Best material size for car ramps ?

[timh30]

Having got my welder earlier this year and now feeling reasonably confident using it, I'd like to have a go at making something useful. As I could do with some car ramps, I thought this would make a simple project with some angle iron (following the standard design - although maybe a bit wider).

I see a few people here have made some, but can't see what size material they've used - is something like 25x25x3mm angle adequate ?

Also where is best place to purchase from ? I live just a couple of miles away from a Parker Steel depot, but although their base price is very cheap (for 6m lengths), minimum delivery is about £35 and although you can collect from them you are not allowed any hand tools on site to cut the lengths down to fit on a roof rack, and if you get them to cut the prices rocket by about £10/cut (of which I'd need a few).

Any suggestions most welcome.

Cheers,
Tim.

 

[Delgado]

£10 per cut? I got 91 2meter lengths of 40x40x3 angle cut (from Parker steel) the other day and it came to about £10 ontop of what the material would have cost.

 

[rikrobson]

park you car in the street out side and cut in the street out side.

you shouldnt need that many lengths.

We have a shop in Perth, that's a real old fashioned place and they are only a few pence a cut.

i got 7 6m lengths last year all cut in 1/2an was only charges a couple of quid for the cut.

 

[timh30]

£10 per cut? I got 91 2meter lengths of 40x40x3 angle cut (from Parker steel) the other day and it came to about £10 ontop of what the material would have cost.

This is a quote, with the stock size of 6m (qty 2) for £15.50 and 4 lengths of 3m (qty 4) £37.52. So in fact with vat that is well over £20 extra to have the two 6m lengths cut in half!

I'd happily stand there with a hacksaw and quickly cut them in half, but they tell me I can't do that for health and safety reasons ! (of course the reality is they are just using that as an excuse to charge extra).

 

[rikrobson]

I Got a generator and angle grinder

 

[timh30]

park you car in the street out side and cut in the street out side.
QUOTE]


Sounds like a good idea if I can get someone to help me carry them out to the car - I'll have to check their guidelines document, these are some of the 'restrictions' however:

• The vehicle to be used for the collection should be fit for purpose, which means able to take the weight and length of material being collected.
• Our warehouse employees have been instructed not too assist our customers in loading his/her vehicle if they deem the vehicle to be unsuitable for the weight and length of material being collected. If the customer chooses to load their vehicle manually, our staff can only advise the customer that they may be committing a traffic violation if they proceed onto the public highway.
• Keep to our site speed limits and observe all safety signs.
• If the product requires cutting no hand tools, power tools or gas cutting equipment are to be used by the customer on our premises.
• Before being authorised to handle goods that have been purchased customers must be advised that PPE in the form of gloves are required when handling steel.

 

[brightspark]

at carter steel near us they cut em in half with a burning torch free and love it when u cart it out of building and load it yourself i put 20 foot lengths on escort roofrack strapped on top of a set of ladders with rags on either end . even the old bill pass without a glance

 

[nodeward]

i susspect once you are off their property they wont care, its only because they are worried about getting sued when someone cuts there hand off!

 

[timh30]

at carter steel near us they cut em in half with a burning torch free and love it when u cart it out of building and load it yourself i put 20 foot lengths on escort roofrack strapped on top of a set of ladders with rags on either end . even the old bill pass without a glance

Thanks, thats an excellent idea using a ladder - I was wondering what I could use to stop the lengths from sagging if I used a roof rack.

Checking the Dept for transport guidelines (http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/info-overhangingloads.pdf), it seems an overhang of up to two meters (either end?) is fine, just using a marker to indicate the ends.

So I think I'll be safe and legal using the roof rack with a ladder to secure them to and some markers on the overhangs.

Many Thanks.

(P.S. as nobody has commented I assume 25x25x3mm should be fine for constructing the wheel ramps?)

 

[Paul.]

as nobody has commented I assume 25x25x3mm should be fine for constructing the wheel ramps?)

Most of the cheap ones are made from 25 x 25 x 3, I would probably use something a bit heavier perhaps 30 x 30 x 4 or 5, the strength should be in the design as much as the material, keep all the joints in compression so the welds are carrying minimal load, heres a sealey set with some overall dimensions which may give you some ideas http://www.motorsport-tools.com/sea...tonne-capacity-per-pair-car2000-p-244557.html
loads of other pictures on the net though

 

[timh30]

Most of the cheap ones are made from 25 x 25 x 3, I would probably use something a bit heavier perhaps 30 x 30 x 4 or 5, the strength should be in the design as much as the material, keep all the joints in compression so the welds are carrying minimal load, heres a sealey set with some overall dimensions which may give you some ideas http://www.motorsport-tools.com/sea...tonne-capacity-per-pair-car2000-p-244557.html
loads of other pictures on the net though

Thanks Paul.

 

[rikrobson]

IIRC

over hang is 1m at the front and 2m at the rear. The overhangs must be clearly markered. Ive always uses a hi-vis vest, but i thing the red/white diagonal marker V markers ar the official line.

My Mondeo is over 4m long so i'd bang them on the roof rack without getting them cut.

 

[weldingscotty803]

If the product requires cutting no hand tools, power tools or gas cutting equipment are to be used by the customer on our premises.

doesnt say anything about a friend cutting it for you, there not the customer

 

[rikrobson]

just checked the DoT site.

up to 2m front. no markings needed.

rearwards:
< 1m: no marking required
>1m <2m: mus be "clearly marked" i.e. Hi-viz vest.
>2m <3.05m: Marker boards required

so in theory you can carry 5m+length of vehicle on your roof rack if correctly marked.

 

[Justme]

They would be the customers agent.

 

[rikrobson]

that'll look funny on a smart car.

 

[Justme]

just checked the DoT site.

up to 2m front. no markings needed.

rearwards:
< 1m: no marking required
>1m <2m: mus be "clearly marked" i.e. Hi-viz vest.
>2m <3.05m: Marker boards required

so in theory you can carry 5m+length of vehicle on your roof rack if correctly marked.

Er what about the length of the car?

So it could be 2m front + <car length> + 1m, 2m or 3.05m

With a 4m car thats up to 9.05m

 

[rikrobson]

So it could be 2m front + <car length> + 1m, 2m or 3.05m

With a 4m car thats up to 9.05m

Yup that's how it reads.

 

[philpullan]

load it on the roof rack drive outside and cut it up there

 

[timh30]

Thanks for everyones replies/suggestions.

I've ordered the materials (uncut) and will pick them up tomorrow. The longest lengths are 7.5 m (some square box section). My Volvo V70 is just a shade under 5m long, so should be safe using the DOT guidelines.

Cheers,
Tim.