subject: Shed Ramps [print this page] Author: Taylor Michael Author: Taylor Michael
So you have either bought or built your own shed and now you need some way to easily get your lawn mowers and other lawn and garden equipment in it without straining your back. A DIY shed ramp is just the ticket however, if not built correctly you ramp could collapse under the weight of you and the equipment or could be a slippery slope when wet and cause serious injury/
A ramp should incline at a rate of 3 per vertical foot. Any steeper than that and it could cause a problem in a couple of different ways. First, if you have a driving lawn mower with a belly blade on it the blade will hit the entrance to the shed if the ramp is to steep. Also, the wood you build the ramp with can get a thin layer of algae build up on it that when wet is slippery as ice and you could fall and injure yourself or your tractor could slip off to one side and result in a dangerous fall. So, It is important to have enough slope on your ramp so it is not to steep. The next thing you need to make sure of is that you build it sturdy enough to handle the weight it will be subject to. A 200 pound man riding on a 400 pound lawn tractor can put a lot of stress on the ramp and it could collapse. As a minimum, you should use 4 X 4 pressure treated lumber for the ramp framing set no more than 12 apart and use pressure treated plywood for the ramp surface. It is a good idea to use either non-skid or real rubber on the deck to prevent slipping when the ramp becomes wet. You can buy metal shed ramps as well but they are expensive and a DIY model made from wood can be every bit as safe and effective if constructed properly. Any shed that you build will need some type of ramp system if you are driving any type of vehicle into it and if the foundation lifts you shed more than a foot or so off the ground the nice incline walkway is easier on the knees as well.About the Author:
