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Posted by: jaybeecon55
I've used most styles over the years and my favorite all around it a tri-fold aluminum. The main thing is to get ramps that are long enough for the height to your bed and to make sure that you have a way to attach the ramp to the truck via pins or a safety chain. When loading into trucks with plastic bed liners there is a strong tendency for the rear wheels of the ATV to sling the ramp out backwards right as the ATV reaches the top.
Other factors to consider is the storage space taken up by the ramp when you travel down the road and of course, price. Northern has some good selections.
Jaybee
Posted by: jaybeecon55
Northern Tool & Equipment Company. This has got to be the greatest retail store known to man or beast. They sell all kinds of tools - air, power, hydraulic. If you want a 20-ton hydraulic jack, you can get it from Northern. They carry truck boxes, all the parts needed if you felt like welding up your own trailer (they sell trailers too), go carts, cart and quad tires, rope, chain, cable, winches, all kinds of hooks and shackles, lights, hitches, pressure washers, log splitters, yard tools and equipment - even engines and generators. They are a national chain but I don't know if they are in your area - an internet search will tell you. They basically have lots of big & heavy-duty stuff that you just don't see anywhere else. They also have pretty good prices with lots of clearence deals of small tools and stuff. And of course they also sell ramps - Tri-folds & Bi-folds in aluminum, straight and arched single ramps in aluminum, steel and plastic as well as the end cap kits to make your own ramp out of 2x8's or 2x12's.
My truck is the same height as yours and my ramps are 78" long so the 82" should work fine for you. My tri-folds have a set of safety chains on each front corner that I can hook around my tailgate cables. BTW, I like the tri-fold because you never have to worry about setting the width correctly, plus they fold up to a managable package - thin enough to fit under my ATV. Even though I usually trailer, I still will transport in the truck if I'm only taking one ATV.
Jaybee
Posted by: damguy
I had a truck like yours and used a bi-fold Oxlite and loved it. I sold it with the quad and got another later but bought the lightweight version and it was narrower and I fell off it once surviving unscathed. Arched are for low clearance vehicles. A word of caution. Get in the habit of using the safety cables, they could save your life! I now have a Triton trailer with a self storing ramp that either loads from the rear or side so I can carry two quads and love it. Hope this helps.
Posted by: thud
I picked up some used catwalk material thats works great for ramps. Its about 12inches wide and I cut it into 6ft sections to fit in the box of my truck. Catwalk material is "C" shaped so its incredibly strong for its weight but the real bonus is its perforated ( punched ) the entire length so traction is never an issue. Heck I've loaded the atv in the truck during a freezing rain storm, the tires just grip the perforations like glue and up ya go. I can get pics if you like but I'm sure you all have seen the stuff around before. Best part is I got the material for FREE !
Posted by: Specta
We have the aluminum tri-fold ramp. It is the 6' ramp and we have a 3/4-ton 4X4 and the ramp is plenty long enough for us. If we had to buy a new loading ramp, I would buy one just like the one we have.
Just make sure the ramp will attach to the back of the truck (chains) so you can't flip it out from underneath you when loading your ATV.
Posted by: MikeCer
dude,
what ever kind you get make sure you get the one with the safety straps on them.. when the front wheels
hit the tail gate and the rear tires are still on the ramps, your atv will try to kick the ramps out from under you..
and thats somthing you dont want...
I personally have the bi-fold type with the safety staps, and those seem to work for me, I've used them
to load all of my wheelers on them with 0 problems..
Posted by: CaptainQuint
I use two old sections of bridge planking. They are terribly heavy and have an annoying habit of sliding off the tailgate. Not to mention that when they get wet/icy/muddy they are treacherous. Nothing like falling off the ramps or having them slide off the tailgate. One of the worst injuries I have ever had on an ATV was when I got up to the top and had the front wheels on the tailgate and the rear wheels which were still on the planks kicked them out backwards. Yikes.
Posted by: tta583
Just make sure you get the right width. I have this buddy that load a small 300 with a raher narrow tri fold. The wheels tend to overhang the side. I guess the trifold e has was designed for a lawn tractor or something.
Posted by: montyh
i use two 2"x12" boards painted with non-skid paint. (frosty boards are slick as snot). i think the arched ramps are for lawn mowers and low clearance stuff. the boards are fine if you are careful. there are hardware kits to put a metal lip on one end of the boards but i made my own.
monty
Posted by: fyrewood
I've used this ramp from Harbor Freight to load my Suzuki Vinson into the truck for the past year with no problems. It's aluminum, tri-fold, has safety chains and it's cheap too!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90018
Posted by: fyrewood
dshoe,
I use those ramps from Harbor Freight to load the Vinson into a Ford F-150 4x4, plus I have tires that are 3 sizes bigger than the factory tires too....Works for me with no problems. Just thought I'd let you know.
http://fordtruckworld.tenmagazines.com/gallery/fyrewood/407629-thmb.jpg
Posted by: propnut
bi-fold or tri-fold oxlite ramp with the straps. fits between the tires, light, snow and ice don't screw up your traction. try atvdirect, they were the cheapest.
when I was young, lucky (I didn't crash), and stupid I rode my banshee up 2x4s at speed. it works, but its stupid
Posted by: neversunk
Sam's club has the trifold (and a very heavy duty unit at that) for $96.00
Posted by: nick05eiger
2x10"s always worked great for me. And muuuuch cheaper than the prices they want for some of these ramps.
