How to Build a Snowmobile Ramp

Snowmobiling is a fun recreational winter activity. Sometimes it is necessary to move your snowmobile by truck to reach your ultimate snowmobiling destination. Commercial loading ramps are expensive and often quite cumbersome. Building your own loading ramp is not only cheaper than purchasing a ramp, but also allows for the construction of a ramp made of plywood and wood beams that can be stored neatly in the bed of the truck underneath the snowmobile itself.

Things You'll Need

  • Wood 2-by-4s
  • Saw
  • Tape measure
  • Power screwdriver, with driving and drilling bits
  • Screws
  • Wood 2-by-6s
  • Metal brackets
  • Plywood
  • Jigsaw
  • 2 lengths of chain, three links each
  • 2 metal S-hooks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut two pieces of 2-by-4 that are 2 feet long each, two pieces of 2-by-4 that are 3 feet long each, and four pieces of 2-by-4 that are slightly shorter than the width of your truck bed. Ideally, the last pieces should be just small enough to fit in the bed.

    • 2

      Place the 2-foot-long 2-by-4s on the ground on their sides, just far enough apart that one of the long 2-by-4s can lay across them. Place two of the long 2-by-4s atop the 2-foot-long 2-by-4s so that, when looked at from above, they form a rectangle. Secure the long beams with screws into the sides of the 2-foot-long beams.

    • 3

      Repeat step 2 with the remaining long beams and the 3-foot-long beams.

    • 4

      Place the rectangle with the 3-foot-beams flat at the front of the bed, and the rectangle with the 2-foot-beams flat at the back of the bed, in a position where the tailgate can still close. Measure the distance between the two rectangles.

    • 5

      Cut two pieces of 2-by-6 that are the length measured in step 4, and secure them between the two rectangles using the metal brackets and screws. The top of the 2-by-6s should be flush with the tops of the bed-width 2-by-4s. This is the frame which the snowmobile will rest atop.

    • 6

      Cut a piece of plywood that has the same dimensions as the frame, and a second piece that is as long (tailgate to truck body) as the frame but six inches narrower.

    • 7

      Secure the plywood that is the same size as the frame to the frame using screws and the power screwdriver.

    • 8

      Cut four 2-by-4s that are as long as the frame.

    • 9

      Secure two of the 2-by-4s from step 8 atop the plywood so that the outer edges of the 2-by-4s are 8 inches narrower than the distance between your snowmobile's skis.

    • 10

      Secure the remaining 2-by-4s from step 8 to the second piece of plywood so that the outer edges of the 2-by-4 are 4 inches narrower than the distance between your snowmobile's skis.

    • 11

      Cut four or five 2-by-4s that are 6 inches shorter than the distance between the 2-by-4s secured in step 10 and secure them to the plywood perpendicular to the longer 2-by-4s, evenly spaced along the plywood. This is the ramp itself. The center beams will provide traction for the ramp, while the beams running up the ramp will keep your skis pointing forward so you do not accidentally ride off the ramp.

    • 12

      Drill a hole in two corners of the ramp that share a short side. This side will be the top of the ramp.

    • 13

      Connect a S-hook through each hole, and a length of chain to each S-hook. The other end of the chain lengths will attach to your tie downs to secure the ramp in place.

    • 14

      Unfasten the chains from the tie downs after the snowmobile is loaded, then slide the ramp into the space beneath the frame. As the frame is 4 inches tall and wider than the ramp, the ramp will slide neatly underneath the snowmobile.