The reason Mad-Ramps uses 6061-aluminum is great strength-to-weight ratio. So after multiple attempts to reinforce the lighter material, we finally decided to go with a solid two-inch tube coming from the receiver hitch which then transitions down to a smaller size to keep the weight down. So around 2012 we invented the now patented ‘Pivot Bar’ and ‘Pivot Cages’ which are integrated with the ramps into a tailgate extender offering a stable all-in-one system that allows the ramps to telescope and then lock under the ‘Bumper Guard.’īack to the early days, the original tailgate extender used ¼-inch wall and two-inch square tubing, robust enough only for small and light ATVs. In addition to the safety issues, we also had to carry the ramps with us which didn’t solve the space problem. We owned multiple trailers, which was a hassle: flat tires, failed wheel bearings and navigating in tight spaces to turn around the truck and trailer.Īround 2007 I and my father, Dave, assembled what is now known as a ‘tailgate extender.’ That somewhat worked, but we had to deal with ramps almost everyone who has used ramps has had a close call whether, it’s the ramp kicking out or slipping to the side. They usually had a tool box, a fuel tank or some sort of equipment or tools in the box, thus not leaving enough room to haul our 4wheelers. We started buying four-door short bed trucks in the mid-2000s. I grew up on a farm in Iowa where ATVs are often used for daily work and are transported to other farming locations, sometimes multiple times a day. Here is Matt Pelzer, Chief Executive Officer for Mad-Ramps, giving his own testimony about how the Mad-Ramp system came to fruition: Furthermore, the slide and hideaway ramps allow one person to load, store, haul and unload the vehicle with ease. This keeps the pickup’s front box area available for tools, a storage box or fuel cans. Mad-Ramps with its unique load-and-lock-and-stow system allows the ATV or 50-inch trail-rated UTV operator to drive into their pickup’s box and securely lock down the dirt wheels toy with the back one-third remaining over the tailgate, resting on the reinforced and heavily supported ramps. They may tow their trailer over a snowy highway where salt or any ice-thaw product slowly eats away the trailer’s metal. Or, the ATV or 50-inch trail UTV owner hooks onto an open or enclosed trailer, loads their toy, to pull the trailer through the mud and muck with the possibility of becoming stuck. Then with these, they load their toy, place the ramps inside the pickup box and lose most available box space. Many ATV and 50-inch trail-rated UTV owners purchase ramps from either eBay, an off-road dealership or from a farmer-owned Co-Op. Now, a functional product designed by a farmer, who understands load capacity, strength and durability and ease-of-use (farmers don’t like wasting time fixing a poorly-designed product, or hooking onto an implement when one implement should do the work of two), is a product we pay attention to.īack to the short bed four-door pickup discussion. Companies who promote something as being “farmer tough,” better have the proof. No one can test harder or break something quicker than a farmer. Mad-Ramps is a product designed by one of America’s hardest working and most ingenious worker – the farmer. Right?Įnter Mad-Ramps from Des Moines, Iowa, a company that allows ATV and 50-inch UTV owners to maximize the haul-purpose of their 5.5- or 6.5-foot bed pickup. However, off-roaders have reached a crossroad where a $50,000 pickup and an $18,000 covered trailer make it financially difficult to purchase the toys to stuff in the trailer.īut, why do we have a pickup? To haul stuff like an ATV or a 50-inch trail-rated UTV. The explosion in covered trailer sales is a self-sustaining fire. As off-road toys – such as ATVs and UTVs become more expensive, protecting these investments while towing is crucial. Off-roader ATV junkies, farmers, elk hunters and snowmobilers are pickup folk. The utilitarian pickup, with a short box became almost a car truckup sort of to say. With the advent of four-door pickups, pickup boxes shrank from eight-foot beds to beds that are either 5.5- or to 6.5-feet, generally. We had a chance to test out the Mad-Ramps pivoting ramp system, which allows you to load an ATV or UTV in the back of your pickup while still leaving some room for storage.ĭo you have a short-box four-door pickup and a trailer to haul your ATV or side-by-side? Which do you mostly use, the pickup bed or trailer?
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