That is a really fantastic idea. I've been doing a little job on my car this afternoon and it was nearly impossible to get access just by jacking up. Will make some over the holiday. Unfortunately my jack doesn't go as low as yours. Thank you for sharing. Such a simple idea but so useful.
Nice tip. The only thing that I worry about is the 2x12 span the tire sits on. This could split. I would like to see some solid wood placed under this span. Also, always have backup supports like stands (preferrably pinned type) near where you are working.
I got something very similar they go up in 5-in increments for a total height to 15 in the only thing you need to put it underneath it is scissor jacks you get a set of four from a junkyard for around 20 to $30 then again actually that board underneath there is strong enough to hold that because it's not long enough to crumble and break like you think it is I've been doing it for over 30 years now not a problem one of the most sturdiest platforms you can put a car on, sure beats spending $2,000
This is an excellent idea!!! And exactly what I have been searching for. You don't have to buy an expensive MyLiftStand ($800 for a set of four stands plus shipping and so on). Maybe even batter..
I just wanted to say great idea and great way to put it together. I plan on building a set right away. Thanks for the idea. One suggestion is to paint them with a no slip paint. The vehicle would get better grip plus it would protect the wood. Again great idea.
I don't trust jack stands... I had a full size ford truck fall right after I crawled out from under it!! I like your idea much better. The way the grain of the wood runs on your ramps would hold a dump truck. Some people are stupid! keep up the good work!
Great idea, simple but effective. Cut list for a set of two would be 2 ea 2x10x21", 4 ea 2x10x10.5", 8 ea 1x2x9.5", 12 ea 4x4x9.5". If you were leaving the car up for a while, I would add a center piece that is made of 2x10 with a pair of joined 4x4 on top, then a 4x4 piece laid lengthwise on top of that. You would need to shave a blade width off the third 4x4 so that it would fit under. Just for a bit of added safety. All in all this is an impressive idea and would store neatly too.
For all the knockers, it would be easy to replace the top board with 1/4 " steel plate and then no problems. I would suggest that the foot brake should be applied to prevent the wheel from turning while jacking, a simple rod from the seat to brake pedal should work.
Nice Video. and I c there lots people criticize about the safety issue and I agree with that. but there's simple solution since you have plenty of wood why dont you just put the spare woods underneath that "bridge", I would say just stack 2 of "4*4" gonna work even there leave a gap, thats a insurance only take 5 secs, therefore even that failed the car not gonna landed on someones face. sry for my english, it's not my first language.
Very good. It is inexpensive, uses common materials, relatively light and when stored, it could serve as a seat! :)) I'd give two thumbs up if YT would allow it. Thank you for sharing sir!
I like this.... i think it needs a little work for me to trust it, but good concept in wood. I would however use 4 of the initial bridges, one for each wheel and use them to jack the wheels a bit at a time, keeping the vehicle as level as possible. I would also make sure everything interlocked to prevent sliding. And further to this i would put 4 axle stands under too. But very good
For all who think the wood is going to break. It won't. Let's say: top plate: 1.5 x 12 poplar top plate span: 18" It would take 2700 lbs per wheel load to break that board. Poplar has a strength of around 5.5ksi. A beam 18" span beam in bending - made out of poplar - can take quite a bit of load. His truck max load (with cargo) prob has around 1500 lbs load per wheel.
Nice job. People with negative comments don't understand much about material and physics. Wood when used correctly could be as strong as steel. Just examine the frame of the house. I especially like the way the wheels are jacked up with the load of the car instead of jacking up on the frame of the car with a lateral load on the other side. It puts a lot of stress on the wheel bearings with a lateral load. But your idea eliminated that problem completely. I want to make one too. Could you tell me the dimensions of the lumber cuts ?
Very nice, the only thing you should add is two big blocks of wood that can slide under each side below the middle. Where you lift up with the floor jack. With the big wood blocks under there while you work, you can feel extra safe.
