Vehicle Wheel Stop - Positive Parking Indicator For your Garage

[@angipp01]

I’ve watch many videos about car stoppers. This is the best. He is correct. Why buy products that needs to be screwed down. Why buy junk, just make this simple stopper. It is just as good, even better. So happy that l’ve found this video. Thanks a lot.

[@djcb1]

This video was a game changer!!! Thank you so much for sharing this. Now I can park my truck in the garage without somebody having to guide me to keep from hitting the wall. This worked like a charm!

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Glad to hear you like it. Hope you will subscribe to my channel as well. Ron

[@jezw1138]

Great ideas. No damage to the floor, removable, cleanable, simple. Love it.

[@elizabethp2040]

I’m so glad I found this video! We just bought a pickup and I couldn’t get it in without my husband’s guidance. He’ll be making me this tomorrow. Thank you!!!!

[@MaxSnelling47]

I have looked at a few electronic parking indicators for my garage. I prefer this approach. This is cheaper and does not require batteries. Thank you for posting!

[@kady5398]

I built your wheel stop for getting my truck in a one car garage. My brother helped me get the measurements right. I added a metal handle on each end to help with lifting. Works fantastic every time. Thx.

[@sitdad]

That's a cool way to know where to stop when parking in your garage. I do like the tape idea for marker indicators as well.

[@cal88usa]

i dont know who would give this video a thumbs down, this ia a very helpful video. Thanks for posting it.

[@pierregendron6890]

Thanks. Very good solution. Now I need some ideas on driving into a narrow garage without scratching the sides of my car.

[@mickdoherty8633]

Clever and thoughtful idea. As another indicator, might I suggest you relocate the hanging tennis ball to where your wing mirror is.

[@mwhite112393]

Such a simple apparatus, yet so effective! I'm half-tempted to go make one myself, now!

[@rzindorf1]

Just moved into a new house where the garage is about 2 feet shorter then at my old house, witch only allows me about 2" to the rear and about 2" to the front of the truck that doesn't leave much room for error. Sometimes I have to back in and out a couple of time to get it into garage right. This looks like it would work perfectly for me, thanks for the video. I'm going out tomorrow the get the materials to build this!

[@mariag3048]

purchased another vehicle. now garage parking is tight. son-in-law duplicated your suggestion AWESOME!

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Very good. Glad you like it. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe! That is what keeps this channel going. Ron

[@mariag3048]

keep your helpful ideas coming many thanks

[@philipjones5364]

Great idea, the best I’ve seen so far. The Ram truck that I want to buy is about 233 inches roughly 19’ 4” which leaves me some 2” or so from my garage wall. I know it can be done because I see other same sized trucks parked in nearby garages. Well thought out especially because I can pick the stopper up and lean it against the wall.

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching and for your comment. Please subscribe! That is what keeps this channel going. Ron

[@woodturnermoose]

a nice low-tech solution! Thanks, Ron.

[@santiagomarquez3154]

WOW this is genius, I was thinking on drilling holes on the floor, but putting to pieces of wood to prevent it moves and also you can lift it whenever it is genius. This idea saved me a lot of trouble and time. Also great idea the side reference.

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Glad you liked it. Please subscribe. That's what keeps this channel going! Ron

[@donvjgr]

LOL. Great idea, I used to use small pieces of equipment, children, and now grandchildren as a .... just kidding. But really, as my mom used to say when she was driving, "I drive by feel". I would hear a "Whoops" as she studied her rear-view mirror and said, "Pfft... no problem," She thought a hood ornament was something to 'aim' with. I never really understood that until now. As we get older those physical references are nice. Thanks Ron. Don

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

When I was younger and rode a motorcycle more, the ones that we always looked out for were the blue haired old ladies driving the big Buicks. They have tunnel vision and only viewed the part of the road that was between the dashboard and the steering wheel. They would change lanes right on top of you. It took a few broken bones and scrapes before I realized the safest way to ride -- just assume that everyone out there is trying to intentionally kill you and don't put yourself in a position where they can accomplish that goal. It was a painful lesson to learn though.

