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How do I make an attachment for dog ramp for a car back passenger side door?

Hi there, I'm looking to make something similar to the attached to enable a dog ramp (pic also attached) to be more stable on a

side door of a Nissan Xtrail. Any advice or possible product links to enable me to make this, would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Screenshot 2025-02-24 135654.png Screenshot 2025-02-24 135606.png

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JacobZ

Hi @laurasmith,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

Do you have a photo of where you'd like the ramp to sit that you could share?

Are there any attachment points that you could use in your car?

If so, you could cut some slots in the top of the ramp, slip some GRUNT 25mm x 2m Pull Tie Down Straps through the slots and the attachment points and tighten them up. Most modern cars have ISOFIX attachment points that are intended for use with baby seats, this could be a possible attachment point.

Allow me to tag @Noyade, @Dave-1 and @DIYGnome to see if they have any ideas.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

laurasmith

here you go! I was thinking I could rest the ramp on one side, then use some sort of strap and hook to prevent movement over the door? But not quite sure if it would be sturdy enough! Thanks!

JacobZ

Hi @laurasmith,

I understand you want to secure the ramp in place, but I wonder whether you really need to create a system for this when you could simply hold the ramp while your dog uses it. If the benefit outweighs the cost then of course, go ahead, but I can't imagine your dog would be getting in and out of the car without you present.

I suppose you could attach a hook like this Pinnacle Small PVC Coated J Hook to your straps and hook it over the door, but I'd be concerned it would damage the car door.

Maybe you could strap one side of the ramp to the headrest of the car and the other side to a seat belt buckle?

This would ensure both sides are secured while it is in use without the risk of damaging your door.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

DIYGnome

Hello @laurasmith 🖐 the biggest issue I see is that most (if not all) dog car ramps are designed for entry into the rear cargo space, the limiting factor here is the side door opening and footwell dimensions, I fully suspect the ramp is a little wonky used diagonally parallel to the rear passenger door.

If you haven't already purchased a ramp, a self supporting ramp OR steps might serve the purpose better.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/all-set-foldable-pet-stairs_p0439595?store=6400&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAq-u9BhCjARIsANLj-s0P1f9bbiALOcDr091iYvg5vkOtSlM3WTXodXmIbBiDk1i5L-V0ma8aAuzeEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

laurasmith

Hi Jacob, the pup is 17kg, so quite difficult to hold the ramp and it’s wonky and has no support on one side. The support ideally needs to hook over the car door. Is there a hook/strop that could work?

laurasmith

Thanks for the response! We’ve got the ramp already, and the puppy is too young to go in the rear yet. Unfortunately I don’t think the NZ Bunnings has those steps available. You are right - it’s wonky and can only be supported on one side. A bit of a tricky one for now!

JacobZ

Hi @laurasmith,

I was under the impression you were just looking to strap the ramp in place, so it didn't move while in use.

Are you looking for the strap to hang over the door so that it supports the weight of the ramp? Is the idea that one corner of the ramp is supported by the seat and the other is supported by the hook and strap over the door?

If so, the products I have recommended would work almost the same as those in your inspiration image, but I can't say I'm confident in the design and with the safety of your pet in mind, I don't think it is a great idea.

Maybe carrying a TopStep Plastic Step Stool or Safety Step would be a better idea until your pup can go in the back?

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

Noyade

"We’ve got the ramp already, and the puppy is too young to go in the rear yet"

Hi @laurasmith

Over the last 12 months I've been rather obsessed with reading reviews on products on the Bunnings site. No doubt you know, your ramp receiving only 2.2 stars outta 5, this product seems to have the dogs slipping on the plastic?

To me you need to make a custom designed ramp with possibly a carpet topping and it needs to be engineered at an angle. I was thinking of bending two pieces of thin plate steel to 'mould' over the the passenger entry point and from there attach to a ramp. Hope that makes sense.

What is an appropriate 'ramp ratio' for a dog - length verses height?

Dave-1

Evening @laurasmith

Now this is an interesting one for sure, I have to lift my mums dog in and out of the car which isnt an issue until my back goes "twang" and yeah it has. The dog weighs around the same I think. Im trying to think of a way to support that ramp while parallel to your car (mainly because its not always easy to get a footpath parking spot)

How about using a step ladder atthe high point to keep the support square, Bailey 100kg 2 Step Handistep Ladder and then the strap to be used to hold the right top of the step to the side of the car. (I am hopping that there is an attachment point you can use a clip on mountainers hook when you want to use it.

So picture this-

- side profile of your car, rear door open.

The ramp starts from the rear and goes up and rests on the top rung of the step ladder. The "tie" to the car goes from the tie down point under the back seat to the side of the step ladder closest to you. (think that may be a stronger way to hold it in place is all) With the mountainers clsp it should eb easy to unclip, fold up the ramp, and the steps are plastic.

Dave

EricL

Hello @laurasmith

Have you thought about using Carinya 200 x 150mm Heavy Duty Hot Dipped Galvanised Angle Bracket on the bottom of the plastic ramp so that you can hook it to the lip of the bottom footwell of the door?

If you need further assistance, please let us now.

Eric

laurasmith

Hi Jacob,

thanks so much. Yep the idea was to support one side. It’s a little tricky aswell as obviously the door doesn’t open wide/fully. Understand that it might not be the greatest option, so might just have to keep trying to lift him out for now!

laurasmith

Thanks Noyade. We got gifted the ramp so wasn’t aware of the reviews. Good to know re slipping. I think you might be right about a custom made one. Thanks so much

laurasmith

Thanks so much Dave. This is an idea for sure. I’ll look into this one for the support

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