It wouldn't have hurt, financially or otherwise, to add a set of blocks beneath the center of the top board, just to be safe. They wouldn't have to make contact with the top board, they're just for extra support in case of failure of the main support board, so no additional jacking would be necessary. Or he could have replaced the main board with a steel plate. Also, instead of trying to align the tires onto the initial support configuration of boards by driving over them (and possibly misaligning them), he could have just jacked up one side and placed the initial support boards into place on each side, and then continued jacking up each side as before. The advantage to this approach is that the two smaller blocking boards that keep the tire in place could be replaced with larger cross-section pieces. This could be seen as another safety factor, but an added bonus is being able to 'safely' add another layer of lower boards to the height.
Just put scissor Jack's underneath it and scissor them up with a block of wood on top you can get a set of four at the junkyard for like 20 bucks or you can use a piece of Steel it doesn't really matter but really that that 2x10 is not an issue at all it will hold that and even more
Of all the ways iv seen here in utube to get a vehicle safely off the ground easily simple ,this is one of the best iv seen , my golf GTI is low and thats a perfect way ,simple build safe .Many thanks for sharing , its my next project .
Double up the boards the tires sit on and use jack stands after then go under car and this is a great idea. I would never get under a car with that. But all he has to do is jack uo one side a bit put a jack stand in then do the other side. His idea give balance to the car which is excellent! Good idea.
This is tremendously clever, but it has two issues. First is the bridge splitting in half which you addressed in the comments, and the second is that the utility of the ramp feature is kinda wasted by the fact you still need to use a hydraulic jack. At that point it's better to just jack the middle and use two stout wooden cribbings.
For those who think a 6 ton jack stand is going to save you. Consider being hit by a stray car while you're under there. A wider platform can withstand it. People who love life should put a wheel or wider block-like objects under the car. Blocks can be crisscrossed stacked.
Good idea, but for safe measure I would cut some extra 4x4's to fill the void under the wheels. 20 bucks and 10 mins of cutting if that could save your life, why not do it?
+Silicon Toad Yeah I agree with that. That is how I would want to do it If I was going to be working under a car that was raised up on those blocks. Of course an easier way might just be to go onto Craigslist and pick up some metal ramps for $20.
I like the idea. For your safety the 10x2 boards under the wheel might eventually crack and possibly give from the flexing of the load and lifting of the jack.
I do the same thing, watched it time ago done in metal, much stronger but you need a welder. I built it in wood like you did, but I use the jack trapezes too after the car is jacked up, to increase the security. I'm always scared about just having one opportunity to live if something fails)))
Thanks, I need a low ramp, as my car has a low wind spoil that just pushes ramps away and going up ramps or a pain, never seem to go up straight. Though you should center the two bottom 10x10 cm into in a pyramid shape not a step.
You got my vote. Your design is easy to store, cheap and simple compare to below products. $6000 6000 Lb. Capacity Scissor Lift $3600 Aston® Mid-Rise Scissor Lift 8000lb 47" Electric Lock Release 220V ASL-MR8047 $1845 QuickJack Extended TL Vehicle Lift - 7,000 Lb. Capacity $415 Summit Racing SUM-905225 - Summit Racing™ 3,000 lb. Hydraulic Lift Ramps $285 SuxiDi 2PCS Auto Car Truck Service Ramps Lifts, 10000lbs Heavy Duty Hydraulic Car Ramps Lift for Car Repair
The only problem I see is that plank of wood is only one and a half inches thick. The top of the wood is in compression and the bottom of the wood is in tension. I know its holding up fine in the video but it is spanning about 16 to 20 inches and one and a half inches should not be sufficient for that task. My guess is small cracks will develop with repeated use and one day you will hear a loud split in the wood and it will fail. I would at least out a wheel under the car while I was under it.
A front corner of my 2003 Grand Cherokee 4.7 has been held up by a piece of soft wood decking just under 5" wide by 1+1/8" thick. Our decking is made from cheap wood 10ft of decking cost me £7. The decking stands on 2 bits of 3" by 3"about 10" apart. If the decking was twice as thick, it would be 4 times as strong. If the decking was twice as wide it would be twice as strong. A piece of stress graded 2" by 10" would be more 10 times as strong. If you are still worried, use a piece of stress graded 3 by 10 for the bridge. It will be at least 18 times as strong as my piece of decking. Any questions?
