I get asked this question almost every day. I thought I would write a blog post and tell everything in detail. So, How can you load your snowmobile into your truck?
To understand it, I have made seven steps, and I have explained each of them below.
- Check if your snowmobile can fit in the truck bed.
- Park the truck in a spacious place.
- Prepare the ramp for loading.
- Prepare the truck for loading.
- Place and secure the ramp.
- Ride the snowmobile carefully into the truck bed.
- Secure the snowmobile with straps and a cover.
Check if your snowmobile can fit in the truck bed
First of all, you need to ensure that your snowmobile will fit in your truck’s bed. You can do this by measuring the dimensions of your truck’s bed and the dimensions of your snowmobile. If you are not sure if your snowmobile will fit in the truck bed, or you have any confusion, read my article on will a snowmobile fit in my truck’s bed?
Once it is confirmed that your snowmobile can fit in your truck’s bed, you can proceed further.
But if the truck’s bed does not have enough room to fit your snowmobile, you should not even try this.
Instead of loading your snowmobile in the truck bed, you can load your snowmobile on the truck deck or a trailer.
This process of loading a snowmobile is different from loading in a truck bed. I have discussed it in detail in other articles on my website.
Park the truck in a spacious place
I recommend performing the loading procedure in a spacious area. If you try to load your snowmobile in a congested area, you might end up damaging your snowmobile, your truck or get injured.
Do not try to load your snowmobile while your truck is parked in your garage. First, drive your truck out of your garage, then proceed further.
In a spacious place, you have everything in your vision and approach. For loading your snowmobile, you will have to ride it into the truck bed. It is a critical part of loading your snowmobile into your truck, and you should not perform in a congested area.
Prepare the ramp for loading
You need to know the exact height from the tailgate of the truck to the ground level. This height is the distance between the open tailgate and the ground. Measure it using a measuring tape.
Then comes the ramp.
I always recommend using the Caliber CBR-Pro Ramp. It is 90 inches long, which gives you a shallow angle of approach. It means that it will be easier to ride and control your snowmobile when riding into the truck.
For example, if the height of your truck’s tailgate is 34 inches. And you are using a 90 inches long ramp, then the angle between ground and the ramp will be about 22 degrees. With that shallow angle, it is safe and easy to ride your snowmobile in your truck bed.
But if you are using a 60 inches long ramp instead of 90, the angle of inclination will be higher at 34.5 degrees. It will make riding the snowmobile more difficult and dangerous.
A general rule of thumb when it comes to choosing a ramp.
If you already have a ramp that is long enough (for your truck) and also has ski glides and stud protectors, you can skip to Step 4.
But, if you have a regular truck ramp, you will need to prepare it for loading snowmobiles. It will include installing additional accessories to protect ski runners and track of your snowmobile.
The ski runners will get damaged when rubbed against the metal of the ramp. To prevent it from happening, you can use Calibre LowPro Glide.
The ski glides are fixed on the side panels of the ramp using the included hardware. Here is a video from PowerModz that demonstrates it thoroughly:
To protect the studded track, you will need ramp grips. I recommend using the Caliber Ramp Grips set. One set includes 6-grips, so you will need to buy two sets.
They protect the studs on your snowmobile’s track and provide necessary traction when riding your snowmobile into the truck bed.
Even if the track of your snowmobile is not studded, you should use ramp grips to ensure the safe loading of your snowmobile.
Using the ground traction ladder
Some people might argue that you do not need to use the ground traction ladder.
But if you ask me, then I think it is necessary. Using a ground traction ladder reduces any risk of snowmobile slippage.
For example, if the ground is wet or muddy, there is a significant chance that your snowmobile can slip off the ramp or steer away from the ski glides.
It can be prevented by using a simple ground traction ladder.
For $80, you can buy this Caliber Traction Ladder, which works well with any ramp. In my opinion, spending $80 is easier on your wallet than hundreds of dollars in repairs.
great
Now you have a ramp that is perfect for loading your snowmobile in your truck’s bed.
Prepare the truck for loading
When the snowmobile slides into the truck bed, the ski carbides and the studs will rub against the truck bed. Many people prefer to use truck bed liners to protect the truck bed from getting damaged.
