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Aluminum Ramp Recommendation Sought.
nunn
Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,013 ******
I know there are a jillion of these out there, and I have looked at a few online. BUT,,,I figure some of you know more about these things than I do, and can recommend to me one that will do as I need it to.
The door opening is 60" so the ramp can't be any wider than that. I don't think that will be a problem, since most of the ramps I've seen around 29" to 36" wide.
The door sill is 21" from the ground. I'd like to bolt the ramp to the door sill, unless it is light enough to pick it up and move it easily.
I'm not sure how long the ramp should be. The angle should be fairly shallow, I should think.
Weight limit? It should be able to handle an empty gun safe on a furniture dolly.
So, what say you, my friends?.
Comments
I don't know if it would be wide enough, but some years back I cut a U-Haul ramp into 2 pieces to load a BMW motorcycle, crossways into a rack on an aluminum flatbed on my truck. The ramp was cut so it would fit on the flatbed crossways. I fabricated steel splines so it could be reassembled for use.. I traveled the US, and never had any trouble with it, though I did take advantage of any slope in the land that I could use. As for weight, the bike was 490 lbs. dry, and it was fully accessorized, with full fairing, saddlebags, etc. (probably 750 +) , and I weigh about 240. The ramp came equipped with hooks that coincidentally fit in the stake pockets on the truck bed, but I'm sure anyone who works with metal could make a couple of bolt down brackets. Hope this helps.
My in-laws bought one for their shed. It's aluminum and they just pick it up and store inside the shed. I don't have details on which one they bought though.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Anything screwed to the door sill will most likely fail, as in rip apart.
How about getting a couple used metal scaffolding boards from a local rental. As in buy them.
Screw a piece of some sort of angled metal just below the door sill then fasten the boards to the angle.
The boards have hooks on the end and will come out almost flush with the door sill.
They are about 20 inches wide and 7 feet long.
I just build mine out of treated lumber, lasts decades. If you are planing to leave it permanently, that would be your best bet.
If it's only to load the safe, just use a few railroad ties or 4 x4's and a piece of thick plywood if you want a permanent one frame it and pour cement...
If you want a permanent ramp build it out of treated lumber use 2x6 for the framing and 5/4 decking boards for the floor . Should last as long as we do . Make it about 6 foot long and the width of your opening
I would recommend going with a pair of pickup truck ramps or trailer ramps.
I have one of those portable building pre-fab wood sheds and use 4 short aluminum ramps to drive my riding mower in and out of it. It works but I could've gotten double duty use out of a pair longer ramps.
The standard handicap accessible ramp is at a 1/12 slope. That would necessitate your ramp being 252" (21') long. You can likely get away with something a bit steeper. 1/8 would be a 14' ramp, 1/4 a 7'.
How heavy of a safe are you planning to wheel in there and how much help do you plan to have?
If this is just to get a safe up & in the door, here's what I did. A couple of 2x10s as ramps. Long enough to ease the slope and supported every few feet. I used a metal plate to ramp the safe onto & off the 2x. I ran it over the sill plate & supported it on both sides so I didn't crush the sill plate. The safe in the pics is only 900#. the other was 1200#. Since I was by myself (no nosey neighbors) I used a come-a-long to pull them in. Easy-Peasy.
The ramp is to be a permanent fixture. It will allow loading heavy things in, and it will allow loading things out, as for going to a gun show.
are you gonna be loading into a truck or trailer??? If so how close to level will the trailer be to the floor?? may be easier to make a ramp from trailer to building and just make a step up into building for normal use.....
I see this a lot. Someone asks a specific question and he gets all sorts of responses that don't answer the question, but try to convince him to do something different.
I will have a permanent ramp built from treated lumber.
Thanks.
David, in looking at your original post, I think 2x10's will work. I wonder if you really need the 60" width but OK. The length of the boards depends on how heavy of a load you will have and how much muscle you have available. A 6' long 2x10 would give you about a 20 degree slope. That's pretty steep especially if you have no help and are moving a heavy object. 8 foot 2x10's would result in about a 12 degree slope - much more manageable. I suggest you lay on edge and attach 2x6's under the 2x10's. You would need to taper both ends somewhat but I wouldn't go any thinner than 3.5 inches from the 5.5. The addition of a 4x8 sheet on top would be a help in 2 ways. It would keep the 2x10 from wanting to move plus if say, you were to use something like a furniture dolly, the concentrated load from the dolly wheels would be spread out from just the 2x10's under the dolly wheels. I believe this arrangement will support 1000#. Hope this makes some sense. Obviously, I'm not an English major.
I think that will be easiest, sturdiest, most customizable, and cheapest option. I do recommend a good non slip on top, I use stick on type. Very sticky and about like 60 grit sand paper. Wet wood(or metal) causes busted butts, ask me how I know.😁
Good thought mike55. About 35 years ago I built a bike trailer and used a semi trailer door for the floor. Plywood w/ aluminum skin on both sides. It was slick even when dry. I found the tape you spoke of but don't remember where I got it - maybe from my pal that owned a trailer mfg business - that's where I got the new door also. It was in a roll and about 6" wide. worked great and stayed in place for decades.
Aluminum treated lumber?
Makes it last WAY longer! 😁
Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. When I built the trailer the doors for the semi trailers were often made with a plywood core and a 20 ga or so skin glued to both sides. Yes, it stood up for 30 years.
I'm thinking that @mike55 is referring to the mineral surfaced roll roofing. It would cover the whole surface making it water resistant & provide traction.
Nunn,
These look to be the ramps I have for my shed. I have 4 of them. I'm not sure if we bought them from this business though.
They are not permanent but I image you could drill and mount them.
They do the job but, I could easily use a set of pickup bed ramps for double duty.
You might google "Aluminum Ramps for sheds" there are more styles to include wider ramps.
A Google image search will give you some ideas:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Aluminum+Ramps+for+shed&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwix2MH23rX-AhWmLt4AHSrSBZkQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=Aluminum+Ramps+for+shed&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1CHCVjfFmCCF2gAcAB4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=GsM_ZLHjM6bd-LYPqqSXyAk&bih=615&biw=1366&client=firefox-b-1-d
A pic of my shed:
Another link to check out:
https://www.discountramps.com/shed-ramps/c/8110/
Here is a company with roll up ramps.
I have their 36” ramp to move my concession equipment out of my trucks. They are very sturdy and hold up very well. I think I have had mine for 10 years now.
Why not pour some concrete and be done with it?
Cost a LOT more $. Folks like me have to take that into account.
Just sayin'
These ramps appear to be of great quality. They are a bit pricey though. 36" wide and 10' long with brackets is a little over $2G delivered.
There is no place I can actually buy one and take it home. There is one place, over 60 miles away, where I can see one in person and order one like it.
Also, Wayfair carries these ramps, but not the full line and no brackets or braces.
Hell of a lot more than pouring concrete?
Yeah, but concrete you can't roll up and store in a closet.
You posted it would be permanent, now you want to roll it up?...
Yes. When I posted that, I was unaware of portable options. Sorry.
Yes they are pricey but they do hold up very well. I tried many different types over the years and none of the others help up even close to these. And my ramps take a beating loading and unloading concession equipment every week for months on end.