Beaver tails

jandvs

Member
Because we roll fairly heavy non-motorized equipment into the garage, we are in dire need of beaver tails for the ramp door on our 3210 - for both the end that touches the ground and the hinge end to cover the gap into the trailer. We doubt Heartland makes beaver tails as none of the toy haulers have them. The Jayco Octane has them but our local Jayco dealer says they can't order them from the factory. Does anyone have a suggestion on where to find beaver tails?
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
I used to live in Minnesota and I know about Beaver, but since I am not familiar with the term as you are using it, what are Beaver Tails? Another question, how heavy is the equipment that you are putting in the garage?

John
 

jandvs

Member
Beaver tails are metal (probably aluminum) pieces which are attached to the ramp door and floor. We haven't measured any but they would have to be around 8" by the width of the ramp door to cover the gap. (We need only 8" x 3'.) They eliminate having to lift equipment up onto the ramp door at the bottom end and make a smooth floor across the hinge end. The Jayco Octane is the only toy hauler we've seen with a beaver tail across the hinge end. The one at the open end of the door falls down and out of the way when the door is closed. The one on the floor is pushed upright by the door and automatically falls back down when the door is opened.

We work craft shows and carry our show booth in the garage. It's not terribly heavy - maybe 100 lbs max on the heaviest stands - but the wheels get caught in the hinge-end gap plus we have to lift the wheels up onto the ramp door. We're not spring chickens and the easier we can make it on our bodies the better off we'll be. :)

Val
 

htneighbors

Unbelievably Blessed!
Dock Plates

This seems pricey and would still need modification for your application. I don't know about attaching them and having them automatically fold into place. Seems that could definitely run into some $$.

You may be able to find a nearby metal shop make some smaller and cheaper to lay into place when you're loading/unloading.
 

jandvs

Member
Thanks for the suggestion. We're trying to get away from having any more loose items to manage but may have to go with something like a wheelchair transition ramp.

Here's a picture of the Octane with its ramp door open - http://www.jayco.com/php/products/standards.php?id=157 The beaver-tail (transition ramp) isn't very clear but this is the only picture of it I could find. Jim doesn't think he'd have a problem installing Octane-type transition ramps if we can just find them. You'd think Jayco would sell them through their dealers to replace the ones which get accidentally damaged.
 

truknutt

Committed Member
I know exactly what you are talking about. If you roll small diameter wheels/casters especially heavy ones, it can be quite cumbersome...I had a diamond plate ramp attached to my last toyhauler to ease the transition from ground to ramp-door. My dealer ordered it from Jayco; they used to use it on their Talons, I believe. At 6 feet by 2 feet IT WAS PRICEY, to say the least! Attached is a shot of the piece in question from the Jayco Recon ZX site. Any Jayco Dealer should be able to order it if you want to pay for it.

Since you only need a piece 8 inches by 3 feet, you may be able to find it at Lowe's or Home Depot..they stock small pieces of diamond plate. Make sure it's thick enough to support your item's weight. As far as the gap at the top...it may make for a smoother transition if you dropped a removable block into the gap (again, dependent upon your item's weight) that ends up flush with the floor.
 

Attachments

  • Jayco Ramp door.jpg
    Jayco Ramp door.jpg
    112.4 KB · Views: 30

jandvs

Member
Thanks for the diamond plate suggestion. We'll definitely check it out.

The local Jayco dealer said he couldn't order these parts - maybe just didn't want to be bothered.

Val
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
Now I know what you are talking about. I would bet that you could go to a metal supplier or metal fabricator and get two pieces of aluminum diamond plate cut to size and attach with hinges to do what you are looking for, and probably not a lot of money.
 

Goldenwingers

goldenwingers
We had those on our old Play-Mor Patriot Sport toy hauler. If Jayco won't sell them you might check with Play-Mor, they also had a spring loaded one that folded over the gap between the door and the body. The price might surprise you to have them built as aluminum prices have gone through the roof. Link to Play-Mor http://www.playmorrvs.com/

Don
 

jandvs

Member
Thanks for the link to Play-Mor. I've emailed them to see if they can help.

Another idea, thanks to Lowe's website, is a 34" x 8" aluminum kick plate (for a door) for $20. Since we only need about 3' in length to roll our stands over, the kick plate might work. It's also probably a lot cheaper than getting pieces custom cut.
 

SAL7187

Member
You can go to PITPAL.COM They will have these for enclosed race trailers. They should also have something that will fill the gap on the top of the ramp in.
 

sealman

Active Member
Having raced sports cars we had them on every trailer we ever owned...A very good source would be a Featherlite trailer dealer. They deal with this all the time in all different lengths. You can probably go to featherlite directly.
Good luck,
John
 

jandvs

Member
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Everything we've looked at (PitPal, Play-Mor, etc.) has been way too expensive - $400 and up total. We were hoping to buy or create something that would stay attached to the door and floor so we didn't have to keep moving parts around, but after seeing the prices for factory-made products we'll use our super-cheap solution. A 1x4x6 board with routered corners fits perfectly in the gap and we're in the process of making something similar with an angled edge for the ground end. Three more pieces of wood to keep track of but at a cost of under $10, we don't care! :D If we ever need to go with a factory-made product, we now know many more places to check.
 

katkens

Founding Illinios Chapter Leader-retired
I buy a lot of my metal at the local scrap yards , angle , box tubeing ,etc. a lot cheaper than new . I even bought some alum. diamond plate there for a project , once. Might be a place to check....Ken
 

Sol

Active Member
Went to a small local RV show yesterday. Most of the solutions I observed were strips of diamond plate (some with slight degree of bend) attached to piano style hinges, which were then mounted to the edge of the garage floor to solve the ramp to garage floor gap issue. Additionally, same type solution for the ground to ramp transition with mounting along the ramp edge. Once mounted easily folded down for use, or back for closure/storage. Truknutt's thumb nail photo on page 1 of this discussion is a good example.
 
Top