Bull_Duck

Got my "new for me" Rampage motorcycle lift last week. The lift automatically loads the motorcycle from street level into the bed of the truck. I have a 2008 Anniversary FLTR Road Glide and a 2000 FXSTD Deuce, wife has a highly modified 1998 Dyna. Photos here.

Read about the Rampage lift here, and watch it here.

The Rampage motorcycle lift will go into the bed of my new beautiful 2013 F-150 Limited SuperCrew. See images here .

Further updates after Thursday.

Bull_Duck

Installation day today.

My installation is not straight forward as shown in the videos. With a bare bed and inner tailgate, four Revit Nuts or Plusnuts would be all that is required. They are working mainly to hold the lift in place while the motorcycle is being loaded. Afterwards, the ratchet straps do the hold-down.

The 2013 Limited with a plastic tub liner is a different story. The Rampage cannot sit above the liner because the plastic is somewhat flexible and compressible creating a possible instability problem. I don't want the load to be shifting.

The 2013 Limited equipped with a tail gate step is not on the same horizontal as the bed. The assist handle extends above the horizontal. Because of that the Rampage would be touching and possibly placing weight on the tail gate.

For the above reasons, I thought it best to go to a regarded 5th wheel installer. The one I chose are familiar with what needs to be done to accommodate the tub, and has the equipment to elevate the Rampage so it does not touch the tailgate.

Click here for another video on the Rampage lift in action.

Bull_Duck

"Tail dragger" vertical support extending downward from the Rampage to the Receiver hitch extension. The tail dragger can screw to fit the exact desired height.

See attachment

Bull_Duck

A rear structural support is added parallel to the existing rear structural support allowing the bolts to avoid hitting the frame of the truck beneath the bed. When finished, it is all painted black.

Bull_Duck

two parallel lift legs are bolted to the floor of the bed. The Rampage will in turn be bolted to the parallel lift legs. The plastic tub is cut out to allow the lift legs to have direct contact with the truck bed, and to elevate the Rampage above the plastic tub and the tail gate's plastic liner. The tail gate plastic liner is elevated above the plane of the truck bed to accommodate the rear step grab bar.

photos to come when forum allows more attachments.

Autofair Truck Parts

That is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bull_Duck

The Rampage must have a direct connection with the bed floor. The plastic tub will squish. So my installers cut rectangles out of the plastic tub to closely fit 3x3xw steel bars that were then bolted to the bed.

These cross bars run the width w of the Rampage. left to right, and extend a few inches beyond the Rampage frame. The bolts connecting the bars to the bed are in the extensions. One bar is at the head or cab side of the Rampage, directly below where the three Rampage bolts normally go. However, instead of into the bed, the three Rampage bolts go into the cross bar with rivetnuts or plusnuts.

The Rampage is designed to have a single rear bolt in the middle of a structural cross bar at the foot of the Rampage - tailgate side. Problem is, the hole lines up on the short bed directly above a structural support under the truck bed. It would not be wise to drill through that. Se we added another structural support bar at the rear, but a few inches toward the front.

The cross bars being 3x3xw elevate the Rampage off the bed floor enough so that it does not touch the tail gate.

A bolt like structural support is added extending from the rear of the rampage to the hitch extension that is locked into the hitch receiver. The hitch extension 3x3xL bar, is the length L that the tailgate is tall, and plus some. The Rampage is offset toward the rear that the vertical structural support does not touch the lowered tail gate.

When my Road Glide is being loaded, a jack will be placed beneath the hitch extension bar 3x3xL bar. That way no lift or weight will be placed on the bolts in the bed of the truck during loading. The weight at what is effectively the Rampage fulcrum will be directly down to the street during loading.

Photos in my gallery and this thread.
More to be added when moderators allow.

yokev

A buddy of mine picked one up from a store that went **** up for FIFTY DOLLARS at an auction where nobody else knew what it was.
I told him to flip it as they cost around $3k new, but he's retired and therefore S-L-O-W
They sure make loading big bikes a heckuva lot easier.

Bull_Duck

Your buddy got a total deal. I've been tracking their resale values. The Rampage weighs in at 330 lbs, so shipping adds to their cost. New with shipping is about $3K. Resale without shipping is between 1/3 and 1/2 the previous owner's purchase price plus shipping. Mine was a resale unit which I found on Craigslist.org It was located about 120 miles from my home. I arranged to inspect and possibly purchase while in the area for business. Shipping cost keeps the resale Rampage a local item. The meaning of local depends on the buyer.

For reasons I am mentioning in this thread, I recommend an experienced 5th wheel installer for the modifications required and desirable for the F150. The advertised installation procedure is not safe, will not work. YMMV but I doubt it. Expect to pay $350 - $450 for installation with mods following the description here. Highly recommended.

So a Rampage motorcycle lift including 5th wheel quality installation can be $1,500 installed. If purchasing resale consider new 4AWG battery to transformer cables. I will be using a new set of 4 gauge 20' Die Hard from Sears.

The $1,500 compares favorably with a resale Kendon, no license tag is required, no trailer dragging, and no trailer storage required. When not in use, my Rampage will be on the floor of the garage with a parked vehicle straddled above. I am installing a hoist connected to a garage ceiling rafter to lift the Rampage to and from the bed of the beautiful 2013 F150 Limited.

Bull_Duck

Thank you.

During those times that the Rampage is installed on a short-bed, the tail gate must either be down or taken off. I will simply leave it on. The Rampage is installed so that it does not touch any part of the tail gate.

On a 8' bed, the tail gate could be up with the Rampage in the bed and a motorcycle loaded; however, for the Rampage to extend its ramp out and down, the tail gate would need to be removed from the truck. In contrast, on a 5'6" short-bed, the tail gate can remain on, though in the down horizontal position.

On my custom installation, the Rampage was placed about 1/2" above the assist handle and other plastic bits that are part of the tub. The "tail dragger" extending from the Rampage to the long arm into the hitch receiver is the installers add-on, not part of the OEM Rampage; but IMO should be provided as an option. It is about 1/2" from the tail gate top in the down position. What I am calling a " tail dragger" is like a plum line from the Rampage to the receiver extension, and with a jack to the ground. All 850 pounds of my Road Glide will be supported by the tail dragged setup when the rear part of the Rampage is acting as a fulcrum for the Ramp. In contrast, the OEM design places the lift stress on the forward three bolts. I have read no complaints so my set up may be over engineered. With weight savings by auto manufacturers, I understand the truck beds have become slightly thinner. If so, I feel secure with my setup.