I need some creative thinkers, and ideas here...

[tri5ron]

Alright guys, I could use a little help here thinking up a way to load my families quads into my enclosed trailer.

The trailer is a enclosed 14', that I have modified into a quasi-stacker, so that I can load my 3 Landsailers in the top section, and have the Quads in the lower section.

When we were just a 3 quad family, I had no difficulty getting them all in. Now that we have a 4th quad for my son, it's a pretty tight fit.
Getting the kids side by side in the front, and mine in behind them is easy enough.
My difficulty comes with getting my wifes quad in, as it must go sideways to fit in.
The way I was able to do it this time, was to back it up the ramp, with just the rear wheels up on the floor of the trailer, then set the parking brake, and muscle/wrestle/strain it into a sideways position, (halfway on the ramp, halfway inside), then muscle it some more to get it in place so that the ramp door can close.

I'd like to hear some ideas about how to possibly slide it up the ramp sideways, and have it be a easier operation.
What I need is ideas as to how to get the tires to slide sideways up the ramp easily, or any other ideas are welcomed.

here's a little video showing what I'm dealing with...

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So give me some ideas here,
Thanks, Ron

[Regular_Joe]

How about one of these under each tire?

Lowes Castor Wheels (http://www.lowes.com/pd_66999-255-4262599NN_0_?productId=3037455&Ntt=castor%20wheels&Ntk=i_products&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?newSearch=true$Ntt=castor%20wheels$y=0$x= 0&spellCorrectedTerm=caster%20wheels)

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/074523/074523026250lg.jpg

[Regular_Joe]

You could also make your own out of 2x4's and use bigger wheels.

[Regular_Joe]

Just saw this too .....

ATV Dolly Set (http://www.tonnocover.com/ATV_UTV_Accessories/Ignition_Garage_Products_ATV_Dolly_Set_T452436.htm l)

http://www.tonnocover.com/images/products/2313/9022.jpg

[protraxrptr17]

I've bee thru this too. How i did it was to take a floor jack with me. Ride the bike up the ramp, and just before you get to the top, turn it towards the side of the trailer. Prop the rear door of the trailer up so it is a little higher in the back. Pick up the back of the bike and slide it around completely sideways. Jack it up so it balances on the jack. Make sure the jack is perpendicular to the bike. Roll it in. Let the jack down until the tires touch the floor. Leave the jack and close the door. Thats how I would do it.;)

[derekhonda]

Maybe like a sears atv jack.

http://i31.tinypic.com/10dh3eb.jpg

got handles, two of you will still have to push it up hill, but it shouldn't be that bad with two of you. Maybe they make one with bigger tires/castors to help with the lips you might encounter.

[kfx400rider03]

i take it the side door is to small to pull the 250 in that
way? nd if so u cant pull one of the little quads in threw the door side ways and put the other little quad next to the 400 and then the 250 in?

[tri5ron]

all good idea's so far guys.
I thought about the under tire dolly approach, but there is just no extra inch for them to fit between the wheel wells of the trailer.

I'm liking the idea of getting it on the ramp door sideways, then lifting/leveling the ramp door to the trailer floor, and using the ATV jack to slide it the last 3 feet or so.
That just might work !

Great Ideas so far !
Keep them coming...

[dns1764]

get a bigger trailer or kill a family member

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by dns1764
get a bigger trailer or kill a family member


X2

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by kfx400rider03
i take it the side door is to small to pull the 250 in that
way? nd if so u cant pull one of the little quads in threw the door side ways and put the other little quad next to the 400 and then the 250 in?
yeah the side door is to narrow for the 250 to go in, and besides that,.. the area FORWARD of the trailers wheel wells, is the only place that is both wide and long enough to get the kids quads to fit.
The area beside the 400, is not wide enough for either of the kids quads.

I tried to put the 250 in sideways, just behind the kids quads,... But not only is it nearly impossible to turn sideways by myself,...
That comes out to be about 6" too short for the 400.

With the 400 in behind the kids quads, I gain about 3" due to my front tires can go right up to the axle sprockets on the kids quads.
Then, by putting the 250 in sideways at the very rear,...
My grab bar,(on the 400), goes between the 250's front and rear fenders, (so I get back about another 3"), and the sidewalls of the 250's tires are bumped right up to the rear tires on the 400.

Yeah, like I first said,.. There is not an extra inch ANYWHERE ! LOL!

Kids front bumpers are pushed up against the front wall,...
400's front bumper is pushed into the kids rear tires,...
250's left tires sidewalls are pushed against the 400's rear tires,...
and the ramp door is against the 250's right tires sidewalls !!!

If I was to remove the 400's front bumper, I'd gain about 1" of floor space lengthwise, But I'd still be faced with getting the 250 sideways on the ramp door, and then sliding it in with it's tires going between the trailers wheel wells.

For a few minutes there, I was begining to think I may need to put Vaseline on the trailer walls !!! LOL!!!

So far I'm thinking the suggestion of the 250 sideways on ramp door, then leveling ramp door, (I may need to mount some folding support legs on the bottom to make this easier something like these ???),
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-Stabilizer-Jacks-Motorcycle-Cargo-Trailer-Camper_W0QQitemZ370290305479QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMot ors_RV_Trailer_Camper_Parts_Accessories?hash=item5 63705a9c7

then use the atv jack, may just be the best bet.

Keep the Ideas coming.

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by dns1764
get a bigger trailer or kill a family member UHhhh,.. Yeah,... Thanks, but no thanks.

[extremeblastr]

get a gym membership:eek:

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by extremeblastr
get a gym membership:eek: LOL! Yeah, that may be next !

[woodsracer144]

Originally posted by derekhonda
Maybe like a sears atv jack.

http://i31.tinypic.com/10dh3eb.jpg

got handles, two of you will still have to push it up hill, but it shouldn't be that bad with two of you. Maybe they make one with bigger tires/castors to help with the lips you might encounter.

what that guy said!

this is how it would work, you make a stand like the quad stands but then have 4 wheels on them or else get the sears jack,

get the quad jacked up in the air on that sears thing or else the quad stand, i think it would work best if you could get the ramp to jack up a little bit so it was level cause after a day of riding when your tired and have to fight it to get it loaded you wont have to push the quad up the ramp,

I think it might work also if you back up the ramp with a little bit to go on the right side of the trailer so you can crank it off and get it half the way in there and just have one of the regular floor jacks and jack up the front and push it over.

[Regular_Joe]

Originally posted by tri5ron
all good idea's so far guys.
I thought about the under tire dolly approach, but there is just no extra inch for them to fit between the wheel wells of the trailer.

I just got a chance to watch the video. It was blocked at work earlier.

I think the 3 sided ones I posted first should work and would be really cheap. Just place them under the quad wheels where 2 of the dolly wheels are on the under side of the quad. The last dolly wheel should clear the wheel well at that point.

Likewise the other ones might work too, but you would need measurements of them. I think if you placed the quad wheels near the edge of the dolly plate with all the extra under the quad you would be ok as well. The quad tires are very rounded so even with 1/2" past the last point of contact with the tire, your dolly still might not be out farther that the rim itself.

[rbgnwa45]

You can't lift a tiny quad sideways a couple times? Get reeealllly good at powersliding into small spaces :cool: .

[tri5ron]

what do you guys think of this idea?
it's a little bit from a few different ideas already mentioned, with the added ease of plastic sliders, rather than the drama involved with the whole lift idea...
quad backed up on ramp door,...
door leveled, ...
quad spun sideways,...
plastic slider skids.

I'm thinking some plastic bedliner material screwed down to the ramp door, and trailer floor, then a 12" x 12" patch of the same plastic under each tire on the 250.
That plastic used for truck bed liners is some slippery stuff, and two pieces of it on top of each other is like ice skating!
the ridges in it would keep the quad sliding straight in and out of the trailer, onto the ramp door, and the slider skids would traverse the gap between the ramp door, and the trailer floor more easily than caster type wheels too.

this would eliminate the ATV Lift "drama", and should slide in and out like a big drawer.

what do you think ???

[dns1764]

get a bunch of bearing rollers and make two rows going up each side of the ramp. place the quad on small peices of plywood and push it up the ramp

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Horn-19102-Bearing-Diameter/dp/B001C4O9MS

[MX450]

looks like more muscling and straining or get a bigger trailer:macho

[derekhonda]

Also, what about just changing your loading procedure. Back the trailer up to a raised area so that when you are scooting it in you aren't fighting gravity. Might make it easier at least, and you wouldn't have to buy anything.

[ngates788]

What do you haul the trailer with, truck or suv? If its a truck, could you just possibly put a quad in the bed and whatever you have in the bed, could you just cram in the trailer? Thats what we normally do then we can't fit all ours in. Unloading and loading is made simple by just jackknifing the trailer and truck.

