I build these a few days ago and they worked so well. It took me less than an hour to build. I did my transmission fluid change easily. I was so happy and proud of myself I was able to do this and save a lot of money. I want to thank you so much for sharing this. I would have never thought of doing something like this without your video.
I'd add a small indent on the final step for 2 reasons. 1) the car can rest on it just like with the generic store bought steel ones, preventing the car from sliding back down and causing potential accidents (in case you forget to wedge the back wheels) 2) it'll make the stopping step feel higher while also giving the car a smooth decline giving a indicator you can feel from the driver's seat.
add a whoopie cushion into the dip as well for an audio cue, and a cup holder on the side to hold a beer for while working under the car. how about a compartment inside the final step to hold a set of jack stands... or better yet, just use the jack stands! (comedic hyperbole)
SLC - when you read comments always remember. 90% or more of the commenters have never, and will never build things. so, when they offer ideas to "make things better" keep in mind, they have zero idea if their idea is better or not. And they don't care. Keep that in mind my dude.
I very much liked the way you made these. I made a similar set in the 60's and I still use them today. Mine do have a 45 degree cut on the leading edge of the steps to make it a bit easier to enter. I only have a 2x4 stop at the end but I just count the steps as the vehicle goes up the ramp. In my case it is 5 steps then hit the brakes. I have a suggestion for using them. I place the car about a foot rearward of where I want it to end up when on the ramps and make sure the steering wheel is straight. Then I place the ramps centered in front of the front tires and parallel to the centerline of the car. Then I put a chalk mark at the outside of each ramp near the low end. Now I back the car up about 3 feet, keeping the wheel straight. Now I move the ramps back in contact and centered on the tires and put the high ends lined up with the chalk marks. This makes sure that everything is straight and parallel so that when the car is at the top of the ramp, the tires stay centered on them. Then I give the side of the car a couple of really good shoves sideways to make sure it is solidly on the ramps. After over 50 years of doing this, I have not had a single mishap.
As I almost always work alone, I made a wood 'spotter' to prevent going over edge of ramp. It's just a straight piece of 1-1/2" square wood about 4ft long that I 'measured' with truck on ground, put tight up against front of tyres. Use a short length at 90 degrees pointing forwards then an upright that contacts bumper tall enough to see from driving seat. To use, put straight piece across high end of ramps, upright with spacer away from front of pick-up. When on ramps in correct position the upright falls over, the height of ramp allows the 'spacer' to stand up. Works for me.
4:50 install the hinge slightly tilted away from the first entry ramp so it's easier to swivel SLIGHTLY UP AND OUT if you plan on driving it up an uneven/gravel surface.
I like this idea, and it sounds very good in theory, but in real life it wouldn't really work. If the ramp section is 'slightly *up*' when opened, that means it would also be 'slightly *down*' when closed, which mean it would have a *concaved surface* and the weight driving up it would either cause it to spilt/crack apart where the hinge is attached, or would cause the hinge to fail all together. And if it somehow didn't fail from that, the weight of the car would now be pressing the down-turned ramp into the ground, causing it to be impossible to swivel outward because of the cars weight, which would defeat the whole purpose of the ramp.
@@_daldoly_ What? no it wouldnt. you install the hinge when the planks are flush with the ground so its flat when closed, and slightly up when open. the only trouble would be that in order to swing upwards the inside part of the wood would tilt downwards at the start of the swing, so you might need to cut away some clearance. a better solution would be to just use a hinge with a lot of vertical play, so the bottom part can be lifted up vertically before being swung out
@@DozenDeuce So, I'm just curious as to what's going to be holding it up off the ground, however slightly it inevitably turns out to be, while it's folded back into that 'gull-wing up' position? (ie; swung out & forwards... up out of the way ?) Will it _not want_ to just come swinging back down on its own & into its original starting position?? (Hint: Sir Iasaac Newton would undoubtedly vote that answer as though if it were to result in the affirmative) 😁
Not here to hate, it's a clever design, but you literally just said your ramps height gives you clearance to only fit comfortably under the front. But the whole reason you made them was to be able to swing the tail of the ramp out of the way for side entrance. Side entrance with any ramp is one of those things every ramp has a warning about not doing but we've all done it. But what I'm really trying to say is if your ramps aren't tall enough for side entrance then what's it matter if the tails can fold up
@bradley hall that's exactly my point. If you are gonna build custom ramps, make sure they are applicable to the vehicle you're gonna be working on regularly
Lmfao yep he def defeated the point of why he made them in the first place with that. But i did go back and watch the first one again and he did say the ramp was also for vehicles that needed a lower ramp. And at the end he shows himself on a creeper slide under from the size with decent room.
