Advise on suitable cheap work surface type
Discussion
I am after some advice and I dont know where to start so hoping someone around here may have some advice.
I am looking to start working on a car on a drive way however said drive way is gravel, I am trying to find a suitable cheap and temporary flooring type that I can put over this gravel to be able to work on the car.
I was considering plastic sheeting as this won't be effected by weather etc. But unsure on what type of plastic to use that would be suitable and wouldn't break under the weight of a car on a somewhat uneven surface.
As it's temporary I am looking for something on the cheap side and wouldn't care if it scratched easily etc.
I know this is a bit random and not exactly related to cars but it's my first place to start
I am looking to start working on a car on a drive way however said drive way is gravel, I am trying to find a suitable cheap and temporary flooring type that I can put over this gravel to be able to work on the car.
I was considering plastic sheeting as this won't be effected by weather etc. But unsure on what type of plastic to use that would be suitable and wouldn't break under the weight of a car on a somewhat uneven surface.
As it's temporary I am looking for something on the cheap side and wouldn't care if it scratched easily etc.
I know this is a bit random and not exactly related to cars but it's my first place to start
The plan is to do so (with pleanty of support & jacks all around) with the plan on mostly accessing it from the front with a creeper.
Its part of the reason why I was after a hard surface that was stable. Whats your thought behind the question? part of my concern with plastic sheeting was slippage of supports etc.
Didnt even consider cow matts, they seem thick, resistant with good friction so things wont slip, looking at most of these they are fairly thick too, might be worth getting some off-cut carpet for free and even the ground out undernearth more.
Its part of the reason why I was after a hard surface that was stable. Whats your thought behind the question? part of my concern with plastic sheeting was slippage of supports etc.
Didnt even consider cow matts, they seem thick, resistant with good friction so things wont slip, looking at most of these they are fairly thick too, might be worth getting some off-cut carpet for free and even the ground out undernearth more.
Mave said:
Just checking, you're not going to be working under the car are you?
It is possible to work under a car on gravel without dying, as long as it's properly supported. I'd take that over slightly sloped tarmac! All I did was put a bit of OSB I had lying around under the jack wheels to let it roll easier when jacking up. Rake the gravel back and use some decent thick paving slabs. Is the ground flat or can it be flattened with a sand/cement dry base??
You might get away with two strips, each side, in line with the wheels.
Paviers are cheap but are going to be more prone to movement unless you cement or contain them.
You might get away with two strips, each side, in line with the wheels.
Paviers are cheap but are going to be more prone to movement unless you cement or contain them.
the ground could be levelcd off more but its mostly about getting the car up and stabel whilst also being able to get from underneath it easily, the drive is at times suseptible to large puddles when it rains a bit and I would prefer not to have stones in by back as I work, I will be stripping a car down completely and then useing the engine for a replacement in a different car - so its a big project and will be under it a fair amount.
The spinner of plates said:
A hard surface like OSB on top of a loose ball bearing surface like gravel sounds bloody dangerous to me.
Depends on the gravel. Like I say I only used it to roll the jack over to get it on stands. I did do my shoulder in when working on the rear of the car - jacked up, stand set, let down jack (which was under the differential) and hadn't set the stand high enough so ended up lowering the rear of the car onto my shoulder. Ooops. element118 said:
The plan is to do so (with pleanty of support & jacks all around) with the plan on mostly accessing it from the front with a creeper.
Its part of the reason why I was after a hard surface that was stable. Whats your thought behind the question? part of my concern with plastic sheeting was slippage of supports etc.
My concern is stability of your axle stands on the gravel. You want the axle stands to spread the load evenly across their base into a stable surface. Gravel is spiky and unstable! I would be taking it away as suggested by another poster and taking it back to firm ground. Its part of the reason why I was after a hard surface that was stable. Whats your thought behind the question? part of my concern with plastic sheeting was slippage of supports etc.
Evoluzione said:
The spinner of plates said:
A hard surface like OSB on top of a loose ball bearing surface like gravel sounds bloody dangerous to me.
Yes, just one small gust of wind and he'll be off like a magic carpet, never to be seen again.Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff