got a truck

[bberck]

Looks good ;D

 

[pelphrey]

Looking good YamaRider!!

 

[yamarider]

A question for you guys that have trucks for hauling quads - what kind of ramps should I get? I already decided i'll be getting it at harbor freight because of the prices, but I really don't know which would be best. One that folds in half or 2 ways, or just 2 separate small ramps? I think my warrior is about 45 inches wide at it's widest point, so I don't know what it would be like to ride it up a 43 inch wide ramp. I never loaded a quad onto a truck so i'm just looking for some experienced opinions on this. Thanks.

 

[pelphrey]

I have 2 seperate ramps I use. They are roughly 6-7 foot long. The bad thing about them is I can't get them into the cab of our truck. If you ride in public places I would look into some that fold down small enough to store in the extra cab of your truck or up front. People will steal these things, so I hate leaving them in the bed of my truck. If I park away from others which I usually do I'll take my ramps and place them in 2 different spots in tall grass that is harder to see.

 

[hillclimbingrecon]

i wouldnt do that becuse if some one decides to park where our ramps are they will be crushed.nice pics

 

[pelphrey]

i wouldnt do that becuse if some one decides to park where our ramps are they will be crushed.nice pics

First off I put them where there won't be any taffic at all. And these are some heavy metal ramps, yeah they can and probably will bend. But won't crush them. Thats why I said I hide them in tall grass, away from the road. I've done it plenty of times so far they were taken nor crushed...

 

[warlord]

If you have strong enough ramps you can just drive your truck on top of them. Theives would have alot of work to do for a set of ramps.

 

[hillclimbingrecon]

nice pics

 

[hillclimbingrecon]

yeah,LOL

 

[yamarider]

I'm not worried about the ramp getting stolen, I have a bicycle cable lock that I use to keep the gas cans from walking away, i'll just loop that through the ramp too. What i'm considering most at this point is the steel bifold ramp on Harbor Freight's website. I don't really like the idea of seperate ramps, because it just seems like it would be a pain to get them aligned right each time i load or unload, especially in the loose stones of Rausch Creek's parking lot. I'd rather have their trifold ramp since it's 2 inches wider, but I already know that ramp won't fit under my warrior when it's folded.

But wait, hmm maybe it would. I know it won't when it's folded 3 ways, but 2 ways it should fit fine. I'll have to take some measurements, but that seems like it might be the ticket now.

 

[pelphrey]

Well my truck has marks on the tail gate where the ramps go. And not only that bu there are muddy spots on the bed of the truck. It takes me 2 seconds to pull them out and place them where they need to go. You'd get used to it after awhile.

 

[yamarider]

What keeps those ramps from kicking out underneath the quad? The folding ramps have straps to keep them from sliding out, but I don't think the same idea would work on individual ramps. I can't imagine the individual ramps would be that great when you're loading up in a loose stone parking lot, but I never used them so I really don't know.

 

[pelphrey]

I put my quad in reverse and once I start going down pull the clutch and just roll off the ramps that way there isn't anything pulling against them as the back wheels would. Its worked fine on gravel of all types and on the road plenty of times. No big deal, of course you'll get used to it after doing it so many times and you won't even think about it like I said before you'd get used to it.

 

[yamarider]

But what keeps the ramp from kicking out when you're pulling onto the truck? It's gonna take a considerable amount of throttle to get it up over the wheel humps, and I don't want it to just spin the ramps out because they're not strapped down.

 

[pelphrey]

Well I got a 86 dodge ram do the wheel wells aren't a factor there I can pick up enough speed to shoot up the ramps fast enough that no throttle is needed once I hit them with my rear tires. Sounds like you got your mind made up on ramps with straps. Either way your not going wrong here. But if your careful it will take a decent amount of force to kick these ramps off the bed of the truck.

 

[yamarider]

I never loaded a truck yet so i'm not sure how this goes, but I don't think I want to get a running start at it. I don't want to dent up the wheel humps (they seem thin) and I definitely don't want to go flying over and crash into the back of the bed. Someone on atvconnection gave me a good idea though, to make small wooden ramps in front of the wheel humps so it'll just roll right over. I might actually have to load up off-center so I only drive over one wheel hump, because from taking measurements my tires will probably get wedged in between the tops of the humps (so most of the tires would be in the air, and only the outer-most edges making contact).

I'm not in a big hurry to make this decision. My cousin has a trifold ramp, so i'm going to borrow that from him this weekend and see how it goes.

 

[hillclimbingrecon]

dude its not THAT big of a deal,my dad has a pair of ramps and the are like a "H" they fold over left to right and they hold my 400 lbs quad with a 120lbs rider on it fine and it fits real good in my dads tacoma 4X4 just fine.all you do is just drive up the ramp and pull it in to the truck.easy

 

[palerider]

.... I think my warrior is about 45 inches wide at it's widest point, so I don't know what it would be like to ride it up a 43 inch wide ramp. I never loaded a quad onto a truck...

It would suck. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. If your quad is 2 inches wider than your ramp this leaves you 0 room for error, actually -2 room for error.

Probably no big deal most of the time if you are really paying attention, but that one time after riding all day, your tired, it is raining out, and is now dark, you line it up and one side falls off you are looking at the very least a new pair of clean britches but possibly more if it rolls.

You should have the ramp 4ever so get one that will work the best 4 ya.

 

[usdsk8er540]

like pelphrey has said, i have 2 seperate ramps and i love them. i got a kit that gives you the top mount brackets that mount to some boards, and they have a good sized lip that sits on the end of the tailgate or bed if you decide not to risk your tailgate coming down while you are on it! the only time you really need to worry about the ramps coming out is when you are loading, not unloading. the mount things came with a sort of grippy tape stuff, and you can also drill 2 small holes (i know i know, but hear me out) through them on either side of the mounts and into the bed (so long as there is nothing under there) and slide some small bolts or pins in there. then you wont have to worry about them sliding out when you are loading and you line them up perfectly each time. this would also keep you from having to hook up straps that could potentially get in the way. also, if you dont go too fast when loading and use the grip stuff on the mounts, it shouldnt slip out. i havent had it happen to me and i dont even use the pin method thing. if you do this method, get the kit, get the measurement on the mounts (width and thickness) and get some pressure treated boards to fit it. i have a full size stepside short bed silverado and my quad and ramps fit in perfectly (width and length). i just slide the ramps under the warrior (under the swingarm skid) and i made the ramps short enough that they just barely clear the tailgate. just make sure you dont have too steep of an angle, because then you would probably have the problem of losing them while loading. ive seen it happen with the metal folding ramps, but the guy just got it in right before it came off. he gave it too much gas and his rear tires just kinda shot the ramps out from under him. probably needed to change his shorts after that. also, if you do the separate ramp method with the boards, get some sort of grip paint or tape and put it on there. before i did this, i would have problems with my tires spinning and not getting traction if it was wet. also, like warlord said, after you unload, just take your ramps, put them in front of your front tires, and drive up on them. ive seen other guys do that and i thought it was a great idea. also, the alternative way to haul your quad (which i have started doing so i can leave my tonneau on my truck) is using a trailer. i use my grandpa's tilt bed trailer and it works great. good luck with your ramp situation. hope you fit between the wheelwells!