Nah, you dont need side acces to justify hinges. Personally Im going to build these with hinges to allow for more working space under my civic. Also I like the versatilllty of hinges when it comes to storage options.
1) put a bevel on each step so going is easier 2 on the drive up side of the top layer put a 2 or 3 inch 1/2 height block you drive over. This would help both to not go backward by accident an also give you an indication that you have “dropped” onto top layer. Good luck. I have had a set of “red ramps” for decades but if I didn’t I would do something very much like this
Saw your video yesterday. Built the ramps today. Will add the improvements in the coming days. Thanks so much for sharing. I maintain 4 cars and this is huge asset.
Great (the original video and the upgrades) Regarding the strenght if you use a hole saw, you could limit the "swischeesing" to the parts that are concealed under the next step-board. Given that you're not perforating the side but the face, they won't suffer significant weakening if you keep a septum (wall) of 1.5" to 2" between the holes. You could also stagger them in a sort of round honeycomb pattern, and the weight will be reduced a lot without seriously compromising integrity. As far as paint/preservation, this would be a great application of the japanese technique of preserving wood by burning it in a controlled fashin.
I live in a van for part of the year, so I have similar ramps for leveling. The only difference is that all three stages are the same length, and long enough to support the wheel contact area completely, like the top level in your design. We also use them to level the generator trucks in the Film Industry. We call em two-four- sixes.
To give the wood extra protection from weather, instead of paint, I'd use a penetrating sealant. I like seal-once water proofing wood penetrating sealant. I use the marine variant, which is designed to protect wood docks that come into direct contact with water. I applied this to my wooden porch and also a wood treehouse that I built for my daughter, and the wood looks great after a couple years of rain and snow. For a stop block to prevent driving over the ramps, I'd probably add a tall removable section of blocks at the front that slide in and out with basic steel dowels. I'd epoxy a pair of long steel dowels into the blocks and then drill holes in the front of the ramp to slide in the dowels with the blocks attached. I'd use something like 1/2 inch steel dowels, but 7/16 or 3/8 would probably be ok as well. And yes, I would probably also make them a little bit longer.
I would want the hinge pin to be easily removable. So you can pull it & get the ramp part of the ramps out of the way. Because we all know we're going to be working on both sides of the tires.
Years ago I built a set. However I used 2x12's and 2x10's standing on end and then covered top and bottom with 3/4" plywood. Each ramp has 3 runners running the whole length. Boxed at the end, and where I split them to make them lighter and to get them out of the way when working under the vehicle. They angle up gradually to a 30" flat top. To stop from driving off the edge I used a piece of 4x4. Always hated how heavy they were but they are 13" on the big end and you won't get that with a other ramps. Later I bought a Quiklift on Craigslist and I seldom use my wood ramps. They still come in handy when loading the garden tractor or golf cart in the back of my truck. I bought an aluminum trifold ramp but the angle was terrifying. So I put the aluminum ramp on the end of the wood ramps and it's a nice gradual climb into the back of the truck.
I remember another video on this years ago. I built two sets, basically to lift the whole car up, which made it way better to work under the car. I did the side claps on both sides, as when I had the car/truck up, I just removed the other half, until I needed to bring my car/truck down. I didn't want anything sticking out the side by the wheels when working/walking around my vehicle. I gave my set to my pops and I ended up buying the Quickjack 7000(again, yrs ago on sale). Love using my Quickjack now, but it takes longer to setup than just putting the wooden ramps in front of the tires and rolling up. Great video!
