Collapsible dog ramp with quick clamps for bed rail?

I have an 85lb Pitbull and I just got a Softopper so he can ride comfortably in the bed without absolutely destroying my interior with his hair. I'd like to make it easy for him to get in and out, however, to do so I would need a dog ramp that goes up the tailgate because the truck has a lift. I'd really like to get one but I'd like to get one that is sort of compact that will fit on the quick mount rail system of our beds so I can stow it securely without it flipping around potentially hurting him. Maybe like two mounting points or something.

Is there anything out there like that? All of my dog owners please chime in on some solutions. Thanks in advance!

 

Do a google search for dog ramps, there are lots of them but I don’t know how well they will work on a lifted truck. You’ll need kind of a long one so it’s not too steep.
Two comments - a dog ramp is an excellent idea. If you let your dog leap out of the truck from the bed or back seat the impact from hitting the ground will cause orthopedic/joint and arthritis problems later in life. I’ve seen many hunting dogs who leap in and out of trucks all crippled up from that when they get older. Good on you for using a ramp.
Careful letting your dog ride in the back in your soft topper in warm or hot weather. It can get damn hot back there and dogs can over heat quickly and die. Especially pity’s with their large muscle mass. Dogs don’t sweat and can’t cool themselves like we can. The only way they can dissipate heat is by panting and they do sweat a little through their paws.

 

I would make one myself out of 3/4" ply reinforced with 1x4. Drill some holes in it and get some t-nuts to mount it to the bedrails. Paint it or seal it with polyurethane to make it more weatherproof. You can mix sand in with the paint to give it some traction for the big guy.

 

Oh absolutely. I don't intend to let him ride absolutely everywhere with me on hot days, as I have noticed it does get hot back there since I mounted it today and was getting warm back there just being static. I will say, however, that I plan on lining the bed with the rubber mat that they make for our trucks so he doesn't slide around everywhere 1. 2 I also plan on de tarping the sides when he is riding back there so he can hang his head out there while I am stopped and driving and get some airflow as well. 3 I also plan to open the rear window so he can hang his big flopper inside while we are off and about as well. I have taken him on a few car rides and he has hopped in and out of the cab but I try not to have him do it too much. I've probably taken him on a handful of car rides since he has been with me, definitely not at the frequency that hunter dogs do.

I mean, that's not a bad idea and easily accomplishable via a trip to home depot. I still can't figure how I would be able to mount it to the bed rail though using the t-nuts. I am just having a difficult time imagining what the ramp would look like truthfully.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/old-dogs-and-the-double-cab-part-seconda.639436/#post-22086356

Check this ramp out mentioned in this thread. Had it for my Rocky Dog

 

Okay so I picked up the SafePet/ Solvit collapsible telescoping dog ramp. I'm still working on my dog going up and down it, however, I am now working on methods to self contain the bed in the truck bed while I'm not using it to get quick access to it while I let him out. I'll post some pictures of the way I want it setup.

Basically I want it to ride firmly against the tailgate while not in use but to have a quick access feature. I am open to ideas but for the moment I am thinking buckles using the screws that hold the rubber feet in place. The ramp does not rest totally flat against the tailgate and the ground making it slightly unstable and moves around if my dog doesn't get in and out quickly, so I'd like to try and remedy that too by having a way to hold down the ramp well while it's set up.

Any ideas?

 

Before Rocky Dog went to doggie heaven, I got him comfortable to the ramp by first placing it on the ground and having him walk across while on a leash and enticing him with a treat, "Triple Strength Joint Max." Kind of like the "dangling a carrot in front of the horse" trick. Of course he was rewarded when he walked across the ramp. From there the ramp went on the tailgate and I used the same technique.

As for securing the ramp against the tailgate, perhaps cargo netting that is secured to the six bolts (3 on each side) that hold the tailgate cover. Maybe you can replace those bolts with eyebolts that can be used as tie downs.

My ramp was solid when extended and in place on the tailgate and ground. Are you worried that the ramp is going to slip off the tailgate? I have a trailer to haul my dirt bikes and I use a couple of cam-lock style straps to keep the ramp from moving when I'm backing the bikes off the trailer. Maybe you could use the bed stiffeners to do something like that. Of course you'd have to put something on the ramp (more eyebolts) to attach the straps to the ramp.

Hope this helped in giving you some ideas.

 

I'm worried that because the ramp is as lightweight and it is and my porker is as heavy and rambunctious as he is he is going to knock it off the tailgate or he won't be comfortable going up because the ramp won't instill a feeling of stability and he is a huge dumb chicken. Lol.

Cam lock style straps? Got a picture of any of that?

 

Yeah, Rocky Dog was a huge lab/boxer mix that tip the scales at 120lbs. I kept him on short leash when going up and down on the ramp. A couple of times he jumped off before getting to the bottom, which wasn't good. Here's a picture of a cam lock style (pic 1) and and one of rachet style (pic 2) straps. The cam lock style is easy and fast to tighten or loosen the strap. I've also included a picture of the back of my truck showing a cargo net that I use it to keep things closer to the tailgate. It's connected with caribiners for quick detachment when I need to get something stored in the totes. The top caribiners are hooked on the top rail cleats while the bottom caribiners are hooked to the bed D-rings.

Hope this helps with your porker.

 

Got to thinking, instead of eye bolts on the tailgate you could use D-Rings that would lay flat when not in use.

 

Years ago, I made a ramp for running a 3 wheel electric scooter up into the side of a van. I attached a chain to about the middle of the bottom of the ramp. The end of the chain had a latching hook on it. I made a place in the step of the van to attach the hook to. To put it in place, you put the ramp most of the way out, attach the chain, and then slide the ramp out till the chain was tight. You could do the same thing by attaching the chain or strap of a preset length to the trailer hitch. The big problem I see is your dog getting all excited and trying to go down the ramp before you have it in place.