Ok guys, I've been brainstorming for months now trying to come up with the best way to fab a loading system into a truck bed.. anyway this just popped into my head. Has anyone ever just set up a winch in their bed and then used a ramp to winch up your beach cart with the ski on it, and strap down the cart and ski together? Are there any cons you can think of to doing it this way??
Game changer?
- Thread starter Goose757
- Start date
- Location
- Stouffville, Ontario
It'd be a pretty high center of gravity. The ramp would have to be pretty substantial to get the right slope and the width for the cart. You'd have to fab some rolls for the back half of the cart without wheels.
All manageable issues but those were my first three thoughts.
Lets see you match @OCD Solutions build
All manageable issues but those were my first three thoughts.
Lets see you match @OCD Solutions build
- Location
- Disco bay, ca
Like this? Simple and works and a budget most can afford unlike all this fancy 1k+ stuff.
I also have been wanting to do this! Keep us posted
OCD Solutions
Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
- Location
- Rentz, GA
Simple is skidding the ski up roughly 6 inches off a cart and into the truck bed like we've been doing for ages already. Wouldn't the cart just add unnecessary complication and height with no discernible advantage of any kind?
Where's the pic of the wooden bunks with a hand winch? That's simple! Replace the hand winch with an electric winch and you have a simple, cheap and slick little system.
The only reason to complicate something is to accomplish something so my question for the OP would be, what are you trying to accomplish?
Easy loading by yourself? Raising the height over the wheel wells to allow 2 skis side by side? Freeing up bed space or maybe just finding something creative so you don't have to break your beach cart down and stick it on top of the ski?
Where's the pic of the wooden bunks with a hand winch? That's simple! Replace the hand winch with an electric winch and you have a simple, cheap and slick little system.
The only reason to complicate something is to accomplish something so my question for the OP would be, what are you trying to accomplish?
Easy loading by yourself? Raising the height over the wheel wells to allow 2 skis side by side? Freeing up bed space or maybe just finding something creative so you don't have to break your beach cart down and stick it on top of the ski?
Last edited:
Vumad
Super Hero, with a cape!
- Location
- St. Pete, FL
There is a system someone posted that is like a tanneu cover / hard cap with metal tubing that the ski sits on that doubles as the bunks and the beach cart with removable wheels. OCD solutions made one that the bunks are fixed and the beach cart is separate.
Personally if you are giving up the bed I don't see an advantage to what you are suggesting. I only have to lift the ride plate about 6 inches to get it onto my bed, then lift and slide in. It's not hard to load into a bed. Unless you are putting it on top of the bed, like OCD and the other one I was referencing, so you can keep the cargo under, I just don't see the advantage of leaving it on the cart. Hitch haulers are a pretty easy solution already.
Thanks for all the feedback guys! Guess I should let you in on my situation.. the launch area where I do 95% of my riding has virtually no slope. Right now I use a trailer. I back all four wheels into the water and still have to go drag my ski off of the trailer. I would love if I could just slide her in the bed, but by the time I got the tailgate close enough to the water to get the ski in by myself I wouldn't be able to open my door cuz there'd be a foot of water against it... I know hitch haulers are simple and easy, but I'm high strung, and it freaks me out using my ski as a rear bumper.. same reason I'm trying to get off the trailer and into the truck bed. Aside from the while road debris thing....
A couple other things..
I already have a set of ramps that would work.
I'm in the process of building a headache rack so it would be no biggie to attach a winch up front.
I'm going to be building a beach cart so I could somewhat fit it to the application with small wheels on the back, etc..
Blast away
A couple other things..
I already have a set of ramps that would work.
I'm in the process of building a headache rack so it would be no biggie to attach a winch up front.
I'm going to be building a beach cart so I could somewhat fit it to the application with small wheels on the back, etc..
Blast away
Bed space isn't an issue. All I'm really looking for is an easy way to load and unload by myself, and be able to get my ski back in the shop easily by myself when I get home.
OCD Solutions
Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
- Location
- Rentz, GA
After a long day of riding, I don't blame you. I hear you on the hitch hauler too. I have one here that I have never used once. I just can't bring myself to do it.
I also used to launch at one spot where my front bumper was 10ft off the shore and I was always stepping out into water almost up to my door. I was launching a Seadoo as well so I was pretty committed to the trailer.
I also used to launch at one spot where my front bumper was 10ft off the shore and I was always stepping out into water almost up to my door. I was launching a Seadoo as well so I was pretty committed to the trailer.
CHRIS@EZ-SKI
Lions Among Sheep
- Location
- outterspace
hitch hauler .. best for lazy people like me!! no bed space taken up .. quick easy launching ... im a poopty salesman but my carriers are pretty cool lol ... minimalistic approach to hauling a ski .. no winch needed EVER.. slide from garage cart to hitch carrier, then back to garage cart when you return from shop , day on the water etc.
