A wheelchair ramp assembly (20) is disclosed. The wheelchair ramp assembly (20) includes a frame attachable to a vehicle having a floor, a platform coupled to a portion of the frame, a ramp (24) having a weight, and a reciprocating mechanism (22) disposed between the ramp (24) and the platform for reciprocating the ramp (24) between a deployed position and a stowed position in response to a force. The reciprocating mechanism (22) counterbalancing the weight of the ramp during actuation of the ramp (24) between the deployed and stowed positions to reduce the force required to reciprocate the ramp (24) between the deployed and stowed positions.
