Need advice: Elevating a Prius for storage during hurricane season

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by jmann, Aug 22, 2025 at 3:44 PM.

  1. jmann

    jmann Member

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    I'm moving my 2012 Prius to Florida for seasonal family vacation home use. For summer on-site storage, I need to keep the underbody of the car around 20-24 inches above the garage floor. The car has little value. I do not want to buy a lift that costs more than the car.

    Ramps would be easy, but I would need to make custom ramps of 16-20 inches and in multi-piece segments in order to clear the underbody of the back wheels when driving up.

    Lifts generally would cost more than the car.

    I don't think I can fit a ramp with lift under the Prius's back wheels. And I fear it would be too complicated for others to use.

    An ideal solution would be a ramp platform, but I need to find one and account for the bottom of the car car clearing the corner at drive-over height. This results in a very long required drive-up ramp to the platform.

    My idea of an ideal solution would be a platform you drive onto and then pivots under the car weight to go from slanted to level. while still being light enough to move and store in season. ..... This is cool, but it is probably heavy and unafordable Ramps | Podium Car Display Ramps for car dealership

    I can figure out how to make use of loading ramps on some way like these: Stalwart Set of Two 69-Inch Loading Ramps with 2200lb Combined Capacity - Walmart.com

    Or a large platform that sits propped up at 20-inches in the front the car drive onto. Then I use a single jack to lift the back and put stands under the two back corners.


    Has anyone in the south solved this? What are your suggestions?
     
    #1 jmann, Aug 22, 2025 at 3:44 PM
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2025 at 3:49 PM
  2. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Regular ramps for the front, they jack stands for the rear...
     
  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Why not build a ramp and false floor for the garage space? Just set up a deck at the correct height, build some ramps that lead up to it. Maybe even just make that a permanent feature of the garage? Done right it would work for any car, not just the current one, and it still wouldn't be that expensive.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    keep in mind that old hybrid batteries don't like to sit unused
     
    Grit likes this.
  5. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Egr?
     
  6. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Jack stands on all fours, raMPs off balances the car and pressure points
    Off to the front or back is no good
     
  7. jmann

    jmann Member

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    [​IMG]

    the best answer would be car lift ramps like this, but I can't find any, and I suspect that this is a several thousand dollar solution (No accessories that cost more than the value of the car), not a few hundred dollar solution.

    The basic design you see in the picture above is that the ramp pivots on one side. You drive onto it and then use a jack to lift the front end and drop down the supporting feet that hold the front side up.

    though it may be possible to rig up something of equivalent utility using 3000 lbs rated loading ramps combined with other bits and pieces.

    And to add to the requirements, my can't-follow-instructions; love-to-complain; forgot-details-are-important boomer parents need to be able to operate the solution in my absence. Anything with more than one step in the process is an issue.
     
  8. jmann

    jmann Member

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