Car Ramps

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I do alot of mechanic work and i cant afford a lift i cant even afford concrete. I am looking to build some 2 foot maybe higher car ramps that i will have easy access to under the car for exhaust welding transmissions ect....I want to build them out of angel iron but im not sure what size and im always on a super tight budget. I looked up some 1x72 inch 1/8 inch angel iron for $15 but i dont know what weight it could hold. I would guess i realy need it to hold about 6000lbs at max and 15" wide for any tire. Does any body know if that angle iron would hold a good amount of weight in a ladder style setup.
Reply:dig a hole, that's what I did in my first garage..I also don't think you can build a cheaper ramp then the price of a second hand 4 post lift.--------------------------------------------------------------www.becmotors.nlyup, I quit welding.. joined welder anonymous
Reply:1" angle seems a very light to me, especially over a long distance of 6' if you want each ramp to support 6K. Even if you are talking about supporting say 2K on each ramp, I'd think 1" is a bit on the light side. Taller angle is usually stronger than shorter angle. If you want a good idea what will support what, go to a car dealership and take a look at the steel platforms they usually park cars on to raise them up high enough so they stick up and are easy to see. I've always thought one of those would make an excelent raised work platform for under vehicle work.Personally I'd use channel for the side rails since it's more stable than angle, but then I've also crushed car ramps with my pickup. I've given up on light weight ramps and park the truck up on 8" solid wood blocks with oak 8/4 rough sawn oak for ramps.One thing to keep in mind since you don't have concrete. Make sure the feet of the ramp have a lot of surface area for support on "soft" ground or the ramps will sink under load..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:A guy I do work for made a nice pit for working on the heavy trucks and equipment, all block with a set of stairs, and a lip around so you can set the "dance floor" at a few different heights depending on the size of the machine your working on.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Here is a thread I made on the subject. Not exactly what you're asking about, but a decent alternate solution. I get 9" of height out of these, they're heavy, they're heavy duty enough for a semi, no welds (if you're not 100% confident in your welding), no engineering involved, won't sink into ground, and can be had very cheap. I use them all the time!http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=39157"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:I would not even consider that size angle for anything even close to a car ramp, I don't care how you brace it, support it, gusset it, or triangulate it...one little kink in any part of the angle and its all coming down, plus if you are setting them up in dirt/gravel, they are going to rock and move whether you can see it or not, which means they are going to crack at the weld edges and before you know it...Hit the scrap yards, craigs list, ebay....look for something you can cut up and use or modify, maybe an old trailer or truck flatbed, mobile home frame...should be able to pickup something for a few hundred bucks and make it work.....ESAB Migmaster 250Ltec ST23 spoolgunMiller Passport
Reply:How high are you trying to go?  How much weight?http://www.harborfreight.com/magnum-...ock-67722.htmlhttp://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...ar-truck-rampshttp://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...9031_200339031Google is your friend. Northern tool and Harbor freight both have ramps.
Reply:I took 6 2x12 boards for 1 ramp. cut them 48,42,36,30,24,18 then just screwed them down one on top of the other,starting with longest on bottom and on the top one screwed a 2x4 opposite way - acts as a stop so you dont drive off the ramp. simple,strong,cheapMM252 30AMaxstar 150STrailblazer 301gDialarc 2509100XX Hypertherm PM 30                      Milwaukee4 BaldorsKohlswa shop anvilScott truck anvilStonewell farrier rig
Reply:Originally Posted by ishuumI took 6 2x12 boards for 1 ramp. cut them 48,42,36,30,24,18 then just screwed them down one on top of the other,starting with longest on bottom and on the top one screwed a 2x4 opposite way - acts as a stop so you dont drive off the ramp. simple,strong,cheap
Reply:wood is far cheaper too. 1" will not hold the weight you're wanting to without a lot of bracing and extra materail costs. I would recomend doing the ramps in wood too. If you're worried about sparks, you can skin them in some 20ga sheet and be done with it.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by ishuumI took 6 2x12 boards for 1 ramp. cut them 48,42,36,30,24,18 then just screwed them down one on top of the other,starting with longest on bottom and on the top one screwed a 2x4 opposite way - acts as a stop so you dont drive off the ramp. simple,strong,cheap
Reply:The other thing we do for heavy trucks and machines, is go to the sawmill and have them cut oak, 12x12, 16x16, etc, and cut the end at an angle for you to drive up on. 16x16 solid red oak is not going anywhere.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manHere is a thread I made on the subject. Not exactly what you're asking about, but a decent alternate solution. I get 9" of height out of these, they're heavy, they're heavy duty enough for a semi, no welds (if you're not 100% confident in your welding), no engineering involved, won't sink into ground, and can be had very cheap. I use them all the time!http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=39157
Reply:Well alot of very good info on here today.I guess i will not be making ramps out of angle iron. I did think about the rail road ties like stickman did but they are about $10 each here and im looking for more thing 9". I have car ramps metal and poly but they dont do better thin 9-10" eather.I am realy not a big fan of making ramps out of wood becouse cheap wood rots and treated wood is high 2x12x12 are $27 per board. I did try to find a car lift on craigslist and their $1000+ used and i tried to find a car lot ramp and their more thin a lift $1500 its dumb. I guess ill keep thinking of what to build but the rail road ties are looking good but might need to stack them.
Reply:Combo it. Do the railroad ties, and a trench. that gives you more room to work, but doesn't require more than a shovel and the ties.as for the desire not to use wood, you're already worried about doing it on the cheap, don't worry about longevity too. like they say "in this shop you can get things done right, you can get things done fast, and you can get things done cheap. But you can only get two of those at one time."THe wood isn't going to rot out  fast enough to be an issue, and paint is cheap which will keep them from rotting as well.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by shortfuseStick-man, how did you cut the bevels/angles?  Sawzall, bandsaw, ???  Those are neat.
