Custom Ramp Design Case Study - AGA Range Cookers

Scenario:

The client required a bespoke threshold ramp to allow them to deliver and collect AGA Range Cookers, without the risk of damaging wooden and UPVC door thresholds.

One of the main issues was the actual weight of the product, with some AGA’s exceeding 500kgs, so we were tasked with making a ramp that was light enough to be easily transportable but offered a SWL of 650kgs.

The next issue was designing something that could be used on a wide variety of door thresholds, offering the flexibility to be used on thresholds of differing heights and thicknesses.

Project Constraints:

• Designing a lightweight ramp that allowed transit, up, over and back down the other side of door thresholds, without putting any pressure on the threshold itself.
• AGA Range Cookers can exceed 500kgs, therefore the ramp had to offer a SWL (Safe Working Load) of in excess of 650kgs
• The ramp had to be useable with a variety of differing height thresholds and therefore needed to offer height adjustability
• Despite the high SWL, the ramp needed to be compact and easily transportable by one person.
• The ramp had to be useable in all weather conditions, needed to be stable and secure but needed to be removable

The Solution:

We initially proposed a reinforced version of the ‘Folding Threshold Ramp’ but there were issues with offering the required weight capacity and being able to offer the required distance between the ‘up slope’ and ‘down slope’.

After a fair degree of head scratching, we decided to adapt two of the ‘Standard Threshold Ramps’ by reinforcing them to the required SWL of 650kg and adding height adjustable feet. We then manufactured a connecting ‘bridging plate' to span over a wide variety of thresholds.

The finished ramp splits into three manageable sections that are easily transported and can be deployed in seconds. The adjustable feet mean that it can be tailored to suit the vast majority of thresholds.

The client also request that the ramp be manufactured in cream with black anti-slip, as opposed to the standard white, with green anti-slip.

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