I need to be able to load my sled onto a tilt bed trailer by myslef, and I'm thinking it would be much easier and safer to winch the sled onto the tilted bed rather than driving on. Does anyone use a winch for this, attached either to the trailer tongue or the tow vehicle? Where would I want to hookup the sled to the winch, skis, front handle, or ski cross bars? thanks for the help.

whats the problem with driving it on. People do it all the time by there self.

:withstupid: LoL

Don't winch it up unless your sure your alone. If another smowmobiler see ya he'll be laughing his A** off.

Seriously. I have been using ramped trailers for years but before that it was driving up a tilt trailer. I recently purchased a Triton Lite 2 place that is a tilt. The best thing for you to get is one of those gas shocks to keep the tilt tilted for you. They are a great new product and I will be mounting one as soon as I can find one. It keeps it up so you can drive it right up.

A few tips are:

Make sure your brakes are working good on the sled.
Warm it up before you ride it up.
Line up the sled on the side you wnat way before you hit the trailer. Good to do especially when this is the 2nd sled on the trailer.

Getting the sled off is the hard part enjoy driving them up.

I am a single woman and I always loaded my sleds by myself on a tilt trailer. It is not hard and as with most things the more you do it the easier it is. It will just take a little practice. It is easier than it looks. I am sure you will do just fine.

thanks for the replies. how about some loading details? do you hit the trailer running, or stop at the bottom then start with the skis on the trailer bed? i've never seen anyone do this, and am on a steep learning curve. the few times i've tried it have been less than easy. thanks for as much detail as you can bear to offer such a newbie......

I just put some ski guides on my tilt bed trailer and that helps a ton! My carbide ski runners used to dig into the plywood and I would have to hit it with a running start, and then slam on the brakes, somewhat hair raising. Now I hit it at a pretty slow pace and just drive up and set the parking brake, much less friction. (Make sure you release the parking brake after you put the trailer flat.) Also helps unloading, almost effortless. Oh yeah, wear your helmet. My dad finished loading his sled last year, slipped on the trailer and fell to the ground. No injuries luckily, but 63 year olds shouldn't take chances. I load by myself all the time and the gas shock to hold the trailer up is a life saver. I put two old tracks down on the bed for traction and the added weight is enough to hold the trailer tilted.

Happy loading.