Any shed that has a wooden floor needs a ramp. Shed ramps are also essential if the ground around the shed slopes. Building a ramp for your shed is not a difficult project and is one that if you have any carpentry talent at all you can do it yourself. First you have to look at how far the shed is from the ground and the steepness of the slope around it. A very steep ramp may be dangerous because it is high at the entrance to the doorway. This if you fall from this height or if you knock something off the ramp, you could be injured or you could cause damage to an expensive piece of equipment.
The maximum slope that you should have on the ramp you build to your shed should not be any more than 3 inches for every foot of horizontal run. A ramp with a length of 8 feet, for example, should rise only two feet to the shed door. It is best to increase the length of the ramp rather than the height. If you have a ramp that is steeper than this, you will have difficulty getting your riding lawn mower up over the ramp because of the degree of steepness. For a shed that is higher than 24 inches off the ground, you should build up the ground around it so that you won't need to have a high ramp. If the ramp gets wet it will also be slippery, which will increase the chances of the mower slipping over the edge.
You should choose treated lumber for building the ramp for your shed. The best size of lumber to use is 4 X 4 and 2 X 4. You will also need treated plywood that is at least ?inch thick. You will need at least four pieces of 4 x 4 for a ramp that is six feet in width. If you want a wider ramp, such as one that is eight feet wide, you will need five. The 4 x 4 should be placed on each edge of the ramp and two feet apart in the middle.
The first thing you have to do is bolt a piece of 2 x 4 along the edge of the shed where you want to place the ramp. Start building the ramp by placing the 4 x 4 in the location you want, with one end of each piece lying on the edge of the ramp and the other extending away from the shed for the distance that you want. This distance will be the length of the shed, so you may have to saw the 4 x 4 if they are too long. Notch the ends using a circular saw so that they rest on the 2 X 4. Then nail the 4 x4 into place. Now nail the plywood to the 4 x 4 placing a row of nails through the center of each of these pieces.
Once you have all this done, you can paint or stain the ramp whatever colour you wish.
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