Making a removable gate on utility trailer?

[The motor guy]

I get so tired of people not being able to load something onto my trailer because the gate won't come off. Whatever happened to just lifting up half the pallet so you can get it onto the trailer enough, then just use a 4x4 to push it the rest of the way. Apparently they were never paying me enough as a forklift driver. Anyways, I didn't take pics but I want to replace the hinges with 1/2'' bolts that can be removed. It looks like they put a solid steel pin inside the hinge, then just welded the very end on each side so the pin would stay put. I don't know if I have enough clearance to drill out the weld so I'm thinking about just taking a cutting wheel to it and cut one of the hinges a bit shorter which will cut the welded pin off then slide a bolt into just that one. I'm not sure if I will have to put a bolt in each hinge or just one. I'd like keep one pin welded that way I think it would be easier to get the gate back on only needing to put one bolt on instead of both.

Opinions?

 

[The motor guy]

Seems like a cheap easy fix to me without having to re engineer the whole world. lol

 

[Black_Thunder]

the small 5x8 trailer that i have has a removable ramp/gate, it simply has 2 pieces of metal tubing welded to the back of the trailer and then 2 rods welded on the gate and bent at an angle and then straight again that slides into the tubing and once the gate is up it can't move side to side because it goes slightly into the bed/side and then has the lock pins that go into holes.


so to remove it you just drop the gate/ramp down till it clears the sides and then slide it to one side and the ramp comes off.

 

[Strokenmerc]

I thought most utility trailers had similar hinges where you can slide the ramp left or right to remove. Not sure I understand how the hinge pin could be welded on both ends? Maybe 1 side is just an end cap welded on and the pin will slide out. On the trailers I've seen the pin is permanent on the trailer and the gate slides off.

 

[The motor guy]

Okay it looks like it should slide to the right and come off, but it isn't. I need something more substantial then a 16oz claw hammer. Now I know why it's got those goofy drop in bars with a chain attached to keep the gate closed. It's to keep the gate from sliding off going down the road.

 

[The motor guy]

Definitely need to taper down the bar a tad that it slides into, not much slack at all.

 

[Black_Thunder]

Looked at a new trailer today. Heres how the 4x8 ramp trailer setup looks like

 

[mk378]

Madman, can you post a picture of your trailer?

 

[Andrew1972]

You post a lot about this particular trailer? You too far in to get rid of this unsuitable one and replace it?

 

[The motor guy]

Originally Posted by madRiver
You post a lot about this particular trailer? You too far in to get rid of this unsuitable one and replace it?


There's nothing wrong with this trailer. Just replaced the deck with treated wood a couple years back. It's my other trailer that needs the axles changes out.