JeffB Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I am building a ramp to load a 23" OTB into a van. The ramp is going to have grooves in it that the wheels will fit in to help guide the cooker up the ramp (i.e., so it won't roll off the side of the ramp). Unfortunately, I don't know the dimensions of the wheels so I am not sure how wide or how deep the grooves can/have to be. Would someone with a grill mind measuring the wheel at its widest point (below the feet "shroud" edge). As well, exactly how far is it from the ground to the bottom of the "shroud". I would hate to make the grooves too deep and have the cooker not be able to roll up the ramp at all. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Jeff, We loaded a 23" into a van (Honda Odyssey) with little trouble. Looks like a couple of 2x8s (could be 10s). We used a strap to pull near the legs and it went in right in - no problem. I think you might be over engineering, if you disassemble it you won't have any trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted June 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Thanks for the pictures. That actually helps validate something else I was concerned about. In regards to the grooves, I very well may be over-engineering but I am going to be doing the loading solo so I think it is probably best I over-engineer. The current plan is to rig up a couple double pulleys (if that doesn't work I have a winch to fall back on) and since I will be occupied with pulling on a rope, I want to minimize the amount of manipulation I do of the cooker itself. The hope is the grooves will encourage the cooker to move in the direction I want so I can simply stand to the side and pull on the rope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 strongly suggest bringing along another set of hands.. but I am going to be doing the loading solo I would strongly suggest bringing along another set of hands.. It will just make the loading that much easier. Komodos do a lot of things well but being moved vertically is not one of them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Jeff, I can't stress(pun intended)enough to get help when loading your KK. I've done it about 10 times over the past two years, the last time I tried to load it solo with an engine hoist to the back of my Jeep Wrangler. Thank goodness my Wife came to my rescue and helped me guide it into the back of the Jeep. Even when rolling it up and down a ramp in front of my shop I get the help of my butcher. One small slip would send it off the ramp and crash to the pavement. And I'm only talking a height of about a foot.And ,with appolgies to Dennis, but I'm not about to come between 550 lbs of a ceramic tiled refractory device and the hard cold(now 96 degrees) pavement. You can't Q with a broken leg,arm,hip foot,etc.Get some help and make a friend forever! Just repay them with the best food this side of Big Bob Gibson's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie from Jersey Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Whatever you do - strip it to the bone. Take out everything including the fire ring. I'm trying to picture the process of pulleys or a come-a-long. Do you have a mini van with 2 sliding doors? I suppose you could park it with a tree on the far side and rig it so you are pulling it up at an angle similar to your ramp. I will measure the wheel width for you. I think you would be better off without grooves, if you are "winching" it in and are not pulling exactly straight with your grooves, you could be asking for it. If you get in on some 2x(8-10)-once the casters have all swiveled and if you are pulling relatively straight (and are level left to right [front to back of the van]) there shouldn't be any tendency for it go sideways - and you would be able to see it move as you SLOWLY crank it home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted June 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Stripping it down is the plan. Once you pull the lid off and pull out all the innards the bottom is only 300 pounds. As for the pulley arrangement... one double pulley will be attached to the cooker itself, the second will be attached to a tie down point in the the van. So the rope will go from a second tie down point in the van -> cooker -> pulley in van -> cooker -> pulley in van and finally back out to me standing outside the door. I haven't done the calculations yet (my high school physics sadly left me years ago) but I would be surprised if anything more than 50 pounds of force is required to move the cooker up the ramp. Now where is my old physics book... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Is your tie point in the van on the floor? If so, I'm thinking you will be fine for a couple feet, but what happens when you get near the doorway, won't you be pulling it "down" [the cooker is still climbing the ramp, but the strap is pulling down to the tie point in the van] If you have a tie point higher you could be fine, but I can't think of anything to tie to in my vans other than a seat anchor point. Put the "old bat" on a camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted June 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 I am actually renting the van on Monday so I haven't worked out exactly where the tie down points are. That is something I will have to figure out "when I get there". You are correct in that if my tie down points are too close to the door the direction of my force will be wrong. My plan is to pull the cooker in through the rear hatch so I can drop/remove all the seats of the van and then have the largest number of possible tie down points. At the very least I can use the driver and passenger seats. That should put things far enough away from the ramp that the forces acting on the cooker are mostly straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Sounds good, perhaps a strap across the windshield through each window connected to its self (in a big circle). Hook your pulley to the strap, that would give you some elevation and an auto-centered pull right up the middle. I'm starting to like your chances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Dave - How well did the KK go into the wrangler? I am gifting my old POSK to a friend in DC, and we are trying to figure out how to get it there. I have a couple of work trips up there in July, and was conisidering driving it up when i came. My POSK is a #5 (18" grill) so its a little smaller than the KK, but i was worried about it hitting the soundbar. Did you have any issues? My wrangler is a the regular 2 door - not the extended or 4 door) I guess i could put it in the back of my murano, but that would mean taking it apart, and that sounds like a disaster wiating to happen for a POSK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Wish I had taken a pic! I totalled my 2000 wrangler right before Thanksgiving or right after(took out a Toyota Highlander...I actually drove home). This was in a 2004 Unlimited, fit pretty well, also has a towing package with beefed up suspension. I was impressed, quite a crowd in front of channel 7 studios getting it unloaded, almost got a ticket from Chicago's finest(probably mad we couldn't give him any Q!)I thought we took some pics, have to look back into the camera memory! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Jeff, Casters are approx 15/16" wide. I am unable to give you a measurement of the spacing due to the difficulty seeing the caster pivot point etc. It's between 16 - 18 inches (front - back). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted June 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Fetzervalve, thanks for the information. My plan is to use some strips of 1/2 inch ply to make "channels" that the wheels will fit in. I was going to make the "channels" 2 inches wide to make sure they have enough slop to hold the wheels along with any variation in ramp parallelism. My biggest worry is the "shrouds" on the feet getting hung up on the channels but I am pretty sure 1/2 ply should be thin enough to fit under. Validation of that would be appreciated though. The first foot or so on the ramp will not have a channel so I won't get hung up as the cooker first goes on. I will figure out wheel spacing when I get on site and lock the two legs of my ramp together at a distance determined by a trial run flat on the ground. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 You shouldn't have any trouble with 1/2" ply, the caster shrouds are 1.5 - 2" off the ground. (can't verify that right now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 A friend had one of those $45-50 electric winches from Harbor frieght which really helped get mine on my back porch. I thought that the 2 of us would be able to get it up with those shoulder strap thingees, but he decided to go get the winch before we ever hurt ourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 decided to go get the winch Winches are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Re: decided to go get the winch Winches are good. Absolutely! Oh,nevermind. I thought that "I" was an "e". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Spoken like a true PIMP MONKEY!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
