Are Harbor Freight Car Ramps Any Good? Here's What The Reviews Have To Say

Whether you're a professional or hobbyist mechanic, you'll probably spend a decent amount of time parked beneath a car, rolling around on a creeper pad, and tinkering away. Of course, even if you're of a smaller stature, it's unlikely that you'll be able to slide right under a car, at least far enough to get a good look at the underside with enough room to use your hands. To get any work done, you'll need to lift the car up a little bit higher.

Traditional logic dictates that a jack would be the best choice to get some room beneath a car, but it's not the only choice. If you want something, you can just roll the car right onto it and leave for a while. Instead of needing to manually crank it, you can use the portable car ramps sold by hardware chain Harbor Freight. Not only can these ramps support most cars and small trucks, but based on their user reviews on Harbor Freight's website, they're quite good at what they do, especially for their $59.99 price tag.

Harbor Freight's portable car ramps are manufactured under one of the chain's in-house brands, Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh deals primarily in maintenance and mechanical equipment, such as jacks, mechanic seats, lifts, and tool sets.

The Pittsburgh portable car ramps come in a pair, which you can place on the ground and roll your car onto to get the extra elevation you need for mechanical work. They're made of tough polypropylene, with a combined weight rating of 6,500 pounds and a maximum lift height of 6 inches. Together, they can handle any vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating up to 13,000 pounds. The ramps have extruded traction grooves on their tops, which make it easier to roll onto them, as well as integrated rubber stops to prevent slippage.

Harbor Freight shoppers generally seem to like these ramps, as they've accrued a 4.8 out of 5 user rating based on 4,170 reviews. One user said that they're small and light enough to easily store in a shed, yet resilient enough to prop up most car types for maintenance, as well as weathering the occasional surge of floodwater. Another user liked how easy they are to use to prop up their SUV, something that would normally require two manually-cranked jacks. The only really consistent complaint is that some users have difficulty getting their cars on the ramps, needing several attempts to line them up without slipping or skidding. One user suggests measuring your car's wheels before purchasing the ramps, just to make sure they'll actually fit.