Wooden Panel for my car jack.

[sams93]

I think at best this loosely qualifies for this forum, in that the solution currently involves a piece of wood. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas as solutions for my problem below.

I enjoy working on my car, but have a gravel driveway. Using a jack on gravel is a big no go, because the jack needs to be able to roll itself inwards towards the car on it's wheels as it moves up, and then retreat outwards when being let down. Every time I have to jack the car up, I use a 1m x 60cm sheet of painted 18mm plywood as a base for the jack to sit on. It mostly works sort of fine, but the plywood surface isn't hugely strong and the jack wheels are small, so the result is that sometimes it digs in to the plywood and then the wheels don't roll so the jack cannot move = not good. I've made do like this so far and it has been fine, but i'm wondering if there might be a better material, or something that I can stick to the face of the ply to stop this.

It needs to be cheap (ideally free... something I might readily find on facebook marketplace or the like), because I don't care about it very much and it just lives outside against the side wall all year. It also needs to not be harmful or messy by design (I thought of steel sheet but it will rust and then when i'm messing about under the car crawling around I will end up covered in rust myself).

Thoughts so far:

• Sheet steel 1-2mm - I thought I could screw some to the face of the boards.
  • Will rust and cover me with rust when i'm under the car = no good.
  • Will end up with sharp edges which will also lacerate me under the car = also no good.
• Sheet aluminium 1-2mm - could screw to face of boards.
  • Will it be strong enough or will it just deform
  • Same concern about the sharp edges which might lacerate me although I suppose I could just grind them down.
• Some kind of plastic?
  • It needs to not shatter and be strong enough not to break with the jack wheels.
  • I could round the edges so that I don't get injured by it.
• Something else altogether?

TIA for any suggestions...

 

[TRITON]

1-2mm of alloy or steel will bend with 3/4 ton placed on it
So I'd suggest timber, possibly even reinforced with steel(to stop the timber splitting) or possibly even utilize car ramps.

My Dad used car ramps, which were constructed with 3" timber, simply nailed together with lots of internal supports(also nailed in)
https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-workshop/axle-stands-trolley-jacks/halfords-2-tonne-car-ramps-657271.html?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Motoring>Tools>Garage+Workshop>Axle+Stands+and+Trolley+Jacks-_-Motoring>Tools>Garage+Workshop>Axle+Stands+&+Trolley+Jacks-_-657271&srsltid=AfmBOorK1Hn5_g_MXtq13L3AN07ZhA1nJ5H3JP4p-kfZNzukj0CktHIvNvY&gStoreCode=S0729&gQT=1

Just remember to apply the handbrake

 

[sams93]

1-2mm of alloy or steel will bend with 3/4 ton placed on it, especially as the footprint of the jack is probably 4x4 inches.
So I'd suggest timber, possibly even reinforced with steel(to stop the timber splitting) or possibly even utilize car ramps.

My Dad used car ramps, which were constructed with 3" timber, simply nailed together with lots of internal supports(also nailed in)
https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-workshop/axle-stands-trolley-jacks/halfords-2-tonne-car-ramps-657271.html?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Motoring>Tools>Garage+Workshop>Axle+Stands+and+Trolley+Jacks-_-Motoring>Tools>Garage+Workshop>Axle+Stands+&+Trolley+Jacks-_-657271&srsltid=AfmBOorK1Hn5_g_MXtq13L3AN07ZhA1nJ5H3JP4p-kfZNzukj0CktHIvNvY&gStoreCode=S0729&gQT=1

Just remember to apply the handbrake

The ply panel has mostly held up fine it just compresses a bit when it's damp and the wheel gets stuck - do you think a 1-2mm steel or alloy would be fine if it's backed up by the ply. The ply is well supported by the gravel when on the ground so there is no issue with that bending, it's just giving the jack a flat surface to roll on.

Car ramps won't work because whenever i need to do any brake/suspension/drivetrain/steering work I need to have the wheel off.

 

[Jameshow]

How about plastic chopping board cut up into strips and screwed down perhaps some timber rails to keep the wheels on the track?