[@kenmikolajek9862]

Awesome idea , great explanation. I will be building one of these for my father. 👍

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

After I bought my Jeep JL (2-door), I figured out that there was just barely enough room to be able to park it in my garage AND have my Harley parked crossways behind it. It leaves very little room for error though, so I put a scrap piece of 2x8 on the floor to act as a block. It's about 5 ft long so it's guaranteed to catch one wheel regardless of whether I'm centered in the parking spot or not. It is not fastened to the slab, but it doesn't seem to move around unless I trip over it when the Jeep is not in the garage. :) I usually park backing into the garage, so this combined with the rear-view camera works pretty good. One problem that I encountered with this solution though was that I don't always park backing into the garage. If I've been out grocery shopping and have a lot of items to unload, I'm more likely to park facing into the garage (and leaving my wife no room to get in her car) so that I can open the rear hatch / door and take the items out from there. Unfortunately, the distance between the front tires and the front bumper is not the same as the distance between the rear tires and the rear bumper / spare tire / trailer hitch, so if I set the stop up for backing into the garage, it won't be correct for when I'm parking nose-first in there. The solution that I'm trying right now is reusing a 12"x12"x6" concrete block that has a piece of 1/2" square steel bar embedded into it and sticking out 2 ft. I put a piece of PVC pipe over the 1/2" bar and that pipe is long enough that it sticks up past the hood of my vehicle, so I can see it move when I hit it. The concrete block will tilt if I was to keep going and the vehicle has enough ground clearance that I would have to go pretty far before it could contact any of the vehicle's undercarriage. It seems to work well enough for when I'm parking nose-first into the garage, but I have not tested it for when I back in. I'm not sure how well I will be able to see it given the fact that the rear window of the JL is kind of high off the ground, not particularly large, and the spare tire blocks part of the view. Luckily, it has a rear-view camera, so I can always resort to that. Of course, the BEST solution would just be to have a decent sized garage, but I have the misfortune to live in a rabid HOA-Nazi community that insists that the properties not change from how the developer initially built them. All modifications have to be approved by the HOA Nazis and it doesn't matter if the developer offered a particular feature as an option when the house was built -- if it wasn't built that way, they are not going to approve any modification requests to add it at a later date. Hell, I've got enough room on my property to have an *8* car garage (4 side by 2 deep) and still stay within the specified building setbacks. If I had been the original buyer of the house from the developer, I could have even done that, but when I try to get approval for even a 3 or 4 car garage now, the HOA Nazis will not approve it. #DieHOANazis

[@39gadget]

Excellent idea. You just have to be always mindful to put the frame back down after sweeping. I personally would mark it with a sign saying to not to move or pick up. Just in case a neighbour or friend stops by to visit and thinks that the frame has fallen down and they decide to help by picking it up.

[@Nordraw]

The tape is a good idea and most likely all you need. I use something that is already in the garage to do the same kind of thing and it lets me know how far in I am. Works great.

[@smartphonerepairwi775]

Great idea and very affordable! Thanks for the video.

[@REGROY1913]

Thanks for posting this! Simple and effective.

[@drmlzhang]

congrats sir, very nice idea, thanks you for sharing

[@davidd7197]

Nice design. I got one of those plastic things with the two bumps but, the problem is when you accelerate to get over the first bump it's easy to overshoot the second one. Got a nice dent in the washer from that. I may have to dump that and try your idea.

[@slodown3670]

Excellent idea! Many thanks for sharing.

[@josedariofernandes1767]

Excellent idea.

[@whimpey109]

I use the mirror and a mark on the wall! But this methode is very handy and you can get very close to the wall!!!

[@BackyardWoodworking]

Good idea and easy to make Pocket holes would work well on it.

[@hanqleee]

Great Idea! I'm going to homedepot now.

[@feck101]

Nice and simple and works a treat. Better than the electronic devices that's on the market.

[@mikejohn0088]

Great Job Pal!

[@gotammit]

Thanks for sharing this here. Which Simpson bracket did you use? Are they all the same one? I'm having a hard time finding one that looks like yours. What size/type of screws did you use with the Simpson brackets? Thanks again.

