Liftgate vs. Ramp: How Your Car Actually Gets Into the Trailer
How liftgates and ramps load a car into an enclosed trailer, the 4-inch clearance rule, measuring your car correctly, and what liftgate service actually adds.
On this page
- What is the difference between a liftgate and ramps on an enclosed trailer?
- How does a hydraulic liftgate actually work?
- Why do ramps damage low cars?
- How much ground clearance do you need to load a car on ramps?
- How do I measure my car's ground clearance correctly?
- Does tire pressure really change ground clearance?
- What should I take off the car before pickup?
- What does a winch add for an inoperable vehicle?
- How much more does liftgate service cost?
- How do I get my clearance checked before I book?
There are two ways a car gets into an enclosed trailer. It climbs a ramp, or it rides a hydraulic platform up. Which one you need comes down to a single measurement most owners take wrong.
What is the difference between a liftgate and ramps on an enclosed trailer?
Ramps are fold-out steel tracks that bridge the ground to the trailer deck, so the car climbs an incline of roughly 8 to 12 degrees on typical equipment as of August 2026. A liftgate is a hydraulic platform that lowers flat to the pavement, holds the car level, and raises it to deck height with no incline at all. AMG Transport Co. books liftgate equipment when the vehicle's lowest fixed point sits under about 4 inches, the industry rule of thumb as of August 2026, and ramps for everything above it. The limit worth knowing: liftgate trailers are a minority of the enclosed fleet, so a liftgate requirement narrows the carrier pool on your lane. AMG posts loads on a 72-hour pickup window as of August 2026 and uses it as a quality filter, but a thin lane still stretches it. If your car clears ramps comfortably, asking for a liftgate buys nothing but a longer wait.
| Factor | Ramp load | Liftgate load |
|---|---|---|
| Incline the car sees | Roughly 8-12 degrees | Zero, platform stays level |
| Best for | 4 inches of clearance or more | Under 4 inches, or non-running |
| Availability | Most enclosed trailers | A minority of them |
| Effect on pickup | Standard 72-hour window as of August 2026 | Can stretch on thin lanes |
How does a hydraulic liftgate actually work?
A liftgate is a steel platform on hydraulic cylinders bolted to the rear of the trailer. It lowers all the way to the pavement, the car drives or is winched onto it while completely flat, and the cylinders raise the platform to deck height so the car rolls straight into the trailer with no break-over point anywhere in the process. Platforms on car-hauling equipment are commonly rated in the 3,000 to 6,000 pound range as an industry norm as of August 2026. That rating is the real limit: a heavy armored sedan or a long-wheelbase dually can exceed either the weight capacity or the usable platform length, and AMG Transport Co. checks curb weight and wheelbase before committing a liftgate carrier. Once aboard, the car is secured over the tires with soft straps rather than chained at the frame or suspension.
Why do ramps damage low cars?
Ramps damage low cars at the crest, where the incline meets the flat deck, not at the bottom of the ramp where owners expect it. Enclosed trailer decks sit roughly 18 to 24 inches off the ground and ramps run roughly 8 to 12 feet as industry norms, which gives a shallow approach at the bottom but a sharp transition at the top. The nose scrapes on entry; the exhaust, subframe or side skirt drags at that transition. The crest is the break-over point, and it is the geometry nobody accounts for. Wood extensions or race ramps flatten the angle by a couple of degrees, which is a genuine fix for a mild lowering spring and not a fix for a coilover setup. AMG Transport Co. will tell you when a ramp load is marginal rather than gamble on it, because a scraped splitter is a claim and a claim is worse than a two-day wait.
How much ground clearance do you need to load a car on ramps?
About 4 inches at the lowest fixed point is the industry rule of thumb as of August 2026. Above that, most enclosed trailers with fold-out ramps load the car with no contact. Below it, you want a liftgate. AMG Transport Co. treats 4 inches as a soft line, not a law. A 3.5-inch splitter on a car with a short front overhang often clears fine, while a 4.5-inch side skirt on a long-wheelbase sedan can still drag at the crest. What matters is clearance combined with overhang and wheelbase, which is why we ask for the measurement plus the year, make and model instead of one number. The exception: if the car is lifted rather than lowered, clearance is not the constraint, height is. Lifted trucks and SUVs go on open transport, because most enclosed trailers cannot fit them under the roof.
| Clearance at lowest fixed point | Loads on ramps? | What gets booked |
|---|---|---|
| 6 inches or more | Yes | Standard enclosed or open, no notes needed |
| 4 to 6 inches | Yes | Enclosed on ramps, low-clearance flagged in dispatch |
| 3 to 4 inches | Marginal | Liftgate preferred; ramp only with extensions and driver sign-off |
| Under 3 inches | No | Liftgate required |
| Any clearance, will not roll or steer | No | Liftgate plus winch, or the load gets declined |
How do I measure my car's ground clearance correctly?