Truck bed liners will work in some cases but not always. For complete protection for your truck bed and your snowmobile, you need plywood or an OSB sheet.
Cut the sheet according to the dimensions of the truck bed. Then screw down the Caliber Multi Glides at the sides of the wooden sheet. It is for ski carbide protection.
You have to keep one thing in mind. Measure the distance between the skis of your snowmobile and fix the ski glides accordingly.
If the distance between the skis is wider or narrower than the ski glides, they will slip and get damaged.
For a studded track, you still need a track mat that will protect the studs from getting bent. I recommend using the Caliber TraxMat. It is one of the best track mats on the market.
Fix the track mat in the middle of the plywood, between the ski glides. Once done, you need to put the wooden sheet in the truck bed, then you are ready to load your snowmobile on top of that.
Plywood also helps to support your snowmobile if it is longer than the truck bed. Here is my article where I have discussed it.
Place and secure the ramp
Open the tailgate of the truck and place the ramp.
The head plate/fingers of the ramp must be connected securely with the tailgate. Now you will need to secure the ramp to your truck by using straps. You can use the hitch of the truck to tie or hook the straps.
Some ramps feature edge glides by default at the bottom of the ramp. But if your ramp does have edge-glides, then there are two solutions for this:
1- You can install Caliber Edge Glides. It is easy and convenient because the edge glides are foldable and easy to store.
2- If you are installing Ski-glides on the ramp, you can leave a few inches of them at the bottom end. They will act as edge gliders.
Using edge glides provides a smooth loading of your snowmobile. Some people might argue that these are not necessary. But if you ask me, I would recommend them.
Now you are all set to load your snowmobile in the truck bed.
Ride your snowmobile into the truck bed (intimidating)
It is the most critical part of the whole process, and it might seem intimidating at first. But it is easy as long as you are confident.
You have to place your snowmobile after the ramp. Then align the skis with the side panels with ski glides.
Now crank up your snowmobile and ride it into your truck bed.
Note that you have to do it in one shot, so you need to rev it a little more than usual. Do not push the throttle too hard because you have to stop your snowmobile as soon as it is inside the truck bed.
Once your snowmobile is inside the truck bed, you can remove the straps and the ramp. You can fold the ramp and place it beside the snowmobile (if there is some space).
If there is no space left in the truck bed, you can store the ramp along with the rear passenger seats of your truck.
Secure the snowmobile with straps and a cover
Now you will need to cover your snowmobile using a trailerable snowmobile cover.
When traveling with your snowmobile, there are a lot of things that might damage it. Such as dust, dirt, or rain, which can cause some scratches. A trailerable cover is more durable in strong winds than a regular snowmobile cover.
If you are looking for a trailerable cover for your snowmobile, here is my article on the best snowmobile covers.
Cover your snowmobile with a trailerable cover and secure it to your snowmobile with straps and the hem.
Then secure the snowmobile on the truck bed, and for that, I prefer ratchet straps. You can also use regular straps to secure the snowmobile, but they are not easy to use.
Secure the skis and the snowmobile separately, and you can use the hooks inside the truck bed for this.
Once the snowmobile is secured, you are all set to go.
In the end…
To load your snowmobile in a truck bed, you need to check if your snowmobile can fit in the truck bed. If it can, then park the truck in a spacious area and grab the ramp.
The rump must be long enough to provide a shallow angle to load the snowmobile from the ground to the truck bed. The ramp must be suitable for loading a snowmobile. If it does not feature ski glides or stud protectors, you can add them by yourself.
To protect the truck bed from getting damaged by the ski carbides and the studs on the track, I recommend a plywood sheet with ski glides and a track mat.
Once the ramp and the truck are ready, place it and secure it with straps. I recommend using edge glides because they make the loading smooth.
Carefully ride your snowmobile into the truck bed. Then cover your snowmobile using a trailerable cover and secure it using straps.
Then you are all set to go.
Sources:
protecting truck bed from ski carbides
Ramp to load Snowmobile in Pickup Truck
How to Load a Snowmobile into a Truck