Ramps for tailgate?

[NewbieZ71]

Need to get my lawn tractor up in the bed of my truck to take it for service.  Cant lift it since its so heavy.  What are my options for ramps?  Any way to do it home made so to speak?  Wife says to use a couple of boards but I dont think even a 2" would be strong enough and they would slide all over creation with out some way of holding them in place.   I need to do this maybe once, twice a year so I dont want to spend a whole lot of bucks on some expensive ramps.  Any ideas?  How much weight can the tailgate handle when its lowered?

[RyanbabZ71]

Cant lift it since its so heavy

 

Come on man.  

 

Does it have a deck attached?  Why dont you remove that if so (takes alot of weight off) then load the tractor?  Me and my dad (hes about your age ) load a tractor to bring it from our cottage home to work on it a few times a yr.

 

As for ramps lots of places sell them.  Many are less then $100

[carguru]

I remembered seeing some aluminum ramps for around $100-150.  I thought I remember seeing them from http:\\www.northerntool.com  

I don't think that using boards are a very good idea because, as you said they tend to slip around and not to mention possibly break.  The aluminum ramps usually have a rubber pad at the 2 ends to keep the slippage to a minimum and a safety strap that attaches to the bumper to keep them from slipping off the tailgate/bed.  The tailgate strength is rated around 500-600 lbs for the steel tailgate.  How big of a lawn tractor?  Depending on the width, you may still have to remove the deck because the bed might not be wide enough.

[HillHound]

I bought a set of bi-fold steel ramps at a motorcycle/atv shop for $80 3 years ago, and I use them to load and unload atvs all the time.  The biggest atv I have weighs 600lbs plus myself for a total of about 750lbs and the tailgate holds up just fine.

 

Please don't use boards-it can be hazardous.  The steel or aluminum ramps you can buy have safety chains or cables to attach to the bumber so the ramp won't kick out and they also have angled tips that rest flat on the tailgate.   Cabela's sells ramps online:

 

Cabelas...

 

Just a thought, but you might think about buying a small utility trailer to haul your mower.  For around $500 or $600 you can get a 5x8 or even a 4x6 that can carry 1 to 2 thousand lbs and it's alot easier (and safer) to load than using loading ramps.

[TxDoc]

Don't take a chance on getting seriously hurt. If you don't want to spend the money on a set of aluminum folding ramps that can hold 1,000+ pounds, and you only need to do this twice a year, just borrow a small utility trailer from someone who owns an ATV (quad or four wheeler).

 

 I would never trust any wooden ramp or board, even treated oak.  I personally know of an individual who got some 2x8 scaffle boards and was driving a lawn tractor into a pickup's bed. He had the boards slight off-line and it tilted and fell over. It landed on his left leg, breaking his tibia and fibula first and as it rolled on over, it snapped his femur. He now has a titanium rod in his femur and wishes he had spent the $150 for an aluminum, purpose-built ramp.  I still think the utility trailer with the beaver tail is by far the safest.

 

btw-if you borrow or buy ramps, you need to attach a safety to the places on the sides of where the tailgate latches to stop it from kicking back and out from under you.  Not likely with a lawn tractor, but better to plan for the worst and hope for the best.  I have seen several ATVs spit the ramp right out from under the bike. Kind of exciting for the rider.

[General Lee 01]

I think Places like Lowes sell sets of ramps if you don't want to fool w/ online ordering.

 

The local Lowesaround here sells them.

[silverado man]

the way we loaded ours at home was to back the truck up to a hill or a ditch and get a couple of 2x4's and drive the tractor right up it.

[Shaners]

the way we loaded ours at home was to back the truck up to a hill or a ditch and get a couple of 2x4's and drive the tractor right up it.

If you have a ditch by your house just back into it to get the tailgate closer to ground level, and use 4x4 "low" when you pull back out.

 

They make aluminum ends to put on treated boards so they will stay on your tailgate.

 

If you do use boards, tack some firring strips across them for traction every 6" or so...

[NewbieZ71]

Thanks guys, I thought the ramps would be more than mentioned here..$100 or so isnt bad...dont know why but I thought they would be more.  2X4's definitely to small!  Actually with the ramps its not really the cost as much as it is putting up with the wifely comments about "Where are going to keep those" "do those have to be in here" "you dont ever use those, why dont we get rid of them"...etc.!!

 

Right Shaners?

[carguru]

Hey, Newbie, I get that quite a bit too.  LOL  Usually if it goes out in the garage the wife doesn't gripe as much.  

[Shaners]

Right Shaners?

Been there and continue to do that!!!  LOL

 

One of my biggest problems is in my office/computer room.  I hardly ever clean it up, and then I get pissed when everything is missing....

[Guest Friz]

Just park with the back wheels in a ditch, and then you should be able to roll that fat chick up and into the bed. When you get her back home, just roll her drunk azz back out onto the lawn.

[siume99]

Thanks guys, I thought the ramps would be more than mentioned here..$100 or so isnt bad...dont know why but I thought they would be more.  2X4's definitely to small!  Actually with the ramps its not really the cost as much as it is putting up with the wifely comments about "Where are going to keep those" "do those have to be in here" "you dont ever use those, why dont we get rid of them"...etc.!!

 

Right Shaners?

Well, if she doesn'y like the ramp idea, get her out there to help you lift it!    I like the backing up to an ditch.  Two problems(things to think about)

1.  how far do you have to drive the tractor to the ditch?

2.  how will you unload it at the repair shop?

[MountaineerTom]

We used to use the ditch method to load up our ATV's at the house, and had 2 2x8's with a piece of chain attached to the sides of one end with a hook in the middle.  Dad drilled a hole in the bottom of the tailgate to hook the hook on the chain into.  Now this was dads old '76 Chevy that we used for all the rough work, so you may not like the idea of drilling a couple holes in the bottom of your newer trucks tailgat.  BTW, we never had a problem with those boards.  As a matter of fact, he's still got them and uses them to load the walk-behind Gravely into the bed of the truck.  I'm guessing they are around 16 years old.

 

The fold up aluminim ones are nice and would be what I would probably go with.  A friend of mine has one that is a double fold.  When unfolded, it is as wide as the whole tailgate.  Like mentioned before, it has a couple safety cables that he attaches to the holes for chains on the trailer hitch.  They also have the little angled peices on the top to let it rest eveny on the tailgate.

 

All the ATV shops around here sell them in the single and double fold versions.

[doverarjim]

Years ago we used some 4 inch wide channel to load lawn tractors into the back of the pickup.  On one end we angle cut the channel and we welded a piece of rebar on the other to catch on the edge of the tailgate to keep them from moving around.  I don't remember how much it cost to build them but they sold at auction for $50.00 in 1972 I do remember that.