Today’s most alliterative award may go to truck maker Ram registering rear ramps recently.
The folks at Allpar detail the filing, which was reportedly made by engineers at Ram. The patent was awarded June 30 and details a system for bed-mounted sliding ramps.
The system, which could be called Ram Ramps, could complement other monosyllabic options such as Ram Box and Ram Dams (our suggestion for their active grille shutters).
The adjustable loading ramp system is detailed extensively in the filing and includes a locking mechanism while the ramps are not being used in the bed.
The longitudinally stored ramps would be laterally adjustable and stored in recesses in the bed.
This isn’t the first patent we’ve seen where Ram has tried to improve the utilitarian pickup bed. In addition to the now-production RamBox, the company has also patented a split-tailgate system which has not yet come to fruition.
Both General Motors and Ford offer various devices to load or unload their beds, including the F-150’s ladder and bumper-mounted steps on the Silverado.
Wow, I guess the folks at the patent office have never used a U-Haul.
Different system – U-Haul ramps are in a channel under the cargo box.
The patent is not for “the idea of ramps!! built into the vehicle!! that slide out!!”.
It’s for specific implementation.
If you *read the patent* you’ll see that it’s about the bits that are *different* from the U-Haul system, not “like, sliding ramps”.
Aftermarket Suppliers actually do something similar in Australia
http://www.dingo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Ute-Tray-landing-page-image-1024×886.jpg
Good to see that the ramps can be used to crush ants.
Item 164 is the shower of sparks left behind when the ramp motor (item 106) fails and leaves said ramps (item 124) in their deployed position while driving. It is not yet determined if shower of sparks (item 164) has ability to destroy ants.
Worthwhile idea. Beats “ditch loading” (backing down in a ditch), carrying around ramps or building temporary hillbilly 2 x 4 ramps to drive the garden tractor into the bed.
Doesn’t seem that you could protect the slide channels with anything other than heavy grease. Icky and inevitably rusty.
And from the drawing those channels are only wide enough for the sliders themselves. Do the ramps then not sit flush when retracted?
Read the patent, the ramps will stow flush with the bed floor. So that gives you gritty mud & crud scraping away at the ramp and channel surfaces with each use.
Hope the clearances permit spray-on linings.
The mud and crud will almost all be on top, and at the foot, not (in any sort of vaguely normal use) along the underside bearing surfaces.
I suspect they’re clever enough to realize that trucks operate in the real world; we’re not talking about unsealed bearings with only .0001″ of clearance on the track, I think.
I’d expect sealed bearings with polyurethane/UHMW rollers, and an easily-cleaned-out track, with enough room to work fine with some real-world muck involved.
Still seems that it’ll have to be naked paint. Maybe not.
Good idea. Now Ram needs to make a 1/2 ton that can handle the extra weight. IIRC they are working on a HD 1/2 ton. About time.
Aftermarket suppliers in Australia already produce something like this. I thought it might be difficult to patent it?
This would only be brilliant if the ramps could be stored while your cargo is in the bed. If the track of your ATV put the tires over the ram ramp storage area, you would be in the same situation as any other ramps (tossing them on either side).
I thought of this too. If the track of whatever you are transporting is the same as the width between the ramps in stored position you are SOL. I think the way the Home Depot trucks do it is way better where they store under the bed.
If it’s like the ‘ram box’ it will be hideously expensive. There are already aftermarket solutions for this type of ramp that are pretty sophisticated and cheap. (under $600) and they fold so they will be longer and safer. They lock into a installed lip on the tailgate for safety. But as someone who has used ramp systems in business, they need to either have a full width ramp (safer) or not bother. They will be asking for lawsuits from people who run off the narrow ramps (or pop wheelies going up too-short ramps). And beef up those tailgate cables to get that weight capacity up while you’re at it.
BrunoT – the Ram box may be an interesting idea but it is expensive and cuts into box space. I’d say for 1/2 of pickup buyers (one’s who don’t really need pickups) a Ram box would be good because it gives them a place to put stuff that would normally end up in the cab.
Me, I like access to the full box for bulky gear. I have a galvanized steel drybox I bought used in 1985 for $75 plus 75 for security upgrades. It has been in every pickup I own and can be emptied and removed in 20 minutes. That expensive Ram box stays with the truck.
First thought is really clever, second thought is how do you stow the ramps with your quad or tractor sitting on top of the channels?