Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

This 36" wide  X  58" long  X  3/4" thick plywood parking base will be located on a side porch to accomodate my new 11.5 hp, 300 lb (wet) 30" wide Craftsman Snowthrower to protect the wooden flooring.  I'll also use it as a ramp for entry-exit ease to/from the porch.  To prevent slipping and to increase traction when used as a ramp, I'll tack down four flexible outdoor rubber mats with drain holes the size of a quarter.  At one end (only) of the base/ramp, I'll nail/screw a piece of 36" long X 1" wide scrap wood to prevent slippage.  This part will be touching the ground when used as a ramp.  The rubber mats are 16" wide by 28" long.  In addition, I bought a larger version of the same brand name mat to be placed between the porch floor and ramp top-edge "lip" to act as a smooth drive-on transition to the ramp.  Back in World War II after the U.S. invaded Normandy and placed fighter aircraft in France, they hastily built airbases and used steel mats placed over dirt for runways and taxiways.  The dirt became mud on rainy days and the planes could still takeoff while supported by these mats.

I purchased a "large" slab of plywood at Home Depot @ $34.99, had it cut to size with the idea that the leftover pieces will come in handy.  The four 16" wide X 28" long rubber mats were found at Lowes @ $3.97 each and were not available at Home Depot.  The brand name is Hexagon Mat.  I'll use grey deck paint.  It'll look nice with the black mats.  Once built, I plan to place the base with the rubber mat side facing down to act as a thin cushion against the wood flooring and to allow air to enter.  We'll see how that plays out. 

By the way, my porch is not very high, only two normal size steps.  I bought the materials today, plan to assemble and paint tomorrow.  The reason for this ramp/base?  My garage is too far away for practical storage and the snowthrower is just outside my door.

It might be a good idea to glue and screwsome  2x2 strips along most of the length of the plywood. A few width ways would also be a good idea.

This will do 2 things:

1. Stiffen the ramp significantly
2. Keep most of the parking area off of your deck, less chance of freeze up and more air circulation when its wet.

Thanks for the tip.  It adds structural integrity and is open to air flow. 

I just finished building the Ramp/Parking Base.  I screwed in two 2" X 3" pine studs underneath the ramp measured to be aligned with the wheel track.  I painted it with grey deck paint and it initially looked like a steel plate for a Navy destroyer.  I screwed down the four black rubber mats and then painted each edge of the ramp (1") with a colonial red (cranberry color) which gave it an attractive safety outline.  I painted a 2" white stripe from port to starboard on the entry edge only.  The white stripe indicates for me the top part of the ramp when I move it toward the steps.  The ramp sort of looks like a board game now.  It looks great!!

The leftover plywood could be used as a ramp extension by adding (removable?) hinges and then placing steel brackets underneath to hold two lengthy (removable) steel rods to reinforce the hinged area.  This would now be an eight foot folding ramp.

The snowthrower is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow (Friday) early afternoon.  Weather forecast for the next few days is partly sunny/cloudy with temps in the low to mid thirties.

Next up?  Turtle wax for this red and black machine!

Something just occurred to me.

It might be a good idea to put a block width wise on the bottom of the plywood along the "top" edge.  This would act a a lip that would catch on what ever the ramp is resting on and stop it from slipping off.

I did plan to add the "lip" you suggested, however, the two 2" X 3" studs are indented a few inches at the "top" underside of the ramp where it rests on the edge of the top step.  Turned out it's a good fit.  The studs at the bottom part of the ramp are flush with the ramp itself and act as a stop.  When the snowthrower was delivered the other day, it worked well (dry conditions, of course).  I have an extra wider rubber mat that will be used as an entry threshold (mini-ramp) on the top of the ramp.

a) need pics;

b) are you planning on buying a cover for it?

A.  I'm sorry I don't have a digital camera.  You'll have to use your imagination seeing this black machine with a fire-engine red housing sitting on a light grey pallet-like platform and framed with one inch of red paint along the length of each side and a two inch stripe of white paint running along the threshold (width).  I was tempted to add a white number "18" on the front just like an aircraft carrier (USS Wasp CVS 18), my former ship.

 B.  I bought a Classic cover for it.  Fits perfectly and looks great in black.  These covers cost about $24.00 and are worth it, I believe.  Probably about the same price or cheaper than the plastic tarps available.  Owner's handbook says not to buy a plastic cover because of moisture/condensation forming.

As long as you have something to stop the ramp from slipping. I was backing a blower up onto a trailer  using some 2X6 planks. The back wheels had just landed on the back edge of the trailer when two  of the planks fell down.  I lucked out on that one since the blower was on the trailer but from that point on I make sure the ramp can't move when something is going up or coming down. The only real damage was from me kicking myself.

I have heavy duty hinges attached to the deck of the trailer and the top of the ramp. The pins are removable so I can easily connect and disconnet either the ramp or the tail gate.