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Toy hauler, travel trailer or tent
- Thread starter smudger
- Start date
Or leave it in gear and use the clutch i find that easier when rolling it down the ramps.
mbroyda
Well-known member
I dont think thats a $6000 risk you wanna take
Trials
Well-known member
Easiest and safest way to load a heavy motorcycle into a pickup truck is to back the truck up to a loading ramp or 'anything' that is close to the same height as the truck bed, then you can just roll the bike right on there with no drama. Ramps are only hazardous because of the incline and if you must use the ramp that way, always tie it to the truck so it doesn't slide out. Oh and remove the tailgate to load a heavy anything, tailgates bend real easy and are very expensive to replace.
Slickest setup I've ever seen for pickup truck loading was an old guy who had a winch mounted behind the cab, and bicycle wheels attached like training wheels to the rear axle of the bike. The bike was loaded backwards in the truck, and he just winched it up and down the ramp, hands-free, then detached the training wheels to go riding.
BigEvilDoer has a 6.5' bed on his F150 I believe, I have a 2016 F150 supercrew with the 5.5' bed. No issues with 2 bikes. Only challenge is the tie downs with the aluminum bed down the center. I put in 2 x 5000 lbs D-rings with 1/4" steel plate underneath down the center. Not a lot to bolt to underneath, but you can find a few spots.
Here is the weld on version, but TSC also sells version that takes 2 carriage bolts. Just buy the appropriate length galvanized bolt.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/smartstraps-heavy-duty-weld-on-d-ring-5000-lb
Here is the weld on version, but TSC also sells version that takes 2 carriage bolts. Just buy the appropriate length galvanized bolt.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/smartstraps-heavy-duty-weld-on-d-ring-5000-lb
A ramp like this could make life a whole lot easier. Walk up beside the bike, slowly clutching it up the ramp. It folds up so you can slide it into the truck once the bike is loaded.
I agree on the humid weather thing - I can not under any circumstances sleep when I'm miserably hot, sweaty, and slimy sweaty.
AC in a small space on generator is doable, but you want a GOOD inverter generator that won't keep all your neighbours up, and be sure to park in an area with other larger RV's/motorhomes that are likely to be running generators at night anyways...and even if not are less likely to be bothered by yours because it's quiet.
The Honda EU2000i is a stellar generator that will easily start and run a small 5000 BTU window-unit style AC that you can get at Wallymart for $150 in the summer, and they are amazingly quiet. What I used to do with mine was put it at the bed of my truck - keeping it up in the air a little with the bed surrounding it helps direct the noise up and away vs sitting in on the ground and having the sound go in all directions. If I was looking for quieter yet sometimes I'd drape my tonneau cover about half way over the bed and put the generator at the edge with the exhaust facing forward under the tonneau. It never overheated (since it was drawing it's cooling air from the open area) but blowing the exhaust forward and under the tonneau muffled things even more. Under light to moderate load I couldn't even hear it from the next campsite usually.
Yes, in the end, between an EU2000i (they fetch about $1000 even used) and the AC you'll be in for some coin without doubt, but it's worth it (for me at least) to be comfortable and get a good nights sleep.
Run time may be an issue especially if the AC runs quite a bit (compressor on vs just fan) through the night so be sure to pre-cool the space as much as possible and then fill the genny to the brim again just before retiring for the night. A lot of people using EU2000i's for long periods plumb in external fuel sources, but that's a different ball of wax.
george_belafonte
Active member
Dodge Caravan!!!
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