Aaagh Horsebox ramp stuck!!

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Louby

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Cabt believe it, I advertised my wagon yesterday and have 2 viewers, one coming tomorrow afternoon. So took it for a run today, everything fine, gave it a clean tonight and last minute thought Id check the back gates were clean. Well the ramps well and truely stuck. We managed to move it about 2 inches but that was that. Ive get the wagon moving over the winter but I havent had a horse in it since probably last October!! I never give the ramp a thought. Wrve tried oiling it but it wont budge. Luckily the Horsebox maker said I can take it in first thing in the morning but Im worrying now it wont be a quick job.
Anyone had this happen and is it easy to sort out. This is typical of my luck :(:(
 
Awwww thank you for replying
Spring loaded, no springs on show though. Phew, Ive been panicking. Got another caller now so 3 viewers. Im so mad with myself as the other 2 want to come in the morning.
 
Thanks, Ive got my fingers crossed they can sort it very quickly, cant worry about the cost really, it has to work lol. Lesson learnt for the future, dont forget to use your ramps :D.
 
Just checked with my dad.... our ramp has two knobs on either side of the ramp that adjust the springs.... they both have to be smack on the same.... my ramp is a little stiff at the moment, but basically the system has settled down now it has been used a couple of times... and my favorite dad has his list of jobs to do tomorrow on the horse box... ie check tyres, levels and now adjst the ramp !
 
Thanks, my ramps mechanism is underneath. I can see a very large bolt/nut which is near the ramp on both fixings which Im now told needs regular adjustment. The ramp was as light as anything last time I used it but its as if its totally seized up. Ive had 3 enquiries now so Im panicking a bit.
 
spring adjustment or new springs

might be expensive as new springs can be hundreds of pounds i do believe

also if not regularly used the nuts that adjust them may be seized so may need heat adjustment

so may take a whole morning
 
sounds like it needs a good grease and opening and shutting a few times! wd is a great quick fix but rqmps really need that yucky yellow thick grease on the moving parts and hinges! good luck.
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
sounds like it needs a good grease and opening and shutting a few times! wd is a great quick fix but rqmps really need that yucky yellow thick grease on the moving parts and hinges! good luck.
Click to expand...
yes sounds like it could be where the spring asembly telliscope so you could try take a light and look to see where the inner bit and the outer meets inside the spring and spray wd 40 or simalar, also spray the hinge under the ramp then try and GENTLY!! rock the ramp up and down a little at a time do not force it you could bend a bracket or break a weld,have someone inside push and someone outside stood in the back of a pick up pushing the ramp back and to .... otherwise you need someone to remove and free off the spring assemblys.
 
ah, we build horseboxes and springs can be a pain.

have you got adjustable slides where it attaches onto the ramp? it should have 2 brackets actually welded onto the ramp and then the spring will have a piece of metal that is bolted onto this that you can adjust with some bolts?

The large nuts under the ramp should ....... just take the slack out of the spring.

sorry this is hard to explain.

What kind of hinges is on the ramp? simple pins or is it a long bar because those type to easily corrode and stick (we had 2 in last week for doing!) so that would be WD40

i would find it hard to believe that the springs would fail unless the spring has stuck its self onto a certain part. honest try a good hit on the spring its self, as you should be able to twist the actual spring around.
Dont worry about spring prices you shouldnt pay too much for that, if they need replacing but its rare!
 
Thanks everyone for your help, its sorted weh hey:D:
They rocked it and said it has to come down, managed to get it half way but a bracket did start to break. It wasnt the spring mechanism as I had thought but the brackets had stuck solid sort of where the ramp meets the box. They oiled them all and had to heat up the broken bracket to get it free moving, luckily it has about 8 of these brackets. They then welded it and adjusted the springs as it seemed a little heavier. So thankfully its back to normal.
 
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