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have been thinking of doing more work on my old focus and like the idea of the ramps linked below although not the price http://www.cjautosheywood.co.uk/adjramp.shtml as they give considerably more height than usual. I'll probably look for 2nd hand but wondered if there was a better /simpler way to achieve the same ..obviously tall jacks/axle stands/support blocks etc are feasible but i want something fairly quick and easy. Your advice much appreciated
thanks
Bill
I quite like those, I have normal ramps and they are pretty much useless for anything other than the landrover as all my normal cars have been unable to get up them without making some form of initial ramp out of wood so the bumper doesnt scrape.
Those photos of the classic cars on them make me cringe though, I bet the chassis are twisting nicely! A modern car should be much better.
Just to add.. for anything that doesnt need the wheels off the ground then some form of ramp is much nicer. But if you need to take a wheel off then a decent jack and some axle stands are a must. I often put spare wheels and/or the ramps with wood on top under a main cross member as a precaution when using stands. I would still do that with the above or place some stands underneath just in case. anything adjustable has an element of risk compared to a fixed ramp.
you can do a lot of damage jacking and using stands in the wrong place. i have a couple of cheap trolley jacks I bought when I was student - I would never recommend them to anyone. Buy some nice low profile, wide trolley jacks with a nice large platform.
Those linked to ramps scare me - i'd want a secondary fail safe mechanism which I cant see should the threaded mechanism fail.
In the next few weeks - I should be ripping out a 2post GKN lift (tested) and a 4 post Bradbury, both will be going for beer/scrap money.
I cannot tell you how good it is working underneath your own on a ramp!
I appreciate the advice as I have limited experience working under /on cars although I try and be safe and think about it beforehand .Always preferred motorbikes and bicycles.....car was just a tool for A2B but can't afford garages these days so got to try and do my own repairs/maintenance etc.
Rusty..I'd love one of those but rent a house and i doubt the landlord would be happy ! Good point about the backup support just in case
There aren't many jobs you need to get under a car for. Ive had the luxury of the above ramps for the last 12months and spanner my own 14year old Volvo and 10year old Transit.
Ive done a full exhaust on the Volvo which definitely needed the ramp and took the opportunity to POR15 everything underneath but other than that timing belt, brakes, and suspension components are all doable with normal jacks and axle stands.
for oil changes - I use a Pela suction pump
It reaches right down into the bottom of the sump on our Volvo - Ive been convinced a few times that its missed a bit but every time I pull the sump plug its empty so i trust it now. The filter is accessible without having to jack the car up.
Crumbs for that much cash I’d be looking at a set of drive up & tilt car display ramps. They come up on eBay all the time. Though storage may be an issue.
Have a look at race ramps if you have space.
Where are you RNP?
set of axle stands and a decent jack. If you can’t support if properly I’d question if you are fit for fixing it.
I have some normal ramps which work pretty well for me. However 80% of the time I need the wheels off. Ramps not much of a solution IMO.
Now if someone could come up with something I could slot into a hole in the drive that would keep the car up like a garage ramp, that would be awesome.
They look like they’d be painful, winding up and down with a rachet. Trolley jack (decent one) and axel stands for the win.
With jack and stands you can lift one side of the car if required, not just front/rear.
Where are you RNP?
Rossendale Lancs. Home of world famous Lee Quarry
Depends what work you want to do? As soon as you want to do any suspension/brakes/CV etc you need the wheels off.
Personally I would rather have a decent low profile trolley jack and a set of axle stands, much more versatile.
I know some people like ramps for oil changes, they dont need to worry about jacking and stand placement.
Not cheap but effective, if you are doing a lot of work I daresay they pay for themselves...
Unless you're taking an engine out or doing some serious work under a car stripping sealant or something then ramps are fairly limited in application.
High lift jack and axle stands work just as well, ime, and you can adjust the height the car's at to what's comfortable. The biggest issue is making sure you put the stands on a bit of the car that won't be damaged by having weight resting on it, the back wheels can't move and that the car is on level ground.