This is an excellent idea!!! And exactly what I have been searching for. You don't have to buy an expensive MyLiftStand ($800 for a set of four stands plus shipping and so on). Maybe even batter..
Nice tip. The only thing that I worry about is the 2x12 span the tire sits on. This could split. I would like to see some solid wood placed under this span. Also, always have backup supports like stands (preferrably pinned type) near where you are working.
I got something very similar they go up in 5-in increments for a total height to 15 in the only thing you need to put it underneath it is scissor jacks you get a set of four from a junkyard for around 20 to $30 then again actually that board underneath there is strong enough to hold that because it's not long enough to crumble and break like you think it is I've been doing it for over 30 years now not a problem one of the most sturdiest platforms you can put a car on, sure beats spending $2,000
That is a really fantastic idea. I've been doing a little job on my car this afternoon and it was nearly impossible to get access just by jacking up. Will make some over the holiday. Unfortunately my jack doesn't go as low as yours. Thank you for sharing. Such a simple idea but so useful.
For all the knockers, it would be easy to replace the top board with 1/4 " steel plate and then no problems. I would suggest that the foot brake should be applied to prevent the wheel from turning while jacking, a simple rod from the seat to brake pedal should work.
Very good. It is inexpensive, uses common materials, relatively light and when stored, it could serve as a seat! :)) I'd give two thumbs up if YT would allow it. Thank you for sharing sir!
Great idea, simple but effective. Cut list for a set of two would be 2 ea 2x10x21", 4 ea 2x10x10.5", 8 ea 1x2x9.5", 12 ea 4x4x9.5". If you were leaving the car up for a while, I would add a center piece that is made of 2x10 with a pair of joined 4x4 on top, then a 4x4 piece laid lengthwise on top of that. You would need to shave a blade width off the third 4x4 so that it would fit under. Just for a bit of added safety. All in all this is an impressive idea and would store neatly too.
I just wanted to say great idea and great way to put it together. I plan on building a set right away. Thanks for the idea. One suggestion is to paint them with a no slip paint. The vehicle would get better grip plus it would protect the wood. Again great idea.
I don't trust jack stands... I had a full size ford truck fall right after I crawled out from under it!! I like your idea much better. The way the grain of the wood runs on your ramps would hold a dump truck. Some people are stupid! keep up the good work!
I like this.... i think it needs a little work for me to trust it, but good concept in wood. I would however use 4 of the initial bridges, one for each wheel and use them to jack the wheels a bit at a time, keeping the vehicle as level as possible. I would also make sure everything interlocked to prevent sliding. And further to this i would put 4 axle stands under too. But very good
Nice Video. and I c there lots people criticize about the safety issue and I agree with that. but there's simple solution since you have plenty of wood why dont you just put the spare woods underneath that "bridge", I would say just stack 2 of "4*4" gonna work even there leave a gap, thats a insurance only take 5 secs, therefore even that failed the car not gonna landed on someones face. sry for my english, it's not my first language.
For all who think the wood is going to break. It won't. Let's say: top plate: 1.5 x 12 poplar top plate span: 18" It would take 2700 lbs per wheel load to break that board. Poplar has a strength of around 5.5ksi. A beam 18" span beam in bending - made out of poplar - can take quite a bit of load. His truck max load (with cargo) prob has around 1500 lbs load per wheel.
Nice job. People with negative comments don't understand much about material and physics. Wood when used correctly could be as strong as steel. Just examine the frame of the house. I especially like the way the wheels are jacked up with the load of the car instead of jacking up on the frame of the car with a lateral load on the other side. It puts a lot of stress on the wheel bearings with a lateral load. But your idea eliminated that problem completely. I want to make one too. Could you tell me the dimensions of the lumber cuts ?
Of all the ways iv seen here in utube to get a vehicle safely off the ground easily simple ,this is one of the best iv seen , my golf GTI is low and thats a perfect way ,simple build safe .Many thanks for sharing , its my next project .
Very nice, the only thing you should add is two big blocks of wood that can slide under each side below the middle. Where you lift up with the floor jack. With the big wood blocks under there while you work, you can feel extra safe.
It wouldn't have hurt, financially or otherwise, to add a set of blocks beneath the center of the top board, just to be safe. They wouldn't have to make contact with the top board, they're just for extra support in case of failure of the main support board, so no additional jacking would be necessary. Or he could have replaced the main board with a steel plate. Also, instead of trying to align the tires onto the initial support configuration of boards by driving over them (and possibly misaligning them), he could have just jacked up one side and placed the initial support boards into place on each side, and then continued jacking up each side as before. The advantage to this approach is that the two smaller blocking boards that keep the tire in place could be replaced with larger cross-section pieces. This could be seen as another safety factor, but an added bonus is being able to 'safely' add another layer of lower boards to the height.
Just put scissor Jack's underneath it and scissor them up with a block of wood on top you can get a set of four at the junkyard for like 20 bucks or you can use a piece of Steel it doesn't really matter but really that that 2x10 is not an issue at all it will hold that and even more
Thanks, I need a low ramp, as my car has a low wind spoil that just pushes ramps away and going up ramps or a pain, never seem to go up straight. Though you should center the two bottom 10x10 cm into in a pyramid shape not a step.
