Loading a riding mower

[mjncad]

Loading it in backwards presents one risk, if air gets under your hood while transporting it in the truck, the hood will fly open at high speed and most of the time be torn right off the tractor. I haven't done this personally, but have seen it done. So if you back it into the truck or trailer, think about securing the hood so it can't open.

Duct Tape!

 

[MrJimi]

Loading it in backwards presents one risk, if air gets under your hood while transporting it in the truck, the hood will fly open at high speed and most of the time be torn right off the tractor. I haven't done this personally, but have seen it done. So if you back it into the truck or trailer, think about securing the hood so it can't open.

I have a simple fix for that, I used a bungee cord for almost 12 years, and changed it twice and I only used it for that purpose worked like a charm and my rider had a plastic hood !
Jim

 

[RobJ]

All of these ideas will work. But it seems to me like you'll put much effort and money into constructing them and that they'll be difficult to transport. I would return the aluminum ramps and get the brackets Eddie mentioned and mate them to a couple of long 2x12s. Cheap, easy to use, easy enough to transport, and available anywhere. Couldn't take more than 30 minutes and $60 to put the whole thing together...

Only problem with 2x12's is if it's wet or some mud on the wheels. The metal ramps have some nice grippers.

 

[LBrown59]

Only problem with 2x12's is if it's wet or some mud on the wheels.

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My planks were rough sawn at a saw mill so don't have as smooth a surface as milled planks .
It helps some on this.

 

[BigE_]

Some old roofing nailed to the planks really helps with the traction. No old roofing? Home Depot or Lowes generally has a pack laying around that ripped open and they'll sell it for cheap.

Myself, if I was building the ramp out of wood, I'd use 2x12s, and then run a 4x4 underneath them, with the appropriate bevel cut at the bottom end.

Or, you could use a couple of pieces of 2x12s (or 2x8) of the appropriate length, coupled with a set of good hinges to make a swing down leg in the middle of the 2x12. This will keep the long 2x12 from bending quite as much in the middle.

I drive my lawn tractor up and down a 30 degree slope in my yard going forward. I can back up it, but don't want to even think about backing down it.

Why not buy a used utility trailer? I see them all the time in the $100-$150 range on Craigslist. I know, a truck alone is much easier to handle.

 

[LBrown59]

Or, you could use a couple of pieces of 2x12s (or 2x8) of the appropriate length, coupled with a set of good hinges to make a swing down leg in the middle of the 2x12. This will keep the long 2x12 from bending quite as much in the middle.

My 2x 12s are rough sawn oak.
These Planks are a full 12 '' wide and a full 2'' thick.
These 8 foot long planks don't bend in the middle.

 

[pycoed]

Don't want to drag around my 18' trailer I use for my tractor, and I just acquired a new riding mower. Also bought some arched ramps for loading it into the bed of a pickup. I've got some ideas, but does anyone have a sure-fire way to make loading and unloading it a one-man operation?

Since you've got the ramps, just get a small boat winch & rig an attachment to the front of the pickup bed. Piece of plate a couple of holes & some captive nuts would do it , then just two bolts (use T handles & the winch is fitted or removed) I load Wheelhorse C series ( much beefier than modern rideons) onto a breakback trailer like that, & a simple non geared winch does the job fine.

 

[professor]

I can tell you from experience that the curved aluminum ramps can be very hazardous. I was unloading a small JD rear engine mower and when the mower backed over the ramp the deck pulled the ramp away from the truck (Ford 150). It threw me off and I hit the concrete drive on my rear and fliped back and hit my head. I was rushed to the hospital and placed in the trama unit because of brain swelling. I had bad short term memory for weeks. I was lucky that it didn't kill me. I am usually careful when loading and unloading equipment but that day I had been doing a triming at our civic club grounds for out tractor show and was in a hurry to get back. I unloaded on concrete without the ramp tie downs. I also have a 18 foot trailer but after that I added a 10 ft single axle trailer to my collection and I will never load another mower on the back of a pickup.

 

[2manyrocks]

I believe Professor has hit the nail squarely on the head.

Either the trailer or safety forum has several discussions about the risks of loading tractors on trailers which resulted in me building new ramps and using a different setup with my trailer.

I now cringe at the thought of even loading a riding mower in the back of a truck with ramps that can slide out of position.

 

[RobJ]

I can tell you from experience that the curved aluminum ramps can be very hazardous.

Glad you are ok, that is scary.

But by not using the tie downs it's really not the ramps fault. I would think on a mower you would also have to be careful because of the low ground clearance dragging the ramps and pulling them back.

That said I have 2 homemade set of ramps that don't have the tie downs on. I only use them for ATV's and my slightly lifted truck keeps them at a sharp angle and in good contact with the ground. That's why I usually walk them down, but I do drive them up.

Good Luck,
Rob