My snowmobile ramp Project

I have been working on research and development of a snowmobile ramp system for a pickup truck . I spent a lot of time and effort on previous methods. I have a link to that stuff at the end of this page, if you want to see all the different attempts. So, without future delay let's get on to the project.....

Starting out with my pickup and (homemade) canopy, which has a dual door system, for both small items (and camping) and large items, including a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood. The rear door swings up and out of the way. First I drop the tailgate......

Then I swing the rear door up and out of the way. The main sled bed is already sitting inside on the truck bed. It comes in handy for hauling smaller items that like to roll around while driving; I use the bed and bungi the items to it. Starting with the rear section, which is light enough to carry into position.....

I have a little "kit" with the accessories for this project. I secure it with 6 1/4" bolts to both the main bed and canopy frame. That way it's all one assembly, now.

Again, the ramp is light enough to carry into position. I hook it on the edge of the rear section.

Just a close up where the ramp lays in the hooks on the rear section. I use one of my tie-downs in case the ground is uneven; prevents the ramp from popping out during loading .

Now I run the sled up .........lining up my skis.........

...to meet the rails (groves); once in, they automatically guide the sled up.....

.....and inside. The key point here, is remember to duck !

Run up front so the skis are touching the pickup bed front. For this demonstration and development I'll be pulling the sled back out some, to line up with the edge of the rear section, to test the winch. My future sled will be longer, which in that case I would leave it all the way forward, for the "real thing" trip.

I tried to space the cross bars of both the main bed and ramp sections so they are track "friendly". That way the lugs aren't all bunched up, sitting on top. And, of course I have the usual front tie-down bracket. This one is home-brew. (of course). Noticed I welded two nut positions for it to screw into. Gives me a little choice.

I bought a boat winch on sale for $20, with the steel cable. Then I built a sorta- A frame, which the winch is bolted on to. I installed a "post" guide on the rear section. I slide the A frame down onto the rear section which should be directly over the rear bumper of the sled. As mentioned before this particular sled is shorter than my next one, so temporarily I pulled it back for this test. With a "friendly" hoist, consisting of wide webbing, as not to mar up the finish, then connect that to the winch's hook and crank it up enough to stick the ramp under the track.

.......and lower it back down. Then I remove the A frame and store it inside the canopy for the trip. Those flat bars sticking through the rear door have holes in them, for adjustable positions for pad locks. With the rear locked, the ramp tie down and the weight of the sled, with additional side tie downs, makes a secure load for the trip. In this picture I use rubber bungies, however, I normally use web-ratchet tie-downs.

One very import side note. Some folks like to use "truck beds", which is this ABS type plastic material. I have found it rather slippery while walking or crawling in the back of one's truck. I can't image why they like it, since it's rather dangerous being so slippery. Same goes for that "armor-all" stuff some like to spray on the plastic seats. I guess they like the "protection". At the expense of things sliding and flying around. To continue, I obtained some old truck bed liners real cheap. This plastic works well in this application. I even installed some of it UNDER the ramp. Since the ramp is tucked under the sled's track and on top of the rear section, this makes it real easy to pull a dead sled backwards for unloading. You don't even need to fight the track, going backwards, since it's sitting on the ramp, which will be sliding on top of the rear section, during pull-out.

So, I untie everything, and pull the sled out..........

....just to the point where the ramp falls into the hooks of the rear section, and lay the ramp down to the ground. Then I continue to pull the sled out........

At this point gravity will take over........once over the top it comes down and out real nice. That's another reason I kept the ramp a little on the short side. Down on the ground, I'd be ready for a outing in the snow !