Front ramp on trailer

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chocolategirl

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Opinions please. I’m in the market for a new trailer and in the past, I’ve always had the front ramp on the left, so if you break down and have to unload, you’re loading onto the pavement/grass verge, but there’s a really nice second hand trailer at a reasonable price I really want, but the ramp is on the other side, ie, unloading onto the road, so my question is, what’s your preference and why? I need convincing that it’ll be ok to get a ramp on the ‘wrong’ side lol. Thanks!
 
I had a Bateson which come as standard (or at least always used to) with front ramp passenger side, which I got used to and preferred. Not so much from an unloading point of view, but I used to go out a lot on my own and if I ever had a problem I was reassured I could get from the driving seat to the jockey door without having to go round the vehicle or over the hitch. When I chopped it in for an Ifor 511 I had it made with the ramp on the passenger side like I was used to. Again unless anything has changed Ifor front ramps are driver side as standard.

Sorry that won’t have convinced you about having the ramp on the “wrong” side I know!
 
My trailers were always unload on the right hand side. Richard Maxwell always takes horses off the back ramp as it discourages rushing and i think is good practice for such situations, you could consider training her to do that for such situations
 
The only thing that I’d nitpick and change on my owned from new 2006 Ifor 510 is that the ramp is on the driver’s side 🙃.

I just prefer to unload to the left, like in my previous Rice trailer.

Ifors have been made a choice of right or left side front ramps for a while now, but that came after I’d bought mine.
 
I think the personnel access door is probably more important to have on the left so that if you need to pull over to check your horse you can get into the trailer more safely.
 
blitznbobs said:
I always unload backwards from a trailer … I am convinced it is safer as front ramps are too narrow so I don’t care
Click to expand...
This!
Even if you have a left hand front ramp, it's not always safe to unload onto pavement/verge full of rubbish etc.

Mines a r hand ramp as I figure you'll pretty much always be able to unload this way but I always unload backwards after a horse panicked, jumped off the ramp onto my leg.
Even my youngster got reverse straightaway
 
I just got a new IW trailer last year I waited the extra time to get a left hand unload. After driving two previous trailers for 32 years both left hand unload I don't think my brain could cope with right hand unload. Also as I always travel with only one horse having the ramp which is heavier than the jockey door side the other side to the horse it is more balanced as a single horse should be loaded on the right hand side for a smoother ride. I think it is personal choice no one way is correct but I am happy with my choice and so is my horse.
 
I never use a front ramp I hate them , the only time I ever use one is for a foal .

I always unload out the back of a trailer.
If you breakdown you pull in to the side of the road there’s no way you can guarantee that you can open a passenger side ramp .
It’s one of the things I dislike about my side unload lorry .
 
When I had a trailer, the ramp was on the drivers side .
I liked it this way because
a) the extra weight is at the top of the camber, instead of the low side
b) the grooms door is on the left, therefore safer to get to on a road
c) I could park on a narrow verge /get the trailer off the road as much as possible, and still be able to drop the front ramp
 
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