If you want to stop slippage, on your bottom board, attach a leather or rubber strip that the tire will roll up on first, that will stop the tire from pushing the ramp backwards. I'm exaggerating a little here, but it will stop the ramps from sliding backwards even if they're sitting on it sheet of ice.
Adding that second 3" block might appear safer but it's possibly less safe - the shape of the wheel means you would always be hitting the upper 3" block first, which would increase the lever effect on the lower 3" block, it could easily rip the fixings out without you noticing and you could end up driving off the other end of the ramp.
I'm a huge fan of crowd sourcing open source development like this. Another set of refinements to a tool in our civilization's toolbox. If all car ramps or car lifting devices were ranked, I'd expect this to place very high in durability and accessibility.
I watched your original ramp video, and just finished watching your "upgrade" video. I appreciate the idea of using a clamping latch instead of the small hook and eye, but other than that, I personally like your original ramp, and that is the one I am going to build. Thank you for a great video!
Could just buy a $2 squeaky dog toy and tape it to the top flat of the ramp when solo use is necessary. As long as you have your window down you'll know when to stop.
my sufggestion was..... puttting 2 joist hangers inside each ramp, so once the crosswoods are in, your ramp distance apart from each other is already perfect. No getting in & out to adjust a ramp
On the first video, I saw a suggestion of having a tail of thin sturdy material (ply, old tires, whatever) that’ll be easily driven on. It’s attached to the swing arm, so that the ramp doesn’t get pushed forward during use. Being only attached to the swinging portion, it can move out of the way, too. My other two main suggestions: make it longer and give it a bigger budget. Love the spring clamps. I’d also angle ends just to make it easier. Covering with told roofing glued not nailed for traction. Half round at the first edge of the top step to give the driver sensory input they’re at the top. If it’s for one car build a cross piece between ramps to exact space the ramps. Removable after the car is up.
I really like your car ramps. If I was to make any adjustment to it ( perhaps not so critical to the overall function) I would say it would be in creating a 45* on each edge of each step, so that the tires don't get too stress out while rolling up, as the sharp edges could cause some slight deterioration with time. Thank you for sharing your ideas. I love it!!
@@nooneofconsequence3847 Same here. And I made the mistake of replying before I read down, and noticed the top comment was the same idea. Would want to shorten the top-most, guard, board, by 11/8", so it could nest up against the edge of the bottom board, while still being cut at 90°.
Tires can take a good beating, 2 inches is nothing to them. Plus, you are unlikely to hit that same spot every time you use them since you'll be driving the car around and position will change. I do wonder if the wood can take the beating and for how long, a 45° cut at each step makes sense to me to protect the wood long term, but I dont much about like I do about tires (former tire tech)
Plenty of good suggestions. I liked the adding caster I'd probably have done 2 not just one tho. I think I'd want that top landing longer. After making it longer maybe a simple block that has dowel's glued in that drop into holes in the top to help give the ramp some roll off protection going backwards. IDK but I like those ramps. I've had 2 metal ones and .... hate them. Hate moving them, hate stacking them, hate using them.
If the boards are glued together then maybe use a hole saw (a pattern of 1" holes) to remove SOME wood to reduce weight (maybe on the lower boards not the top one). I would be interesting (as an experiment) to see how much weight difference there is.
A better way to prevent driving over the top of them would be to have a final step that the wheels drive over and then drop down over. so that they have a step in front of them AND behind them when the car is in position. not only would it make the car more secure if you forget to chock the rear wheels, but youd be able to feel the drop and so would know when to stop driving forward. like: _____ _____ | |_____| |_____ | |_____ | |______ |_______________________|
Nice graphic made with characters! I could picture what you meant by your description, but there's definitely no confusion/ambiguity for anyone reading this with your included visual. Way to go above and beyond!