Reply:If you do "allot" of work just save the money for cement and then a lift. For many many years ALL of my money from work went to tools. Trust me, tools make money, more tools make more money. A lift will allow you to work twice as fast and make that much more money SAFELY. It will pay for itself in short time and you will have it forever.How much money would you have invested in steel to make ramps? $400? Thats a third of a lift or half the cement. Don't waste money on temporary tools, it is a waste of money.*edit* I had a different idea of "ramps" than what people are posting pics of here. I was thinking full car length ramps. The 1 ramp per wheel ramps can be had cheap and made even cheaper even out of wood like mentioned. Good luck with the project and post up pics!Last edited by VPT; 03-22-2013 at 07:49 PM.
Reply:The original poster is wanting to get the car 2' off the ground.  Almost impossible to do with basic ramps because of the length required to have the correct grade on the ramp.  If it's too steep, you'll not only have trouble with traction to climb up the ramp, but also with clearance of air dams and plastic bumpers that hang so low on today's cars.  I like VPT's suggestion of buying a lift.JackFort Loramie, OhioMilermatic Autoset 180
Reply:I think you could just buy some 6000lb rated ones from autozone or pepboys.  I just did for the onsale price,of $40.00.  They go on sale about every 3 months or so.
Reply:Hey stick-man exactly where did you find those plastic railroad ties? Thank you in advance
Reply:This is the kind of ramp I originally thought the OP was thinking of.
Reply:There is a classic solution for working on dirt.I use a section of mobile home frame to support my floor jack, then lift the vehicle and slide a rim under each wheel I need to elevate. MUCH more stable than ramps, completely mobile, works everywhere from home to salvage yards, and soft ground is no problem.You can also "nest" different rim diameters for more height. I use wood blocking (4x4 pressure treated lasts well outdoors, especially when soaked with drain oil) too since wood doesn't crush much and is handy for shimming. I keep some aluminum rims for convenience but use steel for vehicles I'm storing or raping in-place.I gave away my ramps years ago and if someone gave me a new set today I'd swap 'em off.BTW if you are going to spend money on a lift, consider a wheel-lift wrecker setup for your truck instead. They are insanely useful for much more than towing. You can use the boom to pull bodies and frames (chain the vehicle to something solid), pick up engines and transmission from the ground to move them, lift vehicles to put rims or jackstands under them, etc, etc.Used units are easy to sort out.Last edited by farmall; 03-23-2013 at 09:39 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by VPTThis is the kind of ramp I originally thought the OP was thinking of.
Reply:buy this http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/At...e-Scissor-Lift and 2 of thesehttp://www.gregsmithequipment.com/12...ble-Jack-StandMyself and a friend used this set up for 9years in a parking deck for onsite work at a major internet provider. Did the companies and the employees work.  We did everything from oil changes and brakes to engines and transmissions on that scissor lift. He still has it and does onsite work with it to this day. All you need is a concrete pad. When not in use fold it up and store it. All we had was a 7 by 14 trailer.
Reply:Most scissor lifts block the entire middle area of the vehicle so you can't work. For the price of that scissor lift a guy could have an actual lift. Just sayin.I got my rotary used for $1400Originally Posted by mafiacustomzI do alot of mechanic work and i cant afford a lift i cant even afford concrete. I am looking to build some 2 foot maybe higher car ramps that i will have easy access to under the car for exhaust welding transmissions ect....
Reply:Originally Posted by glock36Hey stick-man exactly where did you find those plastic railroad ties? Thank you in advance
Reply:I have a scissor lift but use rims far more often. It's NICE for lifing welding projects though and might get a removable table top one of these years.I also replaced the rear casters on my engine hoists with rear spindles from front wheel drive cars or trailer spindles, and replace the front casters with non-pivoting solid lawn tractor tires (any equivalent will do). Casters are for perfect floors, while my setup will pull a 460/C5 in a sandy backyard and works much better on concrete. If the ground is soft I winch the loaded hoist away from the vehicle using a comealong or electric winch on my truck. I lever loaded hoists towards the vehicle with whatever is handy. I have a bad back so I always find the low-effort way to move large objects. Note the pulley at the end of the engine hoist boom and the Wyeth-Scott cast comealong. You get a lot more range than the original hydraulic cylinder and can reach deep into engine bays. (Hunk of pipe over dead hydraulic cylinder makes a nice ramlock.) Attached Images
Reply:farmall, id love to see some close ups of that hoistNothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:Maybe you can take some ideas from the Kwiklift. They arent in business anymore but somethin like that style may work well for your application.http://proformancespecialties.com/Home.php
Reply:These would be "easy' to build! Since you don't have concrete. . Just put some plywood under each stand, and have enough for a floor-jack to roll on.Hobart Handler 190Hobart Spool-Gun 100Lincoln 225 ACMiller & Pipeliner HoodDewalt 14" Chopsaw, GrindersHarris O/AVictor TorchCustom Built O/A CartCustom Welding CartHeavy Duty 16 Speed Floor Drill PressPipe-BenderDrill Doctor
Reply:I checked and got all the specs their selling these for 259.99 a pair which isnt bad 18" total height better thin ramps. Im going to get some prices on steel and see if it would be better to make or buy when i have the cash.
Reply:6 ton jack stands lift to 23-24" normally. You can buy them from Northern or Harbor Freight for under $100 for 4 of them. Since you are on dirt maybe double up some 3/4" plywood to spread the load or something. Your biggest problem will be lifting the car to 24". I went to about 20" when I replaced my transmission and it's a huge difference - you probably won't need the full 2 feet.Miller Passport