I bought a set of Rhino Ramps a year or so back to avoid the hassle of using a floor jack and jack stands. Everything went fine the first few oil changes, but the last two have been a little frustrating. I line up the ramps in front of the tires, hop into the car and begin to ease up the ramps when one or both of them start to slide forward. I had to resort to using my floor jack to lift the car onto the ramps. My garage floor is smooth concrete, dry and free from dust/debris. How do others cope with this? Would removing the rubber stoppers from the bottom of the ramp help or hinder this?

I've heard of people blocking the ramps with 2x4s between the ramp and a garage wall. I'm sure this would work, but its not very convenient.

Ideas?

 

I know that this isn't funny but I have a mental image of you pushing the ramps around with the front tires.

 

I don't know, I think your mental image could be pretty funny. If it snowed more around here, it might make a practical Znow-PlowTM.

 

How far ahead do you put the ramps in front of the car? On my Takata ramps, I basically push the ramps right up underneath the tires so they are kind of stuck there. Then as I roll onto them, the weight of the car will keep them from sliding forward.

 

I do the same thing with my Rhinos and never have a problem. Make sure they're good and wedged under the tire before you roll up them and they should stay put.

 

I found a perfect solution for this problem, put some old pieces of carpet under the rhinos and have enough material out in front of the ramps to put your front tires onto. It works great, enjoy.

 

They're wedged under the tires just as you describe.

 

Interesting idea. I'll stop by a flooring store and see if they have some scraps so I can give this a try. I don't imagine my wife would be too happy if I cut a couple of Rhino Ramp-sized chunks of carpet out of our living room.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Good idea. I just make sure to be quick about driving the car up on the flat part of the ramp.

 

Hmm, interesting. I'll admit that I had the EXACT same experience. First 3 or 4 oil changes went as simple as possible. The next time I started pushing them. I discovered that the "pocket" that holds the rubber pad in place for traction had split on the ramps so I returned them to WalMart and got a new set. Well it didn't help!
Never got to the bottom of it. Very puzzling. Never had to use ramps before so I figured I was just a ramp newbie. Tried cleaning the garage floor. I too start with the ramps pushed up against the tires but maybe I should have taken a rubber mallet and beat on them just a little to wedge them in. At any rate, I had an extra sheet of plywood laying around so I cut it up into different size pieces and layered 8 pieces of 4 different sizes to use just for oil changes. I didn't see the point of having to change the oil every 6 weeks or so having to be such a frustrating experience for whatever reason (maybe just bad luck). My ramps are much less dramatic. I just drive right up on them, not even needing to give the car much gas because they are so gradual. Plus I've got an extra set of ramps now I guess. My plan if I ever needed the Rhino Ramps again for repairs,etc. was to stick metal plates into the relief cracks in my garage floor perpendicular to the floor to have something for the ramps to push up against. A couple of people at work said put 2x4s in front of ramps to hold them in place pushing against the back garage wall. The stall I park in is 2 cars deep so that won't work out to good for me

I like the advice about the carpet too. I may give that a try!

 

Take a running start ---say 30 MPH

Actually as stated --Carpet is cool ---preferablly with a rubber backin

 

Yeah. Make it **** carpet. Nice and comfy. Don't forget the padding.

 

I took 2 pieces of pressure treated 2X8 around 2.5 feet long and beveled both ends.
I set one end part way up the ramp and drilled a hole down through the 2X8 and ramp the size of a spike (nail). This makes the entry angle much smaller and as weight transfers to the 2X8s, the ramps stay put.
Slide the nails out at the end of the procedure and store the 2X8s beside the ramps.

 

I like to keep a roll of mesh drawer and shelf line handy in the garage...place under ramps...also good for cushioning jacks and getting tough oil filters off, etc.

 

Thats what Im talking about ---- Pillow, maybe a blanky ---refreshments

 

Exactly what I did to fix my problem with the ramps. Worked perfectly for close to a year now.