One of the challenges facing us is how to transport a recumbent trike to where we want to ride. Smaller hatches or sedans and tight budgets exacerbate the problem. With some economic supplies from local hardware, we can take one trike anywhere with reasonable ease.
I describe the construction of the ramps in this article. The ramp must be long enough to aid in loading the trike yet short enough to fit on the roof. With this constraint in mind, I find that a length of 1.5 metres (5 feet) is best. This length works with a hatch or sedan but is unsuitable for an SUV, 4WD or truck. I will publish a more general solution in the following article.
Loading the Trike
I like to control ascent and descent with rope for reasons that will become clear later. I can create the rope pulling point by tying strapping around the rear door hinge.
A steel carabiner acts as the top pulley. The folded door-mat protects the paintwork. I can now clip the control rope around the central tee on the trike using another steel carabiner, then run the cord to the car’s back and through the carabiner pictured. See the video for more detail.
The ramp has rubber pads to protect the bonnet now and the roof in a later step. Once the ramp is sitting firmly, I line up the trike.
I feel more in control by holding a front tire and turning it to move the trike up the car hood while controlling the direction.
Once the rear wheel is off the ramp, it is time to tie off the guide rope. A simple easy to remove knot around the seat or luggage rack will do. The trike will now not roll backwards.
I can now remove the ramp and put it on the roof, sliding one section under the control rope. The aim is to tie the trike down on the ramp to keep both in place for travel.
Now I can wheel the trike onto the ramp on the roof. I make sure all three wheels are on the ramp to spread the load.
A strap around one of the front wheels will stop the trike from rolling while working on a more stable solution for travel.
Here I have to diverge slightly from the video. A single ratchet strap works, but the trike can move backwards and forwards. It is not enough for it to fall off, but it made me nervous. The solution is two straps pulling against each other. One goes around the folding mechanism or front seat support while the other goes through the rear forks. In a later article, I will show how to use a single ratchet strap.
This is one solution for how to transport a recumbent trike on the smallest of cars.
Unloading the Trike
Step One: Remove the straps. Try to do a better job than I do in the video. Using a quality ratchet strap is a good start.
Step Two: Roll the trike down onto the hood. The knot I made during loading will stop the trike from rolling off.
Step Three: Set up the ramp, untie the knot and roll the trike down. Get ready to ride. I put the ramp on the roof, but it can also slide under the car while I am away. I don’t expect anyone to pinch a few pieces of unpainted pine, but you never know.