Why Opt for a Liftgate Versus a Ramp for Your Truck?
If you use your truck for moving an ATV or riding lawnmower or any other type of heavy equipment, you may be considering investing in a set of ramps to keep with you. While ramps can help to load and unload your truck, you might consider instead a liftgate that you have installed on the back of your truck.
These may be powered by electricity that runs from the battery of the vehicle, or they may work with hydraulics, which is compressed air that forces the gate up and down. While both ramps and liftgates have their own advantages, note why liftgates are often the best choice:
1. No tipping
With any type of ramp, your ATV or lawnmower will always need to be tipped to make it up the incline. For equipment that sits low to the ground, this can be very dangerous. It's easy to scrape the back end of your equipment even when using longer ramps with a small incline, and in turn you can cause damage to the body of an ATV or even the blades of a lawnmower. With a liftgate, there is no tipping and the equipment stays level and even while being loaded and unloaded.
2. Versatility
When shopping for ramps, you may notice that there are several different types available, according to the tread and size of the tires of the equipment you're loading and unloading. With liftgates, you don't need to worry about changing out the ramps for when loading your motorcycle with deep treads on the tires and then again when you're loading a lawnmower with smaller tires. A liftgate works for any type of equipment you're loading and unloading, even for when you're using dollies and furniture movers.
3. No need to store the ramps
When you use ramps in the back of your truck, you then need to store them as well as the equipment you're loading and unloading. In some cases your truck bed may not have the room for all the equipment you want to haul and the ramps as well.
With a liftgate, the gate simply folds up behind the truck gate or may slide underneath the truck bed. You won't need to pull out the ramps and set them down every time you unload your truck, making it easier on you overall, and don't need to find storage space for them when you choose a liftgate.