stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
Hi All,

Two weeks ago, the last time we rode, I was looking at the truck, and the bike, and wondering how the heck you all load your own bikes.

What sort of tricks do you have? esp the shorter of us... cos the bike and the bed of the truck combined are taller than I am, so that would imply being severely off balance at a critical time with something significantly heavier than me.

What sort of loading ramps or other paraphenalia??

I'm not really sure how much call there will be for me to load my own bike, but if it ever happened, I'd like to know how to go about it.
 

KAY DEE EXER

~SPONSOR~
Mar 3, 2003
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Put it in first gear, take a run up of about 6 feet..... Jus kiddin :rotfl: Thats only if you want to put it through the back window. What about some ratchet straps to pull it up like a winch???
 

LoriKTM

Super Power AssClown
Oct 4, 1999
2,220
6
New Mexico
Our usual mode of bike transportation is an enclosed trailer. The rear door is a ramp, and that makes it very easy for me to load and unload my bike.

On the rare occasions where we put the bikes in the pickup, well, I defer to my husband for bike loading. Although I think if I had a ramp long enough and wide enough I could load the bike. I did manage to load my trials bike in the pickup truck by myself-- that bike is smaller and weighs a lot less.

See if you can find a mound of dirt or a hill to back the pickup truck into-- that will make the angle a lot less steep.
 

ChaCha

Member
Apr 20, 2004
43
0
I also defer to my better half to load the bike for me. I usually help though. Check this link out.

http://www.gatorramps.com/

It's called a Gataor Ramp and stretches the width of the truck bed and folds neatly into the tailgate of the truck. It might be an option for you. They are pretty pricey though around $900 or so :ohmy: . Maybe you can find one on ****. They seem to sell just about everthing there.
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
KAY DEE EXER said:
Put it in first gear, take a run up of about 6 feet..... Jus kiddin :rotfl: Thats only if you want to put it through the back window.

Ohh pffft! How far through the window could it go?? It's a ranger , the window's only maybe 1 1/2 ft tall! :) (mine is anyway, his is a full size F-150)
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
LoriKTM said:
Our usual mode of bike transportation is an enclosed trailer. The rear door is a ramp, and that makes it very easy for me to load and unload my bike.

I wish! Right now, we don't ride enough to warrant the expenditure. I guess some of this comes down to my fiercely independant streak where I say I should be able to do it on my own. The other part of me says, DAMN that's a heavy bike! :laugh:

LoriKTM said:
Although I think if I had a ramp long enough and wide enough I could load the bike. I did manage to load my trials bike in the pickup truck by myself-- that bike is smaller and weighs a lot less.

What constitutes a wide enough ramp?? The BF loads on a ramp that's maybe 10" wide.... scares the hell out of me, I can just see missing it and ending up with a bike on top of you,... or worse, both of you going off the other side. I think I'd need about 2 feet to feel comfortable.


LoriKTM said:
See if you can find a mound of dirt or a hill to back the pickup truck into-- that will make the angle a lot less steep.

Yeah,.. I'm getting good at looking for those to start the bike,... might as well learn to do it for loading too. ;)
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
ChaCha said:
http://www.gatorramps.com/

It's called a Gataor Ramp and stretches the width of the truck bed and folds neatly into the tailgate of the truck. It might be an option for you.

oooh! I like that... I'd love to get a good look at it, and maybe make something similar. $900 USD would be pretty prohibitive coming across the border. Looks like it would protect the box somewhat too. Small concerns for me, since my truck is leased.
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
KAY DEE EXER said:
Even better, plenty of parking space in the front seat. :laugh:

LOL! Might stick out a little on either side. :) I guess that's a good application for minibars! Better clearance between the windshield and the seats!
 

Psalm31.24

Member
Dec 5, 2002
147
0
first of all, let me tell you ladies, i'm a guy. i saw the thread on the right column of the home page, then after reading your posts it dawned on me that I was in the women's forum. Hopefully, i won't get kicked out too soon . . .

