Drive on car ramps, any experience, making them, using them?

[GoceKU]

Just remember, there also is a "range" for what you can reach when underneath the vehicle, so you don't want it too high. High enough to get under it (possibly with a creeper) and get parts in and out, but making it higher than needed can make actually working on the vehicle much more difficult.

But who of us don't need an ab workout?

I know what you mean, when is too high to work on your back and is too low to stand up.
I work 10-12 hours almost every day of the week at work, my ab are tired by the time i get home.

 

[mike44]

Hman is right, i've said this couple of times, here in Macedonia we do not have: Harbor Freight, Lows, Walmart, none of the "cheap tool stores", in fact almost no made in usa tools at all, ordering online is also expensive, because of the shipping and the high import duties, i've had couple instances where the import duties are double the price of the item, also with monthly income of 200 - 300$ even the cheap stuff is expensive for here.
The wooden ramps do see more sturdy and less prone to slipping but i'm not much of a wood worker and they look heavy.

I used to have wood ramps I made. I had a farm and needed to get under tractors , trucks etc. I found a better way for me, might help you.
I dug a pit 8'-0" long and 4'-0" wide and 6'-6" deep. Wood ladder to get down to the floor. I used 8" concrete blocks for the wall and 2" of pea gravel for the floor. Easy to work under vehicles and when not used the pit is covered. I made 3 sections of wood 33" long with 2x4's for the frame and 2x6"s for the cover. The top course of concrete block are 4" which leaves a ledge for the covers.
If this does not work for you and you want wood ramps then build up 2x10's or 2x 12's for the incline and level area. I used 2x 12 's on the outside and 2x10 's inside. Keeps the tires on the rampsThis would give you the height you need. You could make the incline in 2 or 3 pieces if the weight of a single piece is too heavy.
My ramps were in 3 pieces, the level area, and 2 inclines totaling 12'-0" for the incline and 3'-0" for the level area. I connected them by bolting a piece of angle iron on top of each piece and a bolt and nut thru the ends which were 2" proud of the ramps on each side. Took 3 or 4 minutes to install or remove. The angle iron had holes in it , did not have to drill anything. I lag bolted the angles to the tops. I strapped a 1x6 to the end of the ramp at the level area. At the beginning of the ramp I strapped a 2" wide x 3/4" strip of plywood to the front . I cut the ends of the ramp off at 2" thick before adding this strip. The straps keep the ramps from moving side to side. Short inclines have a tendency to move forward when the vehicle first hits the ramp. Solve by adding a piece of lumber on the floor that touches a wall or even bolt it down. Long ramp probably won't move as the long incline does not jolt the ramp forward.
The ramps worked fine , I gave them away after building the pit.
mike

 

[GoceKU]

It's been more than a year but i finally found time to start this project. I did lots of cutting and welding, with this i made the top part i made the ramps much wider because of the latest vehicle i bought, it has much wider tires. I did weld on two flat plates longitudinal to help with strength and to keep the tire bounce down. For welding i use a mig welder.

 

[Buffalo21]

I have 4 of the molded plastic ones from Harbor Freight, super strong and solid, when I did the exhaust work on the 2010 Malibu, I had all 4 wheels up on ramps.

 

[GL]

As TQA222 said, watch for slipping on concrete (although quoting a guy who lives on a sailboat about car ramps may be questionable?)(Hope you solved your lathe power issue). Had some a long time ago the would do that, had to coast up. Flat spot on top is a good idea, too easy to overshoot if not. I made some with a piece of 4x4 4’ long cut diagonally with a foot of flat. Easy to drive up on and high enough to change oil.

 

[Superburban]

i'm in the middle of repairing an old small 4x4, i'm doing lot of the work on jack stands but i've come to a point where i need a wheel to roll on and off so i can check articulation and clarence, i've looked around to buy plastic ramps but only one store has them and they are only 10 centimeters high, i've searched google and found only this drawing, looks easy enough to fabricate but i'm concerned about stability side to side, i also want to use the same ramps on my cars for oil changes so i can't make them very high, i'm thinking 20 - 25 centimeters high and 25 centimeters wide, any advice or shared experience is much appreciated.
View attachment 284567

You do not need the ramp to be self suporting, or a full triangle. Just have a secure way for the ramp to attach to the platform. Have a stop that you can attach to the platform to keep the vehicle form rolling backwards and off the platform, when the ramps are removed. If you have a car trailer with ramps, you could design the platform to use them.

It's been more than a year but i finally found time to start this project. I did lots of cutting and welding, with this i made the top part i made the ramps much wider because of the latest vehicle i bought, it has much wider tires. I did weld on two flat plates longitudinal to help with strength and to keep the tire bounce down. For welding i use a mig welder.
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You might have traction issues with those longitudinal pieces if you are trying to drive the drive axles up the ramp. Might need to think of a way to add some traction.

 

[GoceKU]

You do not need the ramp to be self suporting, or a full triangle. Just have a secure way for the ramp to attach to the platform. Have a stop that you can attach to the platform to keep the vehicle form rolling backwards and off the platform, when the ramps are removed. If you have a car trailer with ramps, you could design the platform to use them.

By this time, i've formulated a plan, but all your advances have been incorporated.

You might have traction issues with those longitudinal pieces if you are trying to drive the drive axles up the ramp. Might need to think of a way to add some traction.

Most of my vehicles are front wheel drive and front engine so they have most of their weight over the driven wheels i doubt i'll get wheel spin, the little niva is 4WD all the time so it won't have any problems surly.

 

[GoceKU]

As TQA222 said, watch for slipping on concrete (although quoting a guy who lives on a sailboat about car ramps may be questionable?)(Hope you solved your lathe power issue).

The concrete in my garages and driveways is not smooth at all, and most of my vehicles are FWD so the forces apply to the ramps aren't just going forward, being pushed they are also turning, that is easier to climb things.

(Hope you solved your lathe power issue)

I've never had power issues with my lathe, in fact that is the only thing this lathe more than it needs, the thing is a beast,13,5hp drive motor.

 

[tech610]

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I made a pair of these years ago by using a bunch of scrap lumber that I had lying around.
About 20 cm tall and 1 meter in length. Stability is not a problem.

I made similar ramp as well. Wood ramps of this design will never collapse on you. The only drawback is the weight. I store them vertically against the wall, so I don't loose any garage floor space.