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Building a good trailer ramp

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Scott Cee aka 2drx4 said:
ramps.jpg
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Fwiw on cutting weight, you can ditch a lot of weight by cutting the size and thickness of the rungs, then adding more web depth and reducing the flange width as needed

If you wanted, you could ditch the red angle hook piece, and if your c channel web is heavy enough thickness, cut hooks into that.


I'm done with heavy ramps, been there done that, my car trailer tilts and my 14k trailer had spring assist fold up ramps, I'm not waiting till I have back problems to find solutions
 
Projectjunkie said:
Fwiw on cutting weight, you can ditch a lot of weight by cutting the size and thickness of the rungs, then adding more web depth and reducing the flange width as needed

If you wanted, you could ditch the red angle hook piece, and if your c channel web is heavy enough thickness, cut hooks into that.


I'm done with heavy ramps, been there done that, my car trailer tilts and my 14k trailer had spring assist fold up ramps, I'm not waiting till I have back problems to find solutions
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So 2x2x.125 angle would be fine for the rungs? Only went with the .188 because that's what both sets of ramps I have are made out of.

I wanted to go with the HSS for the sides because it seemed better than C channel, but I could just buy light C channel and use flat bar to increase the web thickness, I'd have to look at the numbers to see if that makes sense. Or I guess I could just fab the whole web from scratch, but that would take a little longer.

Already have the back problems. Not worried about it.


I guess I also could just cut the hooks off that set of ramps, flip them over, weld them on the other side, and then run them until they're straight again. :flipoff2:

(For those of you that missed it, they're too fucking short, so I'm not wasting time fixing them)


I was hoping people would have pictures of their not bent ramps that actually work.
 
Scott Cee aka 2drx4 said:
I'm assuming the heavy channel that's 6lbs/foot?

How much do they weigh? 100lbs-ish?
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No I think 3" channel is only 3.5 lb/ft and 2x2x.188 (not ⅛ like i first thought) is only 2ish, so 14lb for cross bars and 40 for the two sides. So about 55lb each. That is the weight I was guessing before I looked up material weights
 
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CarterKraft said:
Beamboy.exe is a beam calculator that is free and pretty easy to use.

It doesn't provide info usually exactly for your situation but it lets you compare two materials with the same loading.

I can punch in some numbers later today but we have a volleyball tournament this morning.
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Which website did you download beamboy from?
 
I was gonna build some, then my buddy sent me the link to these, it wasn’t worth me building them.

www.ebay.com

72" x 14"_6800_LB_ALUMINUM_CAR_TRUCK_RAMPS TRAILER auto hauler Hook ends 6' long | eBay

Hook attaching end, Hooks on the back of a lot trailers. 72" Long X. 72" / 6' Long. 6061-T6 Aluminum. 14" WideX 2.25" Tall. Knife Foot. (3,400 LBS Per Ramp ). Usable loading height, 12"-36".
www.ebay.com

There’s a bunch of aluminum ramps on eBay of different length and weight ratings.
 
77fixer said:
No I think 3" channel is only 3.5 lb/ft and 2x2x.188 (not ⅛ like i first thought) is only 2ish, so 14lb for cross bars and 35 for the two sides. So about 50lb each. That is the weight I was guessing before I looked up material weights
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There's three different standard weights of 3" C-channel. 4.1lbs/ft, 5lbs/ft, and 6lbs/ft. Unless my chart is wrong. :confused: But if they're only about 50lbs then it's the light stuff.

Jeffh555 said:
I was gonna build some, then my buddy sent me the link to these, it wasn’t worth me building them.

www.ebay.com

72" x 14"_6800_LB_ALUMINUM_CAR_TRUCK_RAMPS TRAILER auto hauler Hook ends 6' long | eBay

Hook attaching end, Hooks on the back of a lot trailers. 72" Long X. 72" / 6' Long. 6061-T6 Aluminum. 14" WideX 2.25" Tall. Knife Foot. (3,400 LBS Per Ramp ). Usable loading height, 12"-36".
www.ebay.com

There’s a bunch of aluminum ramps on eBay of different length and weight ratings.
Click to expand...
Oh, hmm. Those ones won't ship to me but others will. I don't know if I want to spend that much though. Guess I should price out the steel before I say that, current prices are nuts and they still have supply issues at the places I go to.
 
