All-terrain vehicle (ATV) ramps are often required to load an ATV onto a trailer or into a truck in order to transport it. These ATV ramps can be anything from a wooden plank to a commercially produced, aluminum ramp unit. ATV ramps are designed as solid individual units, foldable ramp units and combination folding and hinged ramps that can be stored underneath the ATV once loaded. The ramps are typically offered in various lengths to allow the units to fit a wide range of vehicles, from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive truck beds, as well as trailers.
The common ATV is too narrow to use ramps designed to load an automobile onto a trailer. ATV ramps are designed to lie on the rear edge of a trailer or a pickup truck box, which provides an adequate angle for the ATV to be loaded with ease. Many of the commercially manufactured ATV ramps are created from aluminum channel with round aluminum bar welded to form a ladder-like ramp. A non-slip tape is often applied to the smooth aluminum stock to provide a measure of traction for the ATV to be driven up the ramp. Some of the first commercially manufactured ATV ramps were made of steel that was very heavy and cumbersome to use.
Small, aluminum brackets are manufactured and sold to be attached to the end of a wooden plank, thereby creating a ramp. This type of ramp, although inexpensive, is also heavy and clumsy to use. Occasionally, these home-built ramps will slip off of the truck bed or trailer, causing the ATV to drop suddenly on one side, resulting in a dangerous fall and the occasional injury to the rider of the ATV. Some ramp kits take this individual ramp slippage into account and suggest securing the two ATV ramps together with a length of rope. Tying the two ramps together can eliminate the separation of the two ramps, however, it also increases the weight of the ramps by linking the two ramps in a single package.
Commercially manufactured ATV ramps often come attached as a single unit that is folded together when not in use. This creates a single flat unit that can be stored in the truck bed, trailer or even inside of the truck cab. Other ATV ramp kits are designed to attach, store and pull out of a trailer, creating a self-contained set of ATV ramps that are easily stored underneath the trailer when not in use.
