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10-26-2005, 05:53 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hawkesville, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 168
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I want to put my 36' coach (Ford F53 chassis and 460) up for the winter and because our driveway has a rather severe slope to it I considered using jacks under the front I-beam axle to get it level.
Means I have to raise it about 12". Is there a better way of doing this or can you buy drive on ramps instead of having it hanging on the jacks.
I've searched the net and all I can find is ramps that would be used to load a flatbed trailer or pick-up. Nothing in the way of freestanding that would hold the front end of a 15K lb. coach.
Anybody else had this situation....
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10-26-2005, 05:53 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hawkesville, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 168
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I want to put my 36' coach (Ford F53 chassis and 460) up for the winter and because our driveway has a rather severe slope to it I considered using jacks under the front I-beam axle to get it level.
Means I have to raise it about 12". Is there a better way of doing this or can you buy drive on ramps instead of having it hanging on the jacks.
I've searched the net and all I can find is ramps that would be used to load a flatbed trailer or pick-up. Nothing in the way of freestanding that would hold the front end of a 15K lb. coach.
Anybody else had this situation....
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10-26-2005, 07:46 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Posts: 959
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I have a F53/460 on a 37 foot Itasca. I also have a drive that slopes down from the street which requires front end elevation to level. For a couple years I used a set of 2x 10 lumber pieces that I mitered and stacked, nailing each board to the ones underneath. This worked well, although I realized it would eventually rot. I now have built two permanent concrete ramps about 4 feet long (half sloped, and half flat). The sloped part is sufficient to drive up on, and the flat part is sufficient to support the whole front tire. Now they are always there whether I'm parking for a couple of days or a couple of months, and the rig stays level.
I have a notch cut out on one side of the drive, so one ramp in on the dirt, and one is partially on dirt and partially on the drive. The all-on-dirt one actually works better because the thinner edge of the ramp on the concrete drive is crumbling due to the weight of the tire driving up on it. All I have to do is be careful to center the tires and to not drive off the end!
__________________
Ken, Judy, and the Angels--2005 Fleetwood Southwind--2008 Cargo Trailer--2003 EZGO Golf Cart
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10-26-2005, 08:00 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hawkesville, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 168
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no kidding it would be exciting if you drove too far forward.
How high did you have to stack the 2X10's I would need 6 or 7 layers.
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10-26-2005, 08:42 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Stone Mountain, GA
Posts: 959
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6-7 sounds about right. Just be sure they are nailed or screwed well together and the top end provides enough distance to get up on with the whole tire. I could add some kind of stop to help prevent drive-off, but this way I'm probably more careful.
__________________
Ken, Judy, and the Angels--2005 Fleetwood Southwind--2008 Cargo Trailer--2003 EZGO Golf Cart
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10-26-2005, 10:54 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Winnebago Owners Club KZ RV Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Washington, Columbia River
Posts: 839
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Whenever I go to my sons and stay a while his driveway is steep. I have to raise the front 18". He made me a couple of ramps (for use at his house) that do just that. Wide enough at 14" each and 48" long all out of aluminum so as not to leave rust spots in his driveway. Of course it helps to have someone that is a welder too. I did the the same for my last house only they were only 8" high and 18" long. It's really errie driving up on those things especially as the driveway drops further away. But it works. Oh, forgot to mention that the hitch is only 2" from the concrete at that time.
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10-26-2005, 11:30 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hawkesville, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 168
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That is great information.....thank you. How much trouble would it be to take a picture of his creation and e-mail it to me.
The question in my mind is how he made them stable enough to get you up 18". Was the 14" width on each ramp footing enough to keep them from getting tippy.
A picture would also give me visual reference for someone to construct a pair for me.
thanks again
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10-26-2005, 11:36 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hawkesville, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 168
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Had another thought....be careful when you step out of the coach with the front wheels 18" off the ground.
I have a sick sense of humor sometimes that just scares me.
