building a ramp for a shipping container?

I dropped my Multi the first day I had it. It was a 7-h drive from QC to bring the bike home. Once I got it there, I just wanted to be done and get the trailer back to U-haul so I rushed getting it of.

I should have stopped and asked for help next door when I started backing it up and immediately realized those trailers are pretty slippery. But no, I'm stubborn.

Once it rolled it backwards a certain distance , the trailer tipped a little upwards at the front. Bike rolled back a bit, tipped away from me, and there was no way to save it. And that is how I christened my bike. She didn't have so much as a single scratch on her when I got her.

Now of course it's all moot as I've dropped it a few times, so 🤷 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯



View attachment 73594
'Dropped by previous owner' seems like the right thing here lol

In all honesty when I had my 'Trailer in a Bag' I ended up dropping it off it simply because I lost my footing going around the wheels.

Thankfully I fell left, and the bike fell right instead of falling on top of me.

I also had a brain fart once and tried to load the bike without attaching the trailer to the car...I'm lucky I didn't snap my wife's jaw as she was beside the front end when it shot up.

Lessons learned.
 
'Dropped by previous owner' seems like the right thing here lol

In all honesty when I had my 'Trailer in a Bag' I ended up dropping it off it simply because I lost my footing going around the wheels.

Thankfully I fell left, and the bike fell right instead of falling on top of me.

I also had a brain fart once and tried to load the bike without attaching the trailer to the car...I'm lucky I didn't snap my wife's jaw as she was beside the front end when it shot up.

Lessons learned.
Chock the wheels and let the trailer tip. It makes loading easier and eliminates getting high centred on the edge of the trailer. It feels and looks scary but it is easier. Just go really slow as you approach the balance point so you don't slam down.
 
Semi-joke suggestion: attach an 8x8 plywood ramp to the exterior of the container, hinged at the bottom like a castle drawbridge. Dress up the underside of the ramp to look like a fence or shed to hide the aesthetics of the container when the drawbridge is raised.
I've seriously considered painting it to blend in with the background or make it somehow otherwise more attractive.
Painted container low res.jpg

As with just about everything else, a Google search reveals that there are no original ideas left.

The page I took that image from has lots of ideas to prettify a container (I uploaded it in case the link dies):
 
I also had a brain fart once and tried to load the bike without attaching the trailer to the car...I'm lucky I didn't snap my wife's jaw as she was beside the front end when it shot up.
I've done this. I was loading my trailer with our sleds. Instead of turning the trailer around with my car, I unhitched the trailer, turned my car around and then rotated the trailer into position, but neglected to rehitch. Rode the first sled onto the trailer and yup - drove the trailer straight forward. The hitch punched a hole in the bumper.

What sucked is we had a problem with the proximity sensors on that car before. Once I damaged the bumper they claimed the issue might be due to the damage and that it wouldn't be covered by warranty - even though we had documented the problem with the dealer well before.
 
This is what you want to make it blend in through all weather conditions:

It would have been cool if they did the corrections to sort out the perspective issues - either in software or with an additional optical element which applied the required correction.

Or better yet, if they had used some of the actual cloaking materials and technologies that are out there.

It is funnier this way though, I grant.
 
It would have been cool if they did the corrections to sort out the perspective issues - either in software or with an additional optical element which applied the required correction.

Or better yet, if they had used some of the actual cloaking materials and technologies that are out there.

It is funnier this way though, I grant.
If your cloaking system for your container happens to double as a 40' screen for superbowl, that would be a happy accident.
 
It would have been cool if they did the corrections to sort out the perspective issues - either in software or with an additional optical element which applied the required correction.

Or better yet, if they had used some of the actual cloaking materials and technologies that are out there.

It is funnier this way though, I grant.

Well, look at the size of the cameras and how young Hammond is.
 
If your cloaking system for your container happens to double as a 40' screen for superbowl, that would be a happy accident.
It's only a 20' container. ;)

There are cloaking materials that have been demonstrated that are the size of the LED panels that their "cloak" was constructed of. So they could have worked with one of those companies working on that technology.

But that wouldn't have been as funny.
 
I have the solution!

Sell your existing bikes.

Buy trials bike.

By the end of next week you'll be more concerned about the combination of ramps and obstacles would be necessary to get on the roof of that seacan vs anything else, and that little hop into and out of the seacan will no longer be a problem.
 
You're right about the board orientation. Earlier I speculate that the orientation may have been part of my problem. Last night I started thinking about creating mini-steps (say an inch or two high) in my ramp in the opposite direction, so that there would be little steps to slow and stabilize the bike as it rolled down. Now I am of the opinion that could cause more problems than they solve, especially as they introduce a tripping hazard.
So just turn the ramp 90 degrees from how you've been trying to use it and you're golden. No?
 
Where's this property anyway? I feel like at this point it'll be less time and more efficient if me or someone near you just shows up, moves your bike, like, "There, that's how you do it." and then doesn't say another word and just leaves lol
 
So just turn the ramp 90 degrees from how you've been trying to use it and you're golden. No?
I'm worried the drop will be too steep and that will cause its own traction problems - not so much for the bike, but for me. Once it starts going down, I'll need to be able to control it and that might be challenging as I try to walk it down a steep grade.

I'm happy to build something that will afford a less steep grade.
 
Where's this property anyway? I feel like at this point it'll be less time and more efficient if me or someone near you just shows up, moves your bike, like, "There, that's how you do it." and then doesn't say another word and just leaves lol
Halfway between Orillia and Gravenhurst.

Let me know when you plan to show up. If you want to help me clear fallen trees and branches, bonus.
 
Back
Top Bottom