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There is a quote button - makes it much easier to tell which comment you are responding to.
Just me - I loaded lots of dirt bike and a few heavier Rice bikes with anything from a 2 x 10 to an ATV ramp and just ratchet strapped them down. My Ultra or other Harleys I own, won't be ging up an aluminum ramp, with a rail and no wheel chock. Even if I load, on & off, from a loading dock my truck will have a secured wheel chock. 800 pound shifting on a quick turn or emergency maneuver I wish you the best with bed rivet nut, those alignment rods, or whatever. Please remember to do another thread if it doesn't work out as you thought.
It isnt being loaded with just an aluminum ramp. It is an actual motorcycle loader, complete with wheel chock, ramp system, winch, etc...Here is a picture from online.
I may be missing something here? As you say, the supplied yellow rods are what keep the loader in place (confirmed by the install instructions on the Cruiser Caddie site...below).
Wouldn't just about any bolt-down system be as good if not better? As long as those rods are, to me they look like they could flex a bit...allow a bit of movement?
Plus...those rods look to be secured only to the stake pockets of the truck bed. Don't look to be fastened to anything "overly structural"
Bolts of any sort would be nice & snug, and as pointed out, are there more for shear strength. But again, I haven't seen one of these so I may way off.
You are exactly correct with the exception of the rods going into the stake pockets. They actually just go under the side rails. Yes they can and do at times flex a little bit which is one of the reasons i am trying to find a simple yet effective bolt down route to go with the loader. I was looking at putting in L-track rails with a stub bolt attachment, but at the same time all that is really needed is a bolt through the floor of the truck on each side and through the wing/flap of the loader (where the yellow bar is sitting on...hard to see in the pic but if you look close you can see the wing/flap.. it is welded to the ramp and is about 6 inches long front to back and comes out towards side of truck about 2 inches). So I am thinking instead of the L-track rails, just putting 2 bolts through the bed floor so the threaded part is up and can drop the loader over the bolt and tighten with another nut. I dont trust the plus nut or rivnut from what I have seen and read. My thought is put the bolt through a backing plate, then through the bed and tighten with a secondary nut, leaving about another 3/4 inch of bolt left up..then drop loader over it (with holes I drill into the flaps, then secure with another bolt... But I am not a machinist or mechanic by any long shot, so I was just looking for any other ideas that would do the trick so to speak... Thanks for your advice...I appreciate it!!
I have a rampage lift and use rivnuts to hold it into the bed of my F-350. I loaded/unloaded my Ultra on 3 trips so far with no issues (knock on wood.) It's easy to unbolt the lift when not being used.
I have a rampage lift and use rivnuts to hold it into the bed of my F-350. I loaded/unloaded my Ultra on 3 trips so far with no issues (knock on wood.) It's easy to unbolt the lift when not being used.
you havent had any issues with the rivnuts slipping or spinning? Thats my main concern with them. I have read where others have used them and after a while they lose grip and start to spin. Trying to avoid that if at all possible...lol
I have a rampage lift and use rivnuts to hold it into the bed of my F-350. I loaded/unloaded my Ultra on 3 trips so far with no issues (knock on wood.) It's easy to unbolt the lift when not being used.
another thought I have had on the rivnuts... I was leaning towards the plus/cross nuts if I went that direction, but I cant seem to find any that would allow enough room for a backing plate to be used between the bed floor and the bulging part of the nut. I dont necessarily trust the metal in the floor board of truck bed without some kind of extra fender washer or steel back plate.
I was gonna buy a setup like that about 10 years ago. Then it hit me, why don't I just buy a used 5x10 landscape trailer for less than $1,000, that makes loading a bike a piece of cake ?. That way I can use my truck for other things without having to remove alot of hardware, If I want to use it for something besides moving my bike.,,
I was gonna buy a setup like that about 10 years ago. Then it hit me, why don't I just buy a used 5x10 landscape trailer for less than $1,000, that makes loading a bike a piece of cake ?. That way I can use my truck for other things without having to remove alot of hardware, If I want to use it for something besides moving my bike.,,
I agree with you to a point on your comments.. I too have trailers (2 in fact). I have a 5x10 open trailer and a 7x14 enclosed trailer and I use those for hauling the bike often. However some of the places we go and stay do not have ample room for trailer parking which is why I bought the loader for the truck. Not to mention that some of the places we go have tolls and using the loader instead of the trailer cost the costs of tolls down quite a bit. I dont have that much money in this loader really. Brande new they are around $2,400 but I found this one on craigslist in NC about four years ago. The guy that had it bought it brand new and then had a stroke and couldnt ride any more. He ended up selling me the loader (which was still brand new in the boxes and unwrapped for $1,200. Too good of a deal to pass up! I can always use my truck for other things without removing a bunch of hardware as there isnt really any hardware. It is a main loader section, the lower ramp section, and the 2 tension rods; and all that stays in my garage until I want it in truck and then you just slide it in the bed and clamp it down and ready to go. It takes about 10 minutes max to load it or unload it.. I just want to be able to bolt it in simply when I want to use it instead of using the tension rods that way I can have a little bit of extra space on the sides of the truck for whatever.
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