Home | Home | Home Improvement

DIY Shed Ramps - Here is an Easy Way to Build Them Yourself

By: Marion Bailey


Read More About Home Improvement

Alright, you have a new storage shed and regardless if you bought it or built it yourself you need to find a way to easily transport your gardening equipment in and out. Building a set of DIY shed ramp is just the thing to allow you to easily bring your lawnmower, tiller, ATV or any other heavy gardening equipment in and out of your shed. When you construct your DIY shed ramp you must consider both your weight and the weight of your equipment. You would not want your DIY shed ramp to break and cause you to get injured the first time you drove your lawn tractor down your new ramp.

As a minimum, you need to use 4 X 4 pressure treated lumber to build the framing for your new ramps, they also need to be at least 16 inches apart center to center. I would suggest if you have a ride on lawn tractor, that you build your ramp at least four feet wide. For that you would need three 4 X 4 framing members 16 inches apart. That will leave you with a six inch overhang at each side which will give your shed a professional look. The ramp surface must also be able to support the weight of the equipment plus your weight as well. There are several options that I recommend. Anything that you decide to use should be pressure treated to withstand Mother Nature.

You could use either plywood or spruce or fir boards at least ¾ inches thick; my favorite is 5/4 X 4 pressure treated decking boards. They are easy to find, look great and will support the weight. You also need to make your ramp deck skid proof; you can use a non-skid coating or real rubber. If you happen to have a few of the asphalt shingles left over from the roof construction you could cut them into strips and, using the left over roofing nails you then nail them to the deck. That will save you some of your hard earned cash.

You must construct your ramp with a maximum slope of 2 inches per foot of ramp length. What that means is that if, for example, your shed is one foot above ground level you ramp must be at least 6 feet long and it would not hurt to make it 8 feet long, that is the standard length of 4 X 4 lumber. Any steeper than that and it could cause a couple problems; the blade of your ride on lawnmower may hit where the ramp and entrance of your shed meet. When it rains and the ramp becomes wet it might become slick and cause you to fall and become seriously injured.

There are also prefab metal ramps that you can purchase but they are expensive and any DIY shed ramps that you build yourself will perform as well and be as safe; if built properly. If you buy a good quality set of shed building plans, they will almost certainly have a set of plans for DIY shed ramps included. If you follow the detailed directions in them you will have built a perfectly good set of ramps for your new shed.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Have you been trying to find a simple solution to your storage needs? If you are looking for an easy way to build the shed you need, then look no farther. You will discover everything you need for your shed projects, from ezinearticles.com/?Build-a-Great-Storage-Shed-Using-Storage-Shed-Plans-With-a-Porch&id=3207733"> DIY shed ramps to building the roof. Please visit: www.1200ShedPlans.com to solve any of your shed building problems

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Home Improvement Articles Via RSS!

counter easy hit

Powered by Article Dashboard