ATV in 5’7″ Ram bed?

How large of an ATV are folks able to fit in the 5’7″ Dodge Ram bed?

Any single seater should fit but I dont think you will be able to shut the tailgate unless its something like a honda rancher or something since those are tiny

I’d be quite surprised if you could fit a standard size ATV in a bed that’s 5’7″. I couldn’t fit one in a 6 foot bed and shut the tail gate.

Take a video when you drive it up the ramp.

My outlander 800 ext fit but sat on my tailgate slightly. My foreman fit but also sat on my tailgate by just a hair.
I load my wheeler in to the bed with Ramps 2 or 3 times a week. It’s only spooky the first time. None will fit with tailgate shut. My dirt bikes hardly did. Now I can fit the outlander and a dirt bike in my 8 ft box.

I don’t think it much matters what will fit in the back of a dodge truck it’s more of a question of how sacked out it will be. Seems like they are on the stops weather it’s a couple bags of groceries or a wheeler. It blows my mind how lightly sprung those trucks are. It’s actually funny, it’s a game we play when we are on road trips to see who can spot a dodge pulling something from the farthest away. They are incredibly easy to pick out because usually the bumper is damn near dragging on the ground and the dead give away is the trailer whipping back and fourth. Those trucks definitely aren’t built to haul. The 1/2 tons anyways. I can’t speak for the 3/4 tons.

walleyesforme wrote:

I don’t think it much matters what will fit in the back of a dodge truck it’s more of a question of how sacked out it will be. Seems like they are on the stops weather it’s a couple bags of groceries or a wheeler. It blows my mind how lightly sprung those trucks are. It’s actually funny, it’s a game we play when we are on road trips to see who can spot a dodge pulling something from the farthest away. They are incredibly easy to pick out because usually the bumper is damn near dragging on the ground and the dead give away is the trailer whipping back and fourth. Those trucks definitely aren’t built to haul. The 1/2 tons anyways. I can’t speak for the 3/4 tons.

Air bags fix all of that for very cheap. My old ram was horrible when I first bought it, looked even worse loaded when I had a leveling kit. But air bags took care of all that. My 3/4 ton is pretty solid. I have 2 1/2 inch level right now and it doesn’t squat a hair with my wheeler in it.

My coworker can fit his grizzly 660 in the back of his ram but sits on the tailgate a little. It also sags pretty good with it in there. I use timbrens in the back of my 3/4 ton. Less maintenance and cost if you don’t tow/haul on the regular.

I have not tried putting my Grizzly 700 in the back of my Ram . If ever i do , would get a Louisiana Guard Dog .

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Take a video when you drive it up the ramp.

I’ve witnessed 2 bad incidents firsthand that involved too much speed and no common sense. One shattered his back window after I told him to put down blocks to keep him back from getting tight to the front. The other had a garbage ramp that hyper extended on only one side causing the wheeler to slowly tip off.

Slow and steady is key, as is having decent ramps.

My brother put his xmr through his back window. He wasn’t used to having a big bumper that was higher then his box.
As for ramps just tie them off put machine in 4×4 and creep up. It’s as simple as it gets

My ramp has straps that I tie off to the trailer hitch of the truck and as others mentioned, put the machine in 4×4 and go slow, I also stand and lean forward (just makes me feel better)

Also pay attention to how the truck is parked, I never load my ATV when the truck is on an incline. Have the truck be on level ground or facing downhill

Bearcat89 wrote:

My brother put his xmr through his back window. He wasn’t used to having a big bumper that was higher then his box.
As for ramps just tie them off put machine in 4×4 and creep up. It’s as simple as it gets

And spend the extra few bucks and get a decent ramp that isn’t like 4 ft long so the angle is so damn steep. Pickup trucks sit so damn high these days that the extra long ramps are a necessity in my opinion.

Not sure what turns guys into evil freaking Knievel when they go to load using a ramp but there’s definitely that tendency.

These are the bi fold ramps I run, I picked them up from dutchboy probably 4 or 5 years ago maybe ? They work great, I use a ratchet strap around the center and to each chain hook up on my truck. They don’t budge and they can slide under the quad nicely.

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My RAM 1500 hardly squats with a Polaris 700 Sportsman in it. The tailgate doesn’t shut with the 5’7″ bed.

big_g wrote:

My RAM 1500 hardly squats with a Polaris 700 Sportsman in it. The tailgate doesn’t shut with the 5’7″ bed.

That must be the toughest ram on the fleet, before air bags my old 16 ram would squat with my empty snowmobile trailer. I was always curious why the suspension was so soft, just figured it was designed for groceries more so then any thing.

big_g wrote:

My RAM 1500 hardly squats with a Polaris 700 Sportsman in it. The tailgate doesn’t shut with the 5’7″ bed.

That’s the best one I’ve heard all day! You don’t by any chance have one of those silky smooth riding Lund Impacts too do you?

I guess none of you guys have had a RAM with the 4 corner air ride. Zero squat with even the heaviest of loads.

3Rivers wrote:

I guess none of you guys have had a RAM with the 4 corner air ride. Zero squat with even the heaviest of loads.