I noticed your jack head gets low enough to fit under the 3 1/2" 4x4's... My only can get it down to 4 5/8". I would have to rig something... I love the idea...Great job!!! (I think they are called "low profile jacks".)
🤔 ahmm? honestly.. I would feel more secure if you had it on jack stands. To the fact that the truck is actually weighing on that one board, to where it could give way any time. It would off been much faster just jacking it up on to jack stands. Because you need to consider the weight of that truck, if working underneath it. It's an ok idea? But to much muck around just putting the jigsaw together if you ask me. You've got a good enough jack to lift the whole thing.
good idea. just wondering if you put the woods out side of the building, it may no that strong then before, after rain, sunshine and etc. so be sure the wood still in good condition is also important every time before you do so.
4x4 in compression ok but don't trust the 2x10 in tension. Wood is not homogeneous, two boards may looked the same but internal stresses and structure could be very different. The ones under tension could split along the grain. Have you seen wood looking perfect but infested with termites? Could be 99.5% safe but it's all about that 0.05%. If not sure place a block under those 2x10s. Ramps and jack stands are not expensive, imagine the time you saved.
I noticed the wood under the tyre was going down a little bit. I won't trust this yet. This idea is good but needs to be tested and should be modified for better performance. It will cost u more if u use hard thick wood than making one of steel.
the idea is basically good but it is very dangerous as on a non driven wheel, there is a great possibility of an instability that causes the falling of the vehicule as your jack is not designed to take care of torsionnal loads
It's a great Idea.However.I would also slide 4 by 4 blocks under the planks so that each tire would have support in case the boards snap and hurt or kill someone.You have nothing to support where the tire sits on the planks.Adapt for safety.
That is a really fantastic idea. I've been doing a little job on my car this afternoon and it was nearly impossible to get access just by jacking up. Will make some over the holiday. Unfortunately my jack doesn't go as low as yours. Thank you for sharing. Such a simple idea but so useful.
Nice tip. The only thing that I worry about is the 2x12 span the tire sits on. This could split. I would like to see some solid wood placed under this span. Also, always have backup supports like stands (preferrably pinned type) near where you are working.
A metal plate underneath would help?
@@DaiLenMatHo yes it would, like a bow us designed ( bow for shooting arrows)
ya or make it thicker and out of plywood. I would think 3 inches of plywood span would be better
I got something very similar they go up in 5-in increments for a total height to 15 in the only thing you need to put it underneath it is scissor jacks you get a set of four from a junkyard for around 20 to $30 then again actually that board underneath there is strong enough to hold that because it's not long enough to crumble and break like you think it is I've been doing it for over 30 years now not a problem one of the most sturdiest platforms you can put a car on, sure beats spending $2,000
Nice one mate, I'll be making mine tomorrow but with extra blocks for middle as suggested, thank you!
This is an excellent idea!!! And exactly what I have been searching for.
You don't have to buy an expensive MyLiftStand ($800 for a set of four stands plus shipping and so on).
Maybe even batter..
I just wanted to say great idea and great way to put it together. I plan on building a set right away. Thanks for the idea. One suggestion is to paint them with a no slip paint. The vehicle would get better grip plus it would protect the wood. Again great idea.
Juntitos
I don't trust jack stands... I had a full size ford truck fall right after I crawled out from under it!! I like your idea much better. The way the grain of the wood runs on your ramps would hold a dump truck. Some people are stupid! keep up the good work!
Great idea, simple but effective. Cut list for a set of two would be 2 ea 2x10x21", 4 ea 2x10x10.5", 8 ea 1x2x9.5", 12 ea 4x4x9.5". If you were leaving the car up for a while, I would add a center piece that is made of 2x10 with a pair of joined 4x4 on top, then a 4x4 piece laid lengthwise on top of that. You would need to shave a blade width off the third 4x4 so that it would fit under. Just for a bit of added safety. All in all this is an impressive idea and would store neatly too.
For all the knockers, it would be easy to replace the top board with 1/4 " steel plate and then no problems. I would suggest that the foot brake should be applied to prevent the wheel from turning while jacking, a simple rod from the seat to brake pedal should work.
