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What Ramps (for oil changes) are you using?

Klute

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It's been about 30 years since I changed my own oil, but I am considering DIY again to control quality and avoid dealer prices. 30 years ago I had heavy steel ramps that slid when driving up on them. Just curious if the newer models work better or still have the same problems. My garage floor is epoxy sealed and expect them to skip/slip.

I have found these on amazon:

 

RangerZ

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I’ve been using rhino ramps for the last few years. They aren’t heavy at all
 

79 300

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I bought a set of the Rhino ramps when I got the truck. They have rubber feet on them which help, but all ramps tend to slip forward a bit. I had a set of 30 year old stamped steel ramps as well, but they were way too narrow for the 275-55-20 tires. The tires hung over the lips on the sides. The flat Rhinos work well with the wider tires we have today.
 

ldoh

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Yes, Harbor Freight's look more stout and you can always use a postal mail discount coupon for 20% off.


I've been using modular trailer/rv leveler squares and they slide a bit on my garage surface. I need to get momentum to overcome it. I guess I could try 4wd but better to just upgrade.
 

Bighorned

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I just used my rhino ramps as well. Worked well for the oil change. Got them on sale from advance auto
 

Bighorned

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It's been about 30 years since I changed my own oil, but I am considering DIY again to control quality and avoid dealer prices. 30 years ago I had heavy steel ramps that slid when driving up on them. Just curious if the newer models work better or still have the same problems. My garage floor is epoxy sealed and expect them to skip/slip.

I have found these on amazon:


I have the same ones.
 

Neurobit

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For those of you with AS, putting it in OR2 should give you plenty of room. I've done this many times for working under the truck with good results.
 

jdmartin

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I have Rhino Ramps that I've had for probably 20 years. They slip, just as the metal ones do. They have rubber "feet" built into the bottom of them that's supposed to keep them in place, but they still slip on a smooth garage floor regardless of car - they'll slip with my Miata, my Kia, or my truck. The best way I found to avoid this is to figure out where you want the vehicle to stop when it's on the ramps, stop just a little short of there, and "kick" the ramps under the front tires so the tires are already biting the ramps before you start driving. Then just start a crawl - if you go too fast they'll kick out - until you feel the vehicle rising, then you have to goose it a little bit to make it to the top.

ALTERNATIVELY, and I've used this method as well - Just jack up one side and slip the ramp under there, then drop the jack. Repeat on the other side. This lets you precisely locate the vehicle if your garage is tight. You need a floor jack that can get that high, or a 2x12 or two under the floor jack to give it some height.
 

Klute

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Here's a stupid question.

When driving up the ramps, 2WD, 4WD high, 4WD auto, 4WD low?
 

KcRay

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Use 4x4 and the ramps won't slide. Oh I use rubber ramps for the wife's subaru, only put the Ram up once so far
 

SpeedyV

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For those of you with AS, putting it in OR2 should give you plenty of room. I've done this many times for working under the truck with good results.
For those of us that are “girthy”, the combo of a raised air suspension and ramps is needed to get under the truck on a creeper.

My own ramps seem a little sketchy under the Ram...might be time to invest in a new set!
 

Dr. Jim

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Another brand I like are Race Ramps but they are a little more expensive.
 

Ronkartz72

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Yes, Harbor Freight's look more stout and you can always use a postal mail discount coupon for 20% off.


I've been using modular trailer/rv leveler squares and they slide a bit on my garage surface. I need to get momentum to overcome it. I guess I could try 4wd but better to just upgrade.
A trick I learned a long time ago is o tie a long rope to the ramps leading edge. When your front tires hit the ramp, the rope should be long enough to be under the rear wheel which keeps the ramps from sliding.
 

Ronkartz72

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I have only changed the oil in my Limited once. I used the air suspension to raise it all the way so I could slide under easier. When I was done and ready to add the oil, I used the remote to put it back down to entry/exit mode to make it easier to reach the oil fill.
 

SpeedyV

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A trick I learned a long time ago is o tie a long rope to the ramps leading edge. When your front tires hit the ramp, the rope should be long enough to be under the rear wheel which keeps the ramps from sliding.
That’s clever! I’ve had few issues just by wedging the ramps in front of the tires and climbing them in 4WD...but I still like the “barnyard ingenuity”.
 

snj1013

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I have Rhino Ramps that I've had for probably 20 years. They slip, just as the metal ones do. They have rubber "feet" built into the bottom of them that's supposed to keep them in place, but they still slip on a smooth garage floor regardless of car - they'll slip with my Miata, my Kia, or my truck. The best way I found to avoid this is to figure out where you want the vehicle to stop when it's on the ramps, stop just a little short of there, and "kick" the ramps under the front tires so the tires are already biting the ramps before you start driving. Then just start a crawl - if you go too fast they'll kick out - until you feel the vehicle rising, then you have to goose it a little bit to make it to the top.

ALTERNATIVELY, and I've used this method as well - Just jack up one side and slip the ramp under there, then drop the jack. Repeat on the other side. This lets you precisely locate the vehicle if your garage is tight. You need a floor jack that can get that high, or a 2x12 or two under the floor jack to give it some height.

I have a set of the Rhino Ramps and while I haven't used them on the Ram yet, they did slip/slide a bit in the past. I've found that if you place the ramps on a towel, rather than directly on the garage floor, the ramps will stay in place. Hope this helps.
 

eyeguy

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I have org so that helps an inch but what i do is throw down a 1x6 in front of each tire and then 2 2x10 to give me an additional 3 in of lift. Drive up on that mini ramp and then throw my floor jack under the front to raise it about 2-3 more inches. Wheels still bearing quite a bit of weight. The truck cant really fall more than the 3 inches I lifted it with the floor jack and I gained 6-7 inches of clearance which is more than i need. I dont use a creeper just throw down some cardboard.
 

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