Car ramps.

highwayman149

New Member
Hi guys. I'm wanting to do some jobs on the old girl namely changing the gearbox oil, checking gearbox to prop flange bolts, condition of bottom of gearstick and possibly changing gear selector rod bushes. I wonder if anyone can recommend a suitable pair of ramps. I'm concerned many won't give enough elevation to get access far enough back. I've seen a pair selling on flea bay that incorporate a hydraulic jack within the wheel rest twice the price of std ramps. Has anybody experience of these. Advice greatly appreciated.
 
I have a friend that swears by the cj autos hydraulic ramps which i reckon are better than the ones you mention

I have a basic set of drive on ramps. I use them in various combinations. I tend to jack the car and use axle stands ot slidr the ramps in which saves having to drive up them.

Depends onhow big the person crawling under is but I would choose good axle stands over the ramps.
 
I've got hydraulic ones, similar to the CJ autos ones, but purchased from elsewhere. I've found them extremely useful, although I think I'd go for the manual ones now, like Stan has. I have to disconnect and reconnect the hydraulic lines every time I want to use them and there's always a small spillage.
 
The best system I´ve ever seen, is the American Kwik Lift. There is an English ramp system similar to it, but not that solid (on my opinion). Not possible to get it in GER, so I´m planning to build one with a local locksmith.
No cheap solution, but you must not remove it for everyday use.
 
I use solid wooden ramps made out of three inch thick planks. Will take much more weight than I can ever put on them. I dont trust welded ramps.
 

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i like the idea of that. means i could make them shallow enough to get the prius in the air too.
 
That´s not, what I mean.
Have a look on kwik-lift.com
I want to have the car in a raised but horizontal position and all that the stable way. You have metal ramps all over the world for car trailers, loading bulldozers etc etc
The "charming" idea of the Kwik-Lift is to keep it in the garage as it is, lowering the rear legs. If it´s not been used for a longer period, decouple it at the front and the flat ramps are on the floor.
It´s an absolutely safe system, the Americans use it even for their midsize trucks. It must be clear, if thinking about such a ramp system, it must be capable of carrying also modern cars which are very heavy and it must fit to various lenghts and tracks. My projected ramps will be 4,5 mtrs long to carry cars with 5.0 mtrs length (target : Ford Galaxy 500 XL). The P6 is really not a problem. My 320CDI has 1.9 tons which is also the limit for older US cars. The ramps should carry at least 2.5 tons, better 2.8 tons.
Have asked Kwik-Lift, but no dealer in Europe and shipping to GER for one lift unit you can forget. Look also on the English MR-1 lift and you will know, why I´m more on the Kwik-Lift side.
Yes, it´s another investment as using front ramps only, but it´s your life...
 
A friend of mine has made a wooden ramp in three sections,a long angled run up and then two large 'boxes' that are laid in a line. When the vehicle is driven up it ends up with the front wheels on one pair of boxes and the rear on the flat ends of the run up section. The remaining two middle boxes are remove to leave better access in the centre. It works well. One advantage of my wooden ramps for me is that they work well on a gravel drive and don't sink in like metal ramps or axle stands.
 
I use axle stands and ramps so providing limited access under full length of car. sadly not deep enough for full comfort etc . prefer car lift like garage ( these can be rented by hour these days) but fitting one at home is both costly and impractical.
have used wood before but heavy to move around and takes up a much space as metal ramps. did use metal ramps on gravel once but put planks under so no sinking in and acted as load spreaders. I always give car a shake before going under even when sure it's secure. sooner have car fall down and bend or break something than it be me!
have looked at a few types displayed at NEC but the most likely ones ( cost wise) limit space under car as area used by device itself! a sort of negative thing as whole idea I think is to have the area clear under vehicle to work in? as old now and not a cave climber any thought dropping exhaust etc when using these is out of question. proper garage lifts seem only logical way if we do a lot of underneath chores.
 
proper garage lifts seem only logical way if we do a lot of underneath chores.

I had my own four poster for a couple of years, very handy if you just want to have a quick look under a car without the hassle of jacking the car up, but for by far the most part I worked using ramps and stands and I can't think of any job that I couldn't do, and without problems.
 
friend of mine has made a wooden ramp in three sections,a long angled run up and then two large 'boxes' that are laid in a line.

I built some like this. They lift the car about 10 inches (made from 3 x 6 planks and 18mm ply) I can push the car onto them level, or, as I recently discovered, with a bit of skill, I can get the front left wheel double height by pushing then jack the rest up. Double stacked it's about 20 inches off the ground - a good height. The middle blocks are tuned to the lengths of my different cars wheelbases...

Pic in the bottom of here

DSC_0364 by 1275midget, on Flickr
 
I bought a set of screw jacks from Flynn's. They were actually what i went to buy....They are heavily reinforced and you get get them, or make them up to several feet high. i've seen three foot high ones but they do present some other lifting issues, They are essentially a normal looking square base stand with strengthening angle welded to the base corners and at the top of the square tube. there is a screw nut and about 12 to 18" of lead screw which allows you to jack them up with weight on them.
 
I have these after years using metal ramps with were to narrow and would slip on the ground. these are a composite plastic 16,000 lbs work great on the Range Rover at almost 6,000, they don't slip and are nice and wide very stable. I have a sloping driveway so I use that to my advantage
Screenshot 2019-08-29 at 9.39.10 PM.png
 
Not sure why I'm answering this, only came on here to get rid of some engines. Halfrods toy trolley-jacks have a lot to answer for....

I've played the CJ ramps game. They're good but need beefing-up on the threads, mine dropped - and they get in the way. I had two pairs of the non-hydraulic versions. Sold 'em - they seem to keep their price. These days I favour my vintage high-lift trolley jack and PROPER axle stands. Will blow the CJ ramps into the weeds for speed, access and height. I can get my Series land-rover at 700+mm in under 5 minutes. It's not a race, but a proper jack will monster any of that other tat. Start with at least Sealey AS3000 jack-stands (there's better) get a jack to lift higher than your jack-stands, 750mm odd and up you go. That's how it was doen back in the day, this all before Halfrods sold toy jacks to woopsies.
 
SGS make some excellent quality stands for very reasonable money.
I’ve got a pair of their 6tonne double pin type (560mm), 12 tonne ratchet type (605mm) and 6 tonne ratchet.
They make other stands look flimsy
Jim
 
I use quick-jack lifts (Best Portable Car Hoist for Garage or Shop - QuickJack Australia -actually a US maker). I think the lift is greater than the kwik-lift units, but each type has its own pros and cons. The quick-jack down side is you cant drive on or over - the units have to be moved around between uses, and they are not light. Several years in use now,no problems, no leaks. very stable, has optional rubbers for pinch welded sill seams. sadly my garage does not have a high enough ceiling for 2 or 4 post lifts.
Here is a pic of the 928 up on the jacks.
7MzavI8.jpg

I am not at all slim, but I fit underneath.
 
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