Nice Video. and I c there lots people criticize about the safety issue and I agree with that. but there's simple solution since you have plenty of wood why dont you just put the spare woods underneath that "bridge", I would say just stack 2 of "4*4" gonna work even there leave a gap, thats a insurance only take 5 secs, therefore even that failed the car not gonna landed on someones face. sry for my english, it's not my first language.
+shen John That exactly what I do. Once the car if lifted, I put 4x4 under the wood bridge just because you never know. Thanks.
totally agree....but still a great idea
Its has been almost 3 years using it.. still good and very easy to use and helpful.. thanks again MrEnergyFree :)
Very good. It is inexpensive, uses common materials, relatively light and when stored, it could serve as a seat! :)) I'd give two thumbs up if YT would allow it. Thank you for sharing sir!
I like this.... i think it needs a little work for me to trust it, but good concept in wood. I would however use 4 of the initial bridges, one for each wheel and use them to jack the wheels a bit at a time, keeping the vehicle as level as possible. I would also make sure everything interlocked to prevent sliding. And further to this i would put 4 axle stands under too.
But very good
Супер!!! ОТЛИЧНАЯ РАБОТА!!! 👍👍👍👍👍
For all who think the wood is going to break. It won't.
Let's say:
top plate: 1.5 x 12 poplar
top plate span: 18"
It would take 2700 lbs per wheel load to break that board. Poplar has a strength of around 5.5ksi. A beam 18" span beam in bending - made out of poplar - can take quite a bit of load. His truck max load (with cargo) prob has around 1500 lbs load per wheel.
+Khanh Nguyen Thanks
Your comment was a Nguyen! Get it? ..... I'll let myself out...
+TexasGTO Im dead
Tension over time will weaken the bridge. Basically there is an experation date.
If your so confident why dont you use this method yourself?
Nice job. People with negative comments don't understand much about material and physics. Wood when used correctly could be as strong as steel. Just examine the frame of the house. I especially like the way the wheels are jacked up with the load of the car instead of jacking up on the frame of the car with a lateral load on the other side. It puts a lot of stress on the wheel bearings with a lateral load. But your idea eliminated that problem completely. I want to make one too. Could you tell me the dimensions of the lumber cuts ?
Aloha and Thank you for your posts! I used your idea on removing the Harmonic Balancer on my Pathfinder 3.3 Litre Nissan. Genius... Mahalo Braddah...
Great Video, this technique certainly will work for me. Thanks!!
Thanks for posting. Good tip.
Nice setup.
This is one of the best video on cars lifts yet. Great inventory on your part. I will give you a 10 The 4' X4" wood is great.
Well done video and ramps keep up the good work.Thanks for sharing the idea ;-)
Very nice, the only thing you should add is two big blocks of wood that can slide under each side below the middle. Where you lift up with the floor jack. With the big wood blocks under there while you work, you can feel extra safe.
Brilliant idea....you should market this!
It wouldn't have hurt, financially or otherwise, to add a set of blocks beneath the center of the top board, just to be safe. They wouldn't have to make contact with the top board, they're just for extra support in case of failure of the main support board, so no additional jacking would be necessary. Or he could have replaced the main board with a steel plate.
Also, instead of trying to align the tires onto the initial support configuration of boards by driving over them (and possibly misaligning them), he could have just jacked up one side and placed the initial support boards into place on each side, and then continued jacking up each side as before. The advantage to this approach is that the two smaller blocking boards that keep the tire in place could be replaced with larger cross-section pieces. This could be seen as another safety factor, but an added bonus is being able to 'safely' add another layer of lower boards to the height.
I agree 100%, especially with the cheap ass crap they call lumber these days! Don't like the center of all that weight being on one 2x8. My two cents.
+TJ L
I usually put another set of 4x4 in the center gap once is lifted.
Just put scissor Jack's underneath it and scissor them up with a block of wood on top you can get a set of four at the junkyard for like 20 bucks or you can use a piece of Steel it doesn't really matter but really that that 2x10 is not an issue at all it will hold that and even more
Nice idea. Definitely add support to plank the tire sits on but great idea.
inexpensive and effective, well thought, thanks for posting!