Anyhow, perhaps my experience will help you. I snapped my ankle a six months ago. When I started riding a couple months ago, I was no longer strong enough to load my bike the normal way. So this is the method I devised . . .

i use a 12" wide ramp that's 7'6" long. i place my stand or box as a step up to the tail gate. i back the bike up straight and push it up to speed/momentum that will allow me to get it into the bed. Once you start your run, DO NOT hestitate or you might stall half way up and get stuck. That's a bad place to get stuck!

have your tie downs in place ready to go and it shouldn't be a problem.

Okay ladies. I'm out of here.
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
Psalm31.24 said:
first of all, let me tell you ladies, i'm a guy. i saw the thread on the right column of the home page, then after reading your posts it dawned on me that I was in the women's forum. Hopefully, i won't get kicked out too soon . . .

Well, I for one won't kick you out. :) I'll take advice from anyone! :)

Psalm31.24 said:
Anyhow, perhaps my experience will help you. I snapped my ankle a six months ago.

Ouch!! How'd you manage that?

Psalm31.24 said:
i use a 12" wide ramp that's 7'6" long. i place my stand or box as a step up to the tail gate. i back the bike up straight and push it up to speed/momentum that will allow me to get it into the bed. Once you start your run, DO NOT hestitate or you might stall half way up and get stuck. That's a bad place to get stuck!

have your tie downs in place ready to go and it shouldn't be a problem.

Okay ladies. I'm out of here.

That's exactly how my bf does it. He's got a milk crate that he carries around when we ride for that purpose. I sort of wonder about it though. I'm 5'4". (Maybe 5'5" in my boots. :laugh: ) The bike is what, 4 feet? then the tailgate, likely another 2 feet plus.... add the milk crate maybe a foot in my favor,... and I'm looking at about 5" of playing room for height... this will be awkward at best eh? Is your ramp just a board, or is it one of the metal ones? How come everyone uses such narrow ramps?
 

ps2112

Member
Jan 27, 2003
104
0
Here is how I do it (I have a firly tall 4x4 truck). I set the triangle axle stand on the tailgate first. Then I back the bike up as far as I can get it, 10 feet is usualy enough. Get a running start and push it up the ramp as far as it will go. When it starts to slow down, I reach my right hand on the rear tire and roll the rear tire. This doesn't take a lot of effort to roll the the bike up the ramp. once it's on the truck I put the axle stand in and the bike stays in place. I can then climb up into the truck and tie it down.
 

bbbom

~SPONSOR~
Aug 13, 1999
2,094
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I load my bike onto my F250 all the time but I use 2/3 of a steel tri-fold ATV ramp. It used to have all three sections but Karl rode up it a couple years ago and there was a rock under one section. It tweeked the hinge so that section came off - the ramp was PERFECT after that.

Number one tip is to get a wide ramp, the trifold ATV ramps run about $150 US. If you can get one do - they make loading the bike much safer and easier. I would also remove one section, it's still plenty wide and much lighter to haul around (Karl is soooooooooo smart, that's why he loves ME!!!).

Whatever ramp you use, it always helps if you can park the truck on an incline with the front pointing downhill. The steeper the incline the easier it is to load the bike. For unloading you'll want to have it a little flatter of course.

With the wide ramp I can load & unload my bike on flatground too but I have to pay more attention and it is more difficult. At home, our driveway has lots of slope so I can load & unload very easily.

Basically, I line the bike up about 10 - 20 feet from the ramp, with my hands on the grips, one finger on the front brake lever. Take a run at the ramp and just as it slows down and I feel like it's getting ahead of my reach, I pull in the brake lever. Get my footing up higher and push the bike as far as I can, grab the brake, rebalance and repeat until we are in the truck. Try to keep your body as centered front to back on the bike as you can. You lose a lot of leverage when your arms are stretched out in front of you or if you are too far off the side of the bike. By keeping yourself centered and close to the bike, you can control the bike and roll it back down the ramp if you can't push it up any further. Did I say a nice WIDE ramp is important? :thumb:

It also helps if you can get the front tire up onto the bed of the truck with the initial runup. Of course, with my truck's plastic bedliner, the front tire still slides but at least the rear hooks up on the ramp's rungs.

