So often we’ll see instances of people using the most ridiculous techniques to load a car or truck into the back of another truck. When this story surfaced of a few guys actually making a rickety system of planks work for loading a car – it just had to be shared. It’s not too often this will happen and everything works out just fine, and this one is no exception.
It looks like a system of 2x6s was used to line up the back wheels of the vehicle with the interior of the box truck. Normally two big mistakes are made: the ramp is too steep and the force from trying to reverse up the steep ramp causes the wheels to slide OR the ramp isn’t reinforced enough and the car cracks the wood.
Of course, the third option is the vehicle isn’t aligned properly and simply falls off track. To put it simply – there are more ways to mess this up then there are to get it right. But for the right team, it’s a piece of cake. Anyway, check out some examples of better ways to load a car.
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For a small four cylinder car there are a number of options. SmartCars, for instance, have their own after-market specialty truck loader. It’s pretty single use â only wo
For a small four cylinder car there are a number of options. SmartCars, for instance, have their own after-market specialty truck loader. It’s pretty single use – only works for SmartCars and only one at a time. Which is slightly disappointing because SmartCars look like they could be sold in four packs like Red Bull. The way this specialty truck loader goes about it is pretty fascinating though. It picks up the SmartCar from the side and a hydraulic lift forklifts it into the air and pulls it safely onto the bed of the tow truck.
• Side Loading Dynamic Lift
That’s just one example of a class of tow trucks equipped with a specialty loader known as a Dynamic Lift. It’s a surprisingly ingenious way to load a car while parked beside it. In fact, it’s one of the most popular tow methods for getting cars out of tight inner city parallel parking spaces.
The rationale is simple – whereas traditional tow trucks would need to line up with either the front or back end of the car, the side-loading dynamic lift can just pull right up alongside the car in question and pull it aboard. It’s also one of the favored lift methods for hard to reach parking spots – and a notable favorite amongst repossession agents.
• Air-bagged Trailers
Another class of trailer, this one is less for repossession and more for transportation. What’s great about this style is that it can stay extremely low to the ground. This makes it much easier to load high-end sports cars with very low ground clearance. More importantly, it takes all the guess work out of wondering whether or not a vehicle has the proper clearance in the first place. Classed up to 30,000 lbs, it’s become a favorite for vehicles such as the new 2016 Ford GT with a ground clearance of less than three inches. It’s virtually easier to drive aboard this trailer than it would be to ride over a speed bump.
If vehicles need to be hauled a long distance, there’s almost no getting around it. They will have to either be loaded on a dedicated car transport truck – a cringe worthy experience for high-end car owners – or loaded individually onto a lowered detachable semi trailer. This is a pretty unique method in that the truck driver simply lowers his platform flush to the ground and detaches from it. The car drives on – with little ground clearance requirements – and then the truck backs up and reattaches the trailer. While this might seem like a pretty extravagant way to travel, it’s actually one of the favored methods for moving heavy equipment like Cat Dozers. Sometimes equipment doesn’t arrive on time or it’s too cost ineffective. The reason why this wooden ramp worked was for a number of reasons. We’ll break them down in case someone somewhere needs to do their own rough-shod ramp construction.
• Light, Consistent Grading
Ideally, the grade that should be achieved should be no more than 3% incline. Think about driving up a light hill. The added pressure on the engine increases the chance that the driver either overpowers it or can’t get up the ramp in the first place. A 3% incline ensures that nearly any four cylinder vehicle has a chance without putting too much pressure on it.
• Wood Isn’t a Rigid Surface – Its Supports Must Be
There is a lot of bounce to wood. Once weight is applied to a section of it, it will bend. And unlike inorganic matter, if the weight is unsupported – it will crack and splinter. This is why in order to get a vehicle up a wooden ramp, it has to be supported at every step. Otherwise, the car will get to the weak point and either fall off to break through.
