Hauling a RZR in the truck bed? Sure, why not?

Here's a write-up no one asked for! One day, I suddenly got the idea in my head that I wanted to haul my side by side in the bed of my truck. It's a smaller SXS (with a width of only 50"), so I knew there was a chance it could work. When I was doing my own research, there wasn't a whole lot of information from people with first-hand experience, so I thought perhaps this might be useful to someone out there. The best part of this whole endeavor? None of it is necessary - I have a utility trailer. But this idea kept tapping me on the shoulder, and I couldn't shake it, so here we are lol.

The truck: 2018 Tundra Double Cab SR5 5.7L TRD 4x4



The side by side: 2017 Polaris RZR 570



The solution: Mad Ramps pivoting ramp system and SumoSprings. Here are some links to these products so you can see what they are. If you're curious about the Mad Ramps, click the link below and check out some of the videos on their website. They're pretty cool! (Can I get a royalty check for this? Lol.)

Mad Ramps
SumoSprings

The Process: Here are a few details and photos from the assembly of the Mad Ramps and the installation of the SumoSprings. The Mad Ramps are heavy, but they are easy to assemble, and feel solid. The SumoSprings are just as simple to install, and you can just install and forget them.

Mad Ramps installed in truck hitch:








I took a few photos of the RZR in the truck before the SumoSprings were installed so I could see how much rear end sag the SumoSprings were helping with. As you can see, the unloaded factory height between the rear tire and wheel well is 8". After loading the RZR (without the SumoSprings), the rear end sagged down 2-1/2" (from 8" to 5-1/2" of height between the tire and wheel well).

Factory unloaded rear ride height:


Ride height with RZR in truck bed with no helper springs installed:


RZR in truck bed before installing SumoSprings:




The SumoSprings are installed over the rear axle leaf springs in place of the factory bump stops.

Before:




After:


Installing these took about 30 minutes per side. I'm probably going to get some flak for this, but I decided to reuse the factory U-bolts. U-bolt threads are designed to distort when the nuts are torqued, and are therefore recommended for one-time use. However, the bottom plate of the SumoSpring is thicker than the mounting plate on the factory bump stop, which means the threads don't stick out as far under the axle mounting plate. The threads I am torqueing after the SumoSprings are in place are not the same threads that were torqued from the factory. I was able to install the SumoSprings and successfully torque the U-Bolt nuts to manufacturer specifications (74 ft.-lbs.). It is recommended that you replace the U-bolts when re-torqueing them - there's my disclaimer lol. I'll see how it goes. I checked their torque again when I got home from my first trip hauling the RZR, and they were still in place at the proper torque.

I also decided to load it in the truck backwards to keep most of the weight of the RZR over the truck's axle instead of hanging off the hitch. Here are some photos of the finished product with SumoSprings installed and Mad Ramps in use:











Compressed SumoSprings with the RZR loaded:


Ride height only sags 1-1/4" now with the SumoSprings installed:


The truck now sits level with the RZR loaded:


And where do you keep this contraption when not in use? On the wall, of course. Mad Ramps sells these mounting brackets, which means I don't lose any space in the garage and can still park the truck in there





Okay, about payload. I understand that the SumoSprings (and E-rated tires, which I also have in the form of stock size BFG A/Ts) do not increase my truck's payload capacity. If anything, these items actually add to the overall weight of the truck, which decreases the amount of leftover weight I have available for payload. However, after looking over the numbers, I have enough wiggle room to consider these items negligible. I consider the higher-rated tires and SuperSprings to be assets that add to the overall capability and durability of the truck, so the added weight is an investment I'm willing to make.

The RZR 570 has a dry weight of 996 pounds. Add in 7 gallons of gas, that's another 42 pounds, plus my Yeti cooler strapped to the back (not pictured) full of ice and whatnot, that's another 25 pounds or so. So we are somewhere around 1,063 pounds in the bed of the truck. The GVWR for my truck configuration is 7,100 pounds, and the truck weighs in at 5,470 pounds, which gives me about 1,630 pounds to play with. Add in my fat ass (about 300 pounds), and the weight of the Mad Ramps themselves, which are pretty dang heavy (the whole system put together weighs 151 pounds), and I'm at a grand total of 1,514 pounds of payload. It's pretty close to the limit, especially since there are other normal things in the truck adding weight that I'm not itemizing. Also, my truck's max tongue weight is 990 pounds, but the hitch is only carrying the front half of the weight of the RZR. This is also why I back it up the ramp, so the bulk of the RZR's weight is over the axle and not the hitch. All in all, it fits, and I'm rolling with it!

The moral of the story? Diet and exercise! The more weight I lose, the more payload capacity my truck gains. My dog isn't helping either - she's 125 pounds, so of course it's her fault that we're exceeding payload capacity when she's with me lol.



The verdict:

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this setup. The Mad Ramps are quite clever and functional, and the SumoSprings definitely stabilize the ride and eliminate most of the rear end squat. I'm happy with the SumoSprings anyway, even without hauling the RZR, because I know they will come in handy for any other arduous tasks I use the truck for.

Honestly, if this was something I was hauling on a regular basis, I would probably opt for a 3/4 ton truck. However, this setup will work for me for the one or two Saturdays a month I haul my RZR. The Mad Ramps are a little bit on the heavy and cumbersome side, so at times I wonder if it's worth it when I'm assembling everything on the hitch. But when I take the RZR out without having to deal with a trailer, and roll the RZR on and off the truck anywhere I go, it reminds me that it is indeed worth it. Also, I absolutely love this truck and plan to hold on to it for quite some time, so this is the best solution for now. Is all of this necessary? Nah. But is it cool? Yeah, pretty cool.
Cheers

 

Plus the tool box and tools , and my YETI weighs 30 lbs empty, no ice or food, and gas is 8lbs gal, and isn't that hard on the tail gate? And seems like it would put alot of weight way out the back end and cause the front to lift, and be unstable in wet or snowy weather. I've seen some run them up onto the tool box and close gate. This just seems like the same thing as putting 4-500 lbs of tongue weight on. Even with the air bags all you've done is level it , not stabilized it or brought it forward of rear ties, meaning any good bump could tip it bag and loose front steering some. Just my thoughts and maybe I'm off, but safety is first, and driving ability .

 

Regarding the tailgate, the RZR doesn’t rest on it at all, actually. When it’s loaded in place, the tailgate has no weight on it, the front tires are on the ramp. You may be right about it being hard on the tailgate when loading and unloading, though, because the tailgate does hold the weight briefly while the rear tires pass over it going on and off the ramp, but it’s not a sustained load. And you’re right about it being a lot of weight in the rear. I definitely felt uncomfortable with it back there pulled in facing forward. And the Yeti is a small Roadie 20, and gas is 6 pounds a gallon.

Admittedly, I forgot to factor in the toolbox. Duh, oops! I’m so used to it being there I forgot all about it. I have no idea what it weighs but it’s packed full of stuff, so that probably does put me over payload limits. Dang. I may just have to use the Mad Ramps for the four wheeler and not the RZR to be on the safer side. The ramps are still a good investment either way. That being said, I know it’s possible to fit it in there and move it. The truck handled it like a champ, moving and stopping with no noticeable changes in driving and handling with the RZR loaded in there. I’ll just have to be careful and only go short distances if I decide to do it. As you said, safety and drive ability first. I couldn’t agree more, which is why I was careful to do all the math. I just forgot the dang toolbox!​

 

Ya my mistake , gas is lighter than water.

 

How is it holding up?

 

This write up deserved more love

 

Great write up.

 

Love the old dog. (Dogs don't count against payload, BTW)