Corona Timekiller: Hanging ramps in my garage

Ever since I upgraded from a MaxJax to a four post lift back in November, I've been trying to figure out what to do with the ramps when they're not in use. The lift is positioned very close to the garage door in order to maximize workspace at the other end, so just letting them hang off the end of the lift isn't an option. These are the optional aluminum ramps, so they're a lot lighter than the standard steel ones, but they take up a lot of floor space and the edges are crazy sharp. I'll eventually file down the edges, but first priority will be getting them out of the way.

I considered a bunch of options, many of which were dependent upon the location of the garage wall studs, and then I decided to go with the same Rubbermaid FastTrack system that I use to hang the folding chairs on the wall.

I mounted it all in the corner behind one of the posts, which is not really all that convenient, but the lift will be used for storage a lot of the time, so the ramps won't be needed for a few months every year. My primary concern was to store them away from normal foot traffic.

I located the studs, added some anchors in between and mounted the track to the wall. I had to choose between large and small hooks. I bought both so I can see what works best. The large hooks have twice the load rating and they lock to the track (very nice) but they stick out a lot farther. I decided to go with the small ones, and then figure out some kind of way to be sure that they don't fall off if something gets bumped. The last thing I want is for one of these ramps to come down and bounce off one of the cars.

It's hard to see from this angle, but the ramps stick out an inch and a half further with the large hooks.

After mounting the track and hooks, I carefully hanged the ramps and then added a bumper made from a piece of leftover plastic lumber, to keep the sharp metal edges from messing up the drywall.

Once everything was done, I added a cam lock strap through the FastTrack as a safety. Hopefully, it will keep everything from falling away should I bump into anything.

I see that and have to ask if you wear steel toe shoes in your garage!

In reply to Karacticus :

Hadn't thought about that...

I have race ramps and I just slide them on top of the deck underneath the car once I have the car up in the air.  When I lower the lift, I grab them and put them into place. 

The diameter of those hooks and the bonus strap are not confidence inspiring.  

On My friends lift, he is able to stow his on the lift. They slot into a holder right at the end of the lift.  If your doesn't  have that maybe weld or bolt on a "hanger" on the rail if you decide the toe amputation is a possibility and change the design. 

There is a ledge of wood and concrete directly below the ramps. Toe amputation is the least of my worries right now.

In reply to docwyte :

Race Ramps will happen eventually, but they are beyond the budget at the moment.

In reply to Woody :

I'm sure you can store your current ramps the same way tho.  Mine fit underneath the 911, so unless your car is lower than that, they'll fit...

Okay... I'm doing this because of You People.

While I'm completely certain that my original solution was 100% safe-ish, I'm going in for the upgrade. I've decided to swap out the non-returnable (tags removed) small hooks ($36) for the completely returnable (tags intact, $40) large, lockable hooks, thus (almost) doubling the cost of this project. I will eat the cost of the small hooks.

Small hooks were rated at 25lbs. each. Large hooks are rated at 50lbs. each. We're using two per ramp. Each ramp weighs 18.8 pounds.

Here's a comparison:

So I've swapped them. They stick out more now, but it's not a huge deal. I've decided to skip the safety strap, because it would be pretty hard to knock them off at this point. I never feared for the safety of my toes, as the Drop Zone was seriously protected by piece of 2x6",  over a concrete ledge, covered with Indian artifacts found on my own property, plus electrical cords, a battery hooked up to a charger, a can of acetone, a mousetrap and some snowblower belts.

So, Berk You, Bob Costas. My toes are safe now, and my ramps are off the floor.

Nice work! I really like that fast track stuff - we have an assortment of strollers and other baby stuff hanging from some. The ability to change/move hooks around easily is really nice.

Umm, that totally looks like a...wait for it...

Just kidding. There are more dangerous things than that in my wind