How many cable ramps do we need?

One section covers a metre. Measure the crossing the way the cable will lie and round up: a corridor is usually two or three sections, a marquee doorway one or two. Send us the distance or a photo and we will count them in, and tell us early if the crossing is long, because it may mean bringing extra sections in.

Will a wheelchair, pushchair or a loaded trolley get over them?

Yes, at walking pace: the sides are sloped and the hump is low, so wheels roll up and over. It is still a hump, not a flush cover, so if your access plan needs a step-free route, tell us and we will look at running the cable another way. Small hard wheels feel the bump most; lay the run straight and keep it lit.

Can we run a cable through a fire exit under a ramp?

No. A cable at floor level in a fire exit is an obstruction, and a ramp over it is a bigger one; the exit must stay clear, full width, for people moving fast in poor light. Take the cable over the door frame, which is the standard fix, or find a route that avoids the exit altogether. If that doorway is the only way across, talk to us before the day.

Home Services Equipment Hire Power and Cabling Hire

Cable ramp hire — rubber cable protectors for walkways and doorways

A cable ramp is the plain answer to a cable that has to cross a floor where people walk. Ours are heavy two-channel rubber ramps in metre lengths: lift the lid, lay the cables in, close it, and the run sits under a low hump that feet, trolleys, pushchairs and wheelchairs roll over rather than catch on. Sections link end to end. We hold straight sections; ends and corners can be sourced to order. Contact us for pricing.

A loose cable on a floor is the trip hazard every venue manager and every risk assessment asks about. A cable ramp puts that cable inside a heavy rubber section with two channels moulded along its length. The hinged lid opens so the cables lie flat, then closes over them, and the sloped sides turn a stray lead into a low, obvious hump. Rubber this heavy stays where it was laid.

Each section is a metre and they link end to end, so a four-metre corridor is four sections. The crossings are ordinary ones: the generator across the path from the stage at a school fete, a floor box feeding an exhibition stand across the aisle, a PA lead from the hall to the foyer for show week. Feet, trolleys, pushchairs and wheelchairs roll over them, and makers rate ramps of this type for cars and vans crossing slowly, not lorries or forklifts.

The channels take ordinary mains, speaker, XLR, DMX and network cable but not a connector, so joins sit in the open before or after the ramp, and a 32A lead or a heavy multicore may not fit at all; tell us what is going in and we will check the fit before it leaves. A ramp is also a hump, not a flush cover, so if an access route has to stay step-free, say so and we will look at the route instead.

We hold straight metre sections only. End pieces, which bring a run down to floor level, and 30-degree corners, which let a run follow a wall, are not on our shelf but can be sourced to order with notice. Tell us the distance, measured the way the cable will actually lie, and we will count the sections in; a long crossing may mean bringing extra in, so the earlier we know, the better.

What you get

Straight two-channel rubber ramp sections, a metre each, as many as your crossing needs

Lids and channels checked and cleaned before they leave

Not included as standard: end pieces and 30-degree corners, sourced to order with notice

Not included: the cable itself, which hires by the length and travels with the ramps

A look at your route before you book: send a photo and we will count the sections

Good for

School fetes and summer fairs, where the generator is across the path from the stage

Exhibition stands and conference foyers fed from a floor box across an aisle

School corridors and hall doorways with a PA or lighting cable across them for show week

Dance-school shows, where the multicore from stage to desk crosses the audience's aisle

Loading bays and car parks at a get-in, where vans and trolleys cross one lead all day

What you need to know

What it does: Puts a cable run inside a heavy rubber section so feet, trolleys, pushchairs and wheelchairs cross a low hump instead of a loose lead. A metre per section, linked end to end.
What fits inside: Two channels for ordinary mains, speaker, XLR, DMX and network cable. Plugs and connectors do not pass through; thick 32A or multicore cable may not fit.
What can cross it: Feet and wheels at walking pace; cars and vans crossing slowly. Not lorries or forklifts. Say if your route must stay step-free.
Where it goes: Firm, level ground indoors or out: corridors, foyers, doorways, marquee thresholds, tarmac and short grass. Loose gravel is less good. Slippery when wet. Never through a fire exit at floor level.
Who lays it: Anyone: lift the lid, lay the cables in, close it, link the next section on. We count the sections from your distance, and lay the run when it is part of our rig.

Contact us for pricing on these lines — tell us the dates and quantities and we will quote them, excluding VAT. Ask us about delivery and hiring with a technician.

Alternatives

Cables and adaptors — the mains, signal and speaker runs the ramps protect, hired by the length and delivered together.

Power distro — the 32A box that feeds those runs when a fete or an outdoor stage needs more than a wall socket.

Full technical specification (10)

Type	Two-channel rubber cable protector ramp, straight sections, unbranded
Section length	1m nominal
Width, typical for this type	240 to 350mm
Height, typical for this type	43 to 65mm
Weight per section, typical for this type	5 to 8kg
Channels, typical for this type	Two, roughly 25 to 35mm wide and 30mm deep
Load rating, typical for this type	Rated by makers for pedestrians, cars and vans crossing slowly; published figures run from about 2 to 10 tonnes depending on the make and how it is measured. Not for heavy goods vehicles or forklifts
Lid	Hinged rubber lid along the full length; opens for laying cables in, closes flat over them
Joining	Sections link end to end. End pieces and 30-degree corners are not held but can be sourced to order
Material	Heavy rubber body and lid

Common questions

One section covers a metre. Measure the crossing the way the cable will lie and round up: a corridor is usually two or three sections, a marquee doorway one or two. Send us the distance or a photo and we will count them in, and tell us early if the crossing is long, because it may mean bringing extra sections in.
Yes, at walking pace: the sides are sloped and the hump is low, so wheels roll up and over. It is still a hump, not a flush cover, so if your access plan needs a step-free route, tell us and we will look at running the cable another way. Small hard wheels feel the bump most; lay the run straight and keep it lit.
No. A cable at floor level in a fire exit is an obstruction, and a ramp over it is a bigger one; the exit must stay clear, full width, for people moving fast in poor light. Take the cable over the door frame, which is the standard fix, or find a route that avoids the exit altogether. If that doorway is the only way across, talk to us before the day.