If I'm tired after a ride, I just recruit someone to help give the bike a shove. It doesn't take much help, my little 9 yo daughter had been my assitant before and she was barefoot at the time. I got stuck halfway into the truck and just didn't have enough left to push it so she pushed and we were in! :yeehaw:
 

MXGirl230

Stupid tires and trees
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Mi. Trail Riders
Dec 19, 2002
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When Phil isn't around I load it by myself. I just have a 4X4 Ranger though, so it's not too terribly high off the ground. I have a ramp that he made that is 7' long and I think 6" wide. With it that long, the ramp isn't too steep. Then I position an old milk crate next to the ramp. Then with a running start and I kinda run up and into the truck. I haven't dropped it yet. I'm 5'3" and ride a CR125, it took a few tries to learn how to do it by myself. But, after some practice I can get it up with very little problem. I do have a 3 rail trailer too that I use. Well have to use now (my tailgate kinda fell/rusted off) The trailer isn't very high off the ground so that's pretty easy. I have a smaller ramp for that. The three rail trailers you can find pretty cheap sometimes. I paid $100 for mine. All I had to do was put some new tires on it. If you're not into attempting the ramp into the truck, might be able to find a small open trailer. Check the "bargain corner" in your local paper.
 

70 marlin

Mi. Trail Riders
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Aug 15, 2000
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Psalm31.24

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Dec 5, 2002
147
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Ouch!! How'd you manage that?
Racing. . . during practice another rider hit me from behind. he shoved ankle under my bike. I guess fibs and tibs were made to hold up 230lb bike. . .


That's exactly how my bf does it. He's got a milk crate that he carries around when we ride for that purpose. I sort of wonder about it though. I'm 5'4". (Maybe 5'5" in my boots. :laugh: ) The bike is what, 4 feet? then the tailgate, likely another 2 feet plus.... add the milk crate maybe a foot in my favor,... and I'm looking at about 5" of playing room for height... this will be awkward at best eh? Is your ramp just a board, or is it one of the metal ones? How come everyone uses such narrow ramps?[/QUOTE]

I use a very wide board (12"). At the end of the board I've screwed on metal plates that are designed to make a board into a ramp. I got them at the local lawnmower supply store ($4 each, I use two as they're only 4" wide). So for a grand total of about 20 dollars I've got a great ramp. Sometimes I feel a little ghetto when I see other guys with their nice aluminum ramps. Then three weeks ago I ran into Ivan Tedesco at a local So Cal track. Guess what kind of ramp the #1 W rider uses? Yep, you guessed it . . . a ghetto ramp just like mine. I always liked Tedesco . . .
 

70 marlin

Mi. Trail Riders
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Aug 15, 2000
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I had the milk crate kick out on me. I was pushing and stepping up at the same time. It was a very ugly moment!
 

kmccune

2-Strokes forever
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 3, 1999
2,726
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If you do the double ramp method be sure to tie the one your walking on (tie downs ect...) because when you start pushing the ramp will tend to slide away from the truck.Here is a like to the ones I use, they have nice traction and are wide enough and @ 50 bucks a pair I don't care if there not trick.
Good luck and make sure your aim is good before you start pushing it up the ramp!

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...06970&PHOTOS=on&productId=265191&categoryId=0
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
bbbom said:
Number one tip is to get a wide ramp, the trifold ATV ramps run about $150 US. If you can get one do - they make loading the bike much safer and easier.

See,.. now that makes more sense to me!

bbbom said:
Whatever ramp you use, it always helps if you can park the truck on an incline with the front pointing downhill. The steeper the incline the easier it is to load the bike. For unloading you'll want to have it a little flatter of course.

