Many people love driving on motorized equipment, whether an ATV, dirt bike, lawnmower, or motorcycle. However, while these vehicles are fun to drive and use, what happens when you need to move to a new location?
You must devise a strategy because driving these rigs to your new location is not feasible. Fortunately, here are some top tips on making it happen.
Step One: Make Your Equipment Travel-Ready
While you could just drive an ATV or riding mower onto the back of a pickup truck and call it a day, cleaning your equipment as much as possible is best. Also, check elements like tire pressure, oil, and gas levels. Ideally, you won’t have a full gas tank.
Step Two: Find a Suitable Transportation Rig
You’ll need a large flatbed trailer if you have multiple motorized vehicles to transport. If you’re moving long distances, you’ll want this trailer covered so your equipment doesn’t get stolen or rained on during the trip.
The closer the trailer is to the ground, the better. This way, you can rely less on ramps, which can cause problems if you don’t use them correctly.
Check with your professional mover. Full-service professional movers can transport your vehicles using their equipment.
Step Three: Secure Your Ramps
If you’ve seen videos of people trying to drive an ATV or dirtbike on a truck, only for the ramp to fall and damage the vehicle, you know why this step is necessary. Use tie-downs or other materials to ensure the ramp won’t shift or move as you drive the vehicle onto the trailer or truck bed.
Also, verify that the distance between ramps is suitable for the vehicle. Don’t secure them and then discover they’re too close or far apart.
Step Four: Secure Your Vehicles
Once your motorized equipment is on the trailer or truck bed, tie it down. It’s also a good idea to put a spare tire in front of the first vehicle so it doesn’t damage anything during the trip (or get damaged itself). Also, with trailers, you want the bulk of the weight to be at the front, where the trailer connects to your truck. Otherwise, you could fishtail out of control.
Step Five: Bring a Jack and Spare Tire
Hauling such heavy equipment can put a substantial load on the trailer or truck tires so you might have a blowout in transit. So, it’s best to be prepared with a flat tire kit and a spare (in addition to the one protecting the first vehicle). Also, make sure you know how to use the jack and that it’s rated to carry a sufficient amount of weight so it won’t collapse while changing the tire.
Step Six: Double Check Everything
Pieces of your ATVs, dirt bikes, or riding lawnmowers can fly off if the trailer is open, so make sure each piece is secured or removed and stored somewhere. You want to avoid arriving at your destination to discover missing parts.
Get Moving Help
Full-service professional movers have experience moving various vehicles. They can give you peace of mind knowing your equipment will arrive on time and in excellent condition.