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Hoppin Blocks
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Steve:
Tommy’s friend (Tommy & Cli – 2003 Liberty XL II) built these and donated them to the bus barn…. The wheels were a clever addition as given the 80 lb weight, only way to move them around. Notice there is a steel rod with washer and nut on each end, keeps them together… Everyone needs a friend like Mike, what a great friend!!!
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Very nice!!! He is a craftsman for sure!!
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While we are on the subject of blocking the wheels like John Hawkins suggested, I went to Prevost Nashville after the seminar and while walking around looking at all the buses, I saw two buses with the front wheels sitting on 4×4 blocks just like John said they will do.
How long have they been like that and how long will they stay like that ??
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Buddy,
That sounds like a lot of undue stress on the tires. I can not imigine letting my bus set on 4 x 4 blocks. But in the big scheme of things they probably don’t care….
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Here you go, Tinman.
I don’t have the dimensions, but they are whatever anyone wants to make them. They are the width of 315 tires. 365 need wider ramps. The sections telescope so it is possible to use the creeper from the side of the vehicle as well as coming under the vehicle from the front.
These will hold a coach. They used to be sold by Sporty’s showing a Prevost up on them. I designed them to not only support my coach, but also to have a shallow slope so the Corvette would not drag its nose going up them.
The underside of the ramp surfaces are reinforced with steel members running side to side as well as fore and aft under both tread surfaces. I drag them around with my fingers in the three holes, but casters could easily be added to the end.
I don’t have photos, but I used them six at a time to raise my entire 40 foot coach, 2 under the steer and 4 under the drives. Raising the bus up before placing the ramps allowed me to put the ramps in place and drive up on them. The tag axle just hung in the air.
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BTW, the Hummer has 315 tires so that is what I wanted to show.
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Very nice Mr. Jon,
I like that they slide together and are aluminum. The steel structure inside makes them very strong.. Thank you sir for sharing!!
Steve
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They are all steel. I just sprayed them with Aluminum paint.
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Well…………….. I am glad you told me that. 3/16 Alum tread with a steel structure would hold as well!!
Steve
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Brady: 6′ long, 2′ wide and 8″ tall
Tom: My ramps are 8′ in length, 2′ wide and 6″ high
Both are same width. Brady’s are 2″ taller (higher). Tom’s are a little longer.
It would be helpful if both Tom and Brady told us the split between flat section and ramp section.
Tom … do your ramps have the open gaps in them like Brady’s?
Thanks! This is helpful!
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Steve, he did not want to admit it but that is not aluminum paint, it’s Platnium coated.
He ran out of gold to plate with till his next shipment comes in.
That’s what he uses that bus for not to run moonshine but to run gold bullion, Thats why he lives in Knoxville, near Fort Knox, is that right, where is Fort Knox.
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Buddy….. I should have known. He does have an A- Class Liberty!!!
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We honeycombed a light gauge (16 I think) as a reinforcement under the tread plate and welded it to the tread plate so it became integral with the tread surface for strength.
I don’t think aluminum will work unless you do the entire ramp in aluminum and can weld where necessary to unitize the structure. To carry the weight of a coach you need to be sure you have the strength. Aluminum may also require some increase in gauge.
Be careful with the design Steve. Before I got uinder the bus when it was on ramps I still pushed hard wood blocking beneath the chassis support points. As much as I trusted the weight carrying design I still needed to not rely on the air bags or a ramp failure.
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Dick
Flat area of ramp is 4′ and ramped area is 2’…..
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Looking at Brady’s ramps I was thinking you could make them in two parts, locking the two together with a rod. The flat parts fingers would interwine with the ramp fingers and then the rod would hold them together.
That way they would be easier to move around.
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