Side ramp?

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cjt1701

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At the risk of sounding really thick - is it difficult to put a side ramp on a lorry? I currently have a lorry herringbone partitioned for 3 ponies, I really need to change it to partioned for only 2 but ideally rear or forward facing. We own a hgv/car garage so facitilies are not a problem just the idea of it.
Is this a job best left to professionals or should I sell & buy another.

Warm choc chip muffins for getting this far.

Thanks.
 
As far as I know it is a fairly specialised job as you need to make sure the weight of the ramp is counter-balanced on the lorry otherwise the vehicle will become very unstable. You also need decent springs so that a solid, heavy ramp (which you need for safety) can be put up easily.

Why not get a quote for a new ramp from a specialist horsebox manufacturer and go from there? They may be willing to chat to you about how they do it and you can then see if you can get it done at your garage.

Also, I think there are some new lightweight materials out there now that are both light and sturdy, so it might be worth looking into that as well.
 
Thanks Booboos, I knew I had read something special about side ramps
laugh.gif
but couldn't remember what. If truth be known I had set my heart on new lorry but since reading 3.5 posts on here earlier realise that downgrading will be pointless, but keeping my 5t as it is won't work either.
Sensible head saying work with lorry i've got, self indulgent head saying treat yourself!
 
If you are happy the 5t is mechanically sound personally I would keep that.

New 3.5t ones use very lightweight materials to get a 1.2t - 1.4t payload. Imagine the payload you could get on a 5t lorry with the same lightweight materials! It would be the best option for carrying two large horses legally.
 
BooBoos is quite correct. A side ramp needs to be balanced on the other side which means that the other side has to be weighted the same as the new side ramp in the closed position. This will increase the total weight of the lorry and reduce the pay load (the weight you are able to carry).
 
Merry - where abouts are you based. My friend had a herringbone lorry (3 horse) which she had changed from a rear ramp to side ramp and it was done by a company in west sussex called Prime Horseboxes. They did an excellent job in it and it looks amazing
 
Thanks for all the replies - very helpful. I am based in Derbyshire. Theres really nothing wrong with lorry I have OH has done a fantastic job with it but its too squashed herringbone for 15.2 tb (admittedly only occasional traveller). Would probably use box more if I felt happy putting friends tb in it.
At least TB squishing makes a change from pony squishing LOL.
 
Ive got a lorry with a side ramp, which is very well balanced, only negative ive come across is that people dont always notice that you have a side ramp and quite often if you do the ramp up, you come back to the lorry and find someone has parked really close to you so you cant put it down again - ive now resorted to carrying a couple of traffic cones!
 
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