@Hephere what do you think would be a good measurement for that last step ? It would have to be a short drop for easy reversal but big enough to secure the tire.
good one!! makes me wonder if the reason our built-environments & developments are laid out in grid-form...is because of ancient penmanship?! I'm trying this out right now...thanks! what does one CALL simple text graphics like this??? > I use ActCAD for real CAD
Use gritty and not sand. With sand, the paint coats the sand and is the only thing holding it to the surface. It will scratch off pretty easily over time. Mixing cooking gritty into the paint is much more permanent. The gritty soak up the paint and become part of the actual paint, which helps it stay on much better.
@@dylanboyd6147 grits, the breakfast food. It'll soak up the paint and become part of the paint while still remaining hard. Sand will not last nearly as long.
Watched the original, then this one. Really great outcome. Thanks for sharing this! I believe I'm going to make 4 such ramps and drive up all at the same time. This should make getting under from the side much easier. Cheers!
Really like how you decided to make these! Your skills and craftsmanship are truly inspiring. Keep up the fantastic work and thank you for sharing your expertise with us and always pushing to improve on what you already know! Looking forward to more incredible projects like this!
Good video, I made some similar about 30 years ago. I like your hinge part to swivel out of the way. To improve your caster, recess the casters and maybe even just clamp them togather on both sides so you could just get them out of the way all togather. Mine are longer so I can drive further on them but they do not swivl out of the way. I think I will make some more and make the center board longer on the drive up side to where it will engage into the section that the wheels set on. and use the clamp idea on both sides to get the drive up side completely out of the way, i do want the set on side longer though. Some really good improvements ideas in this video.
I had thought about painting my porch steps and had momentarily thought about adding sand to paint to minimize slippage so I guess I'll definitely do that when I paint my steps.
Have similar ramps that we use at work, we drive 50,000 lbs buses on them so most people using these for their cars could remove a lot of material for weight savings without them becoming to weak.
If you work on a shed or garage. Mount a mirror on the wall so you can see the car wheels on the ramp. Second hand furniture shops often have large ones cheap. That way your 'spotter' can fetch you a cold drink instead of having to stand there
I put this in your other video, but then saw this update, so here is my suggestion: Great Idea. It brings up an idea I had… if you had a slot in the bottom and middle, you could install a floor Jack under it to lift it higher, and install spacers underneath once lifted… I want to build 4 so I can lift the entire car! Thanks!
The most important thing to remember is that all people are not the same size. So a bigger person may want to add boards to their ramps. Also a larger tire size you may want your top board longer. However I do like your ramps and I will make a pair for myself for my 1 ton trucks.
I just built a set to work on my 86 Foxbody mustang. Saved me about $500.00 on a set of 6” wheel saddles. I can add that $ saved to my 418-C build. Great idea. Thanks!
For service work the entire length of the car consider two sets. One set for the front and one for the rear. Good grip to the supporting surface, concrete or pavement below, will be critical for the set under the non drive wheels of the vehicle.
Some good suggestions. I would also be concerned about driving over the block on the top ramp. It's a good reason to put an angle on the other boards so the car rolls over them easier. That way when you hit the top it would be a lot more noticeable. Personally I prefer to just use my floor jack and jack stands since 90% of the time I am working on the front end requiring my tires to be removed. Still, this is a good design and beats the old metal drive up ramps which cost more and have a tendency to slide.
I would add a 45 degree miter to all the edges of the boards that you are meant to drive over. This will make them easier to drive up and help separate the feel of the top stop block from the other boards.
He said he didn't do that with his original ramps because his car can climb them just fine, but someone pointed out that he just has a 2" stop at the top, which his car could also climb just fine.
Your both right. Only a moron would leave out the miter. And a stop at the top is really not necessary if one has any awareness of what they are doing.
