I will shortly be buying a flatbed gooseneck trailer. The ones I have used in the past have the spring loaded, flip down ramps that lay flat at deck level when stored. There are of course other options, like pull out ramps. Then there are the flip down kind that stay vertical when not in use.

What is everyone's experience with each? Which do you prefer and why?

Of the three options you listed I have the first two: spring assisted flip down and stowed ramps (older trailer). For my use I much prefer the spring assisted (mine are the BigTex Mega ramps). That said, whatever you are hauling has to be able to get far enough forward to flip the ramps - with my backhoe I have to pull a little farther up past ideal, flip ramps, then back it up a tick into the sweet spot. It's not AS big a deal pulling and setting stowed ramps for a dovetail because you don't have to lift them THAT high. I have a Fontaine drop-deck (no dove) with some homemade ramps for hauling heavy equipment - they are a chiropractor's DREAM. That's what it would be like with a straight deck hotshot trailer.

The ramps that lock vertically aren't for me, but I don't have an application that keeps me from flipping the ramps all the way back horizontal. On top of that they just seem like a big sail when going down the road with no load. Just my opinion.

I'd say it depends on the trailer and what you are hauling with it.

Is it a lowboy gooseneck or larger dovetail? You don't typically see pull outs on a dovetail. Spring assisted are typically the larger heavy ramps that lay flat on the dovetail as mentioned, for large equipment and dozers. I have seen lighter duty trailers with the vertical stand up ramps, sometimes spring assisted. But I wouldn't necessarily want ramps sticking up in the air depending on what you are hauling, especially if you have a mower or something that hangs off the back of the trailer a little bit.

I have a 20' lowboy gooseneck and it has the slide in ramps, which helps when hauling the tractor with a brushhog that hangs off a few feet. Fold up ramps of any style would not work.

The ones that lock upright also plow the air and lower gas mileage.

Not a big issue if it's a dove tail trailer & you're loaded with equipment because the dovetail puts the connection of the ramp lower & the deck of the trailer is higher so your tractor, dozer, backhoe, or whatever is already catching all the wind.

TLDR: you aren't going to see significant gas mileage savings anytime you hook up to a trailer of this style if the ramps are sticking up in the air or not.

Are you buying a gooseneck lowboy 14K pound trailer or a 20k+ trailer?

It depends what you are hauling. You don't want to load a track machine on a gooseneck lowboy with flip up (stay vertical when up) ramps. The ramp to bed transition is too great to be any fun. Loaded a CTL once on it and then I went to using a gooseneck dovetail 22GN Big Tex with the flip over ramps. That trailer didn't have the megaramp option, which would be on any new trailer I bought, but was too good of deal to pass up.

The Big Tex spring assist flip over ramps on the 22GN are much easier to flip than the heavy stand up ramps on the gooseneck lowboy.

More details of what you are hauling and what size trailer you are getting will get you better suggestions.

Thanks for all the feedback.

What I was originally looking at was something like this:



14k range, 25+5, no rails, dovetail. But this is all I've ever known for a longer trailer. In doing searching I saw the other ramp options that got me to thinking.

Only thing I don't like about this design is losing the 5' on the back end. I know you can pull up, flip the ramps, then back up. But you still lose 5' if you're driving equipment up, and if you have anything up front (ex. bales of hay), then you don't have that option anymore.

I'll be hauling wheeled equipment and hay. Tractor with shredder, other implements, small skid steer, etc. I don't have anything tracked.

The trailer you posted is a dovetail. If you need extra length for hay/ equipment you just need to account for what you need in the deck length.

The dovetail makes it easier to load, provides a lower angle and transition from the ramp to the deck. This style also allows for the spring assisted ramps which are heavier and last longer, but need the extra assistance to flip over.

On a gooseneck dovetail like in your picture, go ahead a pay for the Mega Ramps, which create a flat deck when in travel mode, versus the standard ramps that are pictured.

If you went with a 14GP trailer https://www.bigtextrailers.com/14gp-heavy-duty-pipe-gooseneck, then there would be different ramp options, but your overall width would be less, and they only make them up to 24'. This type of trailer is what I call a "gooseneck lowboy".