Wooden ramps

voxpop

Anyone here build some wooden ramps for their car ? Looking to knock a set together - but it looks like its gonna cost the ~70/80 quid for the wood! Thinking of going for lengths of 9x2 - about 5/6 high depending on the height of axle stands. The idea is to allow me to do gearbox/diff oil change but also to have some decent ramps for general under the car work.

Something like this

kildare.17hmr

why not just buy a set of steel ones for €50 euro then?????

R.O.R

Would it not be cheaper / more secure to buy a trolley Jack and 2 Axle stands?

Don't know about yourself, but there is no way in hell I'd be getting under 2 Tons of car supported purely on something I'd put toghether

voxpop

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

why not just buy a set of steel ones for €50 euro then?????

The steel ones arent wide enough.

R.O.R wrote:

Would it not be cheaper / more secure to buy a trolley Jack and 2 Axle stands?

Have a trolley jack and stand - that what I generally use.

For doing gearbox/diff - you need the car to be level and up in the air. Thought the ramps could go under the back wheels and then jack up the front.
Also thought it would be handier to use the ramps than always dragging out the trolley jack.

Not really much that can go wrong with wooden ramps - once they are put together securely. I wouldnt use concrete blocks or anything as they might crack.

PaulKK

voxpop wrote: »

The steel ones arent wide enough.

Not really much that can go wrong with wooden ramps - once they are put together securely. I wouldnt use concrete blocks or anything as they might crack.

Eh, would think it would be the other way around myself.


Steel ramps ftw.

voxpop

PaulKK wrote: »

Eh, would think it would be the other way around myself.

Well have you never used a block of wood on the jack to jack up a car. The wood will compress and wont disintegrate - next time try using a brick

R.O.R

Use the Axle Stands on the front then Jack up the back and position on a stack of bricks with a plank on the top.

Had a car this way for a couple of weeks years ago while I cleaned and undersealed the body.

langdang

As long as the height/width ratio was OK I'd be happy enough with wooden ramps.

Do you live on or within view of a local ghost estate? You'd be only doing a good thing by helping to clear up an eyesore by storing some builders planks in your own shed

DISCLAIMER: light hearted advice only. I don't think marine salvage type conditions apply to plundering your local stalled building site...

voxpop

R.O.R wrote: »

Use the Axle Stands on the front then Jack up the back and position on a stack of bricks with a plank on the top.

Had a car this way for a couple of weeks years ago while I cleaned and undersealed the body.

No sure about brick - figured they could crack/crumble - plus there is conflicting opinion on whether it is safe(i.e. wont cause damage) to jack the back of a 5series up using the diff casing.

voxpop

langdang wrote: »

As long as the height/width ratio was OK I'd be happy enough with wooden ramps.

Do you live on or within view of a local ghost estate? You'd be only doing a good thing by helping to clear up an eyesore by storing some builders planks in your own shed

DISCLAIMER: light hearted advice only. I don't think marine salvage type conditions apply to plundering your local stalled building site...

Time to throw on the balaclava and do some late night reconnaissance

mickdw

I have a couple of wooden ramps like above. 100% safe & would be a better bet than cheap steel ramps. At lest you wont be wondering if the welds are safe. As long as you make the wooden ones completely solid like in the picture above, they cannot fail. The only issue is that you could topple them. This could happen with any ramp. I put some lengths across the base of mine to give them an 18" wide base. 9 x 2 timber is perfect though.

Be wary of using salvage timber that has been thrown around outside for a year or so as it will crumble.

no1beemerfan

LIGHTNING wrote: »

If you get some decent wood I wouldnt have a problem using them as ramps.

Considering they built high speed recon aircraft out of wood in WW2, supporting the front end of car shouldnt be too much to ask.

We made wooden ramps about 10 years ago. Hundreds of uses later they are still fine. Can't see why they wouldn't tbh.

peasant

The only issue that I can see is that those ramps are rather long.
Crawling in under the car from the side might get difficult

deandean

I can drive around to the back of my house, and here is what I would really like:

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/tools/1062224


I have "almost bought" a second-hand lift a couple of times but was put off mainly because it would be outdoors here, & the lifts are made for indoor use.

GreeBo

What type of wood would you use?
There are species of wood that are extremly strong (stronger than steel) but you are going to pay large amounts of cash for them, especially as you are going to want large, wide planks.

voxpop

Its just standard timber I was going to use, 5 or 6 layers - so your talking 10-12" thickness when finished

Was thinking railroad sleepers at first, but I think some ramps like the ones in the initial picture are a better bet.

