I need ur ideals on a van ramp

-
Dart_Doctor

Dart_Doctor

Asa style
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Messages
11,949
Reaction score
1,955
Location
Don't matter
Ok well as alot of u know ive made a new friend here his name is cliff well .. He needs a ramp for his chair in his van and i need ideals on how to make it ... Im not asking for money just I deals and if it looks like i can make it I will get the stuff to do it .. should have it here lol :blob:
 
dart_doctor said:
Ok well as alot of u know ive made a new friend here his name is cliff well .. He needs a ramp for his chair in his van and i need ideals on how to make it ... Im not asking for money just I deals and if it looks like i can make it I will get the stuff to do it .. should have it here lol :blob:
Click to expand...

Does the Dodge van have a sliding door or double opening doors? Do you have a picture of the side of the van?
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Does the Dodge van have a sliding door or double opening doors? Do you have a picture of the side of the van?
Click to expand...

It's a Chevy van don't hate me. But it will have to go in the rear,I will post some pictures tomorrow.
 
old tired rebel said:
It's a Chevy van don't hate me. But it will have to go in the rear,I will post some pictures tomorrow.
Click to expand...

We did one years ago with a welded angle iron frame on the outside edges so you could put a 3/4 piece of plywood in it from the top side. We used 1x1 1/2 angle iron there. Then we fliped it over without the plywood in it and welded 4 peices of angle iron that was 1x1 across the bottom so it looked like a ladder but with square ends. This angle was laid so it formed a triangle when you looked at the end. Then we welded 4 pieces of thin rebar across the angle iron from end to end of the entire ramp. We had a peice of steel that was the right angle for the top side where it went in the van doors. We drilled 2 holes in that plate and matching holes in the van floor. We put some carriage bolts though the plywood and angle iron on the sides. The important part was the rebar because it acted like the cables on an expansion bridge and kept the ramp from bowing. We only bought bolts and plywood because everything else was just stuff we had laying around. If you happen to have some flat strap laying around you could use that instead of the rebar.

Now did I make this clear enough to understand?
 
If the van has a receiver hitch you could attach the ramp there by making a T bar that stood up and you wouldn't have to drill on the van.
 
You might better check with the DMV or even the web site waggin used for Bruce's wheelchair ramp. There may be guidlines that have to be adhered by. It might even have to be inspected. I don't know about that, but it'd be better to know now than have to redo it.
 
dart_doctor said:
Ok well as alot of u know ive made a new friend here his name is cliff well .. He needs a ramp for his chair in his van and i need ideals on how to make it ... Im not asking for money just I deals and if it looks like i can make it I will get the stuff to do it .. should have it here lol :blob:
Click to expand...

Hey DD,
Our pull & save junk yard has a few of these already in vans there. Not sure of cost but you could pull it all out of a van at the junk yard and reinstall in Cliff's van.
They usually are still good. You could bring a car battery and apply power at the junk yard to make sure it still operates.
This would probibly be the best quality for about the same price as cobbeling one together.

Just a thought. Matter of fact all 4 junk yards I go to have different vans with ramps in them both mini vans and full size.
I go to a Goodwill auction here. They have at least 1 or 2 mini vans with ramps for sale each week. A couple weeks ago. A guy in a wheel chair bid $500.00 on a Dodge 99 caravan with a ramp. He won it, I wouldn't even bid against him and I was eyeballin everyone else to make sure they didn't bid either!!!

Good Luck!
Keep us posted....
You are a good dude DD!:salut:
John:thumrigh:
 
64dart170 said:
Hey DD,
Our pull & save junk yard has a few of these already in vans there. Not sure of cost but you could pull it all out of a van at the junk yard and reinstall in Cliff's van.
They usually are still good. You could bring a car battery and apply power at the junk yard to make sure it still operates.
This would probibly be the best quality for about the same price as cobbeling one together.

Just a thought. Matter of fact all 4 junk yards I go to have different vans with ramps in them both mini vans and full size.
I go to a Goodwill auction here. They have at least 1 or 2 mini vans with ramps for sale each week. A couple weeks ago. A guy in a wheel chair bid $500.00 on a Dodge 99 caravan with a ramp. He won it, I wouldn't even bid against him and I was eyeballin everyone else to make sure they didn't bid either!!!

Good Luck!
Keep us posted....
You are a good dude DD!:salut:
John:thumrigh:
Click to expand...

In this situation Dart Doctor has very limited cash available and is trying to make do with stuff he has laying around. Buying a used lift would have been my first suggestion but Dart Doctor's and Tired Rebel's funds are pretty well depleted from the last month or so during Cliff's move. My quickest idea to do a ramp would be to see if you could locate a used U Haul or similar truck bed that had been removed for storage and try to buy the aluminum ramp off it. Cut it down to required length and they would have it. That would be hard to find and also require money.

dart_doctor said:
Ok well as alot of u know ive made a new friend here his name is cliff well .. He needs a ramp for his chair in his van and i need ideals on how to make it ... Im not asking for money just I deals and if it looks like i can make it I will get the stuff to do it .. should have it here lol :blob:
Click to expand...

