or dealer.
@@brianb-p6586, You nailed it, Dexter EZ Lube. I called BigTex, and the guy I spoke to said that I could bring it back and their tech would check it out and see if it was a defect from the factory (which would be covered under warranty), or if it was something else (no warranty coverage), and if the tech ruled against me, I would be responsible for diagnostics + repair, and if I don't pay, I don't get trailer back. Rather than roll the dice, I chose to do it myself. Manufacturer + Dealer were the same, because I bought the trailer at the manufacturing plant in Mount Pleasant, TX. So the trailer literally had 0 miles on it. It was never transported to a dealer.
Since then I have difficulty trusting anyone but me with my trailers or trucks. The town that I live in only has 1 safety inspector, so he literally has a local monopoly on safety inspections. When my registration expired, I had to get it renewed. Just before, my brake controller literally went up in smoke. I ordered another from Amazon, was waiting for it to get here, but I figured I'd get my trailer inspected anyways. The inspector failed my trailer because my truck (which was not being inspected) had a bad controller. But he had a solution, instead of waiting on Amazon to deliver a Tekonsha, I could just fork over 300 and he would give me a no-name chinese brand and then pass me. I took my trailer to another town. They inspected the trailer and passed me.
Last month registration expired again, went back to the same inspector. He failed me again because it's against the law to patch the sidewall of a tire, and if I wanted to pass, I'd have to cough up 300 for another tire. I don't know if the sidewall patch is true or not, but it didn't matter, none of my tires have patches. I look at the tire to which he objected, and there was no patch. There was some road grime on the sidewall, that I washed off with some soap and a water hose. I could of just used the spare tire, but I didn't feel like bothering with him anymore, so I had to go out of town again to pass inspection.
I said I was a used car dealer. Last year, a guy from Guatemala bought a car from me. He speaks no English, but I speak Spanish, plus he had a passport which TX DMV allows for a non-citizen to use to buy/register a car. After 3,000 miles, he takes the car to the same inspector for an oil change. Inspector tried to bill my guy for 1k for an oil change. My guy, not being able to speak English, calls me and asks me to translate. Inspector said that the oil pan was destroyed, that the plug was just hanging on by a thread, and it'd be 1k to fix. I asked my guy to bring it to me. I changed the oil myself, for free, took me all of about 15 minutes, and I torqued the drain plug to 35 ft-lbs, no issues.
Sorry for long rant, it's just that as of late, I have a hard time trusting mechanics and techs to do the right thing. I see good techs here on TH-cam, I just have a hard time finding them out here in east Texas.
Ohh, those gorgeous shoes...
Just whatever you do, don't unhitch when you lift the tongue like that. Seen way too many people drive on to an unsecured trailer and have the tongue of the trailer shoot up in to the air and either roll or run in to the tow vehicle.
Look into quick release fenders or have someone make yours into them
I saw the RV they walked by and thought of a TFL RV channel.
I know Roman is the boss and all but maybe don’t let him make anymore purchases on his own. His track record, especially recently, hasn’t been ideal.😂 Glad the trailer dealer was able to help you out of that jam.
Unfortunately, the trailer dealer let him leave with another unsuitable equipment trailer, rather than a suitable car trailer or a power-tilt-deck trailer which would be way too heavy but would work.
I would not compare them. The Raptor towed a steel heavy trailer and the Ranger did it with Aluminium trailer. I say have both use same trailer that would be fair. One being super charged and the other is double turbo engines. Just my thoughts.
It’s kinda funny how the affordable, every-persons truck, is the one you guys put the poo poo stickers on 😂 somehow I don’t think you guys would do that to a G wagon.
The 4-cylinder vehicle got 6.5 not 8 MPG when you used it to tow the trailer and vehicle and it was not able to maintain freeway speeds, that is something you should be considered in this test. The smaller engine with a turbo may work for a short distance, around town but not for long distances it is inadequate.
If you really wanted this test to be accurate you should be testing a petrol engine and diesel engine of about or as close to the same displacement but then it is known that the Diesel is a better tow engine that is why semis have diesel motors.
What is needed to tow or haul is torque, not horsepower for this a diesel make more torque and less horsepower than a compatible petrol engine and going back to the 4-cylinder not being able to maintain freeway speeds you are not considering the effort the motor is going though to do the job a larger displacement can do the job easier, with less stress than a smaller one turbo or not if you did along with the other points I made here you would see your test is void.