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10-26-2005, 01:33 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Winnebago Owners Club KZ RV Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Washington, Columbia River
Posts: 839
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">That is great information.....thank you. How much trouble would it be to take a picture of his creation and e-mail it to me.
The question in my mind is how he made them stable enough to get you up 18". Was the 14" width on each ramp footing enough to keep them from getting tippy. The length was important as we had to measure the distance while my MH was on the driveway in elevation so the ramp hight in various stages would not come in contact with the body. This you will have to determine in your spot. That is why we had to make it so long.
A picture would also give me visual reference for someone to construct a pair for me. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'll be up there again in December, can do it then no problem. I might have one somewhere I'll look and see. The 14" is completey stable. There are two lengths of pipe that connects the two at the right distance apart from each other so we don't have to sit there moving them around when they are set up. this really makes them solid.
Oh, and my wife is really short so we had to make her an additional step (cut on a compound) to go under our step. The fist few days she had to use a extension ladder, ok so it was a step stool.
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10-26-2005, 04:14 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Hinckley, OH-usa
Posts: 170
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Well I needed to raise the back 11" on one side & 9" on the other. I cut some 2 bys (12" & 10") on a slope (vertical) & bolted & glued them together. They were 2-2bys wider for each side than the duals were wide. I cut some stops for the outside wheels, so as not to go off. The landing area is about 24" long the slope about 36" long. They have been marked on the pavement so in case they move I would know where to put them back to. They haven't moved & I used pressure treated lumber, so I don't worry about rot. If they ever do move I'll have to ooch them back in place with a sledge hammer.
__________________
Fred B.
Hinckley, Ohio, 00' winnebago Adventurer 35U,
07' Saturn Vue, SMI Stay-n-Play, Blue Ox Aladdin
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10-26-2005, 06:48 PM
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: West Palm Beach, FL. USA
Posts: 28,504
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I googled "wheel ramps" and got a bunch of hits.
Here's a couple likely ones:
Bondor ramps
Solveneeds
I would think most auto parts stores would have them or could get them for you - ramps are a common item for DIY car/truck repairs.
__________________
Gary Brinck
Former owner of 2004 American Tradition and several other RVs
Home is now West Palm Beach, FL
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10-26-2005, 09:28 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Winnebago Owners Club KZ RV Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Washington, Columbia River
Posts: 839
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Nice research. Probably a lot cheaper than the ones I built. Well, not, my son got the aluminum for me. But if I had to buy all the non-ferrious metal he put in it I bet it would cost more than the ready made ones you show here.
Bob
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10-27-2005, 05:35 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 236
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Just a thought, it's really not so important to get the coach level for storage. It's more important to get the tires off the ground(isolated from the ground or concrete). If your not going to have any equipment running while in storage, being not level won't hurt a thing. In fact, if your sitting on a slope, it will actually help to keep rain and snow off the roof and not freeze and build up. Also, you might give thought to a cover. Out of sight, out of mind, and it saves on the entire exterior.
PS When I first saw this topic, I thought it was about actual "Highjacking" of your coach. That would be just great if that started to happen to us.
Radarr
__________________
07 Monaco Dynasty 43Q4
"An Unbelievable Coach"
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10-27-2005, 07:38 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Winnebago Owners Club KZ RV Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Washington, Columbia River
Posts: 839
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Radarr,
While I agree with what you say as far as there is really no need to 'store' you coach level, there is an importance, at least I feel, that it should be driven at least once a month for at least 50 miles during your off season. I also feel covering a coach is not in my best interest. I can see what's happening to it, I wash it every couple of months wheather I use it or not, but I inspect it every week. If it is covered, like a boat, out of sight out of mind until the next season. I also use the jacks for a day or three during each couple of weeks just to keep them working, again if it's covered out of sight out of mind. Don't get me wrong my neighbor covers his ten months out of the year, maybe even eleven months.  guess I like seeing it
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