wood ramps

On to the next topic. I am interested in purchasing a set of these DIY ramp things:

http://www.autoanything.com/hitch-bed-accessories/65A3664A0A0.aspx

However, I am concerned that a wood plank will not hold my ATV. Does anyone know if I can use these things, and wood with an '08 Rancher (585lbs)?

I'm afraid the wood will just snap under load.

Thanks.

 

I would recommend getting a good heavy duty aluminium or steel folding one. Me and my foreman up the ramp onto the tailgate are 850+lbs and everytime I have a smile after putting it in the back

 

look at wal mart i bought a decent set of folding ramps for like 70 bucks or try discountramps.com i wouldn't trust those either you never know when a board is gonna go you could get hurt not to mention destroy a tailgate if one gave out

 

They should hold up fine

 

Damn the new ranchers are heavy!! I have an 04 ES and I wanna say its close to 400. My friend and I can just pick it up off the ground lol

 

i was thinking the same thing my 07 420 two wheel manual is only around 400

 

ya man, and it works awesome lol.

 

have you had any rear end problems on your rancher sorry to thread jack

 

never. Only thing is sometimes it doesnt want to go into reverse with the electric shift. It will go in manually no problem though. Used to have a snorkel on it and take it in deep water all the time, worked fine even after that lol. Id replace all the fluids and stuff after though.

 

mine started popping and hanging up two weeks out of warranty hond wants nothing to do with it fluid looks good its been that way for a year now i know im on borrowed time it'll go out when im 10 miles from civilzation my luck

 

hm that is odd, Ive never had anything happen like that

 

They work fine. I used them for my GSXR-1000 on one plank. I think 2x10. In fact I have a set laying around the garage. Where are you located?

 

I wouldn't bother with the wood ramps. It worth the extra money to buy something you know is going to be safe. If you have ever been on a quad going up the ramps and having one break its pretty dangerous. The first time it happened to me I was lucky I wasn't far enough up the ramp for it to cause the quad to flip but it was close. I got my metal ramps for about $100 they hold 1000 lbs each and have a strap that connects each ramp to the truck so they dont slide out from under you.

 

go with the metal ramps. the wood ones can break and they get real slippery with mud or snow on them. try harborfrieght.com i got mine there for under 60 bucks.

 

I'm in Virginia.

 

I use 2 8x12 for my Ariens snowblower. They work fine but are a pain to haul in abd out. I should have kicked in the extra cash for the folding ones. Someday. I say get folding ones. Way better in the long run.

 

My concern with the cheaper ramps, which don't fold in half, is transporting them when I have the atv in the truck. I don't think there is any room to carry them. I could buy the cheap metal racks, and a rack carrier. The other option is to get a more expensive set of ramps, which fold in half.

 

I remember when all we had was wood ramps. Make sure you get at least a 2x10 though. It wouldn't hurt to brace it with a 2x4 underneath to minimize flexing. Don't forget eyelet bolts and straps from the ramps to the truck so they don't slip out on the way up, or down.

 

I have used 2 2x10 boards to load a CRF250r and a 200exc. I purchased the metal pieces at Lowes for $25 (2 in a pack). The boards are very sturdy and I walk up one as I push the bike up the other. They flex a lot and my bikes only weigh 250ish. I wouldn't exceed 400# on them.

If you can spend the money, get an aluminum ramp. If not, put a support board under the ramp. Maybe tack a 2x2 along the length of the underside of the ramp.

I would prefer the aluminum ramps but they run about $250+.

If you do use the wooden ramp, waterproof it with paint. I also added kitty litter to my paint to give it some grip. It's heavy but doesn't flex as much as my non-painted ramp.

 

My thinking is that if I used shorter boards they would flex less. However, I think at this point I am leaning towards the $50-$60 pair of non folding steel ramps. Just have to figure out the best way to transport them. I have a couple ideas.