Modifying ramps for DIY maintenance on Prius?

It's surprising what you can do when you're motivated, lol.

 

Or in extreme pain....

 

Who's DW, your guardian angel?

 

DW = Dear Wife

Siri saves teen after truck collapses on him

 

WOW, what a story. when i was much younger, a had a car on cinder blocks. my wife (who was pregnant at the time) was very anxious about me working under the car. we we arguing about it standing next to the car when the cinder blocks cracked and collapsed. i apologized and immediately went to buy a set of jack stands and some more safety equipment.

i just bought a floor jack and i don't trust the hydraulics in this thing. to be honest, the scissor jack feels safer with it's screw. i always use jack stands for safety and even put a removed wheel under the frame.

working under ramps makes me anxious too.

 

The original-equipment scissor jack of my (1800-pound) '72 Subaru suddenly collapsed under it when the screw threads stripped. Luckily, I was not under the car at that moment. Since then, I usually employ some sort of redundant support when under a car, even if only another scissor jack. Ramps and jack stands can fail, too.

 

yup, whenever I remove the wheels, I would put the wheels under the car even with jack stands for safety measures. You just never know while under your car.

 

I do the same!

 

I built my ramps with 5' long 2x12 fir (each), with a piece of 2x4 screwed to the top and bottom of the "top end". The bottom piece of 2x4 locks into the block I made to lay the ramp on, the top piece is a "stop". The block is composed of three or four pieces of lumber, one 4x6 and several 2x6 pieces, all screwed together with a 2x12 piece on the bottom. I use a piece of 4x4 behind the rear wheels to ensure the car doesn't roll off the ramps, though as I go under from the front that wouldn't be dangerous for me, just for the car. The blocks are about 18" long, side to side of the car, so they are very stable. My floor jack won't fit under the front of the car, so use of that is out unless I drive up on 2x lumber and my garage isn't really big enough anyway. No concrete driveway either.

Just to add some warning of the forces involved here. Last oil change (last fall) I got lazy and didn't double check the alignment as I drove up to the ramps. Passenger side wheel barely engaged the ramp and slipped off when up about 4" off the ground. This sent the 5' long piece of 2x12 fir flying forward at an angle, and it actually dented the -top- of the leading edge plastic piece on the front of the car, that little strip at the bottom. It ended up 8' away. I have no idea how it dented the top. In the car it didn't seem very violent.

I have yet to figure out how to raise the wheels off the ground. I let Kal Tire do the rotations (free) - and they never actually check the tyre pressure, though they always mark a little card with the pressures from the door placard and put it on the rear view mirror.

And the "professionals" wonder why we want to do our own maintenance.

 

The jack I have can't get low enough to reach the proper jack point under the engine. Just trying to flush my ac condenser. Frustrating!

 

I wouldn't trust my life to an Asian made "o" ring made to the lowest cost either.