I gotta make new ramps for my trailer. No way will they be slide in storage, doing a hinge for backs sake.
 
Scott Cee aka 2drx4 said:
There's three different standard weights of 3" C-channel. 4.1lbs/ft, 5lbs/ft, and 6lbs/ft. Unless my chart is wrong. :confused: But if they're only about 50lbs then it's the light stuff.


Oh, hmm. Those ones won't ship to me but others will. I don't know if I want to spend that much though. Guess I should price out the steel before I say that, current prices are nuts and they still have supply issues at the places I go to.
Click to expand...


i've got a shop full of aluminum and steel...

i wouldn't build a set they get too damn heavy.
i would buy aluminum like the ones linked. you can find them on amazon too. well worth the money.
 
My PJ Buggy Hauler ramps are all 3” Channel (rungs and length). Heavy and annoying, but at least they come out the back instead of the side.

Crawler Hauler had some pre-made aluminum. So easy to toss around. Definitely think about a set for the other trailer.
 
I’ve got some heavy duty ramps but they are HEAVY! I would love to build some aluminum ramps but worry I’ll spend all this money on material and not have them strong enough
 
I bet if you got creative with rollers the "heavy" ramps you old men hate could me made to slide in and out of their storage spot under the trailer quite easily.

Look at a file cabinet for inspiration.
 
JNHEscher said:
Took some scrolling, but found a site night that looked alright. Got it downloaded.
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Your like minded enough to get some use out of it.

If you figure out the formula to calculate custom section modulas let us know.
I always want to test non standard beams or tubes (like a double flange plated tube) and I have to just basically guess at shit.
It has calculators for regular materials.

I found this
www.engineersedge.com

Section Modulus Equations and Calculators Common Shapes

Section modulus is a geometric property for a given cross-section used in the design of beams or flexural members.
www.engineersedge.com
 
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If you will give me "this or that" in regular HSS, Channel, angle etc. I will run them for you.

Or if you are good with maths you can figure out the section modulus for the profile you want to use.

I think this profile would work for a "flat strap" reinforced tube.
I might download the photo math app later and try to solve this formula.

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Jeffh555 said:
I was gonna build some, then my buddy sent me the link to these, it wasn’t worth me building them.

www.ebay.com

72" x 14"_6800_LB_ALUMINUM_CAR_TRUCK_RAMPS TRAILER auto hauler Hook ends 6' long | eBay

Hook attaching end, Hooks on the back of a lot trailers. 72" Long X. 72" / 6' Long. 6061-T6 Aluminum. 14" WideX 2.25" Tall. Knife Foot. (3,400 LBS Per Ramp ). Usable loading height, 12"-36".
www.ebay.com

There’s a bunch of aluminum ramps on eBay of different length and weight ratings.
Click to expand...
I have the 72" version of these on my dump trailer, they are rated at 3k lbs per ramp. Tough as hell and I can easily pick one up and carry it with one hand.

I load my 7k tractor with no deflection or issue.

I load my 6 ton excavator with them but don't let the front rollers put weight in the middle of the ramp going up or down. So far the ramps aren't bending.
 
Tinstar said:
I have the 72" version of these on my dump trailer, they are rated at 3k lbs per ramp. Tough as hell and I can easily pick one up and carry it with one hand.

I load my 7k tractor with no deflection or issue.

I load my 6 ton excavator with them but don't let the front rollers put weight in the middle of the ramp going up or down. So far the ramps aren't bending.
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Could you "blueprint" those ramps for us, I might want to build a set.
 
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