[BioNerd]

Today I was trying to jack up my car and I realized that I have no idea. Maybe the ramps are going to be useful.

 

[Nutz 4 Benz]

Dig a 6 foot deep X 10 foot long X 24 inch wide trench in your yard :thumbsup: Make sure to shore up the sides. Nifty place to hide your biofuel from looters if the apocalypse hits.

 

[300Dman]

Ramps are limited to jobs where one end of the Car needs to be raised and you are not working on anything haveing to do with the Wheels. And they are handy for those jobs.

If you are going to work on the Wheels/Brakes you would need Jack Stand/s. But, of course you still have to Jack the Car Up but there is no choice with that.

Both Ramps and Jack Stands can cause issues.
While driving up on Ramps I have had one Ramp stay put and the other move. I have also driven too far on them.
Depending on what you are doing the inclined part of the Ramps uses up a lot of space where you need to get under the Car.

With Jack Stands I have had the Vehicle shift or slide on them when one side is on the stand and I am jacking up the other side. Jack stands can also sink into McAdam (Asphalt,Tarmac?) Drive Ways more so than the Ramps.

So for me I need Jack Stands because you can do more jobs with them and I also have Ramps for occasional use.

For either you need something to block/choc up the Wheels so the Car will not roll or shift position.

There is Jacking Points under the Car if you want to use a Floor type Jack.
If you are not on a level surface the Bilingstein Jack that comes with the Car can be a little scary to use if you are not on a flat hard surface. It is best used just to change the Tire. Lifting the Vehicle Higer with it; as I said can get scary.

 

[aubs]

And never work on a car unless it's supported by something other than a jack.

I like ramps personally. Sometimes I will jack up the wheel and put a ramp under it instead of a jack stand. I just can't get myself to trust jack stands.

 

[Rmac58]

My garage and driveway allow me to use jack stands, note the plural. I have yet to have the car shift. Maybe I'm just lucky.

But ramps have their place, some are a two piece design, letting you remove the ramp part once on the flat section, thus gaining access just behind the wheel. Some even have an extension so a low car can drive up them. However, they take up much storage space.
If you need to have the wheel suspended, go with the stands.

 

[BioNerd]

I have 4 jacks 2000pounds each. Where is the best place to place the jacks, and is there an order to do it? Front first I guess... =)

 

[SHAUNE55]

A simple trick to get your car on ramps without the ramps moving....Cut two strips of carpet fold it through the ramps,when you drive on your wheels are on the carpet and prevent the ramps from moving.

 

[Cycobilly]

I'll use either or both, depending on the work to be done. If both I'll drive the front on the ramps then jack up the back.

I've over-driven ramps once, with the noise and sudden lurching it scared the hell outta me, but I haven't repeated that since.

 

[chad300tdt]

I use jack stands most of the time. If I'm adjusting the SLS, I need the ramps so the rear suspension can be compressed.

When I use the ramps, I jack the car up using the cross member for the front or the differential for the rear and lower it onto the ramps.

I place the jack stands under the forward most part of the frame rails for the front end and under the big nut near the rear jack hole for the rear end. I also put a piece of 2x4 on top of the jack stand so the stand doesn't gouge any undercoating or bend anything.

I also give the car a hip-check to make sure it's solid before I climb under it.

 

[SHAUNE55]

Not like this then?!!

 

[MerzDiesler]

To each his own. The situation dictates. When I change my oil, I use ramps. I am a big fella and I do not fit under the car otherwise. It also tips the car in favor of the drain plug. Obviously if you need to take the wheels off, the ramps are useless. When you use ramps, make sure the other two wheels are chocked.

 

[BioNerd]

Not like this then?!!

Holly Molly!

 

[toddyvol]

I think these homemade ramps would seem pretty safe.

 

[300TD1984]

I think these homemade ramps would seem pretty safe.

you could use those on any size vehicle... problem is it probably costs more in wood than it would buying a set of ramps at the store.

 

[Rmac58]

^ Quite possible.

I would think those are difficult to maneuver and store.

 

[240_benz]

2 jacks up front, park brake on, the rear wheels chocked with 4"x4" blocks just to be safe.

 

[Scoot]

Dig a 6 foot deep X 10 foot long X 24 inch wide trench in your yard :thumbsup: Make sure to shore up the sides. Nifty place to hide your biofuel from looters if the apocalypse hits.

I had to dig a big hole to get the radiator out of a 1956 Facel Vega... Really.

 

[Scoot]

I think these homemade ramps would seem pretty safe.

I made a set of ramps very similar to those. They stack with the tops facing each other so they actually don't take up that much space. I actually made two sets of those with the lengths different - the objective being to be able to drive a car onto ramps under all 4 wheels. I made these when I needed to adjust something with the transmission linkage on my 250 SL - the manual was quite clear that the car had to be level, on the ground under weight, and you had to be under the car. So that was the solution I came up with.