RGN ramps

@nate980 I think you're talking about the dog bones?

 

Yes, that's what there called!

 

My upper ramps are welded to the 5th wheel slide so once I have it set I do not need to move the 5th wheel. They move with the 5th wheel. Once I unhook the neck I can put air back in the suspension and the neck will rest on the frame, no need to block it.

I see where @nate980 is coming from, I too have to do the same thing at times. When hooking the neck back up only the pin that keeps the neck from falling is connected and you can just release the 5th wheel and slide it. The only weight on the 5th wheel plate is the weight of the neck.

I have to drop the neck off the 5th wheel again to connect up the dog bones and pick up the trailer.

 

The only issue I see is the lip on the top of the frame where the ramp up to the fifth wheel starts. That's going to be a prime spot where you'll hang up when getting under a heavy trailer.

 

Mechanical trailer=winch.
Pull til somethin breaks!
Just kidding...I did like @nate980 until 2006BH (before hydraulics)
I much prefer 2006AH...

 

I've seen mechanicals function numerous times, but the guys I've seen tend to run the fifth wheel centered between the drives and don't move them, which is not ideal most times.
I've also seen a trailer spit them out just before getting to the fifth wheel when it is slick out, which usually leads to getting a better run at it, and often a sudden stop (bang)!

On the other hand (things I've seen me do), I am aware of occasions that a person was hours away from the closest source of gas, unloads, and runs out of gas in the pony motor right after getting hooked back to the deck, but not having the trailer lifted, and realizes that he/she was supposed to have remembered to refill the jug. That's when I decided I needed a wet kit on the truck. (Thank God I had just unloaded an excavator capable of lifting the deck)

Thanks for the answers!

 

I've run both styles, hydraulic and mechanical, and yes, I've had the situation of getting spat out by the trailer. Problem with hydraulic necks is temperature, if it gets sufficiently cold, you can start having issues with the system. In general though, they're an easier set-up to run and my preference is towards hydraulics. The main thing I like about mechanical necks is how simple they are to operate, you do it, you aren't relying on valves and pumps and oil to get the job done, just know-how and planning. Used to run a Kaelyn-Seibert and Trail-King mechanical neck fairly frequently.

Regarding the bang after a fast run at the neck, that means they're powering through it. Slick enough you may need to do this, but, typically, even when traction isn't perfect, once you have the neck up and over center (meaning you're running up the shallow ramp to the fifth wheel), you don't need to fly along at it.

Done properly, you can hook a mechanical neck as smoothly as you can hook a flatbed or reefer, just takes practice and some clutch manipulation.

 

There is a touch to doing it smoothly, some have it others don't. I'm average at best at it, but I never pulled, nor had the desire to pull mechanical long enough to be good at it, but I can sure appreciate someone who is...

 

All about the feel on the ramps. There's a point at which you can feel the trailer get "light" on the ramps, problem is, the faster you have to run at the neck, the shorter the window you feel that point where it lightens up and you can slow down for a smooth hook.

Of course, a BIG influence on hooking mechanical necks is two things: the depth of the horns and the radius of the horn.

If your ramp horns barely go low enough to contact the rollers on the neck when dropped, it's going to be harder to hook up. I've never had the pleasure of doing truly radiused Cozad ramps (where there's no "breaks" where the angle changes, but a smooth, rolling radius up to the neck), but, the less severe the angles between the banks, the smoother you can hook the neck, as well.

Personally, I would have wanted deeper horns on the ramps, but, with low-pros, and without a severely loose neck (i.e. older trailer that's worn out in the pins) those will work. All of my time on mechanical necks and ramps is 11R24.5s and older necks, so, we ran a lot deeper ramps than that.

You'll feel the final break-over once it's on the upper ramps, maybe a bit of a bump as it's walking the transition from the frame to the last ramp section.

I would definitely gusset the horns at the end of the frame, first loaded trailer those are going to collapse.

Cnsper's photo shows a really good set of ramps, only change I would make would be deeper horns again. I don't know why so many shops build the horns so shallow.



That's an ideal set of ramps, in my opinion, nice deep drop on the horns, lots of body to the ramps, and a smooth radius. But, that takes a lot of metal work to build them that way.

 

Love my ramps for my mechanical neck.