???? So driving the ATV up ramps that are laying on the tailgate secured to the bed of the truck is different than driving the atv up ramps that have pins securing them to the tailgate ?????

ya I get what you are saying. You are right, either way putting all your faith in those 2 cables attaching tailgate .

I just find chaining to hooks in bed less effort than drilling holes. You have some slop with chains. Maybe could eliminate with mounting to tailgate. I just not sure it is worth effort.

The tailgate cables on my Silverado were subject to a recall. I guess they had some weak ones. Maybe if they broke and the ramp was secure, the tailgate would only go so far before it hit the bumper and made a better angle to load the ATV. I had a flimsy aluminum bi-fold ramp before I bought a trailer. It felt like it was bending every time I used it and the angle was too steep for me. I would only get extra long folding ramps if I ever needed any, or the longest ramp I could fit in the bed of my truck (8 feet). Mine was only 6 feet, not counting the rubber-coated fingers.

https://i.postimg.cc/yxMjnvVj/IMG_0012_Crop.jpg

I have 6' ramps and have used them for about 17-18 years now. Mine are the straight ones behind the white pickup. I like the one my friend uses too.

I hook the chains that keep it from slipping off the tailgate to the cables that hold the tailgate up and strap it down to the cargo hooks that are in the bottom corners of the bed.

https://i.postimg.cc/qv1NcgBD/075.jpg

I have a nice aluminum trailer that I use when I have my camper in the truck too. I just find carrying it in the bed of my truck easier than using the trailer.

I would never consider using anything that can slip off the tailgate. That's just an accident waiting to happen.

I found it stressful driving a 46"' wide ATV up a 48" ramp when I could hardly see anything except the back of the truck. It was my first ATV so I was a total noob at loading. Now I have a 48" wide ATV and would have even less margin for error than with my first ATV. Maybe if my ramp was wider it wouldn't have been so bad. I don't know if they even made tri-fold ramps back then. Hooking up my trailer and checking the lights takes a few minutes, but after that it seems just a little bit faster to load than loading in the truck. I still tie down all 4 corners like I always have, but now I put a pin in my tilt-bed trailer instead of unhooking the ramp, folding it, and putting it away. There was a steep learning curve with the trailer and it took a few tries to get fairly good at it.

Never really checked how close to the edges of the ramp I am with my ATV, I'm sure its close.

Its really never bothered me.

as long as you have a decent winch, then there is no problem. make sure that you get the atv on top of the truck bed in a controlled manner to avoid breaking something. as long as the winch is not overtaxed (and since most winches can handle more than 2000 pounds i doubt it) i don{t think you will have a problem with it.

“I was wondering if putting a chain across my bed hooks up at the front and then attaching my winch to the center and pulling the quad up in at a very controlled pace would be a good way to load and unload”

Hello pmshoemaker.
I see a problem with this, yes it would be controlled but you would put a lot of strain on the bed hooks with the setup you mentioned. Its hard to explain but as you pull from the centre of the chain it will want to pull the bed hooks inward (together). I have attached an image for using slings to lift an object and you can see how the strain increases based on the angle. If you use a short tight chain the side force is 6 times what you would be pulling. If you lengthen it the side force would be less but then you wouldn't get the bike all the way on the bed. Now if you were to put a peace of metal strong enough say angle or channel iron across from one bed hook to the other and pulled from the centre of it then you would only pull back on the hooks and not inward. Hope I've explained this if not just ask.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...19ddffd066.jpg

This is my setup, I had a close call one time, one of the ramps fell to the ground just after I got the bike on the truck. I had the straps that came with the ramps secured to the truck but one slipped. After that close call I made this setup. Its quick to hookup and is secure. Hope the photos explain it.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...e3510d769e.jpg


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...e59b277099.jpg

That's an interesting ramp setup. It looks like it's all one self-contained unit. How hard is it to get it in and out of the truck?

I saw an illustration like that for cranes a long time ago. I forgot about how much harder it would pull on the ends of the chain when it was straight across or at a wide angle. That might be enough of a load to wreck the sides of the truck.

Hello Big Frank
I don't take this setup out of the truck very often when I do its not to hard. How it works, if I'm not transporting the ATV the front part of the setup flips back and the hole assemble slides forward so I can close the tail gate. When hauling a bike the assembly is pulled back and the front section is flipped over and then everything is pushed forward against the front of the box. There are wheel stops so I can't put the bike in to the back window of the cab. The setup is long enough so weight of the bike is mostly on the bed and very little weight on the tail gate when transporting. The ramps are stored under the elevated sections, these section were made high enough so the mid size Rubbermaid containers can slide under the ATV. Great when hauling stuff to the cottage. The photos attached will help explain how it works, any questions please ask.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...7dd4c5916d.jpg


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...90198fb052.jpg


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...faba33c5db.jpg


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...0b173f47ac.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...4a9b9b591b.jpg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...179eb25ef7.jpg