Car or Lawnmower 2 Section Ramps

In order to clean under my lawnmower I wanted to be able to lift it up, but standard ramps were costly, AND the ramp portion of the unit ended up being in the way of the work I wanted to do. This design goes together easily and creates a two part ramp that allows for repair work easily.

Materials

2 ea: 2 x 8 x 12ft

1 ea: 2 x 4 x 6 (You will only need about 24 inches. I used a scrap piece I had left over.)

45+ 2 Inch coated construction screws.

Construction Glue (I used Loctite Power Grab)

Cut the 2x8x12s into the following lengths .

30" (2 ea)
15" (2 ea)
24" (2 ea)
18" (2 ea)
12" (10 ea)

Cut the 2x4 into the following

1½ x 1½ x 8 inches (6 ea)

Cut a 45 degree angle on one end of the following pieces:

4 of the 12 inch
2 of the 30 inch
2 of the 24 inch
2 of the 18 inch

Start by taking the 2 15 inch pieces and attach one of the 1½ x 1½ x 8" to the top of each with 2 of the construction screws and plenty of glue (be sure to set the small piece with the rounded edges facing up. This will be important later when the two halves are set together.

Set one of the 12" pieces on top of the 15" and use another 1½ x 1½ x 8" to measure a space. Allow for some slight movement, as you want this piece to slide out easy. Secure with construction screws and glue. (because these pieces will stack, I ran the screws opposite - 2 vertical on one level, and then 2 horizontal on the next to keep them from accidentally running into each other.)

Attach 2 of the 12" pieces, one on top of the other using screws and glue.

Attach one of the ANGLED 12" pieces to the top, setting the angle toward the hook.

Finally, attach one of the 1½ x 1½ x 8" on the very top, at the back. This is a bumper to keep you from accidentally rolling off the back of the top level.

Attach one of the small 1½ x 1½ x 8" to the bottom of the 18". Be sure to align the angle correctly.

Attach the 24" angled piece to the bottom of the 18" piece again using another 1½" wide piece to create the space.

Attach the 30" piece to the bottom of the 24" aligning the straight edges together.

Turn this piece over and attach the angled 12" piece to the top, aligning it with the straight edge of the 18" piece below it.

Here you can see the finished pieces hooked together. No screws or tools needed, just drop the ramp section over the hook of the stack.

To show how this works in real life, you can see my lawn mower on top of the ramp, and then I just slid the forward "Ramp Stack" away. This is why you need a bit of play in the small "hooks," to allow it to be removed easily. When I need to, the Ramp Stack will slide back in also with no hassles.

After using these for some time, I decided it would be easier to move them if they had handles. I first used a floppy plastic handle (See pic, the dark colored handle on the left) but they didn't last long.

I finally added an 8 inch utility handle to the side of each piece which did two things.

1. I can move two of them at once, one in each hand. The handles are firm and comfortable in my grip.
2. I put the handles on the outside, which means now I can identify which two pieces go together best and lay them out quicker.