Blitz Rhino Ramps – Make Oil Changes Easier
Jason Lancaster | Jan 21, 2009 | Comments 7
Doing you own oil changes can be very cost-effective. Why pay someone else to do a job that is essentially no more complicated than unscrewing a drain plug? [Note – Click here if you’re looking for Tundra oil change instructions.] The simple answer for most people is ‘convenience’ – jacking a truck up in the air to get underneath and put a wrench on the oil pan’s drain plug can be a daunting experience, especially since many people aren’t comfortable laying underneath their vehicle.
Enter Rhino Ramps – a combination of durable plastic and special honeycomb foam that is capable of supporting the weight of a car or truck and compatible with low-profile vehicles. Since the ramps are made from foam and plastic, they’re easy to lug around your garage or driveway and simple to store. We can hear what you’re saying – “Did they say plastic and foam ramps?!” – yes. It’s true that the Blitz Rhino ramps are made from plastic and foam, but they can easily support 8,000 to 12,000 pounds (depending on the model).
Using the ramps can be a little tricky in some situations – some garage surfaces aren’t as “grabby” as others, and these ramps can slide on you. Here’s what we’ve figured out. There’s a rubber pad mounted to the bottom of the ramps, but sometimes that’s not enough to keep the ramps from slipping. Many people have devised a system for holding the ramps in place, but the best idea might be to use a set of rubber floormats between the floor and the ramps. This keeps the ramps from slipping forwards (when a rear-wheel drive vehicle pushes up the ramp) or being “sucked” backwards (when a front-wheel drive pulls up the ramp). We would like to see Rhino improve this system a little bit, but it must be said that many people never have a problem.
Here’s an image we found of Rhino Ramps being used safely. Note the chock blocks on the front wheels.
Other than this occasional slippage problem, Blitz Rhino ramps are a safe, simple, and inexpensive way to get your vehicle about 6” in the air, making them perfect for oil changes. For most vehicle owners, the Blitz Rhino 8000 ramps are fine – they offer about twice as much support as any passenger vehicle or light truck would need. For heavy duty pickups, the Blitz Rhino 12000 ramps are available. Both ramps feature a 17-degree approach angle, making them compatible with most cars (even some low profile rides). This makes it easy to do oil changes for the whole family.
As always, we can’t talk about ramps without mentioning safety. Use your head, make sure everything is dry (wet tires, ramps, and/or floors are dangerous), chalk the rear wheels, set the emergency brake, and make sure that someone knows what you’re up to before you start. You should also consider using backup jack stands as a safety measure (you can never be too careful), and if you’re really paranoid, have someone dial 91 and then wait for the signal to hit the last “1.” But seriously – if you’re careful and you use common sense you’ll be just fine. Thousands of people use these ramps all the time with no problem.
Filed Under: Maintenance Tips
They sound good and probably a resonable price. I can see where they would slide on my garage floor because it’s slick until I do my floor textured. Right now If I want to change my oil I have a great Craftsman jack that takes only 5 pumps on it and it has my tundra off the ground. I have two 2 2 1/2 ton jackstands if I want to use them. They don’t slide. Also I use a 2×4 as a chock on the rears. Main problem with DIY oil change. Getting rid of the used oil. Storage and you have to drive somewhere and it will spill. Plus one major factor….. I’m lazy so I pay the dealer to do it.
LOL @ Mickey’s last point about lazy. I’m with you. I find it easier to hand the keys to the landlord and he drives it in to his shop while I’m at work or on vacation. I just add the extra amount to the rent check!
Mickey and TXTee – I hear ya – convenience is the main reason I pay a dealership to change the oil.
Thanks for the article. I was thinking about buying one of these and was wondering how you get a jack stand in when you’ve already driven on the blocks? I’d be a bit worried about rocking the vehicle to put a stand in there.
I do it myself because it’s cheaper and actually winds up being more convenient than driving 15 mi to the dealership, waiting in their lobby, and then driving back. Even with my OEM scissor jack, it only takes ~30 mins to change the oil myself. I figure with the Rhino Ramp, it might only take ~15 mins.
Hugh – Depending on the jack stand, you can put it under the vehicle while it’s lowered, then raise it to be snug under the frame. It won’t support any of the weight, but if the vehicle shifted for some reason, the jack stand would be an additional potential catch point. Thanks for commenting – good point the OEM oil change when the dealership is 15 miles away. I’d definitely be doing my own oil changes if that were my situation.
Jason my dealer I go to is 25 miles away. It’s the closest Toyota dealer I have. Two are about 28 miles and another 2 are 34 miles. The distance doesn’t bother me in going to it when I can walk down the street to a coffee shop and have breakfast and read a little of the morning paper. Just to relax you can say. If you break down how much it cost to dump your used oil and traveling to do this it runs about the same. Also at the coffee shop the sites are great too did I mention that?
Mickey – LOL! Nobody said anything about breakfast and coffee! I’m in. Let’s go – I’ll drive 20 mins for a good breakfast, and an oil change is just the excuse I need to sneak out.