A front corner of my 2003 Grand Cherokee 4.7 has been held up by a piece of soft wood decking just under 5" wide by 1+1/8" thick. Our decking is made from cheap wood 10ft of decking cost me £7. The decking stands on 2 bits of 3" by 3"about 10" apart. If the decking was twice as thick, it would be 4 times as strong. If the decking was twice as wide it would be twice as strong. A piece of stress graded 2" by 10" would be more 10 times as strong. If you are still worried, use a piece of stress graded 3 by 10 for the bridge. It will be at least 18 times as strong as my piece of decking. Any questions?
I like the idea. For your safety the 10x2 boards under the wheel might eventually crack and possibly give from the flexing of the load and lifting of the jack.
Double up the boards the tires sit on and use jack stands after then go under car and this is a great idea. I would never get under a car with that. But all he has to do is jack uo one side a bit put a jack stand in then do the other side. His idea give balance to the car which is excellent! Good idea.
You got my vote. Your design is easy to store, cheap and simple compare to below products. $6000 6000 Lb. Capacity Scissor Lift $3600 Aston® Mid-Rise Scissor Lift 8000lb 47" Electric Lock Release 220V ASL-MR8047 $1845 QuickJack Extended TL Vehicle Lift - 7,000 Lb. Capacity $415 Summit Racing SUM-905225 - Summit Racing™ 3,000 lb. Hydraulic Lift Ramps $285 SuxiDi 2PCS Auto Car Truck Service Ramps Lifts, 10000lbs Heavy Duty Hydraulic Car Ramps Lift for Car Repair
For those who think a 6 ton jack stand is going to save you. Consider being hit by a stray car while you're under there. A wider platform can withstand it. People who love life should put a wheel or wider block-like objects under the car. Blocks can be crisscrossed stacked.
This is tremendously clever, but it has two issues. First is the bridge splitting in half which you addressed in the comments, and the second is that the utility of the ramp feature is kinda wasted by the fact you still need to use a hydraulic jack. At that point it's better to just jack the middle and use two stout wooden cribbings.
I do the same thing, watched it time ago done in metal, much stronger but you need a welder. I built it in wood like you did, but I use the jack trapezes too after the car is jacked up, to increase the security. I'm always scared about just having one opportunity to live if something fails)))
Good idea, but for safe measure I would cut some extra 4x4's to fill the void under the wheels. 20 bucks and 10 mins of cutting if that could save your life, why not do it?
+Silicon Toad Yeah I agree with that. That is how I would want to do it If I was going to be working under a car that was raised up on those blocks. Of course an easier way might just be to go onto Craigslist and pick up some metal ramps for $20.
good idea. just wondering if you put the woods out side of the building, it may no that strong then before, after rain, sunshine and etc. so be sure the wood still in good condition is also important every time before you do so.
The only problem I see is that plank of wood is only one and a half inches thick. The top of the wood is in compression and the bottom of the wood is in tension. I know its holding up fine in the video but it is spanning about 16 to 20 inches and one and a half inches should not be sufficient for that task. My guess is small cracks will develop with repeated use and one day you will hear a loud split in the wood and it will fail. I would at least out a wheel under the car while I was under it.
I noticed your jack head gets low enough to fit under the 3 1/2" 4x4's... My only can get it down to 4 5/8". I would have to rig something... I love the idea...Great job!!! (I think they are called "low profile jacks".)
the idea is basically good but it is very dangerous as on a non driven wheel, there is a great possibility of an instability that causes the falling of the vehicule as your jack is not designed to take care of torsionnal loads
🤔 ahmm? honestly.. I would feel more secure if you had it on jack stands. To the fact that the truck is actually weighing on that one board, to where it could give way any time. It would off been much faster just jacking it up on to jack stands. Because you need to consider the weight of that truck, if working underneath it. It's an ok idea? But to much muck around just putting the jigsaw together if you ask me. You've got a good enough jack to lift the whole thing.
I noticed the wood under the tyre was going down a little bit. I won't trust this yet. This idea is good but needs to be tested and should be modified for better performance. It will cost u more if u use hard thick wood than making one of steel.
4x4 in compression ok but don't trust the 2x10 in tension. Wood is not homogeneous, two boards may looked the same but internal stresses and structure could be very different. The ones under tension could split along the grain. Have you seen wood looking perfect but infested with termites? Could be 99.5% safe but it's all about that 0.05%. If not sure place a block under those 2x10s. Ramps and jack stands are not expensive, imagine the time you saved.
It's a great Idea.However.I would also slide 4 by 4 blocks under the planks so that each tire would have support in case the boards snap and hurt or kill someone.You have nothing to support where the tire sits on the planks.Adapt for safety.
hi.i have a 6x10 cargo trail. not sure of weight but reg says 2990 gvwr. the height is aprox 861/2 " but my garage opening is only 84".due to hoa rules i need to keep it in my garage.i was able to get it in yrs ago by flattening the tire and it just barely made it in.this makes it impractical to use often.i'm thinking of keeping it on bare rims just to pull it in and out of garage with no clearance headaches .once in the drive way jacking it up installing the rimed tires and going.and doing the reverse to get it back in the garage.do you think it safe ,leaving the hitch connected to the truck ,to jack the trailer up from the center rear with a 3 ton floor jack and 2 jack stands lifting both wheels off the ground simultaneously to remove the rims and install the rims with tires on them to avoid having to jack one side at a time to make this operation faster?
