Van ramp

[Jacob]

Looking to make up a van ramp (Fiat Doblo Cargo) to load and unload a combi machine 360kg
Would doubled up shuttering ply on 2no 2x4"s do it, half a sheet wide?
Or any suggestions?

 

[Jameshow]

Looking to make up a van ramp (Fiat Doblo Cargo) to load and unload a combi machine 360kg
Would doubled up shuttering ply on 2no 2x4"s do it, half a sheet wide?
Or any suggestions?

Yes I've built temp wheelchair ramps out of 18mm ply and 4x2. (200kg ish)
So 36mm ply with large timber screws should do it.
I had the 4x2 on top of the ply as a edge but you might want them underneath and some 2x2 as a edging.

 

[Jacob]

Yes I've built temp wheelchair ramps out of 18mm ply and 4x2. (200kg ish)
So 36mm ply with large timber screws should do it.
I had the 4x2 on top of the ply as a edge but you might want them underneath and some 2x2 as a edging.

Thanks.
Come to think - having the 2x4" on top would be good but have to be bolted through. Or perhaps 2x2" top and bottom bolted through. Maybe one thickness of 18mm ply would do it. 360kg isn't massive but point loads could be high.

 

[Lons]

I made one when I had VW Transporter a few years ago, I used 3 short scaffold boards with some used 18mm ply of unknown origin and it worked fine on quite a number of occasions then stripped down again when finished. We were careful not to stand on the ramp at the same time it carried the weight of the machine but I'm sure it still would have been ok. A sheet of ply supported by 4x2 will easily carry 360kg. If concerned about point loading fix the machine to a smaller ply sheet and slide the whole thing down, it can then be rolled over scaffold tubes or round fence posts etc on flat ground rather than lifting if easier.

 

[Max Power]

Be careful when it reaches the point of no return. I unloaded a Wadkin RS in the region of a ton and it shot out like a scud missile. Thankfully all was well

 

[clogs]

360kgs is a lot of weight for a cock up ramp.....
what happens if it lets go or a runaway.....
there plenty out there man with a van na lot have taillifts.....
pay the extra, wont be much if local..save the stress n ur back....

I got a stripped down Wadkin RS moved from Blackpool to Peterbourgh for less than £150......
Luton Transit with a tail lift, he supplied 2 pallets and a pallet truck...
loaded in 1/2 hour inc getting it onto the pallets...
I did say no rush and do it when ur up that way.....easy peasy......

 

[Richard_C]

Is this a one off job or regular use? For regular use, the longer the ramp the easier the slope, but you end up with a long, perhaps too long, heavy ramp to contend with. There are loads of designs for van ramps for things like motorcycles, quad bikes etc., which you could look at for ideas.

For one off use, then yes, cheap and cheerful as you suggest should work. Maybe a couple of intermediate legs/blocks/wedges/bricks between ground and ramp. I have a sheet of old white conti-plas which isn't strong but is slippery, I use it in the boot of the hatchback if I need to slide heavy stuff to the other end. Getting a heavy thing up a plywood slope won't be easy unless its on wheels.

 

[Owd Jockey]

I used a 1.5m section of old kitchen worktop to gently lower a bought second-hand lathe out from a Ford Transit. Lots of protective wood underneath should the ramp slide. In the end using gravity, in a controlled manner really helped.

 

[curryjunkie]

Be careful when it reaches the point of no return. I unloaded a Wadkin RS in the region of a ton and it shot out like a scud missile. Thankfully all was well

agreed, 360kilo is a lot to stop, id attach ropes or a winch and slowly wind it down, make your ramp out of scaffold boards 12 ft long so its a more gentle slope, or better still hire a van with tailift like clogs suggests.

 

[dizjasta]

Using 2no 4"x2" C16 grade timber beams with a length of 2 metres attached somehow to the rear of an average van will produce a ramp inclined at around 14 degrees to the horizontal. 2no C16 timber beams with this length will support a maximum point load at mid span of around 500Kg but the beams should be connected by 4"x2" timber braces and ties from M6 studding at their ends and mid point. Using 18mm thick plywood on the top surface should be sufficient when main beams are around 600mm apart.
When the ramp is secured to the vehicle the force to pull the load parallel to the ramp could be as high as 270Kg depending on friction between load and ramp.
When off loading with same friction forces around 100Kg force will be needed to push the load down the ramp.
As you will appreciate this is an opinion based on the available details. If any doubts exist do not proceed with actions mentioned in these comments.