Ynot Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Not something I've investigated before so looking for purchase options - mainly to use getting gear up on to the 3 foot high stage on occasion, as well as form time to time as, well, a ramp for a van... :) The oddly conveniently named Ramp People have this one - http://www.theramppeople.co.uk/ramp/lightweight-van-ramp-7ft-long/794/ What other suppliers do people have that may be suitable...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave m Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 They can be pretty heavy and you need to keep room for it in the van. So last in, first out.That looks a reasonable price. I would think 7 feet ramp on a 3 foot stage is steep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Spec says max load height 650mm, which is quite a bit short of 3 feet. You really would need a longer ramp for that lift... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Apart from one custom built unit, all the ramps I've used have been made by Raalloy. They have a ramp for every occasion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Spec says max load height 650mm, which is quite a bit short of 3 feet. You really would need a longer ramp for that lift...Stage is about 3'3", but the load point out back where we want to use it has a step up about 6 inches or so, so maybe around 2'9"... I need to check the actual, but it won't be far off that. Still, yes, could probably do with a longer one - that was just a starter for ten though :)They can be pretty heavy and you need to keep room for it in the van. So last in, first out.That looks a reasonable price. I would think 7 feet ramp on a 3 foot stage is steepIndeed - have used them many times, just never looked to buy one. And it's likely to get stored under the stage and brought out or the van when needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 +1 for Raalloy. I have two of their ramps, the older of the two is pushing 10yrs old. Despite regular abuse they are still going strong. We bought 1.85m length, it means they can stand up vertically in the van, which is far nicer than trying to lift them up on top of everything. We found, to our astonishment, that it was cheaper to buy from Canford, than direct from Raalloy themselves. Canford had a more expensive line item price, but a blanket free delivery policy for orders over a certain amount, which meant they were cheaper overall than Raalloy. Not sure if that will still be the case but worth looking. If you're looking elsewhere, don't be tempted by the cheap wheelchair ramps that fold in half lengthways. They feel really flimsy in operation. Two burly guys and a heavy flightcase means a significant sag in the middle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benwillcox Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Not something I've investigated before so looking for purchase options - mainly to use getting gear up on to the 3 foot high stage on occasion, as well as form time to time as, well, a ramp for a van... :) The oddly conveniently named Ramp People have this one - http://www.theramppe...p-7ft-long/794/ What other suppliers do people have that may be suitable...? I looked at that same one when choosing a van ramp, but in the end decided to go for the slightly heavier duty version as was worried the battering from rolling many 150kg flight cases up that one might be too much. So I got this one which has served us very well and is solid (it weighs 25kg so not overly unwieldy): http://www.theramppe...750mm-wide/243/ Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 If you're looking elsewhere, don't be tempted by the cheap wheelchair ramps that fold in half lengthways. They feel really flimsy in operation. Two burly guys and a heavy flightcase means a significant sag in the middle... Been there, done that - had a 7' ramp this week from the aforementioned RampPeople based on the idea that folding would be better, but as soon as it came out of the box we realised that it was no way going to be suited for purpose. So that's going back to the supplier. Was worth a punt as we don't expect it to be massively heavy workload expectation for the ramp, but that wasn't anywhere close. :( Apart from one custom built unit, all the ramps I've used have been made by Raalloy. They have a ramp for every occasion!Dropped them a mail for info, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Folding ramps for wheelchairs are rated at 300Kilos, which is nothing for a case and two people pushing, Also a ramp steep enough to rise 3ft in 7ft will be impossible to push things up, Possibly two 7ft ramps with an intermediate stage could be workable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Folding ramps for wheelchairs are rated at 300Kilos, which is nothing for a case and two people pushing, Also a ramp steep enough to rise 3ft in 7ft will be impossible to push things up, Possibly two 7ft ramps with an intermediate stage could be workable.On the whole, we're not talking large flightcases or indeed lots of them. We're only a small venue - likely the largest thing we'll get is a twin Mac700 case, but even those tend to go out front on the auditorium deck and the lamps are lifted out and onto stage. Biggest load-in of latter years was the Eagles tribute, Talon, and they had their own ramp which from memory wasn't much over 8 feet if it was that - and we managed reasonably well :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeseweasel Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I've used those Ramp People ramps before - they're definitely sturdy. The trouble I've found with those sorts of heavy-duty ramps is the sheer amount of space they take up in Transit-sized vans - with a full load, the ramp is usually the first thing to get ditched at the warehouse to make room for that last awkward item: cue lots of handballing things on and off the van at the other end. I quite like the flimsier fold-in-half ramps they sell at Machine Mart etc. as they can always be posted into the van somewhere, and any ramp (even a flimsy one) is better than the ramp that's left at the warehouse. Depending on what sort of use it will have, perhaps one of these would be suitable? A 7' ramp is IMO not really long enough to load onto a 3' high stage unless you back the van up to the front of it and put the ramp between the van and stage. It's definitely not safe to be left on the stage throughout a show for artists etc to use for loading in (not sure if this is the idea?). Festival H&S people won't like the look of it either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 We have two Raalloy 3m ramps, and they go up to the stage at 1.2m. The angle of dangle, compared to the length is just right - I wouldn't like to go steeper. Some maths would produce the same angle for a 3 foot stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Another vote for Ra'Alloy ramps. Ours has been going strong for about 8 years, and I reckon would easily do the same again. Occasionally they appear on eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 if space is an issue then hows about a rap a ramp.ynot cant you use an 8ft sheet of inch ply, couple of 2x2 underneath to stop it flexing too much and 10 minutes with the sander to make a lip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 if space is an issue then hows about a rap a ramp. I had a bounce on one of those at Plasa a few years back. Wasn't convinced. Plus they are almost twice the price of a Raalloy ramp of similar size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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