When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I am looking to buy a ramp to load my FLHTCUI Classic onto my Ford F150 pickup truck. Any Suggestions? Any idea how much weight the tailgate can handle?
There is a company that makes a ramp that hoists the bike into the bed of a pickup. Can't remember the name, but they advertise in most of the bike mags. It is pretty pricey, but I have seen them at rallys, and they work well.
I am with Mike on this. I wouldn't be trying to load an Ultra Classic in the back of a pickup with a regular ramp unless I had a couple of gorillas to help push it in.
I don't know what the tailgate of an F-150 will handle, but I wouldn't want 800 lbs on it. There are just too many things that can happen.
This can be tough. Most pickup tailgates will take the heavy load for a short time, but if you're not very careful, they can bend, particularly if the rear tire is sitting on the tailgate for any appreciable length of time. The heaviest bike that I have loaded into the bed of my Ram was a Road Star. That bike weighs about 700 pounds dry. My Ultra Classic weighs about 100 pounds more.
As for loading it, you can always put something across the whole tailgate when loading to distribute the weight a bit more. If the bed of your truck is long enough to accomodate doing it, though, I would suggest loading with the tailgate removed.
To avoid tipping, etc., get a ramp, and back up against a short but steep hill. That way, the ramp will have a short, level run (if you need to use a ramp at all).
My Ram is a short bed, so to prevent damage to the tailgate from the rear wheel when hauling it (the rear wheel sat just on the tailgate), I built a platform to put it on (two 3/4" pieces of plywood bolted together, with tie down points and a wheel chock). That distributed the weight around enough that I didn't have any problem.
My neighbor has a Deuce that he loads into his F-150,I have been waiting for him to bust his azz and tear up the scooter (of course I have never seen him try it when he is sober)
My neighbor has a Deuce that he loads into his F-150,I have been waiting for him to bust his azz and tear up the scooter (of course I have never seen him try it when he is sober)
Well, you know the old saying - God watches out for drunks and idiots.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.