utv bed racks for off road,how tall is too tall?

[dan.kirkpatrick]

i just moved up to buying a side x side this year,but stiil need to pull my cargo trailer with camp and atv in trailer,,side x side wont fit in trailer so i got a" toy up" rack for my truck,,im sure i will have more sway like having a camper on,but was wondering how tall is too tall?,,loaded up im 12 ft tall at top of sxs roof,,,how much of an off angle on mountain roads should i not exceed?2004 dodge ram 2500 4x4 lifted 3" and air bags on the back,305/70/17 tires..cant tow triple in oregon so i have limited choices.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

picture of truck and trailer before toy up rack

 

[Addicting]

Don’t think anyone can answer that, nor would my pucker factor trust internet numbers. I can confidently say, you will know when you know.

 

[Dakotakid]

Several ramp versions available, what sxs? Give the quad and sxs implies you have another driver? Can’t you unload sometime before the rough stuff and have companion drive sxs?

 

[mtmuley]

Don’t think anyone can answer that, nor would my pucker factor trust internet numbers. I can confidently say, you will know when you know.

Yep. I see sketchy setups all the time during touron season here in Montana. mtmuley

 

[grizzly63]

Saw several trailers with 2 utvs and an Atv on the truck box. 80 miles an hour. 100 degrees out today. Buy a bigger trailer.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

i got a 2026 yamaha wolverine x 2 1000 2 door,,a relatively small sxs at 1800 lbs//i got a toy up ramp setup,{used off of marketplace}with 11'loading ramps so the front tires are above cab,but rear tires and most of the weight is slightly above the bed by about 5" ,,im into my existing cargo trailer several thousands converting it into a camp unit so i really dont want to get another trailer and start it all over again.

 

[jimh406]

The top of my truck camper is 12’6”. There are only a few underpasses and fuel stations I’ve seen that are lower. You do have to watch the warnings since some are lower. There is usually a bypass. I’ve never had an issue on a forest service road. My guess is the logging equipment is taller.

 

[Chingon]

I run about 13' high with my Ranger on my F350. I don't like towing loaded up, but I get your dilemma and it's the best solution I've seen. Height is usually not an issue as 5th wheels are up near 14'.

If you're on sketchy off-camber fire roads, I would just not be. I would also recommend you go to a CAT scale loaded up with fuel and water. With my long bed F350 I'm just barely over the tire/wheel/axle weight rating. You have to be way over and run a real risk of having things go very badly on the highway. Airbags can help keep it level, but do nothing to increase the strength of your tires/wheels.

 

[wolfpup]

It is a completely different setup, but think about truck campers. They have a lot more weight than the sxs plus ramps and are plenty capable. I would not think you have the body roll that they do. At 1800 pounds on the sxs + 500 pounds of ramps.... I would not be overly concerned. Might be worth looking into aftermarket sway bar upgrades, bump stops, and air suspension just to compensate.

 

[npaden]

13'6" is the height limit for DOT.

Like Chingon mentioned, the issue is more likely your weight than your height. 1,800lbs of SxS plus 500lbs of frame and ramps plus 1,000lbs of tongue weight from your trailer puts you at 3,300lbs on the rear axle and that's without anyone in there with you. Quick search says 2004 dodge ram 2500 4x4 has a payload capacity of 2,200 to 3,000 pounds depending on configuration. That puts you quite a bit over before anyone even gets in the cab. Add some gear and a passenger or two and you are way over.

 

[Addicting]

i got a 2026 yamaha wolverine x 2 1000 2 door,,a relatively small sxs at 1800 lbs//i got a toy up ramp setup,{used off of marketplace}with 11'loading ramps so the front tires are above cab,but rear tires and most of the weight is slightly above the bed by about 5" ,,im into my existing cargo trailer several thousands converting it into a camp unit so i really dont want to get another trailer and start it all over again.

Sounds like you need to scale your setup before you get too far. You are likely going to be pretty far over your payload.

Airbags don’t help with payload. You get in an accident and the DOT reconstructs you weight. You could be liable for the whole mess.

 

[Chingon]

Sounds like you need to scale your setup before you get too far. You are likely going to be pretty far over your payload.

Airbags don’t help with payload. You get in an accident and the DOT reconstructs you weight. You could be liable for the whole mess.

Payload is a red herring. Things that DOT can nail you for are total vehicle weight (GVWR), combined trailer/vehicle weight (GCVWR) or axle load (FAWR or RAWR).

In my experience, payload is just a ballpark to get you close to not being on your bumpstops/blinding oncoming traffic. Airbags do help there. However, it does not tell you how much your axles are carrying, which is the actual safety issue (plus ability to brake). For example, I had a toyhauler with nearly 1900lbs tongue weight (without distribution). This was far under the payload of my F250, but on the ball hitch it basically rode on the bumpstops. 2000lbs of evenly distributed weight in the bed? No issue.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

ive got about 10000 to 10500 on the truck fully loaded, with 600 lb trailer Tonge weight,gvrw is 8800,,trailer is aluminum so it fully loaded is around 5000,im problably over by a bit,have have seen alot way more overloaded than that,,my concern is going up some of the off angled forest roads before i find a camp spot,im thinking somewhere around a 15% side angle would be about max with the s x s on up high.im going to the flattops in colorado this october and know how some of those high altitude forest roads can get sometimes. with a aluminum framed trailer i dont think its a good idea to run a load equalizer hitch so i havnt yet.{though it could help distribute some of the weight off the truck rear axle}

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

the toy up rack{steel} is only 300lbs,,the 11' toy up ramps are aluminum at about 40 lbs each,,im tryin to go as light as posible,but when you load up for a big hunting trip,it seems like everything adds up pretty fast,,the bed of the truck im sure will be packed with plenty of "stuff", coolers ,ect

 

[Chingon]

That's a long trip to be running an overloaded (overheated) rear axle and tires. I'd ditch the ATV and trailer the SXS.