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Simpson Strong Tie Co makes hundreds of brackets. No, they are not all the same. Looks like I used the following but the second one would work as well. Or triangular plywood gussets to stiffen the sections (google it). I used these Simpson brackets because I already had them left over from another project. Simpson screws (which are expensive) or sheet metal screws would work. Simpson H3Z Hurricane Tie - Zmax Finish, Pkg 2 www.fastenersplus.com/products/simpson-h3z-hurricane-tie-zmax-finish?gclid=CjwKCAjw95yJBhAgEiwAmRrutNAcRcu2Z2BSVr1eQ-S1PWtlOwOvY25pkCer3oNseVX3yggYg70yRRoCcw0QAvD_BwE Simpson Strong-Tie 3.94 in. H X 3.94 in. W 18 Ga. Galvanized Steel Rigid Tie Angle www.acehardware.com/departments/building-supplies/walls-floors-and-ceiling/joist-hangers/5607650?x429=true& Thanks for watching. Please subscribe! That is what keeps this channel running. Ron

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Simpson Strong Tie Co makes hundreds of brackets. No, they are not all the same. Looks like I used the following but the second one would work as well. Or triangular plywood gussets to stiffen the sections (google it). I used these Simpson brackets because I already had them left over from another project. Simpson screws (which are expensive) or sheet metal screws would work. Simpson H3Z Hurricane Tie - Zmax Finish, Pkg 2 www.fastenersplus.com/products/simpson-h3z-hurricane-tie-zmax-finish?gclid=CjwKCAjw95yJBhAgEiwAmRrutNAcRcu2Z2BSVr1eQ-S1PWtlOwOvY25pkCer3oNseVX3yggYg70yRRoCcw0QAvD_BwE Simpson Strong-Tie 3.94 in. H X 3.94 in. W 18 Ga. Galvanized Steel Rigid Tie Angle www.acehardware.com/departments/building-supplies/walls-floors-and-ceiling/joist-hangers/5607650?x429=true& Thanks for watching. Please subscribe! That is what keeps this channel running. Ron

[@frankgamboa1722]

This helps! My problem is that I am looking to buy a new pickup and it measures 208" but my allowance in the garage is 212". Which means I have 2" to spare on each side. Unfortunately they don't make smaller pick-ups anymore. I would have to get a 2014 model if I wanted a smaller pick-up. The bad part is they only come in 4 cylinders (2014 models). Not too good if you are going to be hauling.I think this solved my problem, thanks !

[@khannabluekshitij]

Genius… thanks for sharing

[@aserta]

Excellent idea!

[@philipjones5364]

Sir I like your tire stop. I finally made one exactly like yours for my garage backup but my new medsize Toyota Tacoma just ran over the 2X4 over 2X6 and I couldn’t feel it when I hit the wood. The only other thing I could do is add another 2X4 and that will make it heavy. Any suggestions thank you.

[@RonaldWalters2010]

If you watch my video again, the strip of wood that the tire hits is actually a 2x4 on top of a 2x6, making the double layer strip essentially the same height as one (1) 4x4. The vehicle in my video is also a Toyota Tacoma automatic 2 wheel drive. When I pull into the garage SLOWLY, the tire very noticeably bumps into the double layer strip and the vehicle stops. In the 8 or 9 years since I built mine, not once have I driven over the double layer strip... not even close. Let me know how you do. Ron

[@philipjones5364]

@@RonaldWalters2010 If I knew how I would send you a picture of what I have v

[@RonaldWalters2010]

[e-mail]

[@bedir4655]

Very smart idea and you don't have to drill your concrete.

[@yogie3235]

This is exactly what I'm thinking of making

[@RonaldWalters2010]

I have been using mine for 9-1/2 years. Wouldn't change a thing unless I got a different vehicle with a different rear wheel to rear bumper dimension.

[@philipjones5364]

What size screws did you use to secure the wood to the brackets.

