Cool DIY Alternative to Expensive Lifts Or A Darwin Award Science Faire Project?

[Wrecked944]

I saw this on th Make magazine blog...no idea if it is safe or smart or suicidal. Here is the link with plans...

http://www.classic1800.com/ramp-pit-plans

And here is the blurb...

II'd love to have a four-post lift in my garage, but alas, I'm a renter (so I can't have one installed without fuss) and relatively unwealthy. Thus, I had to search for a practical solution that would allow me to get to the underside of my 1800 without breaking the bank. I finally found inspiration in a 31-year-old issue of Practical Mechanics magazine, and thus, the Ramp Pit was born.

The idea is simple: You drive up a ramp, then take out the front supports and allow the ramp to become a giant teeter totter, thus giving you convenient access to both the front and the back of the car (although not necessarily at the same time) with a lot less effort and a lot more clearance than one would get from conventional jackstands or automotive ramps.

I've embellished my own with a front-mounted electric winch to help me get the car up single-handedly, but I'll leave the fine details up to you (although I'm sure I'll post pics of mine in action soon enough).

Remember, build and use this at your own risk, and be sure to add permanent wheel stops to these plans (they're not shown, because I'm not convinced I've found the best solution yet)! I make no claims as to its safety, but I use mine every day (heck, lately, the car's remained on the ramps).

But if you DO build it (it cost me about $130 in lumber and wood screws - oh yeah, use glue and wood screws at every connection! Nails will kill you, folks!), and if you improve upon the base design, please let us know through the feedback form below. I'm sure we can all think of ways to make it better/safer/cooler than ever.

[Matt_West]

I did not see anything to lock the ramp in position. This could be a problem if you are installing a heavy component that could alter the balance point.

[arcsine]

Looks like two jack stands are being used to lock the ramp in the picture.

[lateapex911]

Nothing fundementaly wrong.......but.....people can f%k up with lifts too...see the recent post where they drilled a 911 into the ceiling on a lift...(And note that it appears the balance set up on that lift was ifffy as well)

[Dan in Pasadena]

I work in construction, actually I am the Construction Manager for L.A's MTA light rail project in East L.A. So I (think) I know what I am talking about.

This project COULD be done and done safely but I would not suggest it. Reason: To be safe you'd use 3/4" or 1" thick hardwood plywood (not Fir in my opinion) and heavy framing with waterproof glue and screw construction. Plus if the plan is to use this long term (and why wouldn't you with the cost of hardwood ply) you'd have to seal the wood and maintain it. Is everyone that does this going to do that? No. Is everyone that does this going to properly engineer it? Not even close. You're talking about your life here!

Personally, I WOULD do it, but I'd have one of my project engineers run the numbers on it. Most people don't have that luxury.

[jester911]

I have actually considered taking 2 pieces of wide steel channel and making a ramp that has jacks under the front.
After driving up on the ramp you could then jack up the back end as well. You would need to weld some braces the attach the 2 channels etc. but I think it could be done safely and cheaply.