If you’re going to be offloading materials at a warehouse where no loading dock is available, you’re going to need a yard ramp. The problem, however, is moving that yard ramp into place. These ramps are very heavy—they have to be to hold all of the weight they need to hold. They’re also cumbersome and can be difficult to move. But sometimes it’s necessary, especially if you’re moving your entire warehouse or have purchased new yard ramps.
Don’t Pull Yard Ramps
Many yard ramps do have tires on them so they can be moved around the yard or pulled up to the back of a truck, but those tires aren’t really for use on the road. You can’t just hitch your yard ramp to the back of a truck and pull it to the job site. The wheels aren’t designed to be used at high speeds or on the road.
They also don’t have any safety lights on the back, so other drivers may not be able to see the truck’s turn signals or, if it’s a night, may not even see the yard ramp. Even if you live in a rural area, you should think twice about pulling a yard ramp with your trucks.
Use a Flatbed
The best way of transporting your yard ramps is on a flatbed trailer. You can wheel the ramp up the trailer, secure it, and then wheel it off when you get to the destination. You can even transport multiple yard ramps on the same flatbed trailer. Ramps can even be loaded on their sides to get more of them on the trailer, but they all have to be the same width so that they can be secured. Length doesn’t matter, but if they differ in width, they won’t be the same height when they’re turned on their sides.
It’s very important that the ramps are the same height. Some people might be tempted to use straps to haul ramps of different sizes by strapping them down in multiple places. While this may work, it’s not a good idea because it’s always possible one of the smaller ramps will slip out of the straps and go flying off the back of the flatbed.
Avoid Container Trucks
Some people may be tempted to load up their yard ramps in container trucks. While this is an option, it’s also fairly difficult to load and unload the ramps. It can also lead to damage to the truck and the ramps because it’s difficult to secure yard ramps inside container trucks. The yard ramps will probably end up sliding back and forth whenever the truck makes a turn. This can scratch and even dent the truck and the ramps. It’s better to use a flatbed if at all possible.
While it may seem like extra work to load a single yard ramp up onto a flatbed trailer to transport it somewhere, it’s truly the best option. It’s safer for other drivers and it will make sure your yard ramp doesn’t get damaged.
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