I would add a 1/4 in steel plate to the ''bridge'' part. I saw flex in the wood. Nice build.
great video. common sense solutions are the best - thanks..
Great job man, thx. for this idea from germany.
Of all the ways iv seen here in utube to get a vehicle safely off the ground easily simple ,this is one of the best iv seen , my golf GTI is low and thats a perfect way ,simple build safe .Many thanks for sharing , its my next project .
I love your idea. That'll work !
So simple and logical that it might be genius!
good idea man!
awesome idea! just what I needed!
The most simple that I had seen.
El mejor que he visto para un particular modesto.
Thanks from Spain
Good, excellent idea, simple and easy !!! God Job my friend!
Nice idea. I am inspired. I agree with Royce B that the top piece could be reinforced.
Thanks for sharing:-)
Very good design!
How are the two 4x4s connected?
wow great idea man!
Ez nagyon ötletes, gratulálok. Magam is megcsinálom.
What a good idea. Good thinking !
Double up the boards the tires sit on and use jack stands after then go under car and this is a great idea. I would never get under a car with that. But all he has to do is jack uo one side a bit put a jack stand in then do the other side. His idea give balance to the car which is excellent! Good idea.
very nice idea, i would make the top piece out of thicker wood or simply shorten it up just for tensile strength.
Good Video, thanks a lot for sharing the idea . Best Wishes
L'idée est bonne, pour plus de sécurité combler l'espace sous la roue avec une cale adéquat.
merci pour votre vidéo.
Thanks for sharing. Great idea!
Brilliant!!
Brilliant use of wood 'scraps'! used in conjunction with 'jack-stands' it would seem safe enough.
Good job!
This is tremendously clever, but it has two issues. First is the bridge splitting in half which you addressed in the comments, and the second is that the utility of the ramp feature is kinda wasted by the fact you still need to use a hydraulic jack. At that point it's better to just jack the middle and use two stout wooden cribbings.
For those who think a 6 ton jack stand is going to save you. Consider being hit by a stray car while you're under there. A wider platform can withstand it. People who love life should put a wheel or wider block-like objects under the car. Blocks can be crisscrossed stacked.
Good idea, but for safe measure I would cut some extra 4x4's to fill the void under the wheels. 20 bucks and 10 mins of cutting if that could save your life, why not do it?
+Silicon Toad Yeah I agree with that. That is how I would want to do it If I was going to be working under a car that was raised up on those blocks. Of course an easier way might just be to go onto Craigslist and pick up some metal ramps for $20.
Thanks, looks good.
I like the idea. For your safety the 10x2 boards under the wheel might eventually crack and possibly give from the flexing of the load and lifting of the jack.
This is another level of genius.
Can't you just jack up the car from the subframe and slide the wood pieces under the wheels?
You sir are a genius 👏 thanx for the video
Realy good idea .Thank you .
Excellent cheap method which doesn't take up storage space. Thanks for sharing.
I do the same thing, watched it time ago done in metal, much stronger but you need a welder. I built it in wood like you did, but I use the jack trapezes too after the car is jacked up, to increase the security. I'm always scared about just having one opportunity to live if something fails)))
Thanks, I need a low ramp, as my car has a low wind spoil that just pushes ramps away and going up ramps or a pain, never seem to go up straight. Though you should center the two bottom 10x10 cm into in a pyramid shape not a step.
You got my vote.
Your design is easy to store, cheap and simple compare to below products.
$6000 6000 Lb. Capacity Scissor Lift
$3600 Aston® Mid-Rise Scissor Lift 8000lb 47" Electric Lock Release 220V ASL-MR8047
$1845 QuickJack Extended TL Vehicle Lift - 7,000 Lb. Capacity
$415 Summit Racing SUM-905225 - Summit Racing™ 3,000 lb. Hydraulic Lift Ramps
$285 SuxiDi 2PCS Auto Car Truck Service Ramps Lifts, 10000lbs Heavy Duty Hydraulic Car Ramps Lift for Car Repair
If this was made out of steel, I would trust it, but the idea is still really great.
it's clever and cheap! great!
