My old truck was pretty high off the ground and riding an ATV into the bed was....interesting. I finally bolted an eye into the front of the bed and used a winch to simply winch it into the bed. It was better than falling off ramps or in my case smashing out the rear glass.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: HIGHOCTANE

After years of loading machines in trucks with no problems(I worked at a Polaris dealership when I was younger) I saw that video on youtube of the older gentlman kicking the ramp off and the machine flipping on top of him...when I was younger we didn't even use safety straps. I had been using them for quite awile though when I saw that video, and I know he made some critical mistakes,but I still couldn't get that out of my head..</end quote></div>

HO...
Any chance of providing a link to that youtube vid? Or maybe key words to search would be helpful?

Blam...
I used to load my ATV with extra long triple fold alum ramps due to the height of my truck back then. Never had any problems...but did always wonder about backing it down in reverse. Having to mentally remind myself not to turn the handle bars... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

When I purchase my 850 XP...I will also purchase a trailer to haul it. Have a pic of the trailer I want to purchase in my gallery...if anyone interested.


biz
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I hauled my ATV in the back of my truck half a year until I got a trailer to haul it. My quad fit in my truck really easy because I never had anything shorter than an 8 foot box. If you can't throw sheets of plywood and drywall in and close the tail gate it's not a real truck. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] One of my friends could fit his quad in his short-bed if he drove it up the ramp backward. That way the winch hung out and sat on the top edge of the tail gate. If he loaded it head-first it wouldn't fit. It wouldn't have fit if he had a rear bumper on it either.

 

My 07 will fit in my 08 TUNDRA[6.5 BED] only if i back it in,and then the front bumper just sits over the tailgate.Ionly haul a wheeler in the TOYOTA,if I already got 4 on my tandem trailer.

 

never had a problem loading a four wheeler in the back of the truck, i built my ramps and they don't have any straps, loaded and unloaded a million times, trick is don't stop in the middle of em and you'll be fine, don't even need to go fast

 

All good information! I have the 6.5 bed on my Tundra too! Its too close a fit even backing it it. I DON'T CARE how good you anchor and strap it down, its gonna BOUNCE some! My wife took out the rear window loading it, just as she came over the wheel well, it slid some and only touched the rear glass window and then SPLASH all in pieces.

I hear what you are saying about the money and having another trailer. I recently got rid of my 6.5 x 14' trailer and that was too big! I would recommend you pursue at least a 5x8 like HO said as a long term solution and loading in the back, I keep the tail gate down and NO ISSUES! I just ratchet strap all four corners and chain tight the back for right to left corner, fasten down good. I use folding arched single ramps with drop pins into my tail gate. NO STRAPS!

To each his own I guess, but I don't like loading it backwards its really dangerous! And really a PAIN in the tail!

Here is the link to the loading accident I created this thread a while ago. POOR CHARLIE!

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZxCSJ-FHQo&feature=related
">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...feature=related
</a>

And the thread:

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://forums.atvconne....co.....r%20charlie
">"&gt;<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://forums.atvconnection.co...=poor%20charlie
">&lt;br "&gt;<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://forums.atvconnection.com/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=543313&highlight _key=y&keyword1=poor%20charlie
&lt;br ">http://......co...r%20charlie
</a>
</a>
</a>

Regards,

R'

 

Thanks R. I knew the guy's name was Charlie but when I searched youtube last night I couldn't find it. I knew it was posted a here a few times but didn't look. A 5x8 trailer is perfect for one of these big boys. It gives me a foot of extra width so I can drive on an angle instead of straight if I have to. Mine's not very high and I drove off without tilting it just to see if I could. If I go too slow the bumper slams into the deck but if I go a little faster it 's okay. I'm not saying you should do that, just that it's possible. Trailers this size don't cost much either.

 

The sad part of that video is you can see the saftey straps hanging down off the ramps. I hook my straps into the saftey chain holes on the trailer hitch. It takes less than a minuite to hook the straps. If you don't have any straps on your ramps get some. Like HIGHOCTANE said "if I get hurt on an ATV I want it to be because I was doing something cool..not loading it."

 

My ramp had cables with hooks on them. I adjusted them so the ramp had to be sitting on the end of the tailgate several inches ahead of the loading position. I put the hooks in the tailgate latch holes on the sides of the truck, grabbed the bottom of the ramp and pulled it backward. It centered itself and the top dropped down over the edge and the 4 fingers rested on the tailgate. My adjustment was so tight it barely fit and the ramp could barely move side to side if I pushed on it. It couldn't move back at all and when I had the adjustment dialed in I put 2 more cable clamps on to make it permanent.

Then when I used it, I slid it back, unfolded it, plopped in the middle of tailgate, put the hooks in the holes and pulled it back the rest of the way. It took about as long as it took me to type that sentence. It only takes a matter of seconds to use the straps and there's always enough time for safety.

 

I used a nice arched set of ramps...they came with steel cables and hooks, but I always use a set of ratchet straps down to the trailer hitch to secure the ramps to the truck. It takes a few minutes but I know the ramps definitely aren't going anywhere. What happened to poor Charlie just looks painful, and I agree if I'm gonna get hurt on the atv it had better be doing something cool, and someone had better have a camera handy lol.