Trailer ramp extensions? Need ideas

As the topic says.. I need to build some ramp extensions for the car trailer to get the Z06 onto it, now that I've put the nose back on the car.  The current ramps are the typical low budget angle iron ones, about 4' long.  

My first thought is another set of angle iron ones with a fold down support that would clip to the bottom of the current ramp, but I'm open to better ideas if you have 'em.  I think I'd prefer some separate extensions over new 8' or whatever long ramps, since the trailer won't accommodate longer ones and extensions would need to fit in the bed of my truck.

Gratuitous Z06 pics for attention.  It almost looks like a real car again.

If you have room for them, it's pretty hard to beat Raceramps.   I balked at the cost initially, but eventually coughed it up.  8 years later, they're still in great shape and worth every penny.

In reply to Rodan :

I am absolutely balking at the prices.  Additionally, my current ramps just end in bare angle iron ends, and they wouldn't be well suited to placing on a foam block.  If I'm going to weld on my existing ramps I might as well be making some additions.

Zero dollars so far.  I have a couple of 6x6 wooden blocks that will go underneath the lower ramps, and if I feel enthused about it, I may make steel supports.  I was trying to overcomplicate it in my head and eventually said, "Eh, wooden blocks will do and they're sitting right over there".

I'm going to add a plywood top to at least the lower ramp; I'd do the upper but I don't think it would fit under the deck of the trailer then.

Same car with the zr1 splitter - I drive my truck's rear wheels onto ~1' high ramps.  ~5' long ramps on the trailer and I have 4' long 2x4's that I have placed about 2' up from the end of the ramps to extend the ramp about 2'.  
 

Actually the hardest part with loading these things is that I have less than 1/4" clearance on the rear wheels to the rails. I should put a set of fronts on the rear for loading but it's more work than I want to do when I get there. 
 

but I have a winch that I added an extension to the control lead so I can walk and steer the car as I control it. It makes a huge difference.  (Trying to come up with something to extend it was proving to be very expensive until I realized that I could just use an extension cord.  So I cut the existing cable, put a 110v male and female plug on each end and can use a regular extension cord to make it longer.)

In reply to jfryjfry :

"I drive my truck's rear wheels onto ~1' high ramps."

That's the ticket. I saw that at the track and it's how I get an old low Caddy on the trailer.

jfryjfry said:

Same car with the zr1 splitter - I drive my truck's rear wheels onto ~1' high ramps.  ~5' long ramps on the trailer and I have 4' long 2x4's that I have placed about 2' up from the end of the ramps to extend the ramp about 2'.  
 

Actually the hardest part with loading these things is that I have less than 1/4" clearance on the rear wheels to the rails. I should put a set of fronts on the rear for loading but it's more work than I want to do when I get there. 
 

but I have a winch that I added an extension to the control lead so I can walk and steer the car as I control it. It makes a huge difference.  (Trying to come up with something to extend it was proving to be very expensive until I realized that I could just use an extension cord.  So I cut the existing cable, put a 110v male and female plug on each end and can use a regular extension cord to make it longer.)

I like the ramp idea!  I have a pair of the old steel ramps around here somewhere but I'm a little scared of driving my D250 onto them backwards.  I'm going to see how these extensions do; by my measurements it should clear.   

I have a Vevor winch with a cordless remote; it's awesome!  I dropped a tree almost directly on it earlier this year, something I certainly wouldn't recommend without the remote.  :-D

I wouldn't want to have to carry those steel ramps/extensions every time I had to load/unload.

Motojunky said:

I wouldn't want to have to carry those steel ramps/extensions every time I had to load/unload.

I tow the car trailer with a long bed Dodge D250 so I have plenty of room.  I do think longer term I'm going to look for an enclosed trailer with a good low ramp.

Kendall Frederick said:

Motojunky said:

I wouldn't want to have to carry those steel ramps/extensions every time I had to load/unload.

I tow the car trailer with a long bed Dodge D250 so I have plenty of room.  I do think longer term I'm going to look for an enclosed trailer with a good low ramp.

I'm just being a wimp. They're heavy to lug around. I replaced mine with aluminum to make the whole process easier. 

I got a bit stupid today, trying to use only junk I had around the shop to finish these off.  I had four squares of plywood, some flat steel stock, and some very rusty angle steel.  They worked out well though, even if it took some time.  Hope to put them to use this week if I can get a couple of things sorted and get dyno time.

You might want to fix the blocks so they won't move under load.

I unfortunately had one move backing a vehicle off and pulled the bumper out.

low_n_slow said:

You might want to fix the blocks so they won't move under load.

I unfortunately had one move backing a vehicle off and pulled the bumper out.

That would suck.  I was thinking about making a U shaped steel "kickstand" that would sit underneath and attach with the pins, but I got lazy.  Maybe that would be a good thing.

Kendall Frederick said:

In reply to Rodan :

I am absolutely balking at the prices.  Additionally, my current ramps just end in bare angle iron ends, and they wouldn't be well suited to placing on a foam block.  If I'm going to weld on my existing ramps I might as well be making some additions.

I have the same steel ramps and had the same concern.  I epoxied a piece of rectangular steel on the receiving area of my raceramps to protect the foam.  They've lasted for several years now with no issues.  The raceramps are light and easy to handle.   I'm a cheap ass too, but they were a good buy.

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

That's thinking!  I will report back after using my heavy clunkers next week.

Pretty nice build up from scrap materials!

I briefly looked into making DIY foam extender ramps. Some XPS foam board products looked like they had suitable compressive strength. Thought maybe glue a few layers together and cut into ramps with a hot knife. glue vinyl or some other protective sheet on for durability. But that level foam board is pretty pricey, so never really pursued it. My car's pretty light, so maybe I'll prototype a set with the cheap stuff from Lowes. 

In reply to sevenracer :

I'd like to see a DIY foam build!  I did use these to get the car to the dyno this week, and they worked fine, but they have drawbacks, as people have noted.  They're heavy and inconvenient.  Fine for once or twice a year but if I were trailering the car to the track every weekend I'd ditch them for something better.

One annoying thing is that with the extensions, the slope is shallow enough that the car won't roll down the upper ramps under gravity alone; it gets stuck on the cross pieces and you have to push it down.  They need plywood also but then they wouldn't fit in their spots under the trailer deck.

My take on it. I have two cars that are low but not equipped with low splitters or  aero so I don't need very long ramps. I need something not big, too long, heavy, cumbersome, or expensive so wood it is. I see everyone makes a stepped wood ramps for their trailers and I thought why not get rid of the stepped part and make it smooth by inverting it. So that's exactly what I did using 2x6 boards and it  worked out great, a little bit of math, angle finding, mock up and I cut the exact length boards for underneath the ramps to make a smooth transition. I marked out the track width for both cars on the trailer ramp so they get placed in the exact spot every time. 

The bad, well every now and then the ground is uneven so I keep a few short 2x4's in the trailer to support the ramps in the places where its supposed to contact the ground but I would imagine its the same problem with the more expensive Race Ramps available on the market. Thats the case in these pictures I took.

In reply to BKO5 :

I missed this for a few days, but I like it!  I'm actually thinking I'll buy an enclosed trailer this coming year for mine, and if so I may use your idea.