[@RonaldWalters2010]

I used "Simpson Strong-Tie SD8X1.25-R #8 x 1-1/4" Wafer-Head Screw" which are a relatively fine thread and a bit expensive but hold surprisingly well in soft pine. You could just as easily use sheet metal screws. It isn't really holding much... just keeping the 2x4's in place on the garage floor. Thanks for watching! Ron

[@philipjones5364]

@@RonaldWalters2010 Thank you

[@cartoongenius2907]

this is exactly what i needed thanks

[@frankbullitt4556]

cool idea and movable

[@philipjones5364]

What size Simpson brackets did you use. La

[@RonaldWalters2010]

I don’t see the specific tie I used on the Simpson Website. Sometimes they have discontinued models. Looks like a H3 Hurricane Tie Galvanized would work. Available in left & right hand versions (but maybe not at your store). Home Depot doesn’t always have a good selection in stock. www.strongtie.com/seismicandhurricaneties_strapsandties/h3_htie/p/h3 I am not using this in the usual method shown but they serve this purpose nicely. Other versions of hurricane ties sized for 2x lumber would probably work. I use #8 x 1-1/4 in. #2 Phillips, Wafer-Head Wood Screw for this which are a bit expensive but surprisingly hold fairly well in soft pine. www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-8-x-1-1-4-in-2-Phillips-Wafer-Head-Wood-Screw-100-Pack-SD8X1-25-R/206101783?MERCH=REC-_-searchViewed-_-NA-_-206101783-_-N&#overlay The two stacked 2x4’s were screwed together with the appropriate deck screws. Simpson Strong-Tie website: www.strongtie.com/woodconnectors/landing-page There are other ways of doing this with triangular gussets made of metal or plywood. If you expect this to get wet the plywood would best be waterproof... or you could half-lap joint the 2x4's (glued and screwed or doweled). When I built this, it was a temporary "test of concept" which worked perfectly and I never took it apart to "improve" it. Now that I know the dimensions and that it works well, I would probably use glued, doweled, half-lap joints... and pretty it up a little. :-) Ron

[@philipjones5364]

@@RonaldWalters2010 Thank you Sir, you have been very helpful. I have a two car garage that is 239 inches in length and the Ram truck I want to purchase is 232.9 inches with a 5’ 7” bed so I am talking inches from front to back, I will decide rather to buy a full size or midsize truck. Thanks again for all of your help, Have a blessed day.

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Just a thought. One other thing that has caught some buyers of the newer, larger pickups off guard (especially 4x4's straight from the factory) is they may be too tall to pass under the garage door. Had a friend who had a 4x4 pickup and all was well until he absentmindedly made an impulsive decision to get large knobby tires (and fancy rims). Came home and just drove into the garage as he always did at normal speed. Destroyed the garage door (which damaged his wife's car already in the garage), damaged the garage door header and caved in the cab of the pickup. I wanted to make a video of the whole thing but he wouldn't let me. Bummer!

[@philipjones5364]

I haven’t started building the garage tire stop, so I have yet to buy the brackets. I re measured my garage length, it is 243 inches from garage door to wall and the truck I am looking to buy is 232.9 inches so I have a few more inches to work with. I am lousy when it comes to wood work or building things. I have time now I retired last year so I am putting together tools that I need to do small projects. I am a disabled Veteran with bad knees that’s why I need a full size truck with more legroom, my old 1998 Toyota Tacoma is outdated and to small. I will go to my nearest Ram Dealer to measure the rear xile to end of bed of truck.

[@philipjones5364]

@@RonaldWalters2010 Agree, before purchasing a pickup truck, one should measure the length and height of their garage and compare it with the measurements of the truck. The truck I’d like to purchased has air shocks, when it’s lowered the height is 77.6 “ my garage door height is 81 inches, length 243” which gives me three to four inches to work with.

[@natureislelady]

Thanks for the idea.

[@84bmw325e]

Great idea, I'm getting a truck in a couple days. The truck is 19 ft and my garage is 20 ft.

[@RonaldWalters2010]

That will be a little tight. :-) Good Luck. Ron

[@seabees33]

Nice job. Thanks.

[@georgekelly1662]

my wife parks by sound, this should help

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

I was in Paris a few years ago. Parking in the city SUCKS... I was watching out the balcony window in the apartment where I was staying and people *litterally* "parked by feel". They would actually pump into the car in front of them and behind them while trying to squeeze into a small space. They would actually use their car to push the other car out of the way if there wasn't enough room to get out of the parking spot. Used to have a Porsche Cayenne and it had the parking sensor on it. It would beep faster as you got close to something. My wife still managed to pack into a mailbox post with it blaring at her. It's usually a safe bet that she will back into *something* when she gets a new car. The best car for her would be one that did not *have* a reverse gear. :)

[@n8guy]

Each 2x4 is 1.5" thick. Two of them stacked is 3". A 4x4 is 3.5" thick. Just a half inch difference, but also not equivalent (for those who may make that assumption in some other building context).

