DIY RAMP HOW TO BUILD A QUICK, EASY STRONG RAMP FOR HOME, SHED, DOG  

Thank you! I ended up needing the ramp a lot longer, but it's still working great. I'm surprised at how many people still watch this, and I keep getting comments about how it's helped them

Thank you CC! I hope it helps you, mine is still working great even after 3yrs, and haven't had to fix anything with it. I might put some of that sandpaper friction tape on it though to help the dogs

@@pappytinkers Thanks I will keep that in mind as well. :)

OMG, same...

My oldest dog has some hip problems, so this helps him as well. I may add some of that sandpaper like traction tape to help him

Exactly what I’m looking at this for. His arthritis in his hips is making it hard for him to get up the steps. Poor floof 😢🐶

Thank you! I hope your dog stays with you much longer than that!

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one to pull his bike into the house! She had some setbacks over the summer, but now is back on track and walking better than she has in years!

Are used to bring my motorcycle in the back sliding glass door and put it in the kitchen with a sheet over it. 😂

Lol 😂 I had no idea men brought their bikes inside to keep them warm & safe 🤷‍♀️ I’m sure they appreciate it & purr when you take them out

I'm so glad it helped! Life sometimes puts challenges on front of us. I hope he is able to get better soon. But I'm sure that he feels better about being at home and able to get in and out

Yes, those bigger dogs tend to have problems with their hips. My black lab has to use the ramp sometimes too. Glad he likes it!!

I’m glad it’s worked well for your neighbour. My best friend has issues with his hips too so was looking for ideas to make getting inside easier for him

Thanks for watching! As my dog got older, he needed some of that anti-skid tape on it to keep from sliding, especially if his nails were long.

Thank you! And thank you for being a teacher ❤️. I hope this will help you build it and if you have questions later, I'll be happy to try to talk you through them

LOL Yes they do! Many things are a easy fix, and you never know til you try!

Thank you ! I hope it serves you well. I should do an update on it. I've moved washers, stoves, and a bunch of other furniture up and down it without any issues!

My old Lab appreciates it too!

Thank you! I always liked working with my kids. I wish I would have videos of that instead of just pictures.

1 year in and it's still in great shape! It gets wet, but not in direct weather

Thank you!

Your welcome and thank you for watching! I ended up building a second one for my son's house so his grandparents could come over to visit

Thank you for watching!

Thank you for watching and I hope it helps you!

Absolutely!

Thank you for watching, I hope it helps you!

Yep, that's what I was just thinking 🤔

Money is so tight now days, we have to save where we can. 3 years now and its still going strong. Plus I've used it to bring in refrigerators, washing machine and other heavy items

Thank you for watching!

Almost 4 years later and I'm still using it!

As one of our dogs gets older, he uses the ramp more than the stairs, it's just easier on his old hips

Thank you! Send a picture when you're done, and let me know if you added anything for 'doggy traction'

@@pappytinkers ended up buying one. The project got too hard and too big for me.

@@FlutePlayer777 Bummer! But don't sell yourself short, you learned to play a musical instrument and that is very hard. Not everything comes out perfect the first time.

Thank you!

It works great for that too!

I wish I could tell you a secret tool or formula, but I didn't use that. I laid the 2x4 where it would go, with the top support, on the top step. When I did that, I could see that it would be about an inch too tall. So I marked an inch up, into the 2x4, then then line to have that lay on the step. It took a few tried to get it right, cutting a little more at a time. Look at 2:55 and you will see how it's laying there. You don't want to cut that runner more than half way through. And you can see that I have a 4x4 very close to that cut to give it more strength. And FYI, it's STILL working as strong as ever! Msg me again if you have more questions

Sadly she suffered a brain injury a few months after I built it, that put her recovery way behind, and she still needs it

@@pappytinkers ill keep her in my prayers! Best of luck to you guys

Thank you for watching. A couple things keeps it from moving. It can't slide forward because it's against the top step. 3/4 inch plywood is heavy, plus it's got about 8 points of contact creating a lot of friction to try to overcome.

Thank you!

I had a filming glitch for that part, sorry. I laid the runner where I wanted it, then used a sheet of paper to trace out the step. It took a couple tries and trimming to get it right, but that might have been just me. Once you get the first runner done just copy that to the other. And I would use that friction sand paper tape for extra traction for the wheel chair. Let me know how it works!

@@pappytinkers thanks I will I will be building it within the next week or two when I have a chance

@@johndeyoung9230 cool! Let me know how it works for you our send me a pic of it when your done!

Thank you!! I used different sized screws for different parts. For the walk on part, 1"1/4 (inch and a1/4) choose course dry wall screws. For the frame and going into the 4*4s I think I used 2 and a 1/4 inch? It's been a couple years now, so I'm not positive. If it's gonna get wet, you might want to use some sandpaper traction tape on it . And remember to pre drill the holes! You can send me a pic on Instagram when you're done!

Mine is wide and heavy enough that it doesn't slide. Anything over 3' wide will probably be the same. Other ways would be to make it so it fits inside the door frame, a small squirt of construction caulk on one end or on the legs. Regular caulk or silicone might be better if it's only the dog using the ramp, and easier to remove.

Hopefully that was a good thing!

Just be glad I didn't add grandma's chicken legs to the video! LOL

😂😂😂

It does have to be custom to your steps. Start with a 2x4 and lay it across the steps to make sure the angle is something easy to walk up. You can build it all with just a Jig saw. Instead of using 4x4s for the legs, you can screw '2' 2x4s together, that will be just as strong.