Use linseed oil to preserve and protect the wood it just basically soaks in and doesnt compromise it ie making it slick can also put some old tyre cut offs for additional grip along the bottom plus up along each step but everything added will add weight
Another suggestion to stop the ramps slipping would be to attach a piece of carpet or similar in a way that the car would drive on it before it starts to climp the ramp. I know I'm but expling this well lol
the 45 degree is very necessary, specially when you need to push the car instead of using his own power, also it helps to go easily and when you touch the 90 degree stopper you can feel it is the end of the ramp in my case i needed them much lower because of my race cars didnt fit on lots of things and needed it a little bit of height to get the jack underneath so i can lift it up much higher
For me, that's a GREAT idea! We have 2 Great Danes, who are frequently ripping up squeaking dog toys to gut them, so we have plenty of those squeakers around, and my wife keeps buying them new toys when they shred the old ones = never ending supply of squeakers...
Definitely go with pressure treated lumber if you cannot keep the ramps dry. Trying to paint those water proof and failing may cause catastrophic failure when the wood inside the paint has gone bad but you cannot see it until it collapses.
Thank you for your impressive video. The new and improved version is great. Your last comment about having limited room sliding under, was what i hadn't thought about. Sincere im about double your size, i might have to buy the lumber mill Thanks again
Hi, I would suggest cutting at lease a 45 degree angle on each step so that the drive up will be a bit smoother. I understand that it won't be by much. Also, the first step don't cut the angle to a sharp point.
Very nice video so many talking heads on U Tube that give you absolutely nothing ! This however is a very good video that teaches you how to build something useful ! Thanks for taking the time to share !!!!❤
Wished i had seen the improved version. Did the hook latch and then saw the 2nd video. Maybe a link to the improved version in the 1st video. Ramps work great!
Great video and i think ill build me some cause even tho i have a truck thats about 11inch off the ground its still a little hard to maneuver around. Now i do have a suggestion for these ramps tho. The bottom board i think is great and all but if someone wanted to reduce just a hair bit of weight to cut off a portion of on both ramps. They would still close up together when stacking and most all vehicles dont truly need that much extension for there vehicle to climb up.
To help spot yourself, You can use a mirror placed outside the car at your 10-11 oclock position to be able to see how far up the ramp you are. Or use selfie mode on your phone.
I love simple and effective solutions, I'm a diy'er from way back. I wouldn't waste time with handles or latches, I would just use a couple of those adjustable luggage ties, or even a couple of bungee cords wrapped tightly around, and another bungee cord to use as a handle across the two strapped around. You could add another longer board on the bottom so it was still a graduated angle of elevation. If you still can't get in on the side, why did you design them to be split in half with hinges and break away? I would think you would want a height so that you COULD access things from the side as well. Finally, some kind of stop would be good, but being careful is just as good. Maybe use wider wood, to be safe and not slip off the ramps? Great idea, watch out, some company may steal the breakaway idea. Check out how to patent that.
instead of an extra block for the stops a 2 or 3, 1/2 bolts 6" to 8" long that drop in 5/8" holes at the end of the ramp. The bolts could be stored in horizontal holes at the end of the ramps when not in use
I'm going to make these, but since I'm an electronics geek I'm going to add two pressure-sensitive switches to the top level that will sound a buzzer when my tires press down on them.
Nice job, something my dad would have made. I would make them wider and place a handle so when you use the wheels you grip the handle. The drawers liners are going to wear out too fast for my liking. You can still use them, I just wouldn’t mount them to the ramps. I’d lay them on the ground and then place the ramp on top. I wonder if a chuck or something else might work as well. I wonder if skateboard grip tape would work on the top and bottom for grip.
I think I'd use the type of hinge that can seperate. Then the whole lower side could be removed when the car is up. My workshop has a hoist and floor jacks so I don't have need of these. On the trail I made wooden traction boards that I've used as ramps using rocks underneath. Didn't need to raise the 4x4 much.
Dont bother with the hinges on one side, replace them with the clamps on BOTH sides. It's not always convenient having an arm swung out... It's a trip hazard in your workshop and if you are working outside against a kerb then they are pointlesss... the ramp can't swing out of the way if its against the kerb edge and the other side would be open to be hit by passing vehicles which could be catastrophic if you were under the car at the time
You could just reverse them under the car, that is, put them on the opposite side of what you usually do, so that the arms swing toward the middle of the car instead of the outside of the car. The trouble with any clamp or hinge removal system is when you unclamp the clamp or remove the hinge pins to remove the back portion of the ramp for accessibility from the side of the car, if that ramp is not on a true/flat surface, you may not be able to re-clamp the clamp or re-install the pins due to the ramp back becoming misaligned due to the ramp being on an uneven surface.
