Slippery ramp! DIY ideas

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Moonpig23

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Hi Everyone,

I have a very slippery side unload ramp on my lorry. Probably doesn't help that it's quite steep but the horses really slip when coming off the lorry. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thought about rubber matting but it will be too heavy. Would non slip paint & sand thrown into the mix work or does anyone have any low-budget & lightweight suggestions please?
 
My friend has wooden battens at intervals and then thick carpet fixed over the top on the ramp for her 7.5t. Carpet can usually be found free on freecycle etc or you can by a remnant piece from shops.
 
You can get a more light weight but still strong rubber matting put on the ramp. I sent mine off to be done locally and it cost just over £100 but that was also some other work being done too, so I imagine the ramp part was less than £100.
 
What is the existing surface? Can see getting paint to adhere will not be easy.

I suggest coarse hairy nylon carpet (ideally the sort with little "ribs"), cheap as chips as offcuts, with battens. But battens will need to be coachbolted to frame, if you screw them into a ply ramp they will just be whacked off by hooves.

Again, carpet glue may not adhere well to existing surface........
 
Our ramp has metal batons about 15-20cm apart, with carpet inbetween. We have an arrangement with a marquee company, and collect pieces of their carpet for free - it's cheap ribbed - and just unbolt
the batons, glue it on with that Sticks like S**t type glue, replace baton. Tends to last 6m to 1 year before 1 of the horses does a silly flying leap and rips it (they do go out most weeks at least once).
 
Carpet (the type meant for horse boxes, not household).

I had the same issue when I got my box; the rubber matting on the side ramp was really slippery.

There's lots of reasonably priced suppliers of the carpet online but as I was taking my box to get the floor reinforced I just got the garage to do it. I think it was £90 fitted.

The carpet had been fantastic
 
Shay said:
Can you screw wooden batton across it at intervals? Given the horse soemthing to grip onto.
Click to expand...
I was going to say this myself as they help on the back ramp.

You don't say how it is made up though. At a guess the lorry is not new, so I would have the existing rubber taken off and redone with better grip rubber and slats going across

Its worth the expense, cheaper than a vet bill and horse off work.

This is good stuff https://www.amazon.co.uk/Griptop-ramp-horsebox-matting-Ultimate/dp/B00MINP99Y
 
Non slip yacht paint works a treat. You can buy cheaper floor versions too, but it must have silica in it. It also avoids increasing the weight of the ramp.
 
Some good ideas , just worth taking into consideration the weight of extra matting or wodden planks . Is the ramp is it sprung? , some can be adjusted to deal with extra weight.

Also if you keep as much weight off the lower end of the ramp it will leave it easier to lift!
 
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