My 6cyl truck from a competitors brand averaged 12mpg at 70mph with roughly similar weights in an enclosed, single axle, equipment trailer... Turbo 4s are good for small cars and city driving. Not real work loads.
Interesting that you call that style of trailer a Dove tail whereas we would call it a Beaver tail. Different countries divided by a single language......
TFL isn't an authority in trailer naming convention.
Andre, can we get a Gen y contractor trailer coupler on it for a good review see how much better it handles with it?
God that Ranger looks low rent with those stickers. 😢
Those Ranger decals look like something they used to put on a 70's Jeep.
Next time head east to between Wiggins and fort Morgan and go to TEMCO they will make the trailer exactly right for you and they are local not from Texas.
Hey please tell me where you got the graphics for the ranger!
Looking to dress up my ZR-2 and love that look! Kinda retro 70’s80’s👍
Enjoyed the video!, Entertaining...👍👍
That trailer is WAY TOO SHORT!!!
Tilt bed trailers are the best 👌
Poor stubby! I love that truck!
$8,300? that's a pretty penny for a trailer that size. Just 6 years ago I paid $1,700 for a new 18' dovetail with hidden ramps, otherwise, it looks comparable to what you have.
Make a big deal out of a small problem lol. Put the soare in the bed of the ranger. Get a side mount for the spare at a later time.
I think you screwed up twice. 14' flat bed is to short to haul a full size truck. 18' min. 20' more likely And the longer bed the less approach angle too
Get some Fahren led headlights for the ram
You might want to consider putting diamond plate down following the tires path. Once it gets wet, the plywood deck is going to get slick. Unless you're using a winch. Hope the new trailer works out.
Diamond plate is 10 times more slicker than wood. Unless you mean expanded metal.
You need something with grit, diamond plate would make it worse.
Patches or strips of grip tape could be a cheap and effective solution if additional traction is needed.
Please continue !!!!
To be fair if you use Premium in the R use Premium in the Ranger. Both should use same fuel ⛽.
When my 12,000 gvwr trailer is empty it sort of does the same thing on a bumpy road. Smooth on the highway though.
i like black and orange paint on ranger.
Would backing on the trailer be better?
I’m confused, why couldn’t you leave the ramps up? They weren’t hitting the trailer until you pulled the pin. Also with those axles so far back that would have been way too much tongue weight.
Stubby barely fit. What else could they do with this trailer.
Classic
Is both less expensive but more expensive. As it would not serve purpose for other vehicle testing
It’s obvious that trailer wasn’t right for them but he said it wouldn’t work to pull stubby. Thats what doesn’t make sense.
I want to see how big of a truck you can put on that trailer. I've been looking for a trailer that can hold a crew cab long bed truck
move truck forward put ramp down then back truck up. repeat for unloading
hmm that spare mount could get interesting if you pull WAYY too far forward.
The biggest mistake in this video is what y'all did to that Ranger. haha Sorry, couldn't help myself. Love the content guys!
Measuring tape anyone! hahaha!
Ah well, this is why there are erasers on pencils!
Sounds like a Singer sewing machine when you accelerated.
V8 good for towing. V8 not good at economy while towing. For that you need diesel. Should be interesting test!
Just move the spare tyre?
No
This is a bad idea in a fleet situation where trailer isn’t assigned to a truck.
You will need the tire. And the tire will be elsewhere.
I had issues with the spare always being in the way in an enclosed equipment trailer... Moved it up to the side of the tongue so it's out of the way but still easily accessible
A $ per pound is cheaper than ground beef. Hear in the year 2023 it is even cheaper than carrots. 😂😂
Maybe you two fellas shouldn't show up anywhere in public together in that Ranger with such flamboyant graphics 🌈
LOL... who's ridin' bitch? 🤣
I find after time a empty tilt load is the worst kinda bouncy u can get
A better test would be three different f150s with the different size engines towing the same load.
Why not do some towing videos with vans? Like a minivan? As they can also tow. It seems like you only are towing with trucks, and not other vehicles that can actually tow.
Should have bought a proper Brian James Trailer or an Ifor Williams Trailer Transporta. A beaver tailed trailer is good, but it isn't really a car carrier from the outset. However, this was clearly a video about the importance of correct trailer choice and trailer safety. Just come out and say it at the beginning instead of insulting peoples' intelligence.
The BigTex brand that they used has proper car transporters, too. They just chose an unsuitable equipment trailer then replaced it with a likely more suitable equipment trailer, instead of buying a car trailer from the same dealer.
put a big old wheel spacer on the spare tire