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Hydraulically-Powered Beavertail Trailer
After seeing a trailer with an extended power beavertail at a dealership, priced at $6,000 and no trade-in, Larry Fulton built his own.
“I had a 24-ft. gooseneck trailer with a short and fixed beavertail that I modified,” says Fulton.
He ordered a 20-ft. length of 3 by 6-in. rectangular tubing from the l
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Hydraulically-Powered Beavertail Trailer
After seeing a trailer with an extended power beavertail at a dealership, priced at $6,000 and no trade-in, Larry Fulton built his own.
“I had a 24-ft. gooseneck trailer with a short and fixed beavertail that I modified,” says Fulton.
He ordered a 20-ft. length of 3 by 6-in. rectangular tubing from the local iron works and had it cut into three pieces. He used it for the main frame of the new beavertail.
“I cut out a section of the old beavertail from the trailer’s main frame back, leaving 2-ft. sections on either side,” says Fulton. “The piece removed matched the width of the trailer bed.”
He fabricated a new beavertail platform using the rectangular tubing, with cross members of 2 by 2-in. angle iron and 2-in. channel iron for the edges. He designed it to fill the cutaway section and extend another 6 ft. or so to the rear of the remaining original beavertail. The last 2 ft. or so tapered downward but remained wide enough at the end for taillights.
“I put heavy-wall pipe across the end of the trailer bed where the section had been cut away,” says Fulton. “I fabricated cams to fit over the pipe and welded them to the new beavertail. When fully raised, all but the last 2 ft. is level with the trailer bed. I covered the new beavertail framing with expanded-metal diamond plate.”
Initially, Fulton used an electric-over-hydraulic lift attached to the trailer. On his first trip, the trailer bounced up and down, and the lift released. The beavertail dropped to the pavement.
“I tore it out and replaced it with two 2-way hydraulic cylinders,” says Fulton. “As they rotate the cam, they push the beavertail up.”
Fulton powered the cylinders with an electric two-way pump and wired it to the battery that powers his winch.
“I added some traction bars to the beavertail so material can slide up it onto the trailer,” says Fulton. “The beavertail has worked fine and cost much less than the dealer wanted.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry Fulton, 4504 E. 17th St., Cheyenne, Wyo. 82001 (ph 307-631-1398; lhfulton@msn.com).
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