I use 2 x 10s with "Ramp Arts" bolted on the ends. I got mine from JC Whitney but I've seem them at the hardware and trailer stores too.
The Ramp Arts that attach at the bottom of the board have a beveled part. And the Ramp Arts that bolts to the top of the board that attach on the truck bed have a 6 inch lip on them so you can securely place the board on the bed and makes it easier to drive the tractor off the bed as well as on it.
They work great. And I do the same thing everyone else does. I load the tractor as level as I can get the trailer as I can.
I do have a scarry story loading an Elec Traks and this happened last month. I loaned my boards with the Ramp Arts to my Dad so I didn't have them here when Albert came by to pick up his Elek-trac after I fixed it. Albert is always in a hurry and is very hard on stuff which is why I keep working on his tractor.
Albert brought his own 2 x 12 boards and was borrowing my trailer. As we attempted to load it up from the street the tractor kept scooting the boards forward. So I grabbed the boards and my circular saw and beveled the edges real quick.
Anyway, Albert who is always in a hurry and doesn't always pay attention grabbed the boards and put them up on the trailer. I stopped him once to say they weren't lined up. When we finally got them lined up he gunned the tractor and flew up the boards. As he piloted the tractor 3/4s the way in the trailer, the right board shot out backwards with the rear tires still not even on the trailer yet. The right rear tire was now in the air. The left board was still in place thank goodnes. Thankfully the momentum from going so fast up the ramps propelled him into the trailer and he slammed on the brake just before he hit the front of the bed. The man is crazy.
I will never forget the sight of that rear tire just floating in the air with Albert totally oblivious to what was going on.
ChipOn May 28, 2007, at 10:55 AM, elec-trak-request cosmos phy tufts edu wrote:
Message: 5 Date: Mon, 28 May 2007 09:05:04 -0400 (EDT) From: Steve Gaarder <gaarder ecovillage ithaca ny us> Subject: (ET) safest way to get an ET into a pickup truck? To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.62.0705280902510.13852@localhost.localdomain> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowedI need to transport my E-12M, and have use of a small pickup truck for thepurpose. It looks like the tractor will fit, and I have a couple ofwooden ramps I can use. My question is: what is the safest way to get thetractor up (and down) the ramps? SHould I just drive it up, or use acome-along to winch it up, or rig up a remote switch so I can run it upunder its own power while standing out of the way? thanks, Steve Gaarder