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Graham Wilson In our part of the world you are lucky if a 2x4 is actually 1.5" thick and that is when it is cut. After it is dry it may be less than that. A 4x4 is 3.5" thick.

[@AeroSport103]

Nicely done...

[@philipjones5364]

You should have patented that idea, you can even tweak it to make it adjustable using steel pins.

[@Nikohere]

Very nice i would love to use this but then again if you can afford a rearview camera it helps too✊it helps alot when am reversing into a parking spot w my truck

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

A rearview camera is nice, but having a physical barrier that your wheels hit and which will prevent you from going any further is nice also. Sure, you could give it a bit of gas and force your vehicle over the stop, but if you are just at idle power, that it less likely to happen. For my wife's car, I go with the ol' "tennis ball on a string" approach since she always parks on the same side of the garage. It takes me a couple of minutes to readjust it when she gets a new car, but that is only every 6-10 years, so no big deal. One thing that I wish her car had though is a *front-view* camera so that it could see those parking lot curbs when she is pulling into a parking spot nose first. The car has very little ground clearance because of the front air dam / spoiler and she often pulls in too far and scrapes it up. I don't have that problem with my Jeep (or my previous pickup) because they had enough ground clearance that I could just go forward until the tires touch the curb and still not scrape any part of the car, but it would still be a nice feature to have for when I'm trying to pull as close to a line as possible and not cross over it.

[@iminidaho2004]

Nice, but I prefer a ping pong ball hanging from a string that touches my window as I pull in. (Golf ball would work) Klutz that I am I would trip on this (I have Old Timers, and don't heal up like I used to when I was a young man)

[@h7oslo]

Hmmm. 4x4 probably a good idea! :-) rc

[@DavidWilliams-wj4sc]

I liked your garage door antenna video, but I ONE MILLION percent disagree that backing into any small space with things all around you is safer than putting forward into a small space. 1. you can't see where you're going, i mean you had to use a ball, then built this thing to help you do it. You don't need help if you pull forward into the garage....most of the time.* see footnote. 2. you pull out into a LARGE open area, where you're not going to hit anything, like walls and stuff. 3. it takes WAY longer to back into a tight spot vs pulling forward into a tight spot. I love it when i get someplace where someone is fooling around in "R" and I pull into a spot and beat them into the store! It's crazy! My time is way too valuable to back into any spot. The whole reason it takes people longer is because it's harder to do. 4. less accurate, you can go with me to ANY parking lot and the cars that have backed in will not be centered WAY WAY WAY WAY more often. Maybe they just don't know how to do it.. yeah that's my point, it's harder to do. 5. it's worse for the environment as your car will need to run longer EVERY SINGLE TIME you park. We calculated our boss spends 1 min per week running his car cause it takes him 12 seconds longer to pull into a spot. Strangely he didn't pull through other available spots for ultra fast and safe parking. When you're at a store, like costco, do you think people want to wait for you to back into a spot only big enough for your car? It's so much faster to back out into a large parking lane where you're less likely to hit other cars. People are expecting cars to be backing out, so it's still safe. *I clicked on this video because I have a 1900 built garage that was likely for horses. It's shallow, like me haha. Only my small sports car can fit in, but even that is tight like my wife ha ha. I don't back my sports car in, I pull in...again so I can back out into my large driveway much easier and faster. So I've thought about making a parking block like this for forward parking. I'll still give this a thumbs up. :)

[@DadTrees]

I come to this video after hitting the wall 😅

[@RonaldWalters2010]

Yes! Being tired, changing to a different vehicle, the law of averages (Murphy's Law) or poor depth perception with an outside rear view mirror (especially a left side mirror) can get us eventually. :-) Thanks for watching! Please subscribe. That is what keeps this channel going. Ron