homemade car ramps. (no laughing) - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

greythunder · #1 03-27-2015, 05:05 PM

after having to replace my passenger side motor mount twice in 10 days, i decided to build a set of ramps out of 2x8's. they work quite well, and each is made from one 2x8x12 for a total cost of $18 from home depot. i had the 2x4's for the angle pieces and stops laying around as scrap.

Phillytwotank · #2 03-27-2015, 05:16 PM

That looks pretty good. When I got my w124 a couple of months ago I was bummed to find out that It is too low to drive up the ramps that I've been and Evrybody in my family have been using for the past 30 years.

I may try to make my own.

jay_bob · #3 03-27-2015, 05:28 PM

These work great, made in USA, and readily available at your friendly neighborhood WallyWorld...

RhinoRamps, Black - Walmart.com

Can't Know · #4 03-27-2015, 05:39 PM

The only improvement I'd make on those would be to cut the 2x8s at a 45 instead of a 90. Then you wouldn't need the triangular wedge pieces. If you measured carefully you'd get the same result, one cut for two boards, etc.

I like that you left the bottom board long, too. One problem you sometimes run into (particularly trying to drive up on the front) is that they slide and get out of alignment, so with yours you could raise each front wheel enough to slide them under and line them up, then lower the wheel and drive on up the rest of the way.

What's the weight? I think that would be my greatest concern.

Happy wrenching!

Dan Stokes · #5 03-27-2015, 06:17 PM

PLEASE do your loved ones a favor and NEVER work under a car on ramps. I know 2 guys (1 a HS friend) who were killed - crushed to death - doing just that. The issue is that if you apply side force to a bolt (say, the bellhousing bolts) it's quite easy to topple the ramps over sideways and this = instant death.

Buy a decent floor jack (trolly jack in England) and a set of RATCHET jackstands (not the tubing with thru holes and a pin to hold them up). I have Harbor Freight stuff and it's OK. Once everything is in place I've never had an issue with them. Even with the jackstands, shake the car as hard as you can once it's up to be sure everything is stable. I even do that every time I set up a car on my hoist - no reason taking chances.

I admire your design talents but I really don't want to hear of your untimely demise. BTW - the set of ramps that killed my HS friend were welded angle iron made by his Dad who was an engineer at the GM Proving Grounds - they were stout and well designed. So this isn't about some crappy off-shore equipment failure. His family had used them for years but he evidently had to pull hard on a sideways bolt and Jim's gone now.

It's tempting to use these because they are SO quick to get a car off the ground. You just put them in place and drive up. They SEEM like such a great idea and they would be if not for physics. The taller they are the more tippy and they need to be fairly tall to be useful.

Like I said - PLEASE don't use these.

Dan

97 SL320 · #6 03-27-2015, 06:25 PM

The ramps are just fine. If someone pulls hard enough to make them tip over the same would happen on a set of jack stands.

For the ramps to tip over I suspect then were not properly positioned / used on soft uneven ground.

fahrvergnugen · #7 03-27-2015, 06:33 PM

THose cheap metal ramps of yesteryear were pretty bad; rhino ramps and the like are heavily reinforced...

jay_bob · #8 03-27-2015, 07:05 PM

Indeed. Rhinos are heavily internally reinforced and made from fiber reinforced plastic. Night and day compared to the open frame metal ramps.

Can't Know · #9 03-27-2015, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97 SL320

The ramps are just fine. If someone pulls hard enough to make them tip over the same would happen on a set of jack stands.

For the ramps to tip over I suspect then were not properly positioned / used on soft uneven ground.

Personally, I NEVER rely on only one thing to hold up a car under which I'm going to be working. "Raise and redundantly support" is my watchword. Part of that is because I live in earthquake country, too.

If you wanted to modify your ramps, it would be easy, just do a pair of 2x4s in an X at the front of the ramp with holes drilled through into the ramps, put them in place after the car is on the ramp and slide a long bolt through the hole in the brace through into the ramp. A lateral force imposed on the car will try to pull the bottom of the one ramp while pulling the top of the other, so they can't topple.

Ceristimo · #10 03-27-2015, 07:12 PM

I've got the 8 ton Rhino ramps myself. Ordered from Amazon, with Amazon Prime (free shipping) to Alaska. I think I paid 70 bucks two years ago. I use them all the time, for a variety of vehicles. Not just my own, but I've had friends borrow them as well. So far they have been amazing.

However, I always put jack stands underneath the rails on the vehicle, when it's on ramps. Better to be safe then sorry.

I honestly don't see how you can possible tip those Rhino ramps. They are quite wide.

With that said:
I think you did a great job making ramps out of wood. I've seen it done before, but yours look quite well designed. Nice!

greythunder · #11 03-27-2015, 07:12 PM

Quote:

The only improvement I'd make on those would be to cut the 2x8s at a 45 instead of a 90. Then you wouldn't need the triangular wedge pieces. If you measured carefully you'd get the same result, one cut for two boards, etc

thanks for the input! the only reason i did 90's is bc i work at home depot and cut them quickly last night on the MASSIVE radial arm saw there that has no 45 ability. i was board today so i added the wedges

Quote:

PLEASE do your loved ones a favor and NEVER work under a car on ramps. I know 2 guys (1 a HS friend) who were killed - crushed to death - doing just that. The issue is that if you apply side force to a bolt (say, the bellhousing bolts) it's quite easy to topple the ramps over sideways and this = instant death.

im very sorry to hear about your friends who were killed using ramps. i always do things in "redundancies". i had my harbor freight jack stands on pushed up on the lower control arms and chocks on the rear wheels in the event of a failure or wood splitting. i also offset the screws on the layers to prevent splitting.

i needed my hf low profile floor jack to use on the engine bc i was changing the motor mount.

Quote:

What's the weight? I think that would be my greatest concern.

it's not that bad. i dont have a set of scales, but each one used a every bit of a 2x8x12, so that should give you a rough idea. there were also a few screws and some glue for the wedges.

Drago · #12 03-27-2015, 08:44 PM

I was shocked when I read the curb wieght of my 300D. ditto on the use of jack stands

pawoSD · #13 03-27-2015, 10:27 PM

I have almost the same ramps

I built mine differently though, I'll post a picture if I end up using them tomorrow.

I do have a smaller set I made that are about a foot tall...like yours in miniature.

biopete · #14 03-27-2015, 11:31 PM

I love it. Very creative and a great use of 2x8. I might make a set off 4 sometime. Nice tall ones. And maybe use 2x10 and have a nice out side drive on "lift"

I see tis big metal drive on ramp at a shop nearby. It's about 5 feet tall maybe. Sits outside. It would be cool for sometime when you want some fresh air. Good for inspecting a car too when you got another on the lift.

BillGrissom · #15 03-28-2015, 01:37 AM

Looks very solid and impossible to collapse like an open metal ramp could (unlikely), but last time I bought lumber, 2x8's were quite expensive, probably as much as used metal ramps on craigslist. I always stow the wheels under the frame rails w/ a board on top to take up the gap, just as backup.

When doing extensive work like removing an engine or tranny, I jack the car up and rest the frame rails on a lattice of 4x4's cut from old redwood fence posts. That gives a wide footprint that could never tip over. I also shake the car well. One never knows when an earthquake could strike in CA.