hauling a rocket via pickup?

1K9 said:

I have some aluminum ramps in the garage gathering dust. Bought an F-150 long bed to attempt loading the R3 on. Perhaps another bike. The risk of failure is too high for this old fart. Enclosed trailer is the best option for me.

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I hear you but with a full length bed and access to a loading dock, you would not have a problem. I am going to blog onto craigs list and try to hook up with so,embody who does have a trailer and pay into a partnership or something. Enclosed is a great way to go, no worries.

albertaduke said:

dodah man I used to carry my bike on my f150 7 foot box for that I had a ramp made out of steel in two parts 5 feet long each the (longer the better ) and 36 inch wide plus a winch mounted on a rail snucked between the rear window and the front of the box and naturally a remote control I rode the bike kept the bike in gear and held the clutch pulled in just in case if something goes wrong you let go lever bike does not go back down and you grab both hand grip and plant your feet flat on the ramp ( never had that happen to me in about 12 ups and down ) . if you want to see the ramp setup go to "castanet kelowna " in truck ramp for sale you will see clearly what it looks like the whole thing is feasible but require time patience and good preparation

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Thanks for posting. When the bourbon is finished with my brain, I will check that link out in detail!

albertaduke said:

dodah man I used to carry my bike on my f150 7 foot box for that I had a ramp made out of steel in two parts 5 feet long each the (longer the better ) and 36 inch wide plus a winch mounted on a rail snucked between the rear window and the front of the box and naturally a remote control I rode the bike kept the bike in gear and held the clutch pulled in just in case if something goes wrong you let go lever bike does not go back down and you grab both hand grip and plant your feet flat on the ramp ( never had that happen to me in about 12 ups and down ) . if you want to see the ramp setup go to "castanet kelowna " in truck ramp for sale you will see clearly what it looks like the whole thing is feasible but require time patience and good preparation

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Could not find it, send a link if feasible.

breeze said:

loaded 2 ton pellets only heat for the winter in my 01 ford 250 other day no problem

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Those old 7.3s rock.

1olbull said:

Tis not the weight that concerns me. Tis the location of the center force of the weight and the height from the ground of the weight and then there’s the getting it up there and down from there.
These are the things that I would be concerned of doing it myself.

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IMHO it all depends on the security of that tailgate if you can't close it. You can not close any tailgate with these rockets so the solid bat tailgate supports are a must and that barstock rear wraparound gig would not hurt either.
I had to use a small hill to load mine today, inside a uhaul box trailer without a ramp.

Never had a problem loading a bike. Then again always rode never loaded. Funny how that works out. Did have to load a Harley once do to a flat tire. Felt like a fool going down 75 with a bike parked on a trailer. I find it very funny that you have done so much work in trailer and bragging. By the way what exactly is a POA communities very curious Just a asshol$ that is interested in learning something new. Maybe maybe not

I suspect a "POA" is similar to an "HOA" community. Pain in the rear. Not only do you deal with city zoning but must meet the HOA rules

What are HOA rules? Remember you talking to a dumb Okie in Rural Oklahoma.Have no idea what the initials mean.

DodahMan said:

You gotta have help. What happens if the rear wheel starts spinning? So you hit the brake but because the tires are wet, she starts slipping backwards down the ramp, what then?
IMHO, this is the stuff of horror movies. I had my GS1150 fall on me full force back in 1988 but I was a young man then. Today that would kill me.

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Like I said, it’s going backwards out of the truck that is ‘uncomfortable’. The ramp I have has aluminum bars spaced about every 3 inches so the tire never ‘spins’ and whether you have the engine running or not (I prefer it running) you use the clutch as your speed control in addition to a little front brake when reversing NOT just the brake. In fact it’s more clutch. I can only repeat, it’s NOT like Cirque de Soleil, you DON’T have to be an acrobat and I can’t think of ONE fail video on YouTube (and I’ve watched dozens) where it wasn’t ‘pilot error’ that caused the upset.

elcanaco said:

Like I said, it’s going backwards out of the truck that is ‘uncomfortable’. The ramp I have has aluminum bars spaced about every 3 inches so the tire never ‘spins’ and whether you have the engine running or not (I prefer it running) you use the clutch as your speed control in addition to a little front brake when reversing NOT just the brake. In fact it’s more clutch. I can only repeat, it’s NOT like Cirque de Soleil, you DON’T have to be an acrobat and I can’t think of ONE fail video on YouTube (and I’ve watched dozens) where it wasn’t ‘pilot error’ that caused the upset.

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This is the ramp elcanaco and I have. I recall when he bought his that he got the 8ft so he could store them in the cab of his pickup for when his truck was in a storage lot in the US while he rode Mexico. I bought the 10 ft by mistake but glad I did. I can only store them in the bed, which is not an issue.

Black Widow Aluminum Folding Arched Motorcycle Ramp - 10' Long

The longer the ramp, the is easier to load and as you you noted Dodahman, loading from a berm helps. I have an elevated spot on my front lawn so back the truck up to it and set the ramp on top of the berm.

As you can see at the link, center ramp is wider than the outer two and designed so that the wheel never slips even when rolling backwards. The guys in the YouTube videos of bike loading disasters are generally using slippery cargo ramps that come with the UHaul trucks. Bad juju. It is nice to have a buddy assist, somewhat like a safety observer, to ensure one is tracking center when off loading but I've done it without. . Loading is a breeze though and a bit of a thrill. I just start about 4-5 feet from the bottom of the ramp, give her some gas and ride up.

With all this said, loading into a pickup is not for everyone. One must feel comfortable doing it.