Simple ramp???

[evone]

Hi I am new and a woman. The reason I stated that I was a woman is to let you know I am totally out of my league on this type of stuff") That being said I have a bakery on the second floor and need to build some sort of ramp to get my machines such as ovens and freezers as well as my flour , sugar up to the bakery level. I was thinking of building my ramp out of something like aluminum so it would be light enough to put up and down but sturdy enough to withstand a commercial stack oven or commercial freezers and refrigerator. What do you think would be the best material to use ... like square pipe aluminum? Trying not to spend to much. It would have to be about 20 ft long and maybe 2 ft wide. Please tell me this is doable guys. I am just starting out and have very limited funds. I have been racking my brains on how to build this thing. I was also thinking about putting some sort of a machine on the top to be able to pull the loads up the ramp if ya know anything about that wow I would think you were geniuses Okay I kinda already do think you are geniuses I know having to try and explain to a woman who has no idea what you are talking about is a real pain and I totally appreciate all that you do and know. If you can put it in a form that I can just take to a metal store and hand it to someone who can just go get what is needed that would be easier on everyone right I sure hope you all understand what I am trying to do. Thank you in advance for all your help.

[M J Mauer]

Evone welcome to the forum.
You did not say how high it is to the 2nd floor door.
You also did not say what your limited budget is. or your location.

[Aeronca41]

Welcome Evone. In addition to the previous questions, is the movement of "machinery" a one time thing? I'm guessing it will weigh more than the supplies which will be recurring. If the supplies are lighter, you might be ahead to hire a rigger for the machinery move and spend less on a lighter ramp. Not saying that's the right answer, but just a suggestion to stimulate thought. Also, depending on the height, a hoist of some sort might be more cost effective. Really need to understand the physical situation better. Could you post some sketches with dimensions? There are a lot of people with a lot of experience here who will try to help you out. And, no need to apologize for being a woman in a man's bailiwick here-I saw a T-shirt the other day that said, "Real men marry welders!"

[Meltedmetal]

Is this a free standing ramp or one that lays on and is supported by the stairs?---Meltedmetal

[MMW]

All speculation without dimension, weights, etc. Something cannot be engineered over a forum without lots of details. If you are serious then an architect/designer is probably the way to go. if something were to fail & injure an employee that would cost you way more than hiring the right person to design it. besides that there are codes that need to be adhered to on commercial properties.

Moving product up one story? Use a shingle elevator. Already designed & simple.

http://www.powerladder.com/

http://shingleelevator.com/main_page.html

Moving equipment one time? Hire a rigger or moving company.

[ryanjones2150]

Simple ramp???

There could be a simple solution, but without good intell, it's all guess work. How about some pictures of the stairs and equipment?

Over the years, I have over-engineered some contraptions for this or that for myself around here just to go back and demolish it because it was overly complicated and solved a problem that wasn't really that difficult. Maybe a heavy duty dolly and some sweat is the answer.

[walker]

Where in the world are you? Can you post a pic or two of the location?

[BD1]

Pictures would really help. What about a inside or outside platform lift ?

https://www.google.com/search?q=electric+chain+for+as+elevator+platform+lift&espv=2&biw=1455&bih=726&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDQQsARqFQoTCLiAxe2Jw8cCFYZ3Hgod75YN4A

You could call local fabricators for their ideas and inputs. Get some ideas and build your own,

[WillieB]

I presume you mean to rise 10 feet or more. A 20% grade in a ramp would have to be 50' long. This would be more of a bridge than ramp. It won't be cheap! A homemade dumb waiter would never get past labor safety types. I've worked on a few electric hoist type dumbwaiters. A frame is built of four pieces of 3x3x3/8 angle steel vertical. A basket style elevator car is built to fit. It is hoisted through a hole in the floor with an inexpensive electric hoist, usually controlled by a hand held corded remote. These are functional, but hazardous in the wrong hands.

[Portable Welder]

Pictures are worth a thousand words, I do stuff like this on a regular basis.
You need someone like me that has a back ground in welding, rigging, fabricating and conveyors.

For your daily supplies I usually install a floor to floor conveyor.

For the ovens a rigger or mover will be best.

You might want to find a high end portable welder that is also a steel erector.

I'm in Michigan.

[H2o]

http://shingleelevator.com/main_page.html Those roofers on that website are really casual; Wish they did my roof

If you have clients come in to buy, you may want to consider just installing a permanent accessible ramp for those with disabilities. You may need it by code anyway.