@@jimmclaughlin9362 ...if you had those problems (a) they would prevent you from taking them apart in the first place, too (b) they're at least as likely to prevent the use of the hinged version
Looks good, but I think I would screw a big metal handle on the front of each one so I could slide a 2x4 through them. That would keep them aligned with each other. I just bought a floor jack and jack stands, so I'll probably never need to make one.
If you want to make the boards Permanently protected. Paint them with Truck Bed paint dowsed with sand. That stuff will NOT come off and takes a beating. That's why the paint is so expensive but waaaaay worth the price😉
put a little flag sticking out the side just before end stop block, so that when looking out your side window you can see when your tyre has reached the end of the ramp. i agree with needing a spotter also though, can never be too safe!!
That top board where the tires sit when the car is on top? I'd probably add a small concave cut to it's surface. Thus cradling the tire for extra protection when the car is up in the air. Doesn't have to be a major but maybe just enough to make a difference & not interfere with the car bumper/wood stop on top. I'd use a angle grinder or band saw to carve it out. Maybe even adding a folding board or one that could be clipped or installed/attached where the car climbed once it's up in the air, thus hugging the wheels on both ends(like a chalk). You could flip out the other end or simply just attach once you drove the car up. A little extra protection can go a long ways with either idea. Maybe also adding a little bit more length on top for bigger SUV tires would also be good. Cheers
I made a set of 'boxes' to go under 'straight axles' from wood 40 years ago, construction is unimportant, I never put protectant on these boxes because it never struck me as needed. It wasn't. Damned things have been everywhere from my garage to mud pits / off roading.
I'd add in a tire chalk(2x8 strip) to the front of the top step. That way the tire sits in between to chalks. This would need to be planned though. On yours it would mean removing the top step, adding 2 strips to the end and 1 strip where the old step was. For mine I just used a scrap 6x6 and cut the middle at a steep angle to make 2 ramps.
tire chalk, or tire chocks??? I don't know what you do for a job, but I hope it has nothing to do with reading and writing. You must have gone to public school.
Mabey add a small pit outside along with your DIY ramps so you could relieve the coolannt and oil better. A pit about the width between the tires or so.
GC PT wood does not las any longer than untreated lumber in this type of scenario, be it left outside in the elements or not. The only benefit they have is when they are actually in constant contact with a surface that could possibly hold moisture for an extended period of time, but not a constant/submerged setting. In other words, don't waste your money on buying PT wood specifically for a set of ramps that you would possibly be leaving outside. But if you have some laying around, then by all means, use what you have.
I really enjoyed both videos. I already had ramps and few years back l built ramp extensions for my Grand Prix . Same Idea, 2 x 8's only I used carriage bolts. Glad I came across your website and will subscribe!
I try to always have a spotter, but the few times I didn't, i used an simple IP internet cam that I had, and pointed it at my ramps. Then watch the video on my phone as i drive up slowly and carefully.
a single one of those boards can easily hold the weight of a car or van, and probably a pick-up truck too, so there's no need to make a ramp out of a solid pile, instead, use a tapered 20x40 (2"x4") on edge to provide height.
I wonder if you can carve out a slight concave curve on the surface in which the tires will be resting on for the duration. It doesn't need to be deep, just enough to secure the car in place but still allow it to disembark when the job's done. 🤔
To give it a really non-slip property, maybe some tool handle coating all the way around. Not sure how long it would last, being that wood does have moisture content, but it might help.
I would put some silicone caulk on the bottom of the wood. Squeeze out 1/4" beads of silicone perpendicular to the wood. Put a piece of waxed paper on the floor, then lay it silicone-side down while the silicone sets. Then peel off the waxed paper after the silicone is set.
