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Help on Smart Loading


adept99

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Found a Smart we think we'd like to purchase. 2013 model, appears to be a Brabus version. Still have a few mods to make on the truck, and I have found a set of 14' ramps that are plenty sturdy. The bed on our truck is pretty low as these things go, around 3-1/2' .

 

So the question is, knowing that a standard Passion would load & unload just fine, how about the Brabus with the air dams in place? Guess's on whether they will drag coming down? Could not find any info on ground clearance on this model.

 

Anybody live close to the Macon, GA dealer that could maybe slip over & take a peek? I have to go down next Saturday or pass on the deal and lose a deposit.

 

Thanks,

Paul & Paula

 

 

Paul & Paula + Daisy the amazing wiggle worm dog...

2001 Volvo 770 Autoshift, Singled, w/ Aluminum Bed - Toy Draggin

2013 395AMP XLR Thunderbolt Toy Hauler

2013 Smart Passion

2012 CanAm Spyder RT

2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide

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Mine is a Gen 1 smart with the air dam. Ramps are 12' and I dump the air bags as well as put a shim in the ramp hinge. My air dam clears the ground by about 2 inches...maybe a little less. With your wheelbase and ramps being longer you should be OK. If in doubt get some 2x 8's or 10's and block up the dirt end of the ramps.

My gen 1 is 98" long, I think yours is at least 106".

 

Roger

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"If in doubt get some 2x 8's or 10's and block up the dirt end of the ramps."

 

That is what I did when I went from an '05 450 to a '11 451. Not a Brabus but front air dam is lower on the '11.

Dennis & Nancy
Tucson, AZ in winter, on the road in summer.

1999 Volvo 610 "Bud" 425 HP Volvo, Super 10 spd.
2005 Mountain Aire 35 BLKS
2013 smart fortwo CityFlame riding on Bud
(Replaced '05 smart first loaded in '06

and '11 smart that gave it's life to save me!)
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You can do all the things that everyone mentioned. And since you have 14' ramps, you might get by a little easier.

 

And yes, that Brabus is lowered on the front end as told to me by a smart mechanic turned sales guy. But 14 ft, and 2x6's on the ground and a 3/8s inch angle piece added to the hinge section should get you the amount of clearance you need.

 

Maybe those with an actual Brabus will chime in.

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'01 Volvo 770
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All of the above.....

 

You can certainly come up with a loading method that will work with a Brabus, so I'd just plan on buying it and experimenting with the off-load. Which, IMO will be the biggest challenge. I think that if yo have arched ramps your breakover will work, especially if you dump your air on the truck suspension. The Brabus IS lower,but I clear easily with my ramp on the load. I come very close sometimes to the front air dams unloading. You need to try to unload on the same "plane" as the truck, or slightly higher up. I can unload on ground falling off - but you would not make it with a Brabus. You can buy "racing" mini-ramps to put the ends of the main ramps on and that should do it....or just cut some 2x lumber. But you will find something that works....

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As I said above I did a couple 2 x 8 extensions. For each ramp I took a 2 foot and a 1 foot piece, beveled one end of each, and screwed them together. The end of the ramps sit on the 3" thick end and that is enough to level the car out before the front air dam hits the ground.

Dennis & Nancy
Tucson, AZ in winter, on the road in summer.

1999 Volvo 610 "Bud" 425 HP Volvo, Super 10 spd.
2005 Mountain Aire 35 BLKS
2013 smart fortwo CityFlame riding on Bud
(Replaced '05 smart first loaded in '06

and '11 smart that gave it's life to save me!)
Our Travel Blog

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Well, by next Saturday, we will be the proud owners of a 2013 Smart. Brabus version, 13.5K miles. Ya'll getting better at spending our money...

 

Thanks for all the info.

 

Paul & Paula

Paul & Paula + Daisy the amazing wiggle worm dog...

2001 Volvo 770 Autoshift, Singled, w/ Aluminum Bed - Toy Draggin

2013 395AMP XLR Thunderbolt Toy Hauler

2013 Smart Passion

2012 CanAm Spyder RT

2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide

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Ya'll getting better at spending our money...

