1K9
No'mo Rocket 4 me
Looking to invest in a ramp to load my Rocket onto an 8 foot truck bed. Looks like a 10 footer should be not too steep. Is this safe?
Best Ramp
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Tripps
Retired superhero
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Hmmm... I rode mine up a uhaul ramp once, cuz I had to, only had 2nd or 3rd gear, too.
ThisGuy
Standard Boor
I'd be nervous, and approach your choice really, really carefully. I'd be all over YouTube seeing what people commonly do, and hopefully some people here have more experience to add.
My experience so far with ramps has been into a U-Haul box truck, and into a small enclosed utility trailer. Both are lower than a truck bed. What year truck? How high up is the bottom of the bed? Newer trucks are being built so high these days it's getting crazy.
Ten foot ramp means you'll only have about one foot in front and back with the bike centered. With today's trucks that sounds fairly steep to me. I'm sure it's doable but could be hairy and not something I'd want to repeat very often.
How wide are the ramps you're looking at? Wide enough to have your feet down? How much help will you have getting it in and out? I always have at least one other person. On the slightly taller U-Haul I got two guys to help, and it was still a little sketchy because the ramp wasn't very wide. Sometimes you only get one shot at getting it up or down. There's not much room for error, because the bike is too heavy to man handle if things start heading south.
What's the weight capacity? I've used an 800 pound rated ramp into the utility trailer and it bent a little.
Glad you asked this. I'm really interested in reading other replies.
PS… Almost forgot, I have one other experience with ramps. When my bike was shipped to Italy, it was delivered to the navy base on a small truck. The Italian movers opened the crate, but had no ramp with them, and probably had never seen a bike that big in their lives. They literally looked around, saw a construction site across the street, walked over and borrowed a 2x12 and half a dozen guys. Watching the bike come down, the board deflecting at least a foot under the weight, eight Italian guys giving it everything they had to get it down… all I kept thinking as I watched was… I've got insurance. I've got insurance. I've got insurance.
So yeah, ramps still strike a bit of fear into me…
My experience so far with ramps has been into a U-Haul box truck, and into a small enclosed utility trailer. Both are lower than a truck bed. What year truck? How high up is the bottom of the bed? Newer trucks are being built so high these days it's getting crazy.
Ten foot ramp means you'll only have about one foot in front and back with the bike centered. With today's trucks that sounds fairly steep to me. I'm sure it's doable but could be hairy and not something I'd want to repeat very often.
How wide are the ramps you're looking at? Wide enough to have your feet down? How much help will you have getting it in and out? I always have at least one other person. On the slightly taller U-Haul I got two guys to help, and it was still a little sketchy because the ramp wasn't very wide. Sometimes you only get one shot at getting it up or down. There's not much room for error, because the bike is too heavy to man handle if things start heading south.
What's the weight capacity? I've used an 800 pound rated ramp into the utility trailer and it bent a little.
Glad you asked this. I'm really interested in reading other replies.
PS… Almost forgot, I have one other experience with ramps. When my bike was shipped to Italy, it was delivered to the navy base on a small truck. The Italian movers opened the crate, but had no ramp with them, and probably had never seen a bike that big in their lives. They literally looked around, saw a construction site across the street, walked over and borrowed a 2x12 and half a dozen guys. Watching the bike come down, the board deflecting at least a foot under the weight, eight Italian guys giving it everything they had to get it down… all I kept thinking as I watched was… I've got insurance. I've got insurance. I've got insurance.
So yeah, ramps still strike a bit of fear into me…
Ishrub
That's my name ....built like a truck
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How wide, what material and design are you planning to use? They will have as much or more to do with suitability as length. High traction so tire holds when part way up or backing off and wide enough to put your feet down would improve. Remember backing down you will not use rear brake and front wheel without any weight on it will slide on most surfaces. A folding and locking full width mesh/industrial catwalk louvered steel rated for 500kg load would be best. This would require a decent frame. Removable or fixed to tray bed, the options to consider mount up!
Old N' Grumpy
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Just ride it...a whole lot easier and a lot more fun!
1K9
No'mo Rocket 4 me
9 feet long. 1500 lbs rated. Plenty wide I would say @ 38 inches. If coming out looks too steep, back up to a curb and let it roll. It should be no big deal.
It will take me two days to get there and to get back plus I have several other trips coming up with a portion of the ride to be made alone or with Cathy in the cab.
Two or three rentals of the trailer pays for the ramp and I have a permanent tool.
The truck is a 2016 F150 long bed, work pick up. The idea is to be able to do this alone.
The front of the bed would have a receiver chuck for the front tire.
ThisGuy
Standard Boor
Looks workable. It seems like your truck will be higher than the one in the pics, but like you said there are options with a curb or hill, or a loading dock if you can find one. What's the brand and model?
1K9
No'mo Rocket 4 me
The truck is sitting on 18 inch Kevlar Wranglers All Terrain. These are BadAss. The back lip of the tailgate is 34 inches off the ground. I'm sure that with the weight of the bike it will sit down 3 or 4 inches. The ramp is strapped to the hitch so it does not slide off backwards. It is sold by Discount Ramps. Model Big Boy II Aluminum Folding Motorcycle Ramp - 9" long. $450.
ThisGuy
Standard Boor
Looks good to me!
Several good videos. Watched a couple more and to me nothing stands out against it.
Several good videos. Watched a couple more and to me nothing stands out against it.
albertaduke
former airline pilot without the big bucks
10 feet is ok you will always have your feet touching the ramp except when the engine passes the edge of the ramp that is only seconds so should not be dangerous I have a split 10 footer STEEL ramp ( two lengths) I also suggest put some feet under the middle where you connect both ramp to stop the wow in the ramp and the truck suspension from going down too much and finally and I speak from experience buy a cheap 2000 lbs winch mount it on a 2x4 across the front of the truck box secure it somehow and winch the bike up. till you do it you do not realize how safer it is versus bike power you can pull back from the box using the bike weight and use the front brake to control the descent let me know if I can help you with that project. hell I might even sell you my system if you want as I have sold the truck
I also suggest the lockdown system to hold the bike in the truck box it require NO STRAPS because the frame is held from the bottom to the platform and the bike does not pogo at all
