Show us your grill loading ramp! How do you load those grills in your truck by yourself?


 
J

JimV

TVWBB All-Star
As some of you know I snapped my distal bicep last summer unloading a massive Weber from my van. The big grills have 4 casters vs the 2 large wheels in the back and the casters get all wild and out of control when off loading down a ramp. I used to use a 6ft folding table as my loading ramp until I had my accident. What happened to me is I was off loading a large grill and I got the front wheels on the ramp and it started to roll down until the back wheels hit the top of the ramp and wouldnt jump the top lip of the ramp ( table ).....so with one hand I am holding the grill and with the other I am trying to lift the rear wheels over the ledge.......as soon as those rear wheels jumped up on the veneer covered table the grill took off down the ramp. Now I expected that to happen but I did not expect for one of the top wheels to slide off the ramp due to the damn casters not rolling straight. Once the top wheel slid off the ramp I tried to save the whole mess with just my left arm......SNAP!!!!!! my distal bicep just snapped like a bungee cord :( . Well I was a trooper......I actually got that grill down safe and rolled it up a loading dock ramp.....AND...loaded a silver A up that same ramp...AND ...delivered it the next day with a snapped bicep. When I say I am gunna be somewhere.....I will will be there!
Anyway......Now I have modified the ramp just a little. I have it so it will now secure to the van bumper so no front and back movement. I also screwed side rails to the ramp so no more run away grills...they will just hit the bumpers and keep rolling down the ramp. I no longer use that slippery table...I just use a cheap old piece of plywood. The added rails strengthen the plywood for those heavy grills. The last item I added was a simple eye bolt so when the ramp is in the van I can run a bungee to the eye bolt to hold it against the side of the van vs banging against the grill on the way home.

Note I do also have a small landscape trailer that I use for picking up grills. It is a lot easier to load grills in the trailer but they have to be stripped and strapped...sometimes wrapped in a moving blanket etc for safe travel in the trailer. Rollin down the highway grease treys fly out...doors open....all kinds of crazy things happen. But in the back of the van just 2 bungees hold a grill in place due to the soft rubber floor in my van they dont move much. I know this exciting story is anti climatic without a pic but yep.....Im gunna do that to you. I will add a pic tonight cause im going to pic up a big heavy 300 series right now.
 
Sorry to hear about the mischief! Sounds miserable!!!
I would have to enlist a neighbor, brother-in-law or wife’s son! However, these days, I’m kind of putting all those type of projects aside for the time being. No room to work, too much crap in the garage! I must do the garage cleaning that I put off last year.
 
Jim,
My last three grill pick ups I had my Son with me and we loaded them in the back of a SUV but before that I did them by myself exclusively. So much easier with two people, especially loading the bigger Weber's.

Jeff
 
I'm thinking come along or winch to garage ceiling joist via eye bolts or over large tree limb. Lift up to drive out and then lower slowly. Unless your in the country or construction industry. Then tractor, excavator, etc to lift out.
 
This is on sale now and looks like it could be an option. I have a cargo rack that goes into my hitch reciever and it is only about 12" off the ground. I can lift one side off at a time or mostly my wife helps.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
 
Hey Joe I actually own one of those hoists....I use it to mount my outboard engine onto my boat. I drive a co vehicle during the week that is perfect for scooping grills assuming you have 2 working arms. My van is a Nissan NV1500 cargo van and here is a pic of my ramp version 2. I picked up the 300 series tonight and zipped it right up the ramp and into van with no issues. Version 3 of this ramp will be a little longer and just a lil narrower....and the bumpers will be slightly taller.
 

Attachments

  • 20210206_151646.jpg
    20210206_151646.jpg
    218 KB · Views: 23
The hoist would be cool, but then you have to load the hoist into the bed of your truck as well. hahaha

That plank probably works great on the van, but on a full size truck, even stock height, the ramp would have to be pretty long to keep from having a severe angle.
 
Yes true....with the steep pitch to my ramp the big grills barely clear the van roof without scraping. Like I said I own that hoist and its a big awkward monster to wheel around and such......so as fun as it is to use it wouldnt work for grill snatchin. My lil trailer is super easy to roll a grill right in...but again it takes a few minutes to strap it in and secure the loose stuff where as in the van I just roll it in and bungee it to the wall and I am down the road.
 
JimV said:
Hey Joe I actually own one of those hoists....I use it to mount my outboard engine onto my boat. I drive a co vehicle during the week that is perfect for scooping grills assuming you have 2 working arms. My van is a Nissan NV1500 cargo van and here is a pic of my ramp version 2. I picked up the 300 series tonight and zipped it right up the ramp and into van with no issues. Version 3 of this ramp will be a little longer and just a lil narrower....and the bumpers will be slightly taller.
Click to expand...
I can't see the roof but I am guessing it is the extended roof version. Great grill mover and the ramp is a great idea. May want to miter the ends to make it easier to roll on and off.
 
No my van is a low boy....the tall boys are noisy as hell rollin down the road and I wouldnt be able to get my grease and cheese at all my drive throughs......so I stick w the low boy. Yes correct on a lil angled edge........thats version 3 man!
 
My Son used brackets like this for his ramp.
He has a pickup truck but they should hook onto your bumper or floor.
He used 2 - 2" x 8" with a 1" x 4" screwed to each side like a L.
 
For a 1000/silver b, I remove the hood, grates, flavorizer bars and the weight drops dramatically so I lift it right into my truck. For 3000/ silver c, I get the small casters onto the tailgate and the lift and slide on from the other side.
 
Interesting to hear how others have been doing it. Take it from me.....if your around my age 55....and the grill starts to fall....let it go! Now I have to talk to myself while I am loading....I sorta repeat let it go....let it go...........believe me its not worth injuring your arm :(
 
I use a hitch cargo tray to transport the BBQs, no loading ramp, and it is a bit challanging with the heavier grills.
 

Attachments

  • 20200620_132444.jpg
    20200620_132444.jpg
    223.6 KB · Views: 18
Yair Halamish said:
I use a hitch cargo tray to transport the BBQs, no loading ramp, and it is a bit challanging with the heavier grills.
Click to expand...
What make and model is that cargo carrier. When I got mine the deepest one I could find was 24" Most are less than 22". Yours looks almost square. Most grills fit on mine but sometimes I have to hang a wheel over the edge.
 
This was a lucky buy, got it used for $50, and it's not a mass-produced one, I think someone just had it fabricated from steel. Pretty heavy and can take my weight + a heavy Weber.
If you want, I can measure it and post the dimensions. The material is cheap and any welder can do it for you.
One thing that you'll want to check is that your tow hitch can take the torque, as a heavy object far back will put a bending moment on the tow receptor.
Yair
 
Yair Halamish said:
This was a lucky buy, got it used for $50, and it's not a mass-produced one, I think someone just had it fabricated from steel. Pretty heavy and can take my weight + a heavy Weber.
If you want, I can measure it and post the dimensions. The material is cheap and any welder can do it for you.
One thing that you'll want to check is that your tow hitch can take the torque, as a heavy object far back will put a bending moment on the tow receptor.
Yair
Click to expand...
I feel better now that I know I just didn't look hard enough and missed it. No need to measure. as mine gets the job done. Perhaps when / if I learn to weld....
 
Yah, a cargo hauler for the hitch is a great idea for someone without a truck. Even with a truck, it would be nice to be able to just lift it up to the cargo hitch and strap it down. If I can scare up enough scrap metal, I might just make one.
 
what i do is if its a summit i take off the tables and hood and lay it on its back and it slides in nice in my Volvo wagon with the genesis same thig the key is laying it down with every thing out of it makes it lighter
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top