 

[Tris]

You could cut the board in half lengthwise, glue and screw the two together then face it with a piece of galvanized sheet. Cut the sheet 50 mm oversize and dress it over the edges. Clout nails around the edges will hold it on, best pilot them first in ply

 

[mwinfrance]

Thick smooth paving slab in a plywood tray with wooden end sides to stop it moving.

 

[Duncan A]

Please tell me that you're not relying on a single jack and a piece of crunchable plywood to hold the car up while you're working under it.

 

[sams93]

You could cut the board in half lengthwise, glue and screw the two together then face it with a piece of galvanized sheet. Cut the sheet 50 mm oversize and dress it over the edges. Clout nails around the edges will hold it on, best pilot them first in ply

This seems the easiest option. The board itself is strong enough, it is the face that is just slightly too soft. Any thoughts on where I might pick up some galvanised sheet/aluminium chequerboard for cheap. It doesn't need to look pretty!

 

[sams93]

Please tell me that you're not relying on a single jack and a piece of crunchable plywood to hold the car up while you're working under it.

I am pleased to be able to tell you that! The plywood just sits on the floor to give a smooth surface for the jack to move on its wheels, and also distributes the load evenly across the gravel, I jack it up simply to get the car high enough to put the axle stands under the car. I tend to position the plywood so that the axle stands can sit on it as well.

 

[sams93]

Thick smooth paving slab in a plywood tray with wooden end sides to stop it moving.

This would work great except it would be so heavy for me to move around and I store them round the side of the house out of the way when i'm not using them - I could use a thin slab but I think it would probably just crack?

 

[sams93]

How about plastic chopping board cut up into strips and screwed down perhaps some timber rails to keep the wheels on the track?

I don't think I have explained it very well. I am not trying to constrain the movement of the jack, just find a smooth surface that is hard enough that the jack wheels won't indent it as the jack moves whilst I jack the car up.

 

[Duncan A]

If you live anywhere near boatyards making aluminium service craft for wind farms or fish farms, you may be able to blag some 6mm aluminium from them - this will typically be very hard and strong

 

[Jameshow]

This seems the easiest option. The board itself is strong enough, it is the face that is just slightly too soft. Any thoughts on where I might pick up some galvanised sheet/aluminium chequerboard for cheap. It doesn't need to look pretty!

eBay good for stuff like that
Condition - new other
sort - by distance

 

[ChaiLatte]

Pimp your jack and fit wider wheels for lower ground pressure. See every YouTube video of peat cutting with a tractor.

You do not need to cover the entire plywood surface with metal. A piece of C-channel a little wider than the footprint of the jack would do. It could be bent up from any sheet metal you had handy and safe edges put on it. It wlll be independently portable to the main sheet of plywood and lighter overall than covering the whole sheet.

 

[sams93]

If you live anywhere near boatyards making aluminium service craft for wind farms or fish farms, you may be able to blag some 6mm aluminium from them - this will typically be very hard and strong

I live right on the coast in a fishing port with a wind farm maintenance company.... I will have a drive around in the week and see if I can find anything around there.

eBay good for stuff like that
Condition - new other
sort - by distance

I will take a look cheers.

Pimp your jack and fit wider wheels for lower ground pressure. See every YouTube video of peat cutting with a tractor.

You do not need to cover the entire plywood surface with metal. A piece of C-channel a little wider than the footprint of the jack would do. It could be bent up from any sheet metal you had handy and safe edges put on it. It wlll be independently portable to the main sheet of plywood and lighter overall than covering the whole sheet.

I hadn't thought about wider wheels. The front ones are ok they don't seem to cause a problem, it's the rear ones which are on the castors that do - wider castors rated for 3 tonne might be a bit pricey though....

I suppose I could use C-channel like you say, but that would constrain the movement of the jack itself on the board and I feel like having extra things to go with my not-very-technical solution to gravel would make it more faff for something that I hoped would be simple. I will keep in mind though, particualrly if I struggle to find any sheet metal or can't find something big enough.