4-Star Trailers, Inc., announces its latest innovation for owners of its world class line of custom built horse trailers:  The ‘Easy Lift’ Ramp.

If you’ve been around horse trailers long enough you’ve probably noticed that many of them have ramps for loading and unloading.  Ramps greatly ease this task.  However, there can be a number of problems associated with using them.   Some ramps never quite reach the ground when lowered while others sit hard to the ground and are difficult to raise and lower.   Ramps assembled from dissimilar metals may experience a phenomenon known as galvanic corrosion which can cause ramps to squeak or groan as they are raised and lowered.   In places where salts are used for de-icing roads the process of galvanic corrosion is accelerated.   If the galvanic process is severe enough, the ramp may lock up making it impossible to move.

The most common method used to assemble a ramp onto a trailer is to use large door hinges with alternating coil springs assembled along a large diameter hinge pin.   The size and number of coil springs used is determined by the ramp’s width, length, and weight.   Problems arise when the width of a ramp is less than its height, leaving insufficient space for enough springs to fully counter the ramp’s weight. This results in ramps which are difficult to raise and lower.

Unlike many horse trailer manufacturers who build 1 or 2 standard size ramps, 4-Star builds ramps whose dimensions for width and height may be specified by the end user.   This literally translates to a near infinite number of ramp sizes.   While it is relatively easy to build a few ramp sizes with proper spring forces, it is extremely difficult to ensure that custom sized ramps have the right amount of spring force.

4-Star’s ‘Easy Lift’ ramp incorporates an infinitely variable spring assembly which can be tailored to provide just the right amount of spring force to almost any size ramp.  In addition, all dissimilar metal to metal contact is eliminated through the use of self lubricating bearings in the hinge points. 

See the video at:  'Easy Lift' Ramp Video