Can I load a car standard Clio on a standard 3.5ton dropside

[liam1040]

My work has a standard Mercedes 3.5 ton lwb dropside van. I was wondering if it's ever been heard of loading and transporting a Clio or any small hatchback car on the back without modifying the dropside in any way. If this is possible can you tell me the length of the ramps they used so the car didn't bottom out.

Cheers Liam

[CraigyMc]

liam1040 said:

My work has a standard Mercedes 3.5 ton lwb dropside van. I was wondering if it's ever been heard of loading and transporting a Clio or any small hatchback car on the back without modifying the dropside in any way. If this is possible can you tell me the length of the ramps they used so the car didn't bottom out.

Cheers Liam

How would you be securing it to the truck?

C

[v8will]

Did something similar, albeit onto a 18tonne flatbed.

Asked a local friendly tyre fitter to use their 4 post lift, drove on, raised lift reversed lorry to the rear of the lift, lowered lift and drove off onto it. The ramps for the lift took up the gap between the lift and the flatbed.

Be warned that a Clio would probably be at the absolute max payload for a 3.5T dropside. Nevermind how you would secure the car as has been already mentioned.

[AMST09]

Careful of having too much weight over one axle

[CraigyMc]

Hrmm. How long and how wide is the load bay on a 3.5 tonner?

I must admit, I thought you were talking about a 7.5 tonner to start with (my own fault: last time I rented a truck it was a 7.5 ton dropside).

C

[crosseyedlion]

At my old work a dutch (iirc) came to pick up a chimaera with a dropside transit....it was a tight fit (the rear tyres where only on the thing by inches.

Involved rolling it off a car transporter onto the transit. Hairy. But it worked

[liam1040]

The car fits on with ease and the payload is 1500kg and the Clio is 1.28 so a bit to play with and I would secure it like you would on recovery truck the dropside has loads of eyes to ratchet strap to so no problem there my problem Is that with the ramps would the car bottom out going on/off the truck when loading between the top of ramp mad dropside body.

[liam1040]

The car fits on with ease and the payload is 1500kg and the Clio is 1.28 so a bit to play with and I would secure it like you would on recovery truck the dropside has loads of eyes to ratchet strap to so no problem there my problem Is that with the ramps would the car bottom out going on/off the truck when loading between the top of ramp mad dropside body.

[V8RX7]

Yes - have you never watched Youtube it's how Eastern Europe operates all the time.

My Dad sold a big 60's Yank on ebay and they turned up in a 7.5ton truck and used scaffold planks -I had to walk away it was terrifying but they did it.

[sebhaque]

[DHE]

Ramps are over rated when it comes to putting a car on a truck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I-PpKWwybM

[liam1040]

Ok but does anyone know of anyone driving a car onto a xlwb Mercedes 3.5 ton dropside as I'm not sure as when the car leaves ramp to go onto dropside body the car will bottom out?? The car I'm putting on the dropside is a standard Renault Clio.

Cheers Liam

[V8RX7]

liam1040 said:

Ok but does anyone know of anyone driving a car onto a xlwb Mercedes 3.5 ton dropside as I'm not sure as when the car leaves ramp to go onto dropside body the car will bottom out?? The car I'm putting on the dropside is a standard Renault Clio.

Cheers Liam

It would entirely depend on the length of your ramps.

4ft = no chance
4m = good chance

[4key]

Other entertaining ways to change the angle of the ramps include using kerbs, hills and a pair of those crappy halfords ramps to lift the front of the van up