StrokerScamp said:
You might better check with the DMV or even the web site waggin used for Bruce's wheelchair ramp. There may be guidlines that have to be adhered by. It might even have to be inspected. I don't know about that, but it'd be better to know now than have to redo it.
Click to expand...
Oklahoma doesn't inspect anything in the way of private vehicles. They even did away with the state saftey inspections over 10 years ago.
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
We did one years ago with a welded angle iron frame on the outside edges so you could put a 3/4 piece of plywood in it from the top side. We used 1x1 1/2 angle iron there. Then we fliped it over without the plywood in it and welded 4 peices of angle iron that was 1x1 across the bottom so it looked like a ladder but with square ends. This angle was laid so it formed a triangle when you looked at the end. Then we welded 4 pieces of thin rebar across the angle iron from end to end of the entire ramp. We had a peice of steel that was the right angle for the top side where it went in the van doors. We drilled 2 holes in that plate and matching holes in the van floor. We put some carriage bolts though the plywood and angle iron on the sides. The important part was the rebar because it acted like the cables on an expansion bridge and kept the ramp from bowing. We only bought bolts and plywood because everything else was just stuff we had laying around. If you happen to have some flat strap laying around you could use that instead of the rebar.

Now did I make this clear enough to understand?
Click to expand...

That sounds easy enough to do. We will scrounge around and see what we can find.

64dart170 said:
Hey DD,
Our pull & save junk yard has a few of these already in vans there. Not sure of cost but you could pull it all out of a van at the junk yard and reinstall in Cliff's van.
They usually are still good. You could bring a car battery and apply power at the junk yard to make sure it still operates.
This would probibly be the best quality for about the same price as cobbeling one together.

Just a thought. Matter of fact all 4 junk yards I go to have different vans with ramps in them both mini vans and full size.
I go to a Goodwill auction here. They have at least 1 or 2 mini vans with ramps for sale each week. A couple weeks ago. A guy in a wheel chair bid $500.00 on a Dodge 99 caravan with a ramp. He won it, I wouldn't even bid against him and I was eyeballin everyone else to make sure they didn't bid either!!!

Good Luck!
Keep us posted....
You are a good dude DD!:salut:
John:thumrigh:
Click to expand...

Wish those vans were that cheap in NC most resell for 3K if not more. I haven't checked here for prices.
 
old tired rebel said:
That sounds easy enough to do. We will scrounge around and see what we can find.



Wish those vans were that cheap in NC most resell for 3K if not more. I haven't checked here for prices.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I realize $$$ situation. I was just shotgunning.
I think they are cheap at that auction due to donations for auction. It is a work/rehab facility and they seem to get quite a few of them for auction. Funny sense they have lifts in them, there usually isn't alot of bidders on them. Most sell for $500.00 - 1500.00.
There is 1-3 of those vans come up a month at auction here.
I've been seeing lifts in vans in U-pull it yards. I'll do some sniffin around.
Let me hit ya back soon. I'm almost done with the pick up being painted so I think I should have some time for looking.
John.
 
64dart170 said:
Hey DD,
Our pull & save junk yard has a few of these already in vans there. Not sure of cost but you could pull it all out of a van at the junk yard and reinstall in Cliff's van.
They usually are still good. You could bring a car battery and apply power at the junk yard to make sure it still operates.
This would probibly be the best quality for about the same price as cobbeling one together.

Just a thought. Matter of fact all 4 junk yards I go to have different vans with ramps in them both mini vans and full size.
I go to a Goodwill auction here. They have at least 1 or 2 mini vans with ramps for sale each week. A couple weeks ago. A guy in a wheel chair bid $500.00 on a Dodge 99 caravan with a ramp. He won it, I wouldn't even bid against him and I was eyeballin everyone else to make sure they didn't bid either!!!

Good Luck!
Keep us posted....
You are a good dude DD!:salut:
John:thumrigh:
Click to expand...

Youre a hell of a guy. Kudos on thinking of another member like that.
 
Ok. Maybe I don't fully understand what you're trying accomplish but they sell ramps at lowes and home depot not expensive. If you can run a riding mower up one I would think a wheelchair would be no problem. Just a thought.
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Oklahoma doesn't inspect anything in the way of private vehicles. They even did away with the state saftey inspections over 10 years ago.
Click to expand...

Good deal. That's just one more thing yall ain't gotta worry about.
 
Old man ray said:
Ok. Maybe I don't fully understand what you're trying accomplish but they sell ramps at lowes and home depot not expensive. If you can run a riding mower up one I would think a wheelchair would be no problem. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

I have tried that it's great with a pick up but not enough room with a conversion van.

I will post pictures tomorrow. I spent the afternoon at DD Place today.
 
the simpler you keep it the better. my stepson is quadraplegic, 20 years now. we are on our 4th lift van. the conversions do not hold up. our newest van, this year, has less power stuff than any of the others.
 
old tired rebel said:
I have tried that it's great with a pick up but not enough room with a conversion van.

I will post pictures tomorrow. I spent the afternoon at DD Place today.
Click to expand...
dang i was liking that ideal .. and im going to talk to cliff bout the others and see what we can come up with ..like ok. said im one a really short on the cash side of things im living on less then 500 bouks a mouth so i have to think cheap u know ... and i want to thank u guys for saying nice things bout me ... i do what i can .... keep them ideals comming :thumrigh:
 
dart_doctor said:
dang i was liking that ideal .. and im going to talk to cliff bout the others and see what we can come up with ..like ok. said im one a really short on the cash side of things im living on less then 500 bouks a mouth so i have to think cheap u know ... and i want to thank u guys for saying nice things bout me ... i do what i can .... keep them ideals comming :thumrigh:
Click to expand...

No worries DD we will figure it out.
 
I am thinking about a spring loaded double hinged version of what I originally posted. Maybe something cable assisted with a reversible motor.
 
I have the 97 van same as yours and a set of ramps. My rear seat is still in but I am going to set up the ramps tomorrow and see what it would take to modify them..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top