Not so grand design - a little off topic!

This weekend, I'd planned to go to Wagtail - but waiting for some Laser Cutting, the Jimny wasn't quite drivable! Instead, I decided to build a roof over my ramp.

Planning restrictions limit the height of a 'car-port' roof to 2.5m - which above a four post ramp, is fairly useless - so I made the support legs telescopic!



In the lowered position it is 2.47m tall and in the raised, 4.17m





The ramp can be locked in the upper most position with pins inserted through the holes or in any position inbetween with the screws shown.

The screws are also used to secure it to the ground to stop the wind turning it into a big kite!

The roof will be lifted by the ramp - and as such, it is very light to the extent that I could lift the whole structure on my own (without cladding). It's made from very thin walled 50mm box section plus tensioning wires to hold it rigid. According to the stress analysis, it should be able to support 1/2 Ton in the middle of the span - hopefully enough for the snow loading.

It will be clad (this evening) in 10mm twin wall polycarbonate sheet and I'm going to add a PVC curtain wall which will go up & down with the ramp / roof.

Now I'll be able to carry on welding in the rain - and it should improve relations with my neighbors!

Si

Si, That is bl00dy brilliant, I like your thinking.

Wish you were my neighbour! :laugh:

I piggin' love it!!!!

Brilliant!!

ace lateral thinking

Thanks chaps!
This evening while I was adding the polycarbonate roofing sheets, one of the people from the row of houses behind came and thanked me for obscuring my 'junk yard'! I quite like it myself - sitting in the lounge looking at the ramp and my used tyre collection! Now, I'll be the only one to benefit from the vista!

Si

X-Eng Simon wrote: Thanks chaps!
This evening while I was adding the polycarbonate roofing sheets, one of the people from the row of houses behind came and thanked me for obscuring my 'junk yard'! I quite like it myself - sitting in the lounge looking at the ramp and my used tyre collection! Now, I'll be the only one to benefit from the vista!

Si

put a nice little pirate flag up to keep the neighbour happy

Hopefully I'll get less visits from the council in response to complaints that I'm running a business from home! If I were I could save thousands in rent & rates for my Units here!

I really wonder what they'll make of it when I raise the roof! I'm sure the council will be round to measure the height at some point.

Si

I bet that if you had an e-type or similar rather than an offroader the it would be a different matter!

you could try planting some conifers or trees but then I guess that would be another molehill to make a mountain of

There's always someone complaining. My thoughts - if you don't like it don't look.
If you're not rubbing peoples noses in it i fail to see the problem. As others have said, if you were restoring some sort of classic it would be different.

I think you're absolutely right about the classic car thing. People view 4x4's as evil (unless they need taking to work in the snow!).

Si

This weekend I finished the support structure. Still waiting for the last two polycarb roofing sheets to arrive - but I was able to test it - and do a bit more work on the Jimny project.

Here's a bit of video of it in motion!

That is just fantastic ...... I am stunned