Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Replacing Springs on a Ramp on a Horse Trailer

Anybody ever tackled this? I bought a new-to-me trailer with a ramp a couple months ago. The springs are weak, and my wife struggles to get the ramp lifted. I bought the springs, thought I had it figured out.

I ground off the ends where the pin was welded, figured I'd just drive the pin out, and drive it back in with the new springs and voila. I anticipated the new springs being a pain, but I didn't figure driving out the pin would prove to be such a PITA.

I sprayed penetrating oil in all the holes where it'd make sense to do so. Ground off the welds, and used a punch and a hammer and after some busted knuckles I'm going to buy a bit for my air tool to try and hammer it out tomorrow. Wondering if I bit off too big a chunk?

pictures might be useful

Why not remove the ramp ? I found early on it will just get in the way, dirt and ice will make the hinges unworkable. It is safer just to have a horse step in and out. My opinion.Good luck

THIS... MUCH easier on all involved

It’s just a long hinge like a door hinge with springs in between the tails. Running along the bottom.

Good and bad to both. I’ve seen some nasty accidents from horses slipping and putting a leg under the trailer too. Neither here nor there, it’s the trailer I’ve got. I don’t have time or inclination to cut the hinges off, and weld up hinges and fab up doors to convert it. I don’t trailer around much, it just needs to be ready for when I need it. Vet, fire evac, etc.

Is drilling out and re-pinning an option?

Not had a ramped trailer.

It’s like a door hinge. With a pin the width of the trailer. Just got back with some bits for my air chisel I’m going to grind and modify and see how that goes. Bitch of it is the pin is really soft. Might just tell the wife to eat some spinach and deal with it lol

edit to add:

It's my first ramp trailer as well. I could fab up a cable/pully system like on a toy hauler pretty easy. But as this is a horse hauler that's an obvious no-go.

Don't really like the fuggin thing anyways, it's heavy as hell, but price was right and my old stock trailer needed new wood and the cancer was bad enough on it I didn't figure it was worth it. It's a nice trailer with a cool tack room and what not, and if I was pulling it with a 1 ton or a diesel 3/4 I wouldn't mind it.

Aaaah, the life.

Air chisel didn't do squat. Looks like I'll have to cut the hinge off the door, and proceed from there. Then weld the bitch back on after installing new springs.

I'm going to keep this updated in the case that someone using the search feature in the future has the same issue.

The hinge pin tends to rust to the hinge bracket or the pin wears slots and won’t slide sideways. Sometimes you can weld a bolt on the end of the pin to work it back and forth, then you can try the air hammer. If you have to air hammer it out, it’ll need air hammered back in plus aligned, I’d cut and weld. If the existing springs still work, you can add an auxiliary hand crank for her to use. She can hook it after the animal is loaded so there is no cable to get caught in.

BGG, I built custom trailers for many years and a ramp removal was one of my least favorite jobs. They are a B I ITCH!

Depending on the configuration of the rear of your trailer, you might be able to close the ramp and place bottle jacks
under each end of the ramp and take the pressure off the ramp and secure it to the trailer at the top with c-clamps.
Hopefully that will help in driving ot the hinge rod. If that does not help, then unfortunatly you will probably have to cut the
hinge from the ramp.
I guess I should ask if it is steel or aluminum?

Sorry. Had a differenter picture in mind.

Good luck.

Thanks for the tip, I'll try it here when I get time.

She's steel.

Is it possible the springs aren't weak, but the pin is corroded in the hinge?
That would cause the difficulty in both the working of the hinge and the removal of the pin . . .
I

Reasonable suggestion, but after the penetrating oil and lithium grease and being worked up and down enough I'm confident that's not the issue at hand.