This part I can't quite figure out though. I would think the grade would be gentler with the nose pointed up....and therefore easier to load??


bbbom said:
Basically, I line the bike up about 10 - 20 feet from the ramp, with my hands on the grips, one finger on the front brake lever. Take a run at the ramp and just as it slows down and I feel like it's getting ahead of my reach, I pull in the brake lever. Get my footing up higher and push the bike as far as I can, grab the brake, rebalance and repeat until we are in the truck. Try to keep your body as centered front to back on the bike as you can. You lose a lot of leverage when your arms are stretched out in front of you or if you are too far off the side of the bike. By keeping yourself centered and close to the bike, you can control the bike and roll it back down the ramp if you can't push it up any further. Did I say a nice WIDE ramp is important? :thumb:

Well this doesn't sound too bad, of course my arms will be at eye level, so possibly slightly more awkward. :)

bbbom said:
It also helps if you can get the front tire up onto the bed of the truck with the initial runup. Of course, with my truck's plastic bedliner, the front tire still slides but at least the rear hooks up on the ramp's rungs.

Oooh, yuck, I know of a couple of Ford Dealers around here that won't even sell the plastic liners, they say they're bloody dangerous. And I would agree, esp in the winters here.

bbbom said:
If I'm tired after a ride, I just recruit someone to help give the bike a shove. It doesn't take much help, my little 9 yo daughter had been my assitant before and she was barefoot at the time. I got stuck halfway into the truck and just didn't have enough left to push it so she pushed and we were in! :yeehaw:

See,.. I've played your daughter's role here. but haven't attempted to load. I wonder what would have happened if he had to back it down that 2x10.
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
MXGirl230 said:
The three rail trailers you can find pretty cheap sometimes. I paid $100 for mine. All I had to do was put some new tires on it. If you're not into attempting the ramp into the truck, might be able to find a small open trailer. Check the "bargain corner" in your local paper.

We'd talked about getting a trailer, so we don't have to borrow the BF's parents' when we take 3 of us riding, perhaps instead of a "full sized" trailer we'll go this route, and then it can be used on either truck, and I can load my own. Everything else we carry would fit in the bed of the truck without the bikes in it.
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
70 marlin said:
I've always liked the double ramp method. Get your self-some good ramps and push hard, better yet ask someone to help! Here are some good cheap ramps. Note I've had a bike fall on me using the milk crate method. I will only load with two ramps now! It’s not your size that matters; it's how well you can use it. :yeehaw:

So the bike goes up one and you go up the other? I;m alittle fearful because I know that my aim can be dead on, or totally bad. There doesn't seem to be a lot of lee-way in between... 9" seems so narrow.... it's something you get used to though eh?

K, here's a scenario. There is a track on the other side of Edmonton. They're open tuesday and thursday evenings til 9 I think. For the BF to come home after work and load up the bikes, and us get out there, we'd arrive in time to turn around and go home. Now he says, it's no big deal, he'd load the bikes before he went to work. Yeah,.. I can't see that happpening, he likes to sleep in too much. :) But if I were able to load the bikes, I could just load them and meet him in the city. Now, I think there might be a flaw in all this. Even if I -can- load myself, I likely shouldn't be doing it in the commuter town that we live in, with none of my neighbors home to rescue me if anything happens,eh?
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
kmccune said:
If you do the double ramp method be sure to tie the one your walking on (tie downs ect...) because when you start pushing the ramp will tend to slide away from the truck.

This is good advice! Thanks!

kmccune said:
Here is a like to the ones I use, they have nice traction and are wide enough and @ 50 bucks a pair I don't care if there not trick.

I like safe,.. the truck itself looks good enough, so trick ramps are not a necessity, even with a dust covered bike in the back. ( Or will, presumably, since my bike has never been in my truck to date. )

kmccune said:
Good luck and make sure your aim is good before you start pushing it up the ramp!

That's my fear! It sound like one of those things you have to get right and commit to, no deciding half way there that it's not right.
 

stormi

Member
Mar 3, 2004
73
0
Hey! Do any of these ramps have any sort of rubber feet or anything on them? It would keep them from sliding, and also protect your tailgate somewhat.... Otherwise, I'd think metal on painted metal would see a lot of non-painted metal after a while.
 
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