Getting the gearbox+diff oil done in bmw indy is looking like 100 +fluids, so building some ramps that work for less and having them about for other jobs seems like money well spent


@deandean - yeah a 2 post lift would be great - need a shed first

GreeBo

The problem is "whats standard wood?"
How much are you looking to spend?
Planks laminated together will be stronger than a solid piece of the same timber, and will also be cheaper.

Also the wheel stop at the end looks kinda crappy to me..Id want something a lot bigger to stop my car from landing on me!

voxpop

well im looking to spend the least amount to make safe ramps that my tires will fit on. I was hoping maybe 50 quid would cover it but it looks more like 80. That the cheapest quote I got for 3 9x2 4.8m lengths - which should be plenty of wood.


Im planning on probably glueing and then nailing the planks together. Might put a bigger wheel stop alright and maybe add some extra stability.

mickdw

GreeBo wrote: »

The problem is "whats standard wood?"
How much are you looking to spend?
Planks laminated together will be stronger than a solid piece of the same timber, and will also be cheaper.

Also the wheel stop at the end looks kinda crappy to me..Id want something a lot bigger to stop my car from landing on me!

No point getting too technical.
He is building them in a way that he ends up with a solid block of timber. He doesnt need to worry about deflection limits etc. Planks of soft wood as used in house roofing etc are fine.
9 x 2 is about the most cost efficient way I would say. Ask for the roughest grade of timber they have in the hardware store. They may well have a couple of lengths that are so bent & rough that they are no good for construction. These would suit you & could be sold off cheaper.

A little bigger on the wheel stops possibly too but they are of limited use anyway

5T3PH3N

I'd say scaffolding planks would do the job, solid as you'll get and cheap too. Just try get some with no cement and stuff on them and you'll be grand.

ShiresV2

I made ramps like these from two 16' lengths of 9x2. Cost 20 euro for each bit of wood, I was probably ripped off. Held together with (pre-drilled) 4" nails and lashings of wood glue. I don't trust the metal ramps, my car is too low for them, and the tyres are too fat.

knifey_spoonie

Just buy these

kasper

creosote the timber and let it dry and they are good for a life time

voxpop

5T3PH3N wrote: »

I'd say scaffolding planks would do the job, solid as you'll get and cheap too. Just try get some with no cement and stuff on them and you'll be grand.

Where would I get those ? What size are they ?

ShiresV2 wrote:

I made ramps like these from two 16' lengths of 9x2. Cost 20 euro for each bit of wood, I was probably ripped off.

Costing me roughly the same - a bit more actually, about 70 quid for 3 lengths.

How do you find the ramps? How high are you off the ground ? High enough for axle stands to fit under ?

af_thefragile

Why not these:
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_175876_langId_-1_categoryId_212549
???

voxpop

Guys look - thanks for the suggestions but if you read the thread -steel ramps are too skinny plus ppl are always complaining about steel ramps and how rubbish they are.

I think the wooden ones will be just as safe and more customisable to what exactly I want.

af_thefragile

^They say they can hold upto 2 tons (one tone each). Sounds sturdy enough...

And I wouldn't trust going under a ramp I built.
But then I've never built a ramp so I can't say...

ShiresV2

voxpop wrote: »

How do you find the ramps? How high are you off the ground ? High enough for axle stands to fit under ?

The car is about 5" off the ground at the lowest point (E39 sport) and has 235 tyres. It raises the car up 7 or 8" which I find comfortable enough for short jobs. Never tried to use the ramps in combination with axle stands, as the ramps are under the jack points once the car is up on them.

Voodoomelon

Wooden ramps? Old worktop hacked up and banged together, boom:

af_thefragile

That's a nice ramp. Simple and cheap!!

Voodoomelon

Doesn't get cheaper than free!

voxpop

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Wooden ramps? Old worktop hacked up and banged together, boom:

Was waiting for you to come along voodoo - exactly what the first use of my ramps are going to be. What sort of sizes are the pieces of wood you used ?

5T3PH3N

voxpop wrote: »

Where would I get those ? What size are they ?
You will get scaffold planks at a building suppliers or try and get few from a local builder or something, where are you? These are in Lucan, I know they're listed for a long time but if your near there give them a try http://www.adoos.ie/post/5771806/scaffold_planks_for_sale

I'm not sure of the measurements but they come in 8ft lengths, and they should be wide enough for your wheels, my uncle uses them on his camper(feckin huge mobile library conversion) with pretty wide tires. You shouldn't have to pay more than a fiver a plank.

Voodoomelon

voxpop wrote: »

Was waiting for you to come along voodoo - exactly what the first use of my ramps are going to be. What sort of sizes are the pieces of wood you used ?

No clue to be honest! My rear tyres are 255s so thats the width I went with. The length of the worktop pieces doesn't really matter, its just important to have a solid core of wood underneath the wheel. Each ramp weighs about 25kg so its important to make sure you can move them easily.