Tilt-Bed Trailers
Have an assistant help you when loading a 2-capacity tilt-bed trailer to ensure that the bed stays tilted up for the loading operation. To load the snowmobile onto the trailer, drive the machine at a slow speed about halfway up the tilted bed. Then have the assistant pull forward on the front of the skis while also pushing down on the trailer bed. If the trailer is equipped with a winch, fasten it to the snowmobile and use it to winch the snowmobile forward. If the trailer does not have a winch, you may need to get off your snowmobile and help your assistant pull the snowmobile toward the front of the trailer.

Once the snowmobile is pulled forward, secure the tilt bed down with fastening pins, set the brake on the snowmobile, and then use the trailer’s tie-downs to secure the snowmobile to the trailer. The tilt bed trailer will either come equipped with a rod or a bar to secure the snowmobile to the trailer. A rod will go across the skis and is held in place at the outside end by a snap pin. A bar will go across the skis and be screwed into the trailer’s deck at a preset receptacle at the center of the snowmobile trailer bed. Also secure the rear of the snowmobile with a ratchet-type tie down strap.

If there is a second snowmobile to load onto the tilt-bed trailer, remove the tilt pin, tilt the trailer bed back down, repeat the loading process and then re-secure the tilt pin. If there are two drivers and at least one other person to assist, two snowmobiles can be loaded simultaneously.

Always use extreme caution when loading onto a tilt-bed trailer. Many accidents have resulted from driving too fast onto the trailer bed, which can cause the snowmobile to go up and over the trailer and into the back of a vehicle.

After loading and securing the snowmobile, make sure the trailer bed is tightly latched. Check your load frequency often. About 60 percent of the weight should be forward­ ¾ ­­toward the front of the trailer axle. This places more weight over the “tongue” of the trailer.