How to Safely Transport Your Side-by-Side

Side-by-sides are awesome. They’re great fun that you can share with your friends and family. They’ll go almost anywhere, and they’ll get there quickly. But first – you’ve got to get them to a safe – and legal – place to ride.

If you’ve got a full-size pickup truck, you may be able to load your side-by-side into the bed. Measure your side-by-side at its widest point (usually the outside of the wheels), and your pickup bed at its narrowest point (between the wheel wells). If you’ve got a few inches of clearance, you’re in business, as long as your bed length plus tailgate are greater than the overall length of your side-by-side.

Now, it’s just a matter of getting your side-by-side up into the bed – without winding up on a YouTube goof reel.

A well-constructed, secure ramp is the key. Match the ramp’s capacity to the curb weight of your side-by-side PLUS your weight, and add a margin of 300 lbs or so for safe measure. Get the longest ramp you can find to help flatten out the approach to the bed. Another tip is to find a gentle natural incline or hill that you can back your truck up to. Then, you can ride your side-by-side up the hill, and gently roll it onto the ramp and into the truck bed at a relatively flat angle. I’ve got a berm out in front of my house that works perfectly. It’s about three feet high and eight feet wide, and I can ride a side-by-side up one side of the berm onto a ramp and directly into the pickup truck with ease.

If you don’t have a full-size pickup big enough to hold your side-by-side, don’t panic. A simple utility trailer can do the job. Of course, you need to match your trailer to your side-by-side in terms of dimensions and weight. You can use either an open air trailer or an enclosed trailer, depending on your preference and budget.

Loading up onto a trailer is somewhat easier than loading into a pickup bed, but the same principles apply. Be sure that your ramp is as flat as possible, and that it is secured to the trailer before loading. Go slowly, and double check all weights and capacities before you try to put your side-by-side on or in a trailer.

Once you’ve loaded your side-by-side, you must secure it to the pickup bed or trailer. Don’t trust the side-by-side’s parking brake or transmission to keep it from moving. Use high-quality tie downs, and secure mounting points on both the side-by-side and trailer or bed.

I recommend using ratchet straps rather than bungees or ropes to tie down, and I always secure my side-by-side in all four directions with at least four separate straps. I usually add at least two more diagonal straps for peace of mind. I check my straps carefully every two hundred miles of travel, or every gas stop, whichever comes first.

Ratchet straps start at about $10, and can run up to $50. Trust your gut on quality, and buy the best straps you can afford. Throw them away when they get worn – but good straps should last you for years and years.

Ramps start at about $100, and can cost $500 or more, depending on size, construction and features. I like to use a wide single ramp (rather than a pair of narrow ramps) when possible, but single track ramps are easier to manage and transport – you’re going to need to unload that side-by-side when you get to your riding spot, after all.