[250x_kyle]

Originally posted by tri5ron
UHhhh,.. Yeah,... Thanks, but no thanks.

someone should have swallowed ehhhh? i will try to think up of something creative tomarrow.

[TNT]

Whats keeping you from building a 52" wide side ramp door in back? :confused:

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by ngates788
What do you haul the trailer with, truck or suv? If its a truck, could you just possibly put a quad in the bed and whatever you have in the bed, could you just cram in the trailer? Thats what we normally do then we can't fit all ours in. Unloading and loading is made simple by just jackknifing the trailer and truck. Good idea, but not sure that will work for me.
The camper on the truck is bigger than the trailer, and I'm pretty sure it would be a real struggle trying to stuff it inside the trailer ! LOL!
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/Honda%20trx250ex%20quad/Camper%20and%20toybox/IMG_7352.jpg

[Tommy Warren]

Why not just back it straight in and stand it up on the back rack?

[TNT]

Are those two acs on top that thing aint long enough....lol!

Ok now we see the prob. Hummmm, too short.

[TNT]

How wide is that side door 24" looks like you got room to widen it but you said the big quad don't work up there? How wide is the big quad? I'd shoot for a wider ramp door where the side door is you want most of weight up front.

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by Tommy Warren
Why not just back it straight in and stand it up on the back rack?
because these two Landsailers,and one other Landsailer, go on the upper section inside the trailer too...

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/el%20mirage%20thanksgiving%2006/IMG_6818.jpg

Yeah, I know,.... too many toys,... but that's how we roll.

the Landsailers are not on the upper "shelf" in this pic, (just a bunch of camping junk), but they actually do fit up there with the sails, masts, and rear axles removed.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/red%20box%20trailer/IMG_0853.jpg

so you can see why standing up the quads is not an option.

I think the plastic sliders idea is going to work for the 250. Hopefully this weekend I can do a "test slide".
If not, then the atv jack will be the next option.

[TNT]

Ok last thought, Like I said if you can get them all in now this can be done. It's not that hard weekend job to redo that front side door looks like you got some room to your wheel well, put your 250 up there then load the 400 to the rear of it kids quads in back you may be able to find more room for them in back...that way your 60+% weight up front to keep the sway down too. I'd have to see it but looking at the photos best I can do. :D


Don't know what kind of turning radius you got but some simple sheet metal work in the bull nose to extend it forward might buy you some more space, leave the side door alone in that case..

[stuntin andy]

put the 250 or the 400 in the back of the truck =o

[Tommy Warren]

just remember those atv jacks are horrible to push let alone push up hill

[JR3]

Originally posted by Tommy Warren
just remember those atv jacks are horrible to push let alone push up hill

+ 2 everyone keeps saying atv jack. i take it they never tried to push one with a quad on it around there shed. its a pain in the ***. let alone up a trailer ramp where there might be gravel or dirt on etc etc just all things to think about

[woodsracer144]

Originally posted by JR3
+ 2 everyone keeps saying atv jack. i take it they never tried to push one with a quad on it around there shed. its a pain in the ***. let alone up a trailer ramp where there might be gravel or dirt on etc etc just all things to think about

make blocks to put under the ramp to hold it level... that way you dont have to push it up it...

[woodsracer144]

Originally posted by JR3
+ 2 everyone keeps saying atv jack. i take it they never tried to push one with a quad on it around there shed. its a pain in the ***. let alone up a trailer ramp where there might be gravel or dirt on etc etc just all things to think about

make blocks to put under the ramp to hold it level... that way you dont have to push it up it...

[Tommy Warren]

Originally posted by woodsracer144
make blocks to put under the ramp to hold it level... that way you dont have to push it up it...

how are you gonna lift the ramp with a quad on it?

[woodsracer144]

have atv ramps that are short to drive it up on, or else but a small winch on the ramp... it wouldnt be hard to do... or else sell this trailer and buy a bigger one...

i my self would just pick it up and toss it around, but im alot younger so i could do this, im not making fun of you.... its just the way it is... im sure after the 15th time of doing this i would be tired of it or find a new way...

Originally posted by stuntin andy
put the 250 or the 400 in the back of the truck =o

Reading owns you....

---On topic though, I would say go with the idea of getting some ball bearing rollers and making two rows. One row for the front wheels and one row for the rear wheels.

[honda400ex2003]

you could get some strips of sheet metal to put on the rear part of the floor to help the 250 slide better. then you could use the casters easier too since they would not be on the wood. just another option for you. steve