Those will work just fine, every one calm down. I have done a similar design before for my laser RS . I left them at my old house when I sold it because the guy who bought it liked them and gave me 100 bucks cash. I live close by and he stores his camaro on it all the time. This was 10 years ago and they still are operational.


This wants me to build another set now. One thing I did was put 1x2 cross members like they do in floor joist's . Oh and i used 2"x16"'s I liked to have more stability .
Athanasios

 

+1 (see post 3) This is very important. For example, when you start or stop moving when up on the ramps, you'll send a forward or backwards force through the ramps. This can "diamond" the boxing, which can cause it to collapse.

Note in that picture of a built set how the sides of the ramps are solid sheets. This will have the same effect as cross-bracing, in that it will prevent diamonding. It also looks nice! That would be fine, too. But you have to have at least one, if not both: cross-bracing or full "boxing" of the sides.

 

I still feel like it would be silly to trust it just because others have had success using it. Some people must have more guts than me since I would never trust it. The only time my car is lifted is to rotate tires so either way the ramps would be of no use to me.

 

Done right, this kind of system can be fantastic. You can add rotating plates for home-string alignments, for example. I've also seen one with four bottle-jacks built in so that the car could be listed off the ramps in three minutes for swapping calipers and/or suspension bits.

If you don't have a lift (and can't add one to your garage), these ramps can be wonderful to have. The difference between working on the suspension with the car merely on jackstands vs having the car several feet in the air is hard to describe. It is so much better.

Let me express it in terms that most car-folks can appreciate. After working on your car all day with it on jackstands, you take a hot shower, pop some Ibuprophen, and go to sleep. After doing the same work with the car up high, you take a hot shower with your SO, skip the Ibuprophen, and go to bed.

 

Done wrong it can be a news story.

Let me express it this way. After a day of working on a car on Jack stands, you shower, pop ibuprofen, and go to sleep. After doing the same work on wooden ramps improperly built that collapse while you are under them, the coroner leaves your house, takes a shower, then goes out for anything but Italian food.

haha. I jest!

You're right, done right, it could be excellent. I really like the built in lights, because that would be easy to work on stuff under there. But one board buckling could start a chain reaction resulting on the opposite side collapsing, etc, bringing the whole thing down on you. HOWEVER, the same thing can be said for improper use of a jack and stands.

I guess it's all a matter of courage, confidence and thoroughness... but me being the paranoid type, I just don't see it. Of course, I'd have to psyche myself up to get under a car on jackstands also, so I'm admittedly not the best judge.

 

Please be careful and make sure the wood is able to hold that much weight. Personally I would just take it to a shop to have done, if I did not have a ramp/jack stands. Peace of mind and safety come first!

 

Thank you . When the car stopped on the ramps, it's a simple statics problem. And I agree when the car is moving/stopping there will be forces along the length of the ramp. I'm glad someone else understands the idea of a stress skin. These will be full sheets on the outsides the insides will probably be partial as shown in the link.

 

A friend back in PA had built a set. I wasn't about to climb under there until I'd seen how they were made. He had a total of 8 florescent bulbs under his and that helped a lot, too. He was also the guy with the four bottle-jacks built in. He had painted his garage floor to show exactly where they need to be for both of his cars. All in all, while he said it took him around 30 hours to build, they had already more than paid off. The one part that wasn't home-made was the ramp to get up onto the things. These were from a kit that you add to a trailer. (I think he got from Tractor Supply.) The up-ramps are hard to make from wood, so he just paid for metal. They cost more than the rest put together, IIRC.

If you have a skidplate and do your own oil-changes, the time invested will be paid back from just that in two years.

 

Don't be a fatty and you can remove your undertray, do your own oil changes, and change the entire exhaust without lifting the car like me

On a side note, can you get pictures of your friends set up? It sounds really nice

 

Just get this:

http://www.completehydraulic.com/lif...sor-tcpl6.html

I got this last year (it was a bit less expensive then) and it's freakin' awesome...30+ labor hours and material to build a proper wooden ramp system has an opportunity cost associated with it versus something like this that is complete turn-key, safe, and allows for tons more flexibility...

 

I don't think many people have $1,500 they want to spend on something like that. Also that doesn't look like you can access everything as easily as the ramps

 

Actually, you can get to most everything with with ease although you are blocked a bit by the middle bracing ...agreed that not everyone has $1500 but time is money and safety is priceless

 

Not on speaking terms any more. (Never take on a co-driver that is both broke and can't keep the car on the pavement.) "Friend" was an euphemism.

 

No need to single out the fat peeps. I'm working on it, 6lbs in a week... 34 more to go! (lbs not weeks!)

Thanks for the link, 15 hundge definitely puts that into consideration.

lmaooo...

 

Jared? Where you been, man? The guys down at Subway miss you. Or are you still p-o'd about that South Park episode?