Dang Paul, if we had all known THAT was the sort of help you were needing, a lot more of us would have been a lot more helpful a whole lot sooner.

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
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Why does that not surprise me...

Paul & Paula + Daisy the amazing wiggle worm dog...

2001 Volvo 770 Autoshift, Singled, w/ Aluminum Bed - Toy Draggin

2013 395AMP XLR Thunderbolt Toy Hauler

2013 Smart Passion

2012 CanAm Spyder RT

2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide

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Howdy All,

 

I have a Barbus but don't carry it on the deck of the truck, I load it into a toy hauler that has a very steep ramp angle, I did make a couple of two foot long ramps that I place under the ramp, this makes the angle better and so far I haven't had any problems loading the car into the trailer.

 

Dave

2001 Peterbilt, 379, Known As "Semi-Sane II", towing a 2014 Voltage 3818, 45 foot long toy hauler crammed full of motorcycles of all types.  Visit my photo web site where you will find thousands of photos of my motorcycle wanderings and other aspects of my life, click this link. http://mr-cob.smugmug.com/

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Here's me loading my Brabus with my prototype ramps. Worked well except for a slight drag at the end. That will be resolved by shortening the bottom support slightly. That's why I used wooden supports for the testing. They're easy to shorten. The production supports will be aluminum.

 

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

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T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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That's a lot of ramp there :) That is why I like the 12ft long Big Boy II ramps, no supports, all one piece and fairly light.

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
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5er, you should know by now that I never do anything the easy way, even if I have to break something to get back to cursing the lousy, no good, SOB. To clarify, we're actually buying 3 ramps. Need two to load the smart, and at 14', that's a no sweat proposition. With my Street Glide, I need three, one for the wheels & two for my chicken feet. For the DW's Spyder trike, one for each front wheel, and one for the single rear wheel. The spyder is what's driving the long ramps. It only has about 3.5" of ground clearance with a rider aboard. Even with shims at the hinge point, 2x ramps, etc, it is still a PITA. Have had to use shorty 2X ramps in the garage of the toyhauler because the ducktail angle is too steep to clear. Did I mention PITA?

 

BTW - I'm hearing rumors that there is a store waaaaay out in the North Carolina country, just as you pass the banjo music, that specializes in 10-2-4,

Paul & Paula + Daisy the amazing wiggle worm dog...

2001 Volvo 770 Autoshift, Singled, w/ Aluminum Bed - Toy Draggin

2013 395AMP XLR Thunderbolt Toy Hauler

2013 Smart Passion

2012 CanAm Spyder RT

2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide

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Get one of those Uber expensive hydraulic loaders.

 

This is rapidly developing into the definition of an elephant....a mouse built to govt specs. Canadian or American, it makes no difference.

 

I am buying my Moms Toyota Corolla from the estate so now I have 4 vehicles to plate and insure.....much simpler.

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That's a lot of ramp there :) That is why I like the 12ft long Big Boy II ramps, no supports, all one piece and fairly light.

 

These are designed so that they fold up and store under the bed surface in what would ordinarily be dead space.

 

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They don't seen very lite to m

 

These prototypes are steel. The production ramps will be aluminum. It was significantly cheaper to cut them out of steel to prove the concept.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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My brabus has hit a couple times coming down the ramp. But, you have to almost ne laying on the ground to see the scape marks on the air damn. I don't dump my air, just never think about it. In my opinion it's not a big deal.

2009 Volvo 780. D-16 500hp 1850 torque with a Herrin hauler bed.

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2008 650cc Suzuki Bergman

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Paul

 

Just send the receipts for all the money spent on the smart to Dennis M. He is the one that started this whole mess with "I think I will put a smart car on the back of my HDT" He is personally responsible for costing all of us lots of money. On the flip side he is also responsible for proving that it was doable and it made a huge difference in the HDT RVing experience.

 

Dennis

USA Master Sergeant Ret.

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