Park on level concrete, set the tires to the door-jamb placard pressure, empty the trunk and cabin, then measure straight down from the lowest fixed point to the ground with a tape measure. The lowest fixed point is almost never where owners guess. On most lowered and factory-low cars it is the front splitter or lip, a side skirt, an exhaust resonator, or the front subframe crossmember. It is not the frame rail and it is never the tire. Measure the front lip separately, because it is the first thing a ramp touches. AMG Transport Co. asks for the number in inches and where it came from, since 3.5 inches at the exhaust is a different problem than 3.5 inches at the nose. One exception: on air suspension, measure at the lowest ride height the car settles to with the engine off, not at lift mode.
Does tire pressure really change ground clearance?
Yes, by enough to matter. Dropping a passenger tire from around 35 psi to around 20 psi typically lowers the car roughly a quarter to a half inch as an industry rule of thumb as of August 2026, a meaningful slice of a 4-inch budget. Cold weather does a smaller version of the same thing, since tire pressure falls roughly 1 to 2 psi for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit the temperature drops. This cuts both ways. Measure at 28 psi on a cold morning and you may report a number half an inch pessimistic, pushing yourself onto liftgate equipment you did not need. Airing tires down to clear a ramp is a real technique drivers use, but AMG Transport Co. does not treat it as a substitute for a liftgate. It buys a fraction of an inch, and somebody has to reinflate at delivery.
What should I take off the car before pickup?
Anything that hangs low, sticks out, or is not bolted on. On a low car, removable lip extensions, undertray spoilers, low-hanging exhaust tips and dealer plate brackets are the usual culprits, and pulling them is often the difference between a clean ramp load and a scraped splitter. Run the fuel to about a quarter tank, the industry norm, which also sheds a little weight and ride height. AMG Transport Co. asks customers to disable auto-lowering or aero-deploy features and to note anything that cannot come off, so it lands in the dispatch notes and the driver shows up expecting it. The exception worth naming: do not remove anything you cannot reinstall yourself. A splitter sitting loose in the trunk at delivery is a worse outcome than a careful ramp load with the splitter still on the car.
- Removable front lips, splitter extensions and canards
- Low exhaust tips and aftermarket diffusers
- Front plate brackets hanging below the bumper
- Roof boxes, bike racks and tall wings, which run into trailer interior height
- Everything in the trunk and cabin, which carrier cargo insurance does not cover
- Toll tags and parking transponders
What does a winch add for an inoperable vehicle?
A winch pulls a car that cannot drive itself onto the platform or up the ramps under slow, controlled tension, using a strap on the tow hook or a rated recovery point. It solves the "does not run" problem. It does not solve the "does not roll" problem. For a winch load to work the wheels have to turn, the steering has to be unlocked, and the brakes have to hold or the driver has to chock it. AMG Transport Co. needs all three confirmed before dispatch as of August 2026, because a car that will not roll needs skates or a forklift on both ends and many carriers decline it at the curb. Paired with a liftgate, a winch covers the hardest case in this business: a lowered car that does not start. See inoperable vehicle transport for exactly what to disclose.
How much more does liftgate service cost?
There is no separate liftgate fee at AMG Transport Co. A liftgate requirement moves where you land inside the enclosed premium, which runs $400 to $800 over open transport as of August 2026. A ramp-loaded enclosed move on a busy interstate lane sits near the bottom of that band. A liftgate requirement on a rural or off-season lane pushes toward the top, because fewer trailers qualify and the ones that do hold their rate. Quotes hold for 30 days as of August 2026, and no fuel surcharge or liftgate upcharge is added after the load is dispatched. The honest limit is that when a liftgate is genuinely required on a thin lane, the real cost is a longer pickup window rather than a higher price, and paying more does not put a qualifying trailer on a lane that does not have one. See enclosed transport cost and lowered car transport.
How do I get my clearance checked before I book?
Send the measurement and the spot it came from, and we will tell you whether your car loads on ramps or needs a liftgate before anything is booked. Call (800) 494-5059 with the number in inches, the point you measured from, and the year, make and model, and you get the answer on that call. If ramps handle your car, we will say so instead of booking equipment you do not need, because an unnecessary liftgate buys nothing but a longer wait for a trailer. If a liftgate is genuinely required, it shows up in the quote up front rather than as a surprise at pickup. No deposit is charged until a carrier is confirmed and you approve the pickup date, and that deposit is $207.70 as of August 2026, which is $200 plus card processing. To check the assigned carrier's authority and insurance yourself, see how to verify a carrier.