I didn’t, that’s why I added air bags. Solved the problems

Is it just me or has Dodge kind of backed itself into a corner the last few years? They used to be one of the more inexpensive brands but it’s like they tried the old real estate trick where if you can’t sell it cheap try making it super expensive. It seems like it’s not working out to well for them. Their gas motors are light years behind the competition. Not sure about the Diesel line of trucks but really? Who wants to pay $100k for a truck? Pretty niche market. I’ve heard rumors of hundreds of year or two or three year old carry overs still on the lots at lots of places. Not hating on dodge or dodge owners just curious if anyone else has noticed this.

walleyesforme wrote:

Is it just me or has Dodge kind of backed itself into a corner the last few years? They used to be one of the more inexpensive brands but it’s like they tried the old real estate trick where if you can’t sell it cheap try making it super expensive. It seems like it’s not working out to well for them. Their gas motors are light years behind the competition. Not sure about the Diesel line of trucks but really? Who wants to pay $100k for a truck? Pretty niche market. I’ve heard rumors of hundreds of year or two or three year old carry overs still on the lots at lots of places. Not hating on dodge or dodge owners just curious if anyone else has noticed this.

My 16 big horn was a damn great truck. Would buy one again in a heart beat. 120k of very hard driven miles, never had a hiccup. Not many chevy guys can say that. There was a reason I switched brands. Now my 6.4 has been aweso.e as well. I have no opinions on the new v6 turbo, I wouldn’t buy one. But the 5.7 v8, I would own again in a heart beat. I also wouldn’t pay anything more then 40k for a half ton. When I bought my 16 it was 26k brand new. And I sold it for 23 with 125k on it. One of the best abuse taken trucks I’ve owned. My previous chevy would have been dead within those 125k milage. I was not nice to that thing. To say the motors are light years behind the competition is pretty much a joke.

Bearcat89 wrote:

My 16 big horn was a damn great truck. Would buy one again in a heart beat. 120k of very hard driven miles, never had a hiccup. Not many chevy guys can say that. There was a reason I switched brands. Now my 6.4 has been aweso.e as well. I have no opinions on the new v6 turbo, I wouldn’t buy one. But the 5.7 v8, I would own again in a heart beat. I also wouldn’t pay anything more then 40k for a half ton. When I bought my 16 it was 26k brand new. And I sold it for 23 with 125k on it. One of the best abuse taken trucks I’ve owned. My previous chevy would have been dead within those 125k milage. I was not nice to that thing. To say the motors are light years behind the competition is pretty much a joke.

Awe come on now Ron, we know “without a hiccup” isn’t true.
I know it at least got drive axles, exhaust manifolds, and a water pump before you got rid of it.
Not trying to argue or knock Ram.
They all need repair at some point. Just had to bring you back to earth and remind you that none of them are perfect.

My current preference if I was shopping for a half ton today based on reliability, performance:

1. Ford
2. Ram
3. Toyota
…
…
…
42. Chevy/GMC

I have a 2012 Dodge Ram half ton. Ive had one wheel bearing go out and that was in the last 10000 miles. Added Airbags when I got my fishouse about 5 years ago. Pulls fish house with no problem. Truck is mainly my hunting and fishing vehicle now but take it on long trips to Devils and Canada. Got this truck in 2014 and would not hesitate to get another one.

Are you guys thinking about refinancing your houses to get a new dodge or how can you pull the trigger on a price tag like that? A few guys I work with have recently bought them and they were all well over $100k

walleyesforme wrote:

Are you guys thinking about refinancing your houses to get a new dodge or how can you pull the trigger on a price tag like that? A few guys I work with have recently bought them and they were all well over $100k

Those had to be HDs.

walleyesforme wrote:

Are you guys thinking about refinancing your houses to get a new dodge or how can you pull the trigger on a price tag like that? A few guys I work with have recently bought them and they were all well over $100k

There are still a few new 2024 1500 Tradesman with 5.7l hemi for $40k available. 2024 is last year for hemi. To get close to 100k would be 2500s with top trim and 6.7l Cummins probably.

Is there a recommended brand of air bag for a Ram?

Nick Matti wrote:

Is there a recommended brand of air bag for a Ram?

I’ve installed quite a few of the Firestone Ride Rite airbag kits. They seem to do the job just fine.

grubson wrote:

Awe come on now Ron, we know “without a hiccup” isn’t true.
I know it at least got drive axles, exhaust manifolds, and a water pump before you got rid of it.
Not trying to argue or knock Ram.
They all need repair at some point. Just had to bring you back to earth and remind you that none of them are perfect.

Haha, I would like to know how many Rams with a 5.7 didn’t have cracked manifolds.

My 2011 Ram was the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Bought it a year old in 2012 and fortunately I still had warranty left, otherwise I would have been out big time. My went through A/C Compressor/Condenser x 2, water pump, power steering pump, spider gears, both exhaust manifolds cracked, radiator started to leak, could not replace the front shocks due to a poor design with the lower shock bolt, and the ignition system started to fail whenever the RPMs were above 3K.

I didn’t mind the truck, but it was a lemon. The 5.7 Hemi is a better motor for pulling than the GM 5.3L I got after the Ram. But, now I have a 6.2 and IMO it’s far better. I was not very impressed with the 6.4L when I drove a 2500 a few years back. Still light years better than the 6.2L Ford that’s in my old man’s truck.