Trailer ramps

J.R. Haddad · 08-13-2016, 06:06 PM

I am building a set of aluminum trailer ramps, 66 inches long, for a
3300 lb. Stocker. What thickness should the aluminum be? They
will be properly braced underneath etc. Thanks, J.R.

Mark Yacavone · 08-13-2016, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.R. Haddad

I am building a set of aluminum trailer ramps, 66 inches long, for a
3300 lb. Stocker. What thickness should the aluminum be? They
will be properly braced underneath etc. Thanks, J.R.

Not enough info, JR.
How wide will they be?
How and where will you be carrying them and storing them?
What gauge will the cross bracing be? How many braces?
Give us your blueprint idea,and that will make this a lot easier to proceed with.

J.R. Haddad · 08-13-2016, 11:40 PM

Mark, they will be 12 inches wide, starting out as 16 inches wide with 2
inches turned down on each side. They will be attached to the piano
hinges on the back door of my trailer. The bracing will look like this
\----/ (add a few inches left and right on the top of the \ / and subtract
the little extras sticking out below the --- . The bracing will be one
piece and I don't know what thickness that will be. I am copying a
design I saw on a picture that looked strong and reasonably light.
I mention strong because the ramps belonged to a guy with a
Malibu Wagon that weighed 3600 lbs. J.R.

Mark Yacavone · 08-14-2016, 02:54 PM

Okay, if you're going to brake the sheets, I'd start with 20" and do a 2" return on the bottoms.
Then add a few 1,1/2 x 1,1/2, x 3/16 angles underneath, every foot or so, you should be good with .125 material.
You'll have to research the material grade.. At a certain hardness , it won't brake without fracturing.

FED 387 · 08-14-2016, 04:03 PM

U can bend 6061 "some" not much depends how tight you go A right angle NO. Best to use 3030 it's soft enough u can bend it and Tig it too- remember u probably will only have one set of wheels at a time on the ramps so you most likely are looking at 700-800 pounds per ramp. FED 387

Gary Anderson · 08-14-2016, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FED 387

U can bend 6061 "some" not much depends how tight you go A right angle NO. Best to use 3030 it's soft enough u can bend it and Tig it too- remember u probably will only have one set of wheels at a time on the ramps so you most likely are looking at 700-800 pounds per ramp. FED 387

I think he meant "3003".

FED 387 · 08-14-2016, 06:16 PM

Yep typo error 3003

J.R. Haddad · 08-14-2016, 10:45 PM

Thanks everyone, I appreciate it. J.R.

Dwight Southerland · 08-15-2016, 08:06 AM

An easy way (maybe not the cheapest) is to buy 6" channel and weld or bolt them together through the flange. (Bolting is preferred since the standard is 6061). Standard length is 6" so there would be very little fabrication. This is way overkill for a 3600 lb car.

Jim Caughlin · 08-15-2016, 12:00 PM

6061T6 can be bent but the inside radius of the bend has to be 4 times the material thickness so assuming 3/16 thickness, the inside radius needs to be 3/4". Assuming that you are building alum ramps to minimize weight, the 6061 option is going to be the best weight to strength ratio. 3003 does bend easily but has the strength of a wet noodle. 5052H32 might be a better compromise but I would opt for the 6061 alloy.

Jim Caughlin
SS 6019

08-13-2016, 06:06 PM	#1
J.R. Haddad Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 623 Likes: 510 Liked 874 Times in 195 Posts	Trailer ramps I am building a set of aluminum trailer ramps, 66 inches long, for a 3300 lb. Stocker. What thickness should the aluminum be? They will be properly braced underneath etc. Thanks, J.R.

08-13-2016, 11:40 PM	#3
J.R. Haddad Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 623 Likes: 510 Liked 874 Times in 195 Posts	Re: Trailer ramps Mark, they will be 12 inches wide, starting out as 16 inches wide with 2 inches turned down on each side. They will be attached to the piano hinges on the back door of my trailer. The bracing will look like this \----/ (add a few inches left and right on the top of the \ / and subtract the little extras sticking out below the --- . The bracing will be one piece and I don't know what thickness that will be. I am copying a design I saw on a picture that looked strong and reasonably light. I mention strong because the ramps belonged to a guy with a Malibu Wagon that weighed 3600 lbs. J.R.

08-14-2016, 02:54 PM	#4
Mark Yacavone Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Miles From Nowhere Posts: 7,414 Likes: 2,581 Liked 4,447 Times in 1,693 Posts	Re: Trailer ramps Okay, if you're going to brake the sheets, I'd start with 20" and do a 2" return on the bottoms. Then add a few 1,1/2 x 1,1/2, x 3/16 angles underneath, every foot or so, you should be good with .125 material. You'll have to research the material grade.. At a certain hardness , it won't brake without fracturing. __________________ We are lucky we don't get as much Government as we pay for..... Will Rogers

08-14-2016, 04:03 PM	#5
FED 387 VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 3,349 Likes: 326 Liked 280 Times in 150 Posts	Re: Trailer ramps U can bend 6061 "some" not much depends how tight you go A right angle NO. Best to use 3030 it's soft enough u can bend it and Tig it too- remember u probably will only have one set of wheels at a time on the ramps so you most likely are looking at 700-800 pounds per ramp. FED 387

08-14-2016, 06:16 PM	#7
FED 387 VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 3,349 Likes: 326 Liked 280 Times in 150 Posts	Re: Trailer ramps Yep typo error 3003

08-14-2016, 10:45 PM	#8
J.R. Haddad Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 623 Likes: 510 Liked 874 Times in 195 Posts	Re: Trailer ramps Thanks everyone, I appreciate it. J.R.

08-15-2016, 08:06 AM	#9
Dwight Southerland VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Arkansas - In the middle of everything. Posts: 1,980 Likes: 52 Liked 724 Times in 177 Posts	Re: Trailer ramps An easy way (maybe not the cheapest) is to buy 6" channel and weld or bolt them together through the flange. (Bolting is preferred since the standard is 6061). Standard length is 6" so there would be very little fabrication. This is way overkill for a 3600 lb car. __________________

08-15-2016, 12:00 PM	#10
Jim Caughlin Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Woodburn, Or Posts: 635 Likes: 70 Liked 693 Times in 208 Posts	Re: Trailer ramps 6061T6 can be bent but the inside radius of the bend has to be 4 times the material thickness so assuming 3/16 thickness, the inside radius needs to be 3/4". Assuming that you are building alum ramps to minimize weight, the 6061 option is going to be the best weight to strength ratio. 3003 does bend easily but has the strength of a wet noodle. 5052H32 might be a better compromise but I would opt for the 6061 alloy. Jim Caughlin SS 6019