Troubleshooting RhinoRamps That Slip When Loading/Unloading A Vehicle

Question:

Hi. I used these ramps for my ATC Pla 700 which is 5200lbs empty. First, they slipped out twice when trying to load/roll up them to get the trailer on the platform. i ended up using leveling blocks to create a ramp that got the tire onto the rampsfoot incline. and secondly, under weight, they seem to distort just a bit. they seemed reasonably safe, but that distortion had me worried about their integrity. please see the photo and you can see the way the side of the piece, from the platform to the driveway bulges out a bit. this was the back axle which probably has the lightest of the weight of the 4 corners, shoudl have been well under the ramps rating. thoughts? safe?

asked by: Steve G

RhinoRamps 1
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RhinoRamps 2
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RhinoRamps 3
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Expert Reply:

Hey Steve,

I actually own the FloTool RhinoRamps Vehicle Ramp Set # FT11909MI myself to lift my riding mower and work on it and have faced the same issues you're describing here. The outer edge where the handle will start to bulge but it is still safe to use because the weight is held up by the inner construction of the ramps and not the sides. They leave a little flex so that when stacked together you can get your hand in there to pull them back apart.

As for it slipping, I completely agree that the rubber pads on the bottom are not enough to hold the ramps in place when pulling a vehicle onto them. We tried doubling up cars in a shop bay because it was raining and used these for the second car and they kept slipping out while trying to car up on them. Since then I've been putting a rubber mat under them for more grip. You can get a thin enough pad from your local hardware or auto parts store to use without braking the bank.

This is a super common issue for RhinoRamp owners so there are forums listing things they tried to help keep the ramps from slipping. One person said they used on RTV gasket maker on the portion of the pad that connects to ramp to take out any play. The steep angle of the ramp can put too much pressure on the pad and allow it to slip around on the ramp so hopefully taking out the play will keep the ramp from sliding on you.

expert reply by: Kevin C