Well, the danger ramped up quickly.

It was basic maintenance day. Did oil changes on all the cars. I started with the Corolla. The lightest car I own. The most average car ever made. It's even beige. I pulled up the ramps and heard a loud snap.

I hit the stop at the front and the thing just sort of exploded. I have to jack up the car and pull it out. Yay!

These things are less than a year old and this is the third time I've used them. Double check yours and be safe. Now I've got to buy a new set of ramps. Gonna troll swap meets for a set of old school metal ones.

Yikes. Glad my 30 year old set is made from steel!

Did you use them in the exact location that the two pieces are in those pictures? Plastic ramps don't take kindly to uneven surfaces...

I am just glad you were not under it when it let go.

Brokeback wrote: Did you use them in the exact location that the two pieces are in those pictures? Plastic ramps don't take kindly to uneven surfaces...

no, I just moved them into the sun to take the pic.

I've never trusted ramps, even the metal ones.

I am a bit shocked that a company would take the potential liability of plastic ramps.

Seeing what sun exposure does to most plastic I can imagine those could get pretty unsafe even if built to spec.

Really glad you're ok! I will think twice before using ramps like this.

My plastic ramps are rated to 12000 pounds. They have substancially more material in them than what is currently on the market. I just had the back of the E450 bus on them with no problems. Not with me under it, but to get the trailer deck angled for loading a car.

We had a set similar to yours at the office. They didn't last long before cracking. Anything other than a perfectly flat surface destroys them.

I have some cheap Rhinogear ramps that I picked up from Autozone a few years back, no problems with them. Granted, they are a much simpler one-piece design. I only use the ramps for my girlfriend's Hyundai though, my 540it and Mustang are way too low to drive onto ramps.

In reply to dannyzabolotny:

I specifically got ramps to get SWMBO's 350z up in the air. Because I couldn't get my floor jack under it to raise it. Wound up with some (Rhino ramps I think) that were specifically designed with a lower angle for sporty cars that are lower. Still can't get the FR-S on them without 2x8's in front of the ramps.

I have a set of Race Ramps and absolutely love them. They cost more than those plastic ones but many good things do.

Somewhere in my garage (not even sure where), there's a pair of metal ramps that are many decades old and have been unused for almost as many. The novelty wore off quickly; I just find it easier to jack the cars up for maintenance and like the safer, more secure feeling of jack stands.

My ramps are metal, and as old as me. I trust those 1,000X morentham plastic ramps. It's like plastic hoist arms.

Well, my Yukon XL won't be going up of those anymore!

So glad you heard the snap from inside the car and it wasn't bone.

In reply to jstein77:

I'm the same way. Plus, when working on anything with some clearance under it, it's pretty rare that I need the thing off the ground but still want weight on the suspension or don't need the wheels off.

jstein77 wrote: Somewhere in my garage (not even sure where), there's a pair of metal ramps that are many decades old and have been unused for almost as many. The novelty wore off quickly; I just find it easier to jack the cars up for maintenance and like the safer, more secure feeling of jack stands.

I second this. The only time I found myself using ramps was when I needed some load on the suspension. Otherwise, jack stands with insurance (wheel under the car like many have mentioned) are preferable.

Had a plastic rhino ramp slip while i was creeping up it, so of course the pinch rail dropped down onto it and cracked it. That was kind of a show..

Thankfully no real damage to the car.

Bought some 2x6 boards and cut them up and built some ramps. I feel a lot more comfortable with the car parked on some stacked blocks of wood screwed together. Also put towels down under them to make sure they dont slip out on me.

Plus side of making your own, now my lowered car can get up them easily

In reply to AClockworkGarage:

So glad that it failed during the transition and not while you were under the car.

I hate metal ramps. They're heavy, slippery and prone to sliding. I tossed mine once I had better options.

I have a set of 2x10 wood ramps i made that i use when i need them.

I bet if you flipped the plastic ramps over and filled them with something like rigid expanding foam they would significantly strengthen and prevent that type of failure.

I have a 40-year old set of ramps with a fixed platform and removable ramp parts. My dad bought them at K-mart when he was a service tech there in the 70s. They are the bees knees for things like oil changes and transmission work. I'd buy another set tomorrow.

I pretty much only use these for oil changes. Oh, and this sword of Damocles moment:

I was under there for several hours.

They're just a major time saver when your parking space is nowhere near your second floor apartment. Less heavy crap to lug down...

dculberson wrote: I have a set of Race Ramps and absolutely love them. They cost more than those plastic ones but many good things do.

This ^^^ seriously, if you are considering buying ramps, be sure to check these out:

Race Ramps

I've had mine for over 10 years now and they are fantastic. They are astonishingly light, (only 10 lbs a piece) so they're easy to deploy, and they have a gradual grade, so they are perfect for lowered cars. I use mine all the time. Yes, they cost more than a crappy plastic ramp, or a heavy, unwieldy metal ramp--- but you get what you pay for. The ease of use makes me use them more than I would otherwise. They also have a grippy base, so they don't slide when trying to load.

Race Ramps is an advertiser with us, and are also sponsoring our "Show us your Shop" contest which is getting underway in GRM. Enter the contest, and you may win a gift certificate for a fee set! Companies like Race Ramps help us keep the lights on here at GRM / CMS, so please, at the very least check them out, and see if they would fit your needs. They sure do mine!