How to Lay Out Ramps When Each Wheel Needs a Different Height

Why you can't just place two ramps side by side

Most people's first instinct when two wheels need different heights is to place two ramps independently — one at each wheel, each set to the correct step — and drive on. The problem is timing.

A levelling ramp is a wedge. The thin end faces the approaching vehicle. As the wheel rolls forward it climbs through step 1, step 2, step 3 in sequence. The wheel reaches its target height when it seats into the correct step and the vehicle stops.

If both ramps have their thin ends at the same starting position, both wheels hit their ramps at the same moment and climb at exactly the same rate. But one ramp needs fewer steps — so that wheel reaches its target before the other wheel does. There is no single stopping point where both wheels are simultaneously on their correct step.

The solution is to stagger the ramps in the direction of travel — offset them longitudinally — so both wheels arrive at their target step at the same moment.

The offset rule

Offset the lower ramp forward by one step depth for every step of difference between the two ramps.

The ramp needing the higher step goes closest to the wheel — the vehicle reaches it first. The ramp needing fewer steps goes further away — the vehicle reaches it later, so the lower wheel joins the climb one step behind the higher wheel and they arrive at their respective targets simultaneously.

• Ramp A = step 3, Ramp B = step 2: offset Ramp B one step depth forward
• Ramp A = step 3, Ramp B = step 1: offset Ramp B two step depths forward
• Ramp A = step 2, Ramp B = step 1: offset Ramp B one step depth forward

The offset technique — illustrated

The diagram below shows a top-down view of two ramps correctly offset. Ramp A (left, rust) needs step 3 — it sits furthest back. Ramp B (right, ochre) needs step 2 — offset one step depth forward. The vehicle travels upward.

Follow the three position markers to see exactly how the climb synchronises:

Why the offset works

The logic is straightforward once you see it. Each step on a ramp represents one unit of forward travel — the distance the vehicle moves to climb from one step to the next is the same on both ramps, because these are the same product.

Ramp A needs 3 steps. Ramp B needs 2. The difference is 1 step. By positioning Ramp B one step depth further forward, you're effectively giving the left wheel a one-step head start before the right wheel even touches its ramp. By the time the right wheel reaches step 1 of Ramp B, the left wheel has already climbed through step 1 and is now on step 2. One more unit of travel puts both wheels simultaneously on their targets.

The vehicle stops when the highest-step wheel seats into its final position. At that exact moment, every other wheel is also at its correct step — because the offset has synchronised their arrival.

How OzLevel Pro simplifies this

OzLevel Pro reads your vehicle's roll and pitch simultaneously in a single sensor reading, then outputs the complete ramp configuration — which step at which wheel position — all at once, before you move.

Without simultaneous multi-wheel data, you'd need to measure each axis separately, work out the step requirements manually, calculate the offset, and hope you've correctly accounted for the interaction between roll and pitch. OzLevel does all of that and gives you a simple set of numbers.

You read the output, apply the offset rule, place the ramps, drive forward once. The hardest campsites reduce to a straightforward placement exercise.

Practical placement tips

• 1

  Measure your step depth once

  The offset distance is one step depth per step of difference. On the most common generic Australian ramps, each step section is approximately 150–180mm centre-to-centre. Measure yours once with a tape measure and remember it — or mark the ramp surface with a pencil line at each step centre for fast field reference.

• 2

  Place the highest-step ramp first as your reference

  Position Ramp A (the one needing the most steps) in front of its wheel. This is your reference point. Then position Ramp B forward of Ramp A by the correct multiple of your step depth. It's much easier to offset from a fixed reference than to try to position both ramps simultaneously.

• 3

  Verify thin-end alignment before driving on

  Stand back and confirm that the thin end of each ramp points squarely toward the vehicle in the direction of travel, and that each ramp is centred on its tyre line. A ramp angled even slightly sideways will cause the wheel to track off-centre as it climbs. On the offset ramp, the thin end should be one step depth further from the vehicle than the reference ramp's thin end.

• 4

  Drive slowly — the audio does the rest

  With OzLevel's audio mode active, the rising tone guides you forward and a single beep signals both wheels are at their target steps simultaneously. Stop immediately on the beep. If you're driving without audio mode, stop when you feel the resistance of the highest wheel fully seating into its final step — all other wheels will be correct at that moment.

Summary

When each wheel needs a different step height, place the ramps staggered in the direction of travel — the higher-step ramp furthest back, each additional ramp offset forward by one step depth per step of difference. Drive forward once and all wheels reach their target step simultaneously.

OzLevel Pro gives you the complete step configuration before you move. You apply the offset, place the ramps, drive on. One pass. No guessing.

It looks like a puzzle until you understand the offset rule. After that it becomes completely mechanical.