Grassroots walk ramp ideas

I once again have to ask why. A solid 90% of buyers of box trucks don't want or need a ramp. They are dock height for a reason. So why go through the PITA of 1. building a ramp and 2. altering the truck to accept it, for a maybe payoff with 10% of potential buyers?

If you want / need a ramp - sure. As prep for selling? I don't get it.

And even if I'm wrong and you do need to add a ramp to sell it, that $250 real one will beat the hell out of a cobbled together one out of scrap.

you do not need a ramp to sell it to me, i've got $250 burning a hole in my pocket and could use a box truck

DILYSI Dave wrote: I once again have to ask why. A solid 90% of buyers of box trucks don't want or need a ramp. They are dock height for a reason. So why go through the PITA of 1. building a ramp and 2. altering the truck to accept it, for a maybe payoff with 10% of potential buyers?

Fair question. I strongly disagree with your 90% estimate. This truck has been for sale on and off for a year. I haven't put in a great deal of effort other than passively listing it once in a while. In that time, I have had about 20 responses to my ads. With the exception of exactly 2 people, every single respondant asked a single question - "does it have a ramp?" It was their only question, and every single time it was a complete deal breaker. So in my marketing perspective, its not even a financial payoff as much as it is investing $65 to make my truck something the people will even consider buying. With the thousands of cheap trucks for sale that DO have a ramp, why would they want mine when they can get the same thing with a ramp down the street?

One of the reason (at least I guess) is that this truck size/type is on the high end of what the individual might buy to move him/herself to a new city, but on the medium to low end of what a company would buy as a commercial unit. Not having a ramp or liftgate makes this truck more saleable to a very small portion of the buyers in that demographic - the OTR, line delivery, and commercial end of things. It removes its general usefulness and makes it more of a purpose-built, dock and forklift-only vehicle instead of something with broader appeal. Believe it or not, most of my responses were from individuals moving a long distance who felt just like I did when I bought it... why spend $2000 renting a truck like this and force yourself to do all the moving in one week when you can scrape $10k together and sell it for $9500 at your leisure? For those who have the capital, $500 end cost to use this truck for a year is certainly better than $2000 for a week rental.

Secondly, it is by NO means a PITA for me. I'm looking forward to it. Little engineering projects like this are what make me get up early in the morning. This one project is a chance to hang out with my neighbor/best pal, drink a couple beers, use power tools, and excercise our brains.

And (not offended by any means) I have to ask about your last comment about being cobbled up from scrap. First of all, my fabrication and engineering skills are pretty advanced. Second of all, if I wanted to just buy a ramp for $250 and spend $60 in gas to go get it instead of build one with my buddy for less than a hundred, I wouldn't have posted in a forum where "grassroots" is the first word in the title.

If I posted pictures of some new upper control arms that I TIG welded from some scrap aluminum bar stock you'd be salivating.

patgizz wrote: you do not need a ramp to sell it to me, i've got $250 burning a hole in my pocket and could use a box truck

Bring me $250 forty times and its yours Its my payment plan.

In case y'all are curious, its a Ford F80 24' box truck with a 5.9 Cummins and a Spicer 6 speed. Its 26k GVW with hydraulic brakes, so its basically the biggest thing you can drive without a CDL. Its the tall box, 8'x8'-6" inside and has a ridiculously heavy duty Chelsea PTO. It was a blown-insulation truck. Truck has 95k original miles and it runs like a champ.

One of these:

is $450 at Northern. It uses a winch very similar to the remote controlled $60 one that HF sells. Why bother with a ramp?

oldopelguy wrote: One of these: is $450 at Northern. It uses a winch very similar to the remote controlled $60 one that HF sells. Why bother with a ramp?

Thought about it. Good idea, but the range of travel is way too short. It will go from the ground to a max of about 2' - 4". That is about half the height of my deck.

In reply to curtis73:

I was assuming you would make one.

oldopelguy wrote: In reply to curtis73: I was assuming you would make one.

Oooh... touche' I like that idea.