Not quite a hoist

[flutes]

Picked me up a used pair of ramps on eBay today.  This should make working on the underside a bit more feasible.

[Big_Richard]

how big are they? i have several of the types sold at the regular outlets in perth, they are only worth pocket change to buy new.

[oscar]

I'd go axle stands flutes.  I tried some ramps I borrowed a few years back and couldn't use them because they'd hit front bodywork  before the car would climb and some others I tried at work would slide on concrete, I couldn't chock em.  Besides that, I didn't like the look of the welds on either and since I've got a phobia of a car falling on me I bought 4 stands and a trolley jack.  http://forum.w116.org/lounge/so-what-have-you-bought-this-week/msg48562/#msg48562 Even if I'm just jacking the front, I'll chock the rear wheels, use two stands to support the weight, a third stand and the trolley jack as back up.  They've been well worth the money spent.   The jack weighs a tonne which can be a pain when I take it anywhere so later i'd like to buy an aluminium trolley jack but they cost a bundle.

[TJ 450]

I've got a pair of ramps that came from Supercheap. They are useful, but as Oscar says, they slide on the pavement. The risk of something untoward happening is quite high, I would reckon.

Every time I choose to drive a car up on the ramps, it freaks me out.

Having seen the damage from when Nathan's dad went a little too far, the danger was confirmed.

Anyhow, they are certainly a good thing to have and make certain aspects of working on the cars much easier.

Tim

[flutes]

They're not huge but big enough to get the front wheels up enough to get under the car - rated to 750kg each, made by Stanfred.  Bit of a punt but at $50 for the pair it's worth it.

This seemed like a far better solution than the bricks/planks/jacks concepts that were running through my head Saturday before I slapped some sense into myself.

Thanks for the warnings Oscar - chocking them will be an issue.  I might drive some dynabolts into the concrete as it will all be coming up when we renovate that area anyway.  Axle stands look like a far better solution, especially as they allow you to get the wheels off.

I consider this a short term purchase - after investigating my water issues I've found that they're 80% caused by condensation from the air cond.  I'm desperate to get under the car now and try to clear out those drainage channels.

[koan]

Thanks for the warnings Oscar - chocking them will be an issue.  I might drive some dynabolts into the concrete

I have a couple of long bits 100mm x 50mm  (4" x 2" that sit against the ramps and garage wall to stop the ramps moving. They have a cross piece at the ramp end forming a "T".

koan

[KenM]

This is something that I have been pondering on for a while now, I have been thinking why not use some of those tilting stands that they use in car yards to display vehicles on as a work platform? I just know somebody is gonna have a real good reason why not but it seems reasonable to me, you can get them rated at over 2000 kg so the weight should be ok, you can chock them and wedge them upright so they can't tilt back down, they would give you much more space underneath to work with than stands or ramps, and would I imagine be a fair bit cheaper than a hoist. As I say, I've never seen anyone using these for this purpose so why not??
Cheers,
Ken

[flutes]

Ken I've always been intrigued by those rotisserie things you see in the back of Unique Cars magazine.  I've always imagined just driving up to one, hooking the car up and then spinning it a few times to get it to a good angle.  Then watch as fluids pour out of everywhere.  (I know you're talking about a completely different type of stand)

Koan - I like that idea.  Combine that with drilling into the slab and I think that's a pretty secure solution.

[flutes]

Did some work on the car today up on the ramps (I haven't been around much lately).

My wife was guiding me up and she completely freaked out about the car falling on my while I was under it.  It all seemed pretty sturdy but I was quite surprised by how quickly "car in correct position on ramp" could turn into "car over far side of ramp" - there's not much room for error there!

I found slipping not to be an issue, if I wedged the ramps under the tyres while the car was still, then drove up.

[oscar]

Good to hear flutes.  I bet you found it's a whole new world to play with under there.  I think the first time I got under I just laid back and had a good look round at what's what.

[flutes]

I had seen the underside when it was on the hoist at the mechanic's shop but that was really just a quick inspection.  It's a whole different experience to be able to take your time, look at how things are put together and get a feel for what's going on under there.  You're right - many more things to tinker with now!