Homemade PVC Ramp for Trikes

Today we are showing a ramp made by a customer to get her Avenue Trike or any tadpole style recumbent trike into the vehicle without needing to lift the trike.

[@AMorgan57]

Yes, it takes good geometry skills or trial and error. If the ramp is at too sharp an angle where it meets the tailgate or the ground, one end or the other, front or back, of the trike will scrape the ground. Or the middle of the trike will hang up on the lip of the tailgate. The ramp must be long enough for this. I wound up with telescoping aluminum ramps, pricey but lightweight, convenient, do the job perfectly. Eight feet extended, four and a half collapsed, but your trike and vehicle may be of different dimensions. I use a little colored tape on my tailgate to mark the exact centerline for the ramps, so when setting up I don't need to give the alignment a second thought. Just one of the thousand things that trike riding and ownership demands we sort out.

[@gregsettle9725]

This is just what I've been thinking of for my trike to make load/unload easier. Excellent!

[@lewis2360]

Innovative solution, just what I’m looking for when my E-trike arrives. Thanks for sharing.

[@JamesHuey-nc3qm]

an extra tip for loading: Attach a small, rectangular piece of rug to the end of the tubes which touch the ground. They can stick out about 4-6" onto the ground from the tip of the pvc pipes at the ground level. This is a common trick with ramps for cars, as the rug gives a surface for the wheels to grab onto as they are loading onto the pvc tubes. Cheap carpet or rugs will suffice and are not in the way for storage in car or truck.

[@kcbeerslinger]

Nice concept but it needs a lot of work.

[@peterstull]

I agree, and Karen did too. Let us know if you build an improved version!

[@JamesHuey-nc3qm]

Attach some small chains or canvas type of fabric straps to link each long piece of PVC pipe so that when you spread them out to use them, they don't slide away. The chains/straps would not hamper stacking the three long pieces into your vehicle. It could easily be a one-person set up then. Nice video and thanks for sharing the idea.

[@peterstull]

Neat idea, thanks! I was thinking a rigid piece would be a bit nicer but it would have to be esily removable to go back in hte vehicle.

[@azlady8102]

I like this. pVC pipes weigh a lot less than metal Ramos and take up less room. I need to figure out how to do this with my 4x4pick up and 80 lb full size e-trike.

[@acousticsoundmaker]

What a great idea. Seems simple enough. How is the piece that the PVC pipes fit into held? I see the ropes going somewhere but I don't understand where they attach.

[@peterstull]

There car had a convenient place to tie luggage, it worked well.

[@tomprentice6935]

⚔️💪😎👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿(stroke)

[@davidyoung8521]

Still looks like a two person job.

[@peterstull]

Yes, with an E-trike and Karen's handicap a second person is better. Longer ramps would make it easier but they have to fit in the vehicle and Karen wanted to avoid the complication of telescoping or folding.

[@Stepan693]

М-да, слабенький вы народец. А мы в России такой транспорт легко закидываем. Не нужны доски