Ramps

[Edward Buker]

I thought a thread on ramps would be a new subject for discussion. There are a few times a year that I have to drive up on some ramps and in the past I have used 2X12 of yellow pine and if there is an uneven base they tend to split. If I can find a flat site alternative I will move but that is not always possible, especially at some relatives. I have had several block configurations that broke and I thought it was time to get to something that worked...

Certainly the weight of our beasts are beyond what many ramp materials will handle. You folks in the west have Douglas Fir which is probably better but my sister inlaw from CA has a crane business and without threaded rods in her Doug Fir blocks she has them split with load also. So my latest foray into a durable ramp consists of a 2x12 of yellow pine with a 1/4 threaded rod edge to edge with washers and nuts, and a 3/4 piece of plywood on the bottom. I screwed but did not glue the plywood thinking that it may with time need to be replaced. They are sealed with Thompson Water Seal which is available tinted like in the photo. I added a handle on the side for ease of use. One thing not to do is paint any blocks with latex paint. I did that on several blocks in the past and with the coach weight that paint would bond to surfaces to the point where you would have to use a two pound sledge to break it apart even several years later. The paint bond would tear chunks of the wood off of the second block when you stacked them.....amazed me that this was such an issue.

I have driven up on this new block configuration and they are very durable, no splitting issues. It took about 6 hours to build 4 of them. The edge to edge drilling can be done with a long bit and a magnetic circular angle finder like this one. Get your zero angle in two planes and go. This was my best shot at a durable block, if you have had success with a commercial or personally built configuration, let us know.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004T807/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000E6TIZ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=040FBAZQY1EP5404NH47

Later Ed

[Bill Sprague]

Ed,

Those are too pretty to put on the ground and under a tire!

I had a scrap sheet of plywood.   I cut it into tapered squares measured to fit vertically, like files, in a Rubbermaid bin.  The plywood was not very thick, so I doubled them.  I think I used Gorilla Glue.

I usually use them when jack pads are needed, but have run a wheel up on them.  

They are unpainted and have lasted 9 years.

[Edward Buker]

Not as pretty as they look, I still got splinters :-) I hate doing things twice so this time should be the last time... 9 years is damn decent. Must be when the plywood was solid core....

Later Ed

[Dick Simonis]

I made some to use at the house if I need a couple of inches more clearance but took the simple way.  Leftover 1" plywood with 2X4's screwed to it.  At the end I doubled the 2X4 to give a discrete stop and beveled the first one to make it easier to climb.  Works fine for the application but not nearly as pretty as yours.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Ed,
I put mine together using 2x8s sandwitching a piece of 3/8 plywood, resulting in a total lift of just over 4" and an intermediate lift of 1.5". I put them together to work on the rear level adjustors where I wanted the 4" lift in case the adjustor slipped. Cracking is an issue as you can see.
Steve

[Edward Buker]

Like your shop. Those are some "big boy" ramps. You would need a trailer to take them on the road :-) The cracking is an issue..... I needed something for the road. I have the hydraulic leveling system that goes down to the axles and it has limited range in a long wheelbase coach. We stay at my sister inlaws place in Napa for several weeks on our western trips. It is a sloped road and I have split many blocks there on the rough pavement. These are heavy coaches to drive up on ramps and have it not "Terminate" them.

Later Ed