car ramps

[BrokenBiker]

i made a thread ages ago about making a set of car ramps to my own specs, and was advised against this due to only having a 100 amp flux core mig.

now, i recently bought a set of ramps as axle stands just weren't enough. They arrived today and after looking at them, they are made from 20x20x2mm angle steel (looks pressed to me) and its all held together with tacks. Now i have put the car on them, with the front on the ramps, jacked the rear up and put on axle stands under the sill jacking points, and have had me and the not so small neighbour sit in the car with 100 kilos of weights in the boot (wanted to get as close to 2T as possible) and all is good, not even a creak from the ramps, no deformation of any kind.

so the question is, if i buy some 20x20x2 angle and seam weld all the joints i should have a set of ramps at least as strong as the ones i have bought, or am i missing something here?

obviously i now have a 160 amp inveter so am not worried about penetration but my little 100amp mig will blow holes in 2mm all day long too so in just wondering if i could have done it myself after all

 

[cumbriasteve]

I doubt you would hear creaks, if they were going to collapse they would do without much of a warning.

Other than that if you are confident with your welds I can see no problem making the ramps as you mention.

 

[BrokenBiker]

i have been welding some 40x40x2 box section to make a rack to sit in my trolley jack to lower the rest axle of my megane (pics to follow) and had to turn the mig down due to blowing through on the practice runs. On power setting min and wire feed 6 i am still getting full penetration (i can see down the box section and see every weld has penetrated through) so i might give it a go. I have a mate with a high lift jack so i can lower the car onto the ramps to test them and loaf the car up as i did earlier to make sure they will take the weight. Will see how much i need them after doing the axle job in a few weeks

 

[T0rnado69]

i made a set of car ramps years ago with a 155T arc welder
dont remember the angle iron size but ive still got them and use them.
next time im in the back of that garage il take a pic and some measurements...

 

[s410man]

id still be using bigger angle-say 40x40x3mm just for peice of mind

i always wonder how them car ramps can supprot 2 tonswhen they are made of such thisn steel and no full welds

 

[lexi]

I have a cheap set of ramps. I have beefed them up with extra bits of angle.
Had all sorts on them.

 

[Robotstar5]

I have a cheap set of ramps. I have beefed them up with extra bits of angle.
Had all sorts on them.

I'm sure a bag of Bertie Bassetts finest isn't really a good test of weight carrying capacity

 

[BrokenBiker]

well i popped sown to the steel supplier wendelspanswick found for me and he has pretty much every size angle and box ever made, i have a few repairs that need doing to gates and fences before any projects begin but will be making a better Ste of ramps soon as these ones, although they do the job, could be a bit higher and would need to be a bit longer to give a shallower angle

 

[Ed.]

i made a thread ages ago about making a set of car ramps to my own specs, and was advised against this due to only having a 100 amp flux core mig.

now, i recently bought a set of ramps as axle stands just weren't enough. They arrived today and after looking at them, they are made from 20x20x2mm angle steel (looks pressed to me) and its all held together with tacks. Now i have put the car on them, with the front on the ramps, jacked the rear up and put on axle stands under the sill jacking points, and have had me and the not so small neighbour sit in the car with 100 kilos of weights in the boot (wanted to get as close to 2T as possible) and all is good, not even a creak from the ramps, no deformation of any kind.

so the question is, if i buy some 20x20x2 angle and seam weld all the joints i should have a set of ramps at least as strong as the ones i have bought, or am i missing something here?

obviously i now have a 160 amp inveter so am not worried about penetration but my little 100amp mig will blow holes in 2mm all day long too so in just wondering if i could have done it myself after all

If you have the car sitting on 2 ramps and the back of it resting on 2 stands then you aren't putting 2 tons on the ramps but 2 tons spread over four bearing points ie; 500kg each point.

For myself I would not build a car ramp out of 20mm x 2mm angle. I would be inclined to use 30mm x 3mm, nowadays everything is made to the lowest price and least amount of material that will do the job and things are engineered that tightly that it would probably only take one weld to fail and the whole ramp could tumble down. Over engineer it and you will have piece of mind when you are under the car. I used to work at a warehouse for major car accessory company where we would handle hundreds of car ramps a night and as a long time welder I always glance at anything that has a weld, just a habit of mine. Anyway I would be hesitant to lay under a car supported by some of the ones I saw.

Some of the stuff coming out of China is woeful at best but in their defence, the importers screw the manufacturers down to the last cent and so the the products built reflect this. After I left that company I went to one of their retail stores see what they had in Jockey wheels as I needed to get one for a boat trailer I was building, after I saw what the welding was like I asked the salesman if they had any ones that had better welds as these on display were really bad, to which he replied that the last shipment that they had in, there were two in the box that the brackets holding the jockey wheel tube had fallen off during transport to the store. That really says it all, the welds were just sitting on top with no penetration.

Now 2mm of steel angle in a car ramp can be strong enough if engineered and welded properly, if not then it's like russian roulette. For the sake of an extra $20 in steel give me thicker/bigger steel every time, I know which one I would rather have hold a car above me while I work, I like my head keeping the shame shape!

Cheers

Ed.

 

[Mick - Ford Focus]

Don't Squash Or Kill Yourself For The Sake Of A Few Pound Coins - OVER Engineer It.

Don't Become A "Darwin Award" Winner.

M

 

[T0rnado69]

i made a set of car ramps years ago with a 155T arc welder
dont remember the angle iron size but ive still got them and use them.
next time im in the back of that garage il take a pic and some measurements...

these where made many years ago with a 155T arc welder
960Long
bottom angles are 45mm x 45mm x 3mm
other angles are 25mm x 25mm x 3mm
and flat plate straps are 25mm x 3mm

 

[MrFluffy]

I'm not one for preaching nanny level protection but when they go , they GO without much warning so its a area you really really should over engineer. I had some commercial ones rated at more than the vehicle weight collapse on me when I was hauling on a breaker to undo the crank nut to change a cambelt on the camper van, and only the fact that it had so much ground clearance and my barn floor is dirt still saved me, gave me a good pressing into the floor for sure. I think the extra load of me hauling on the bar shifted the weight over to one side then they just let go and spang, it went all of a sudden. THe ramp after looked like it'd had been stood on by a 30T elephant, it was just flattened once the upright brace had snapped.

Now, I wont work under ramps no matter who made them unless I roll some substantial oak blocking under there too.And I have the ultimate fix waiting to get installed, a commercial four post ramp. Your choice at the end of the day, but I know what my stance is having rode my luck once already.