Ramp angles

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Need help to work out ramp angle to load race car into lorry have started to beaver tail the lorry to  what is the best angle to have the ramps any help would be great thanks   the race car is about 2.5" of the floor    nosy dirty red hot turbo fast car got to be a good day outDrive it like you stole it                 spot
Reply:Hello Spot, in consideration of the fact that your car is so low to the ground, you are going to have some LONG ramps.  You can determine the steepest possible ramp by simply lightly tucking a 1 meter long flat strip of steel under the front of the front tire, then raising the other end of the strip until it touches the front of the car.  Then go back down 3 to 6 centimeters and that will be the angle.  You need to go down 3 to 6 centimeters so the front of your car will clear the ramp when the front wheel engages it.  Be sure the strip touches the furthermost point of your car, otherwise there may be some interference.Have Fun!  Regards, Nelson
Reply:thanks for the information some times toy cant see the woods for the trees  i should have thought of that   thank youDrive it like you stole it                 spot
Reply:Won't you also have to worry about the middle of the car hanging up right in the middle, once the front wheels are on the trailer?????No clue how you'd figure it, unless you made some temporary ramps.ron
Reply:Maybe use a sheet of plywood that touches both tires and get a friend with a protractor to measure the angle.  BTW, the board trick is a good one, Nelsonic.  I don't haul cars much, mainly tractors...so, angle is less important for snagging but more important for center of gravity.  Again, good and simple trick.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:You know, I hadn't thought about the back part of the car.  You gotta do the same measurement on the back so that it doesnt hit the ground when the front is up.  Only use a piece of plywood like smithy says, one that would span both tires front and back.  That way, you can learn how the back of the car will interfere with the ground (the plywood is your movable ground plane), and how you might have some places of interference on the front.  One, other thing I hadn't thought of , but is worthy of consideration, and that is, when the cars front wheels end up in the lorry, it might become high centered (like ron says).  THIS might become the limiting factor.  OK, so having gotten the front and back angles, you need to do the "middle" angle.  You need a piece of plywood that spans the tires, BUT is just 1/2 the length of your wheelbase.  Tuck that plywood underneath your car just under and behind the front tires, and raise the other end so it touches the bottom of the car, then lower 4 to 6 cm. The shallowest of the three angles (front, back, middle) will be the one you need to make your ramps with.  You are gonna have some LONG ramps!  Regards, Nelson
Reply:ok .... somebody really smart in Excel needs to put this together in a spread sheet so you can just plug in numbers...i.e. height of vehicle, wheel base and such and it will give you ramp angles ???  wish I was that person...  I'm still building on a '53 f-100 that possible will be trailered one day... my front end is sitting 7.5" from concrete right now.. so I could use spots trailer too...  doesn't it also depend on the height of the rear of the trailer ???john
Reply:The excel idea is an interesting one.  I guess it's that there are a lot more angles to consider if the trailer bed is higher off the ground.  Some of the heavier equip trailers I have seen are spring-over-axle to prevent tire interference, but this increases the height of the center of gravity, so suspensions are usually pretty bulky to prevent sway.  Most single car haulers I have seen are axle-over-spring.  This lowers the bed and the center of gravity, but means the top of the trailer tires are well above the bed.  Some use underslung axles to lower the bed even more, but these axles generally have a lower weight rating, but that may not be an issue in many cases.  These underslung axles also reduce ground clearence, but makes car loading easy as pie.  You can practically drive onto the trailer without ramps.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:we have some 5' long ramps made from 1/4 wall 6"x3" alum channel that hang from the inside of the trailer for the dragster..lower the rear door and then "unfold" or flip the ramps over (hinges) and the open "bottom" of the ramps allowed the front wing to not hit anything...dragster is only 3/4 in from the ground..just a idea ...zap!
Reply:me and my math guru/car person are working on an Excel sheet where we can plug and play... when we get to a test point I'lll let you guys critique it... film at 11...john
Reply:Thanks for all the help Beaver tailed the lorry at 15deg 45" from the end of chassis giving a 4" drop using the back door as part of the ramp 8ft long and then adding 10ft 1/4 checker plate (folded) ramp giving a 10deg ramp witch should be great        But as with all things i got knock on the job so i don't think that i will be completing it as i cant work for nothing   the Joye's of working for yourself  living life and   learning the hard way        Thanks for all the help you guys are great                            Thank youDrive it like you stole it                 spot