Pepboys selling Rhino Ramps for $15.99 in Delaware

[ApacheXMD]

i have metal ramps, and when alone, I'm always scared I might drive right off the end of them. Mine have a pretty deep detent, but it's still a little unnerving

-patchy

 

[Carapace]

If you use common sense when using ramps, just like anything else, they are safe. Block the rear wheels so your car cannot roll back, use the ebrake as well.

For you people using Rhino ramps and have the problem of them slipping forward on the garage floor as you drive up them, get a impact drill, drill a total of four (two holes for each ramp, use a chalk line to get the holes to line up straight) 5/8" hole about 2 inches deep in your floor and get a 1/2" wide X 4" long pin, drop it in the hole, put your ramps in front of the pins. Problem solved.

I drilled my holes like 4 inches apart from each other so the ramp will distribute it's force across them evenly. I also hang a tennis ball from the ceiling so I can know where my car is in relation to the recess for the tire in the ramp.

For the major stuff I still prefer a jack and stands. I use the ramps for oil changes.

 

[huesmann]

How about you just drill two holes and use a 2x4 against them to hold the ramps in place? That way you can use it for different cars of different track widths.

 

[MonkeyWithAnUZI]

OK guys, I don't want to be the village idiot, and not to refute Dud's warning, but why would the car slip if you have the Emergency Brake on??

When using ramps or even jacking the car, the Emergency Brake is on (unless I'm rotating tires), or I have either set chocked (I'm paranoid).

So.....what am I missing here?

Good deal btw...I don't have a lot of faith in the metal ramps 'cept for getting underneat my tractor mower (real handy with the metal ramps...I drive it up there, in the yard, put on the brake, set it to 1st gear, remove the spark plug cable, and sharpen the blades with my Dremel (DAMNED handy thing), without unbolting/blah).

 

[Thump553]

Originally posted by: MonkeyWithAnUZI
OK guys, I don't want to be the village idiot, and not to refute Dud's warning, but why would the car slip if you have the Emergency Brake on??

When using ramps or even jacking the car, the Emergency Brake is on (unless I'm rotating tires), or I have either set chocked (I'm paranoid)./

Never, ever trust your parking brake. You sound experienced enough to know this but others might not. As proof stop on a steep hill, put the parking brake on with the car in neutral and let your foot off the brake. Most cars will roll. If not, have someone push on the uphill side of the car-it almost certainly will roll then. ALWAYS chock at least two wheels, on both sides of the wheel.

The problem with ramps is they can fail, or people can improperly use them. I've driven off my current set a few times (slippery ramp, standard transmission front wheel drive means its hard for a klutz to get up the ramps right in wet weather (I work outside)). The side support beams can become twisted and the ramp is much less safe then. Or you may not have the car all the way up properly so the wheels are firmly set in the wells.

Jacks are undoubtedly safer. Ramps, in good condition and properly used, are safe enough for such things as oil changes. If I'm going under the car a long way or time, it's always jackstands for me. An oil change the ramps and chocks are good enough.

People above mentioned the problem of ramps slipping on your garage floor when you drive up them. The bolts in the floor will work fine, but a far simpler solution is two pieces of scrap 2 x 4, one in front of each ramp to the garage wall to brace the ramp. Simple to use, no fuss and no permanent damage to the floor.

 

[VaG]

Most of the safety arguments that have been addressed in this thread so far are obviously coming from people who have no idea what rhino ramps are and are still using steel ramps. I'm no engineer by trade, but I know a competent engineer would consider all the factors in any given situation before determining and recommending that one product is safer than another. I have personally seen a car that was on jack stands and a heavy duty jack hit the deck due to sunken jacks on hot asphalt.

 

[HS911]

Originally posted by: VaG
Most of the safety arguments that have been addressed in this thread so far are obviously coming from people who have no idea what rhino ramps are and are still using steel ramps. I'm no engineer by trade, but I know a competent engineer would consider all the factors in any given situation before determining and recommending that one product is safer than another. I have personally seen a car that was on jack stands and a heavy duty jack hit the deck due to sunken jacks on hot asphalt.

Well, proper usage of jacks and jackstands would require that you place them on a stable base when working on soft ground. Sounds like someone wasn't using their head.

At any rate, I'm probably going to pick these up as an alternative to lugging my jack up and down 2 flights of stairs every time I need to work on my car. I keep jackstands and chocks in my trunk, so safety won't be an issue.

 

[cutebaby]

I've been using the rhino ramps for years, and it has been great (I changed from steel ramps to rhino ramps as I feel that steel ramps are unsafe.). I can't imagine how the car would slip off the ramp if wheel chocks are applied to the both the back wheels and the hand brake is applied. Perhaps dud didn't chock the wheels and the hand brake happened to fail at the worse possible moment (hand brake do fail sometimes, which is why you have to turn your wheels when parked on a slope.). btw...there is a slight incline on top of the ramp to prevent the wheel from moving on level ground, dud might have been using the ramp on a slope. If all safety measures are employed, rhino ramps are very safe.

 

[huesmann]

Yeah, sometimes if your rear brakes are hot and you set the e-brake, later on they will cool down and shrink, loosening them. The car can then roll downhill.

 

[thebestMAX]

How about "park" for automatic transmissions, 1st for manuals plus the parking brake and chocks on a steel plate with the Rhino Ramps each bolted down???

Guess the tires could still go flat. so use jack stands too.

 

[cutebaby]

Or...an earthquake could happen, the ground would open up and swallow you...

 

[Carapace]

Originally posted by: huesmann
How about you just drill two holes and use a 2x4 against them to hold the ramps in place? That way you can use it for different cars of different track widths.

Ummmmm, cause I originally didn't have a 2x4 when I did that, nor was a smart enough to think of it.
I dunno, I'd just prefer to pull the pins rather than stashing a 6 ft 2x4 in my already cramped garage, but it's a great idea nonetheless.

 

[cutebaby]

Just a tip to prevent the rhino ramps from slipping from your wheel:
What I typically do is that I shove the ramps towards my wheel so that the edge of the ramp go a little deeper between the tires and the floor, and drive. It never slipped for me.

Another tip to prevent overshooting the ramp:
Place a mirror on the floor and position it such that you are able to see the reflection of your wheels going up the ramp from the driver seat.

 

[CuriousGeorge]

While we're on the topic of car mech safety, has anyone ever tried those WHEEL JACKS?

also, for a quick safe way of changing my oil, I drive one of my wheels up onto a curb, and put my AUTO in park and apply e-brake.

 

[huesmann]

That still wouldn't give me enough room under the car.

WTF is a wheel jack?