Wheelchair Ramp FAQs

The answer is Yes. Regardless of whether the ramp is exposed to the weather or not, you need to use UNTREATED wood for the deck surface. The type or species of wood is not important, except do not use cedar for the deck surface. This is because it is soft and a ramp will wear grooves into the surface. The preservative that is forced into ‘treated’ wood leaves an oily film on the wood. This make it extremely slippery and unsafe even in dry weather. The wood can not be painted or have surface treatments added (i.e., adhesive grit strips) until about six months of weathering has occurred.

Only the parts of a ramp that come in direct contact with the ground need to be treated wood. Wood ramps that are inside (like a garage entry) do not need any painting or non-slip surface treatment added. The ramp will look great for many years since it is not exposed to weathering or UV light from the sun. The wood’s natural bare state will provide sufficient traction.

However, wood that is outside exposed to the elements needs to be painted or stained and sealed. This will prevent the wood from looking weathered. The service life of a ramp made of untreated wood is about 20 years with maintenance every other year. Outside ramps need to have a non-slip surface treatment. This is because wood ramps are very slippery when wet. DO NOT USE those thick surface treatments that are used to restore old cracked and weather wood decks. These treatments just set on top of the wood and will crack and flake off. Ramps will flex during use due to the weight of the wheelchair as it rolls over the surface. Use a grit paint or rubberized paint that will soak into the wood and flex with the wood. There are even non-slip granules that can be added to exterior paints. Untreated wood can be painted or sealed shortly after the project is completed. People have even used the liquid asphalt used to seal driveways as a surface treatment. Another method is to use spray cans of pickup truck bed liner which create a non slip surface.

We hope this information has been helpful and we encourage you to give us a call at (913) 553-1488 if you have ramp questions. Our expertise is free.

What do you do when a wheelchair ramp is too short and makes the slope too steep? This is a very common problem as most people do not realize the actual ramp length needed. They often buy or build a ramp. They later find out after the ramp is installed, they cannot safely push the loaded wheelchair up the ramp. Therefore, if you struggle pushing the wheelchair up the ramp, it will make it very easy to lose control of the wheelchair going down the ramp.

• the physical strength of the caregiver pushing the wheelchair and
• the weight of the patient being pushed up the ramp

The slope is everything when building a wheelchair ramp. Give us a call to discuss your situation and we will figure the proper length for you at no charge. The right slope is dependent on two factors:

Slope Details

You will be using the strength of two people to get the wheelchair up and down the ramp. One person is pushing from behind and the other is pulling from above. You will attach a rope or harness that connects to the front of the wheelchair to be pulled by the second person. The person at the top is not on the ramp but on a flat surface. This will allow him/her to walk backward using the strength of their legs in addition to arm strength.

Slope Solution

All wheelchair arm rests set on an aluminum tube frame that turn down at the front of the wheelchair. This vertical section on each side of the tube frame is where you will connect a harness. There are several ways of making a harness other than what is described below.

Get two ropes of suitable length to tie on each side of the wheelchair frame. Make sure you tie a knot that will not come loose. 3/8” poly, 400lb test can be cut to length at HD or Lowes.

'Y' Harness Option

The harness is composed of a 6’ long or longer ‘sling strap,’ which has hand loops at each end.This will have a working strength of 800lb or more. The top of the ‘Y’ connects to the wheelchair frame. These materials are available at Home Depot, Lowes, Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply, Northern Tool, etc.

You will purchase two ‘S’ hooks (one for each side of the wheelchair). One side of the ‘S’ bracket will fit snugly around the vertical aluminum tube frame (under each arm rest) as described above. Use duct tape around the vertical tube and hooks to keep them in place. The other side of the ‘S’ bracket will connect to the hand loop of the sling strap.

At the middle of the 6’ sling strap you will connect a rope that is about 5’ longer than the ramp (suggest a 3/8” poly that has a working strength of 400lb). You can connect to the sling strap by tying the rope to the center of the strap.

We hope this information has been helpful and we encourage you to give us a call at (913) 553-1488 if you have ramp questions. Our expertise is free.

Split level homes and raised ramp homes are built on lots that have severe drops in the terrain. Generally speaking, ramps do not work for these homes. This is because the stairs are too steep and/or have too many turns. The length of a ramp required for a useable ramp slope are too long to fit this topology.

I have analyzed many split-level and raised ranch homes. I can find a ramp solution for about 1 out of 50 scenarios. If a car can be driven around to the back of the house, there may be a way to gain access with a ramp. This can also be accomplished via an alley access or driving along the side of the house if space permits.

