A 2-metre (6’6″) ramp is a little short for an SUV or utility. Loading the trike requires a bit of extra push, and unloading needs more care with the steep slope. Conversely, 3 metres (10′) is too long to carry around as a single piece. One solution is 3 piece clip-together components. Each part is short enough to load into the boot, tub or back seat.
Construction
Fortunately, I purchased three 2-metre aluminium channels. At the time, I also thought I might need one for the rear wheel. I cut up my single-piece ramps and inserted a metre in the middle. I used some right-angle sections for sturdiness with a latch to hold them together.
Benefits
- I still have my 2-metre ramps for sedans or station wagons and a 3-metre version for SUVs and utilities.
- Each length can be tossed into the back seat or boot for local trips.
- It is as sturdy as the original single-piece ramps.
Disadvantages
- It takes an extra two minutes at each end of a drive to assemble or disassemble the ramps.
- Six separate pieces are a lot to pack away.
- Storing them outside the vehicle on or with the trikes is unwieldy.
- I had to grease the joints to make them easy to put together.
- Six metres (10′) of 3mm thick channel is a bit heavier than I would like.
Example
The video is of loading two trikes on the tub of an Isuzu D-Max utility. The most inconvenient tasks were lifting and tying the ramp parts before leaving and getting them down again at the destination.