How To Load an ATV in a Truck Bed

How to Load an ATV on Your Truck

When transporting your ATV around the Springfield area, it’s important to ensure that it’s safely secured. Follow these steps to properly load your ATV on your truck bed:

1. Purchase high-quality loading ramps, as you’ll need them to drive the ATV up onto the truck bed. Your loading ramps should be rated for the weight of the ATV, plus the weight of the driver. It’s advised to never exceed the weight limit of your ramps.
2. Secure the ramps to your truck using tie-down or ratchet straps. These straps will prevent the ramp from moving when you’re riding up them.
3. Put on a helmet before your drive up the ramp. While it’s a short distance, safety should always come first.
4. Align the ATV’s wheels with the ramp’s entrance.
5. Put your ATV in the lowest gear possible. You want to go up at a low speed, but also need a decent amount of power and momentum. If your ATV has four-wheel drive, you’ll want to have it engaged.
6. Firmly apply the throttle but keep it smooth. As you’re going up the ramp, do not move off the throttle since you might slip backward.
7. Move slowly until all four of your wheels are safely on the truck bed. Then, apply a little bit of gas to make sure that the front of the ATV is touching the front of the bed. Put the ATV in Park and turn off the engine.
8. Remove the tie-down straps, pack up the ramps, and close the tailgate.
9. Secure the ATV to the truck with strong ratchet straps. It’s recommended to have someone sit on the front and back of the ATV while you’re securing the straps.

How to Load a Side-by-Side on a Trailer

Now that you know how to load a dirt bike on a truck, let’s go over how to load a side-by-side on a trailer. When you want to transport your side-by-side to Cottage Grove, you’ll need to find the right trailer. To do this, you’ll take into consideration the weight and dimensions of your side-by-side. Knowing this information will help you figure out whether you need a single-axle or double-axle trailer.

Once you have the right-sized trailer, follow these steps to properly load your side-by-side:

1. Get a heavy-duty loading ramp that’s rated for the weight of your side-by-side.
2. Make sure that your trailer and vehicle are on a level surface.
3. Connect the trailer tongue to a vehicle tow hitch. You’ll also need to hook up safety chains and make sure that they’re tight and secure. Under the trailer tongue, cross the safety chains into an “X” formation.
4. Put on a helmet before driving up the ramp.

From here, you’ll want to follow the same steps you would when loading an ATV. Although, when you’re placing the side-by-side on the trailer, make sure that the weight is evenly distributed. If the vehicle is parked close to the trailer’s rear, it may cause some handling difficulties. To help, keep the “60/40” rule in mind – roughly 60% of the side-by-side’s weight should be towards the front of the trailer.

How to Tie Down a Dirt Bike

Once you’ve loaded your dirt bike onto your truck bed, it’s important to make sure it’s secured correctly. To begin this process, you’ll need the following materials: soft loops, tie-down straps, a loading ramp, and a wheel chock. You can visit our parts center to find these tools. Once you have the tie-downs, follow these steps:

1. Attach the soft loops to the dirt bike’s handlebars, then strap s-hooks to the soft loops.
2. Take the right tie down and attach it to the front right truck bed ring.
3. Take the left tie down and attach it to the back left truck bed ring.
4. Close the tailgate if the dirt bike is all the way on the bed.
5. Tighten the attached tie-downs, but you don’t want to make them too tight – just enough, so the dirt bike doesn’t move.
6. You can tie down the rear tire if you so choose. All you have to do is run a strap through the rear wheel, then loop it around the tire before attaching the ends of the sides of the truck bed.

Get More Powersports Tips From Trak Powersports

Knowing how safely load and secure your powersport vehicles will make your adventures around Creswell so much more worthwhile. Reach out to our service experts if you have any questions. In the meantime, learn more about how to care for your powersport such as how to change motorcycle oil.