Wheel Ramp vs Jack Questions

[BootyDo]

Hello,

I've never changed the oil in my '06 myself, but now that I have a little two car garage, I'm very motivated to learn. First question though I'm running into is whether or not I should go with wheel ramps or invest in a jack & stands.

I've read a million reviews on the Rhino Wheel Ramps but there are also as many equal horror stories. I think I could potentially lay some 2"x4" against the wall, but I have to account for tool chests and stairs so it may not be all that dependable.

If I went with a good jack & stand set, I'd also be very capable doing break work, (used my dad's old stand so far in the past). If I went this route though, I'd really, really like to be able to prop the entire front/back of the car at one time for rotating my tires and changing my fuel filter.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a wannabe shade tree mechanic? Ultimately, price and storage are major concerns, but safety and dependability more so.

TIA!

 

[Turdle]

Some day you will need to raise the truck and remove a wheel, so, Jack and stands.

Get a good floor jack on the largest wheels you can afford, and a set of 6 ton stands.

 

[Anime]

Ramps have their place, and can be a good thing to have on hand for times when you need more room under the vehicle but either don't have the time or don't want to bust out a jack and jackstands to do it.

You can save yourself some money and make your own ramps with a good 20ft piece of 2 x 10" or 2 x 12" lumber. Have it cut into an 8 ft piece, a 6ft piece, a 4ft piece, and a 2 ft piece.

Then cut those in half using a 45-60 degree cut in the middle, so you wind up with two 4ft lengths, two 3ft lengths, two 2ft lengths, and two 1ft lengths.

Use wood glue and nail the pieces together with the 4ft on bottom and the 1 ft on top, putting the angled cuts in front to make it easier for the tire to go up the ramp steps.

You may also want to nail a 2 x 4 on the very top near the end so the tire has less chance of rolling forward off the ramp and causing body or suspension damage.


You now have way stronger ramps, and ones you can use to raise a vehicle the amount you need, not just one big height or nothing. Nail ropes or some chain to the big end to make them easier to drag around.

You'll want a jack and jackstands for jobs where you need to remove a tire. I'd suggest the regular 'ol 3 ton Craftsman jack and stands set at Sears, it usually goes on sale every so often and you can use coupons to make it even cheaper. The 3 ton jacks and stands kits they sell at places like Costco seem to do okay as well.

You may also want to get a second set of jackstands, perhaps a taller set or heavier duty 4-6 ton set for bigger jobs or when you really need to raise the rear end up.

 

[JacobDaniel]

I would go with the jack and stands, well worth it and for future projects.
I don't know how many times I kicked myself in the ass for having mine in storage when I needed them, lol

 

[Maniak]

If I could only have Stands or Ramps, I'd get the stands. I use the Ramps when I do an oil change or when I'm working in the engine bay but I "might" need to get under the front to reach up (or reach what I dropped).

When I'm doing more major work or pulling tires off etc I'm using jack stands..

For a floor jack I had to find a low profile one that had a 20" lift so I could fit it under all the different vehicles.. Just something to think of if your going to work on something other than just the explorer..

For jack stands.. the 3 ton is the minimum (shortest) I have.. My tallest ones extend to over 36" and I have a set in between. You can really never have too many sets

Having tall enough stands makes life easier.. I was able to swap a trans on the mustang thanks to stands. I was even able to sit up in the trans tunnel to fix/solder wires I broke.

There is no way I'd do this with ramps... My big stands are all the way down in the front and my 2nd shortest stands are in use in the back.

Mustang on stands by maniak_az, on Flickr


~Mark

 

[BootyDo]

Thanks for all the great advice! It really seems unanimous on the jack & stands combo. Since I'd like to feel safe working under an heavy Explorer for oil changes and be entirely under a jacked truck on stands, are there any recommendations for an "average Joe" garage? Anime, you mentioned a 3 Ton Craftsman - which I'd normally be all over - but from my experience using the 2 1/4 version, releasing the jack is far from subtle. The Harbor Freight 4 ton really seems like it receives great reviews. Would this sort of jack allow me to raise the entire front of my truck (obviously braced with great floor stands), for oil change/ fuel filter?

Again, thanks for all the kind advice all!

 

[Anime]

I wasn't suggesting the ramps over the jack and stands, merely pointing out you can make a set from a 20 ft piece of wood for just a few bucks, that works better than those 'Rhino Ramps'. It can be nice to have something like that to drive the vehicle onto when you want to work under it but don't really need the jack and stands for that particular job. Drive up on ramps, use parking brake, chock wheels, done.

The 3 ton Craftsman does have the 'jerky' issue where you have to twist hard to let it down - and then it releases too fast and you have to twist back quickly to keep it from coming down too hard. I had a 3.5 ton Craftsman jack that was slightly better, but it had the 'quick raise' feature, which I later found out is a weakness - jacks that have the valving to raise up to the lift point with the first pump also seem to eventually blow the seals and become useless within a few years, sometimes just after the 1-year warranty is up.

Me personally, I would not get a jack from Harbor Freight, especially not for $130 with a 'rapid pump' feature.

Part of the reason I suggested the 3-ton Craftsman is it's only $59.99 on sale, less than half the cost of that HF special and it'll be plenty of lift for an Explorer. It may only have a 1-year warranty like any other jack, but depending on your Sears store, they may swap it out for you since that same 3-ton jack seems to be a mainstay in stores. It can be a good idea to buy stuff that doesn't go away after a few months when it comes to stuff that might need to be replaced later on.

I don't think you'd even need to use a jack to change the oil, if you do need a little extra clearance, I'd say drive up on some pieces of wood, even just a few 2 x 4's.