How do you keep the wood from moving?
nice .. Do you have a skateboard under the car
thats really good
The only problem I see is that plank of wood is only one and a half inches thick. The top of the wood is in compression and the bottom of the wood is in tension. I know its holding up fine in the video but it is spanning about 16 to 20 inches and one and a half inches should not be sufficient for that task. My guess is small cracks will develop with repeated use and one day you will hear a loud split in the wood and it will fail. I would at least out a wheel under the car while I was under it.
put the other three on the stands, put the to-be-changed section on a jack. or just use jack stands for that specifically
did you find this design or make it..very inventive
Good Idea.
Thank you for sharing.
Ignore negative comment.
A front corner of my 2003 Grand Cherokee 4.7 has been held up
by a piece of soft wood decking just under 5" wide by 1+1/8" thick.
Our decking is made from cheap wood 10ft of decking cost me £7.
The decking stands on 2 bits of 3" by 3"about 10" apart.
If the decking was twice as thick, it would be 4 times as strong.
If the decking was twice as wide it would be twice as strong.
A piece of stress graded 2" by 10" would be more 10 times as strong.
If you are still worried, use a piece of stress graded 3 by 10
for the bridge.
It will be at least 18 times as strong as my piece of decking.
Any questions?
A cut list would be helpful to viewers. Thanks for posting.
thank alot i will use your idel on my cars
I noticed your jack head gets low enough to fit under the 3 1/2" 4x4's... My only can get it down to 4 5/8". I would have to rig something... I love the idea...Great job!!! (I think they are called "low profile jacks".)
+Tim Matras
Yes, you need a low profile jack, my is from HF and works great.
+MrEnergyFree Sears has a Craftsman 2-1/2 Ton Floor Jack, Low Profile... $48 near my Sears.
+Tim Matras That jack may work.
🤔 ahmm? honestly.. I would feel more secure if you had it on jack stands. To the fact that the truck is actually weighing on that one board, to where it could give way any time. It would off been much faster just jacking it up on to jack stands. Because you need to consider the weight of that truck, if working underneath it. It's an ok idea? But to much muck around just putting the jigsaw together if you ask me. You've got a good enough jack to lift the whole thing.
Thanks for you great idea share
EXELENTE !!!!! desde ARGENTINA
simply and great, thx
good idea. just wondering if you put the woods out side of the building, it may no that strong then before, after rain, sunshine and etc. so be sure the wood still in good condition is also important every time before you do so.
4x4 in compression ok but don't trust the 2x10 in tension. Wood is not homogeneous, two boards may looked the same but internal stresses and structure could be very different. The ones under tension could split along the grain. Have you seen wood looking perfect but infested with termites? Could be 99.5% safe but it's all about that 0.05%. If not sure place a block under those 2x10s. Ramps and jack stands are not expensive, imagine the time you saved.
Pretty smart idea.
Great- what I need is a way to lift all 4 wheels.... so the same idea works, but the lift increments have to be gradual.
very ingenious
Cool
I noticed the wood under the tyre was going down a little bit. I won't trust this yet. This idea is good but needs to be tested and should be modified for better performance. It will cost u more if u use hard thick wood than making one of steel.
bravo čovječe
Not to worry everyone. You could park a bus on that easily. I'd bet your life on it.
great idea
the idea is basically good but it is very dangerous as on a non driven wheel, there is a great possibility of an instability that causes the falling of the vehicule as your jack is not designed to take care of torsionnal loads
Brilliant for a average small car
Muito bom !👍
awesome idea
I would totally slide a wood wood under that gap (at least 8x8.)
You are a genius.
very good idea. thank you.
Love it!!
It's a great Idea.However.I would also slide 4 by 4 blocks under the planks so that each tire would have support in case the boards snap and hurt or kill someone.You have nothing to support where the tire sits on the planks.Adapt for safety.
Nice.
nice . I did what u did now how do I change my front brakes 😮
+jose placencia
Will be very hard but is you check my latest video "Car Jack Stand" it may help you.