If the rear of the house has a deck, you would select the side of the deck where:

• the height off the ground is minimal, so the shortest ramp can be used.
• the ground is relatively flat.
• it should be easy to remove a section of the deck top handrail and vertical spindles to gain access.

When the ground is dry (normally 1 day after a rain), a car can be driven across a lawn without creating tracks or ruts. If the ground is wet, a rehab appointment would need to be rescheduled.

Trying to push or pull an occupied wheel chair across a wet lawn is not a feasible option. First, it would be very difficult. Second, the wheel chair wheels would pick up mud that will be carried into the house.

In this case, you should place one edge of a 4' x 8' sheet of ‘treated’ 1/2” plywood under the bottom end of the installed ramp and secure the plywood to the yard by drilling holes in the 4 corners and drive a gutter spike (an 8” long aluminum nail) thru the holes in the plywood into the ground. The plywood may need to be shimmed from below, on the low side, where the bottom end of the ramp is placed on the plywood. Shimming the plywood is needed to get the bottom end of the ramp approximately parallel to the deck surface.

Then drive up close to the plywood, so the wheel chair is on the plywood. This will allow the patient to get from the car to the wheel chair while on the plywood.

We hope this information has been helpful and we encourage you to give us a call at (913) 553-1488 if you have ramp questions. Our expertise is free.

Q: What Does the ADA Ramp Slope of 1:12 Really Mean?

A: Technically – the ADA recommendation for a ramp slope is 1” of height needs 12” of ramp length. This is a five-degree slope.

Translation – A five-degree slope is gentle enough for the average wheel chair-bound person to manually push themselves up a ramp without assistance. An easy way to think of this ADA recommendation is 1” of height per 1’ of ramp. Three steps are about 21” high. So, the ADA recommends a 21’ long ramp.

However, think of an ADA recommendation as a guideline or reference tool, not a requirement. Only cities and counties incorporate this ramp slope recommendation into their building codes as a legal requirement. This 1:12 guideline makes the design and use for ‘public space’ construction. It is not required for individual residences. It is rare that a city or county has building codes for temporary residential ramps defined as:

• a ramp that is not permanently attached to the home
• a ramp that is easily removed when the need (for a ramp) is no long required.

The length of the ramp for homes is generally dictated by the available space. It is also based on the ability of the caregiver or motorized chair to safely get the patient up and down the ramp.

A ramp slope of the height in inches divided by 2 equals the ramp liegth in feet (i.e., 18” of height equals a 9 foot ramp) provides an acceptable 10-degree slope for an average caregiver pushing an average weight patient (150#). If the patient is significantly heavier or the care giver is frail or over than 70, lengthen the ramp accordingly to provide a gentler slope. For a 90-degree turn at the bottom to get on/off the ramp, 5” of space is needed to make this turn. Give us a call to determine the ramp length you require.

We hope this information has been helpful and we encourage you to give us a call at (913) 553-1488 if you have ramp questions. Our expertise is free.

Q: I need a strong ramp because it needs to go up stairs that are 29” high. Furthermore, it needs to be strong enough for my mother-in-law in a power chair. Any suggestions?

A. First of all, a strong ramp can be built to support any weight. It is just a matter of the number of vertical supports used. Because a power chair is typically 350lbs when occupied, you are looking at a total of about 500-600lbs.

The correct length for sectional ramp construction for 29” high steps needs to be 16’ in order to have the correct ramp slope that a power chair can handle. To support this weight, you will need four vertical supports to secure the ramp deck at the 39”, 78”, 117” and 156” marks.

In conclusion, the ramp specifications documentation that comes with our ramp kit shows how to easily build these supports. Call 913-553-1488, 7 days/wk to visit with an engineer at no cost, regarding any ramp slope questions.

 

Thank you

Plywood is typically the do-it-yourselfer’s first thought in building a wheelchair ramp. However, plywood has several drawbacks

• It is more expensive to use plywood than 2x12 planks
• Using plywood requires a ‘honeycomb’ infrastructure, about 1’ square, under the deck to prevent the plywood from sagging and vertical supports (legs) from below.
• Treated plywood can not be used when wet as the preservative is very slippery. You also need several months of weathering before it is in a condition accept non slip surface treatments or adhesive strips. Untreated plywood if outdoors, will warp in a few weeks/months depending on the weather.
• The transition brackets to get on and off the ramp deck are designed for 2x12 planks. It is likely over time the bolts will wear or tear through the holes in 2 stacked pieces of plywood making the ramp unsafe or unusable requiring the deck piece to be replaced.