Over the years I have needed a ramp for one reason or the
other. For these reasons I usually bring along a piece of plywood that is a
little wider than my chair, it is about 50 inches long. My dad also made a folding
ramp that is easier to carry and move around that serves the same purpose. But
sometimes these homemade ramps just don't cut it. Sometimes the gaps, heights,
bumps and crevices are just too tall or wide so I don't go places that I could
if I was able bodied.
Last week when we were at the lake I knew I wanted to go
on the pontoon so I brought my two portable homemade ramps. The problem was I
needed to find a good sturdy dock. A dock that I trusted enough so that my heavy
wheelchair wouldn't plummet to the bottom, I don't float well. I needed to find
a dock that I could drive from the dock to the pontoon using one of the ramps.
I also needed to be able to get onto the dock. The ones at the cabin would work
but I decided to take a little walk down to the public access to see what the
dock was like there. It looked sturdy and not too sketchy. So I took a chance
and drove onto it. With a little help I could've gotten on the dock. So we
headed back to the cabin to tell everyone that I found a place that would work.
My time limit in the chair was getting close so I decided
to lie down for a couple hours before trying to get on the pontoon. When I got
back in the chair I went outside and found the pontoon next to shore with an
aluminum ramp connecting them. I was a little confused at first. But then I
remembered that Mike had been acting a little more weird than normal when I
would bring up getting on the pontoon. Evidently the day before, on the way to
the lake he stopped in West Fargo and picked up this ramp for me. I was a little
taken back. I have seen these ramps before put new they would be hard to
transfer around without a pickup. But now that problem has been solved. I had
actually had forgotten all about these ramps. But Mike knows a guy who knows the guy
that owns the Role-A-Ramp company.
The ramp worked perfect from going to the shore on to the
pontoon. We didn't have to worry about getting on a sturdy dock and a dock that
would be the right height. They just rolled the ramp out and bridged the gap
like it was nothing. Over the four days at the lake, we used the ramp quite a
bit. It worked slicker than snot on glass.
Over the last couple days I have been thinking of places
where this ramp will come in handy. The possibilities are endless really. I
will be able to get into houses, restaurants, bars and places outdoors that I
have never been able to get into, across or onto before.
The ramp is 10 feet long by 36 inches wide. With this
length and width the carrying capacity is 775 pounds. The ramp can be rolled up
into different sections. So the length of the ramp can be changed depending on what
they need is. The total weight of the ramp is 67 pounds because it is made of
lightweight aircraft aluminum. In other words, this thing is built to last and
it doesn't suck.
Thanks Mike…
Thanks for reading, Clint