Posted by: dshoe
Which type of ramps do most folks prefer? Who likes the individual ramps, arched or not arched, and why? Who likes the full platform, bi-fold or tri-fold style, and why? Who thinks one style is better than the other, and why? I leaning toward getting a new full platform, tri-fold model in a long (82 inch) length.
Posted by: dshoe
Quote
Originally posted by: jaybeecon55
I've used most styles over the years and my favorite all around it a tri-fold aluminum. The main thing is to get ramps that are long enough for the height to your bed and to make sure that you have a way to attach the ramp to the truck via pins or a safety chain. When loading into trucks with plastic bed liners there is a strong tendency for the rear wheels of the ATV to sling the ramp out backwards right as the ATV reaches the top.
Other factors to consider is the storage space taken up by the ramp when you travel down the road and of course, price. Northern has some good selections.
Jaybee
Gentlemen - Thanks to everyone for all of the replies thus far.
Jaybee - I am considering a new tri-fold aluminum model that is 46" wide and 82" long (API model from Bass Pro Shops). My truck has a Line-X spray-in liner, so I doubt it will be as slick as a plastic liner. Shouldn't have to worry about that, I hope. What is "Northern?" I am not familiar with it. Thanks...
Posted by: dshoe
Thanks for all of the replies regarding this subject. Those of you using boards, planks, etc., with no tie downs, are scaring me a little! LOL... I think I will definitely be spending the +/- $150 to get a good set of ramps, or platform, and save myself from a costly trip to the emergency room. I think I like the idea of the platform the best. As Jaybee mentioned, you don't have to worry about proper width spacing that much with the platform.
Posted by: dshoe
Yeah, I have been wondering about the width of the model I have been looking at, which is 46 inches. I am wondering if that might not be a little too narrow for a big bore machine. I found a tri-fold platform on the Northern website that Jaybee mentioned, which is 54 inches wide. But, it is 5 inches shorter, which I doubt would make a whole lot of difference anyway. The platform model on Northern doesn't say anything about coming supplied with safety straps of some kind though. I suppose that if it doesn't, then it wouldn't be too difficult to rig some up. Seems like most of the platform style ramps don't go any wider than about 46 - 48 inches.
Posted by: dshoe
Quote
Originally posted by: fyrewood
I've used this ramp from Harbor Freight to load my Suzuki Vinson into the truck for the past year with no problems. It's aluminum, tri-fold, has safety chains and it's cheap too!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90018
Wow! That is a really good price on that model from Harbor Freight. But, that particular model is not even 6 feet long. I doubt it would work very well with a full-size, 4x4 pick-up. I'd rather have something longer. I'll search Harbor Freight and see if they have anything else. Thanks for the info, by the way, and thanks to everyone else who has responded as well.
Posted by: rpxr400
I bought a 12" ramp kit and 2x12 boards from Home Depot. I also bought some eye lags from there and put them in the outer edge of the boards to hook my tie down straps to when loading/unloading a quad. I go from the eye bolts to the tie-downs in the bed of the truck.
I also got a roll of shingle starter strip and put that on the board for traction with hi-tack spray adhesive. Two other friends liked my setup so much they did the same thing. Whether loading my BF or KFX wet or dry, no tire slip when going up the ramps.
My tailgate won't go up with the BF in the back of my truck, so I also pass a rope from the tie-downs through the eye lags to keep the ramps from wandering out of my tailgate when bouncing down the road or on the hiway.
Posted by: IdahoVinnie
The arched ramps are designed for units with a low ground clearance, such as a golf cart or a riding lawnmower. Even loading my atv is easier because it graduates the angle when you reach the level of the bed.
I custom made a set that mounts in place of the tailgate. It's very easy to swap with the tailgate.
Posted by: skidoog
The outside of my tires on my quad is 52" so with a 48" wide ramp you may have the tires hanging out a bit. It shouldn't be a problem, just something to keep in mind so you don't freak out when you load it for the first time.
Posted by: rjlmob1
I went up to Manitowoc, WI today and picked up the best ramps I've ever seen. Ultimate Ramps. They fit into the trucks 2" receiver hitch. I bought a bed extension model, it replaces the tailgate and two 25" wide, 7 foot long ramps attach to it, so one person can easily get them on and off. They fold right up and secure with a hitch pin. They are a hell of a lot safer than the alum ones I was using. Yeah, they cost me a little bit more$. They were $400. but he gave me a ATV securing set along with it. It attaches to the ramp and you drive the ATV on it and put two ratchet straps over the back wheels. Check it out at www.ultimateramps.com . This system is awesome.
Posted by: jcheil
Quote
Originally posted by: skidoog
The outside of my tires on my quad is 52" so with a 48" wide ramp you may have the tires hanging out a bit. It shouldn't be a problem, just something to keep in mind so you don't freak out when you load it for the first time.
I bought the tri-fold also, but again, with aftermarket tires (sticking out over the edges), after about 6 or 8 uses, they started to bend (and almost folded up a few times) because the tires (weight) was only on the outside rails. I eventually split them and now just use 2 so the weight is evenly distributed and have had no problems.