As an experienced non professional, building it custom in place is necessary. The three steps I’m going to build this on have risers of 4.1”, 4.5” and 4.75” where I’m putting the ramp. This risers were supposed to be identical. The treads also vary and this is on steps professionally poured in concrete. It just wouldn’t fit right unless done in place with careful measurements.

Sorry Diane, I am about 800 miles away. But remember, Lowes and Home Depot will both cut the plywood the width you need, and many of them rent the other tools you would need. Hope that helps!

I weigh 210, my son about 275, and a fridge. So mine will hold at least 500-600 lbs. I have built a second one that held over an over 800 Lbs motorcycle, but it had a different frame

Gabriele, I have not had to attache this ramp to anything. Mine is sitting on concrete, and have not had an issue with it moving. During the 2+ years it's been up, I've moved refrigerators, washer, dryer, and other furniture up and down the ramp without issues. The weight of the ramp is plenty heavy enough to keep it in place during the average storm. However you can always attache to the banister or concrete with some "L" brackets if yours seems to move.

Great, thanks!

​@@gabrielemanduri2407 I was wondering the same thing and was waiting the whole time to see how he was going to attach it. I'm a home renter and didn't want to screw anything into the concrete steps if I didn't have to. Glad to know that the weight of the ramp (with the notches) will be enough to stabilize it. I'm going to build it today, thanks Pappy and Dakota for this great n easy video!

Every once in a while it seems to do that. I dont know it its something I did or?

I used 3/4 plywood, untreated. I thought it would only be needed for 2-3 months, but she has had to use it for 9 months now. Still no issues with the wood, but it is on concrete. It even survived a hurricane!

Thank you for answering my questions.

Because that's how support blocking works. If you turn the 2x4 on its wide edge, the board will just flex when weight is applied to the sheet on top, which defeats the purpose.

That's really going to depend on how steep/tall the steps are. Lay a 2X4 over the steps and look at the angle from the side. Is that something he could roll up and down safely? If yes, then try it. If it looks too steep, then you may need the lengthen it by a couple of feet. But the process is still the same.

@@pappytinkers ok thanks alot

I used 3/4 inch thick. And it's still going strong. I didn't intend to need it this long but everything seems to last.

Good luck with the build! The song was something I found on www.freesfx.co.uk/sfx/50s I think this one is called cool dude. Good music while building makes it go faster and much more fun!!

You might. It depends on if its sand or dirt and how wet it gets. It may be helpful to put a 1 foot square of pressure treated plywood under each leg to prevent sinking. And some of that traction tape might be a good idea as well

I just eyeballed it, but you can take a piece of notebook paper while it's leaning against the steps and sketch it

@@pappytinkers thanks for the reply!

@@wabajack8250 sorry it took so long! I've been making more videos lately and I guess I missed your question when you wrote it

you lay down the frame and mark it.

I just laid the 2x4 over where it was going to be and marked it with a pencil

What did you cut the notches out with?

@@bondsfdy I used a Jigsaw. A 2x4 is a little thick for jigsaws, but if you go slow it works. Plus I didn't have anything else that would work at the time

Well you can mark where doing that, but how do you judge depth of not notch?

Mine is flush. I measured the top step, then subtracted the 3/4 inch for the thickness of the ramp. Maybe I just got a little lucky on my first attempt LOL

Hmm., well skateboard you might have to angle the edge so the wheels dont get stuck. For BMX, it's probably safer than the old slide I used as a kid!

It's going to depend on if you use treated wood or not and prices in your area. But plan on 1 4x8 sheet of 3/4 plywood, 1 8 foot 4x4, and 2-3 2x4s plus the screws if you don't already have them. Plan on around $50 bucks or so

@@pappytinkers probably triple that price now! 😬

Yes the cost will vary with how lumber prices are going crazy, so keep an eye out for skids to re purpose. I just finished a garden shed completely out of that!

I used 8 footers. The 96 inch ones. But that might be different for you depending on how long you need your ramp to be

I set the 2*4 on the steps to get a good idea of where the notch was needed, then used a jig saw to cut out the wedge. A couple tests to get it right, then transferred that to the other 2*4. It doesn't have to be perfect as long as some of the wedge is sitting on the step. This one is STILL working!

@@dougmulle2627 nice thanks for the info I want to make one for my dad so he don’t have to walk down steps he has a degenerative spine disorder and won’t let me buy him an actual ramp so fine il make one

@@wabajack8250 I'm sorry to hear about your dad! Since the ramp will be in use longer, I would use treated lumber and maybe add some skateboard tape for traction.

@@dougmulle2627 that’s exactly what I did and I made it longer

That is going to depend on local regulations as well as who owns the property. But under most circumstances that I looked up, something like this for temporary needs is fine, especially if for medical reasons. Other places depended on the cost of the project. For me locally, they have no issues, no permits, no problems

Thank you. Learning how to edit these things was/is more of a pain than building it! LOL

@Sroker Ace so 1ft per sq inch? What else would I need to do so it will support about 800 lbs?

I didn't have that long due to other structures. The ramp extends into a carport with concrete walls

@@Dmonieluv I have used similar for motorcycles. 2 choices, add another 3/4 plywood top or a couple more legs. More legs will make it a little lighter to move if you need to

​@@Dmonieluv 1 foot length per inch of rise is the ADA requirement so that manual wheelchair users can easily propel themselves up the ramp without strain and down the ramp without safety risk

That's probably why my parents wouldn't let me have any tools as a kid! My old Schwinn sure took a beating back then!

Ok jackass not everyone is a carpenter this video saved my mother from falling again with this straight forward ramp. So I glad he made it.

@@johndeyoung9230 thank you John, you and your mom are who I made this video for

​@@pappytinkers!!