CHRIS@EZ-SKI
Lions Among Sheep
- Location
- outterspace
Quote"I know hitch haulers are simple and easy, but I'm high strung, and it freaks me out using my ski as a rear bumper.. same reason I'm trying to get off the trailer and into the truck bed. Aside from the while road debris thing...." I also make a hitch carrier that has a class 3 receiver built into the rear of it and we can build you a battering ram to put behind the ski .... but seriously 8+ years using and building these things and not 1 report of a ski being used as the rear bumper ( not to say it hasnt happened but i have zero customers that reported anything like that. ... sorry just rambling
.. but seriously 8+ years using and building these things and not 1 report of a ski being used as the rear bumper ( not to say it hasnt happened but i have zero customers that reported anything like that. ... sorry just rambling- Location
- North America
Goose.
Here's where I ended up tonight (see pictures):
Need some more fittings as Canadian Tire didn't have a huge selection of 2" ABS.
Sputting in a 4-way tee on both bunks at the back to be able to thread a strap though.
Then a 1-1/2" threaded union to be able to remove the sloped part whilst driving.
I'll likely run a two T's up front for some more rigidity.
The yellow rod is a flexible fibre glass chimney sweeping rod. I've got two of those to add to the sloped back part.
I'm going to get the boys at work to inject the whole thing with high density foam and it'll be near unbreakable.
Then I'm wrapping it in carpet.
I'm going to run two pulleys in each corner with ropes from the higher front tie-in downs in the bed. Should be a quick and simple pull.
I'll keep you posted over the next few days to see how it turns out.
My goal is to keep it super light, removeable and to be able to run it lone wolf style.
All I need now is a ski to get final width dimensions.
Might be a licorice up as this is the first time I've tried to build something like this.
Here's where I ended up tonight (see pictures):
Need some more fittings as Canadian Tire didn't have a huge selection of 2" ABS.
Sputting in a 4-way tee on both bunks at the back to be able to thread a strap though.
Then a 1-1/2" threaded union to be able to remove the sloped part whilst driving.
I'll likely run a two T's up front for some more rigidity.
The yellow rod is a flexible fibre glass chimney sweeping rod. I've got two of those to add to the sloped back part.
I'm going to get the boys at work to inject the whole thing with high density foam and it'll be near unbreakable.
Then I'm wrapping it in carpet.
I'm going to run two pulleys in each corner with ropes from the higher front tie-in downs in the bed. Should be a quick and simple pull.
I'll keep you posted over the next few days to see how it turns out.
My goal is to keep it super light, removeable and to be able to run it lone wolf style.
All I need now is a ski to get final width dimensions.
Might be a licorice up as this is the first time I've tried to build something like this.
Attachments
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Still looks like a lot of work to get your ski in there by yourself. Spent a season using a set of bunks in the box of my truck and pushing my ski from my shop stand into the truck and the truck onto my shop stand.
Spent another season using my hitch hauler pushing it from my stand and onto the hauler, From the hauler onto the shop.
I load at sketchy steep slippery river ramps that eat a few 4x4 trucks a year. After tweaking my back a few times i did what I should of done all along and just got a trailer.
No more messing around. No unloading when you get home. No swamping your truck into the river/lake fighting to get your ski in and praying your truck doesn't get swept away.
In the end a trailer is still the best imo.
Your back will thank you
Spent another season using my hitch hauler pushing it from my stand and onto the hauler, From the hauler onto the shop.
I load at sketchy steep slippery river ramps that eat a few 4x4 trucks a year. After tweaking my back a few times i did what I should of done all along and just got a trailer.
No more messing around. No unloading when you get home. No swamping your truck into the river/lake fighting to get your ski in and praying your truck doesn't get swept away.
In the end a trailer is still the best imo.
Your back will thank you
Nice! Keep me updated. That step in the tailgate sure helped you out there
OCD Solutions
Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
- Location
- Rentz, GA
I was going back looking for an old thread and found a couple gems.
This is about as close to what you described as i can find, and the one that I first thought of when you started this thread.
http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?threads/skis-in-truck-bed.90572/#post-1084865
Here's another one of my first bed hauler projects, ignore the bunks but check out the rope winch and the reinforced bulkhead. I swear I did a build thread but all I can find is this post...
http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?threads/skis-in-truck-bed.90572/page-3#post-1504428
Another simple and well executed idea;
http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?threads/skis-in-truck-bed.90572/page-4#post-1567075
This is about as close to what you described as i can find, and the one that I first thought of when you started this thread.
http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?threads/skis-in-truck-bed.90572/#post-1084865
Here's another one of my first bed hauler projects, ignore the bunks but check out the rope winch and the reinforced bulkhead. I swear I did a build thread but all I can find is this post...
http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?threads/skis-in-truck-bed.90572/page-3#post-1504428
Another simple and well executed idea;
http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?threads/skis-in-truck-bed.90572/page-4#post-1567075
- Location
- North America
- Location
- North America
OCD Solutions
Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
- Location
- Rentz, GA
You meant $30 right?
- Location
- North America
Stuff costs more here in Canada. Lol