Electric ramps??? for or against.

Ive just been to look at a horsebox but it has an electric ramp and its put me off. Am I being stupid? I just have an awful feeling that it will get stuck. There is a manual override but I would never manage the ramp alone as its so heavy. The battery for it was on charge when I got there as the wagon isnt used anymore and what worries me is I cant charge it easily at the yard so if it was only used a couple of times a month would this battery go flat?
 
I saw one for the first time yesterday, and my first thought was about the possibility of it failing and the horses being stuck!

Sorry!
 
That was my thought too, was hoping you could just turn it off and use it manually
crazy.gif
 
The biggest problem with them is that if someone doesn't realise it is electric and shoves the ramp up whilst you are at a show, when you come to let it down, some of them just flop onto the floor, squashing whoever is underneath.

I have never heard of horses being stuck inside - all ramps are easy to get down - it would be pushing it back up again that would be the problem, but there are always tons of people at shows who could help.
 
FMM is right, this happened to an eventer years ago, she parked up at overnight stabling and went off to put horse to bed, someone helpful came and put ramp up by hand, not realising it was electric. in the morning she pressed the 'down' button and it came straight down on her head... i think it put her in a wheelchair.
frown.gif
frown.gif
frown.gif

tbh if springs are correctly tensioned, a lorry ramp shouldn't be an effort to lift. having heard the above story second hand (from someone who knew the girl well) i was very very put off...
 
i would be more worried that if the lorry caught fire you wouldnt be able to get the ramp down due to electrics
frown.gif
 
Re:FMM

Exactly what happened to a friend of mine. She didn't realise someone had put the ramp up manually, it left her in hospital for months and she is very lucky to be alive. Took her well over a year to be able to drive again and always walks with a limp now, will probably never disappear

They took the ramp to a mechanics and had something done to stop it happening again(sorry not sure what but im sure more knowledgable people will know!)

Im sure this happening is very rare though, but definately something to bear in mind!
 
[ QUOTE ]
i would be more worried that if the lorry caught fire you wouldnt be able to get the ramp down due to electrics
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]
A few years ago that happened to some shire horses and they were burnt alive.
 
My new van has a hydraulic ramp but it makes absolutely no difference to the mechanism if you choose to do it by hand up or down and it isn't heavy at all. It isn't a bad idea in principal, just if it hasn't been thought through properly
 
We have just looked at building a new box, with electric ramp as a definitie. They have switches if you need to do them manually and in 5 yrs with the other one, the only problem we had was when the buttons got bashed on the way in through a gate and when put down it was stuck going 'up'! we overrode it manually and did it that way. You just make cure that when you get it set originally you get it done right. Springs have to be retightened and with small children just not worth it for us.
 
We have an electric ramp the lorry and its always been fine.It went a wee bit mad at a show once and kep going up and down so we had to over ride it manually.After a skoosh of WD40 in to the buttons it was fine again.My friend has had 2 lorrys og on fire and he had to override the electric ramp to get the horses out.Every one was fine thankfully.Id have no problems with having an electric one
 
OMG how awful.
The manual over ride on this was another button where you still had to insert the key, good I suppose for safety but not if you were in a rush to get it open.
 
Both.

When they work they are good, when they break they are like sheep.

In that a sheep's main aim in life appears to be to die in the most inconvenient place and manner possible.
 
I looked at putting one on mine because I couldn't lift the ramp alone.

However, the ramp fell off last year (apparently you are supposed to oil the hinges LOL), and the man that replaced it suggested some stronger springs.

Solved my problem.

Know someone who has an electric one and she says its OK, but she has to lift it to horizontal before it works.

It wouldn't put me off but I'd want to be able to close the ramp manually just in case. If you're worried about fire, you could always have an isolater switch fitted to it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top