Quickjack and Bendpak Lifts

Here for advice ....

You can search "quick jack" here (the magnifying glass icon up and to the right) and see a large number of prior discussions and reviews of these options (and others).

Here's one from 2015 that may be helpful.

I ended up with the Harbor Freight low-rise scissor lift. It can lift 6000 pounds about 4 feet high. My garage ceiling is 7 feet.

Others on here have a similar lift from Bend-Pak etc.

I had to build 2" thick ramps to get the Spyder on and off since it is so low. This works fine for me, as the ramps do double duty to enable the use of race car scales.

I purchased this lift specifically because I can use it for other cars. I've had a couple Subarus, an Audi Allroad, and the back half of my Dodge 1500 on the lift.

The pair of Quickjacks to me isn't much more useful than a floor jack and stands. However, other guys like them.

This picture was taken before I built my ramps. I used a couple 2 x 12 ramps. I think the lift is slightly taller than 3.5"

Here are the ramps before epoxy paint. They are made of 1/2" plywood from the crate the lift came in, some 2 x 3s ripped down to 1.5" and some nails, screw, and glue. Three 1.5" x 1.5"(actual size) ribs run down each platform, making them strong but lightweight. I also made some tapered ramps about a foot long to easily get on and off.

If I ever replace the concrete floor from 1950, I'll build a well to put the lift in and lose the ramp/platform arrangement.

I have two quickjacks the 5000XL and the original 3500, which is perfect for my IM Frame.  I think Gordon had the original 3500 which I think he used side ways on his pancar, if you have room in your garage that can be done.

The only advantage to the QJack is that you are able to get at the center of the car, especially if it is between the wheels in standard mode on a crawler (20 inch) BTW you can use the hydraulics on multiple frames of course to allow you to work on your other cars.

Danny has a really nice set up and the scissor jack definetely has some advantages.  I sometimes think of a regular 4 post but the garage is height challenged.

I own a QuickJack 5000 lb lift and with the jack points I have to use on my VMC speedster, it doesn't work well.  I have the AC, IRS, and oil cooler options so there's not a lot of areas to lift on the rear and lifting using areas on the pan can cause damage.

As the QuickJack is designed to lift with them being laid out parallel and equal distance from each other ( parallel to the frame of the car), having the two jacks at an angle can cause stability issues.

If your Speedster doesn't have the extra AC and oil cooler that can block the rear frame jack points, it may work OK.  Since then, I put a 10K lb 2 post lift in the garage and it's made life way easier.

Here's another thread discussing QuickJack pros and cons:

https://www.speedsterowners.co...1#581716013421819791

I have had the QuickJack 3500 ( QJ )

https://quickjack.com/car-lifts/3500slx/

It was two lift sections with a common hydraulic hose between them.  I now own a Bend Pak 48" scissors lift.  I left the QJs under the car when not being used, just pushed both towards the centerline of the car.  I did that because it was easier than trying to find a place to store them upright.  

The QJ gets the car up high enough to work underneath while on a rolling creeper.  The max lift was 28"?  Set up was fast - Maybe five minutes to push/pull them in place with the right rubber blocks, connect the juice lines and hit the button.  I was mostly pleased with them, but wanted more height, AND the 3500 wasn't long enough to fit my son's Porsche 996 if he needed it.   ☹️   I really needed the longer, 5,000lb. version.  To lift, I used the front footwell outside corner locations and, at the rear, under the torsion bar end caps to lift the car.  Lifting was easy and fast and the mechanical locks worked great.  The red are QJ lift points.  Do Not lift at the Yellow X.  

So then I had a chance to buy a 48" BendPak (BP) MD6-XP 6000 lb in excellent shape and, at the same time, found someone to buy the QJ, all in one trip to pick it up.   I leave the BP in place under the car with the arms swung in and mushrooms removed when not in use.  Like Danny, I have placed a 2" X 12" plank on both sides to drive on for a little more clearance under the car and peace of mind when I'm pulling in or out.  My ceiling is exactly 9' but I have the overhead door mechanism in the way so I cannot raise the car the full 48" because the door lift chain/center arm hits the car's roll bar, so I stop it at the third level, about 38" and that's fine - I just bought a low mechanics rolling seat at HF to zip in under the car and I just fit.

I use the normal VW lift points on the BP:  Under the corner bolts at the front of the cockpit, and at the rear, under the casting that holds the torsion bar spring plate pivot point.  There is enough adjustment to fit all of our cars, Acura RDX, Subaru Outback, the Speedster, my son's 996 and the neighbor's Tundra Pickup.  The Japanese cars have lift points that straddle the pinch-joint welds, so I made up 4" X 4" wooden blocks with a slot cut in the top to fit over the pinch welds and used pieces of rubber workshop floor mats on top to cushion the car.   Those work great.  

Happy to answer specific questions, but I love my BendPak lift (just as much as Danny loves his Harbor Freight version).

Thank you for the advice everyone! It seems like the best option for me with my space and uses would be to get the mid rise scissor lift. Unfortunately, I can't find one on harbor freight's website so I will likely be ordering from Bendpak. The 2 x12"s are a great idea to make sure you have enough clearance with the speedster.

I guess they stopped selling them. I got mine in 2017 I think. Sorry to have misled you.

On the 2” X 12” on each side - I thought that my widebody Speedster was slammed down there pretty well, but it fits over the BendPak lift with a safe clearance space, even without the planks.

Not the same with my son’s Porsche 996, which sits even lower!  So I added the planks to get his car up enough to clear everything when getting it set over the lift.  This is a similar problem that Danny had with his Spyder, so he added the wood around the lift, almost looking like the lift is recessed into the floor.  Cool look!

Either way works well.  I just leave the planks down there and screwed a couple of cross 2” X 4”s to them to help hold them in place.  I also figured out where I need to be parked on the planks such that when I raise the car up to my max, the windshield doesn’t hit the door opener motor.  Once I knew that spot, I screwed a couple of 1” X 1” X 6” tire stops into the planks where I wanted the wheel to stop, et violá!  Now I just drive on, pull the arms out, add the mushrooms, check their positions and hit the raise button.

Check Best Buy Automotive Equipment as they often have decent deals on long holiday weekends.

https://maxjax.com/laborday   Prior to the world crisis $2.5K would buy these.

I have the 3500# Quick Jack.  Got it years ago as an "open box" shipped free to me for about $850!  It had a few scratches and the box was a bit torn.  I've found that even using big blocks of hard rubber it doesn't lift but ~24"  which is not really a great working height.  They added additional safety feature the next year - price is now $1650!  It works well for oil changes on my new Mazda Miata.

The NLA HF appears more useful!

@WOLFGANG posted:

I have the 3500# Quick Jack.  Got it years ago as an "open box" shipped free to me for about $850!  It had a few scratches and the box was a bit torn.  I've found that even using big blocks of hard rubber it doesn't lift but ~24"  which is not really a great working height.  They added additional safety feature the next year - price is now $1650!  It works well for oil changes on my new Mazda Miata.

The NLA HF appears more useful!

Well getting your body slid under the body can be an issue  

More to the point, a scissor jack is higher by far but you cannot get under as easily.  My mechanic has the standard two leg pad lift for working under the car I just wish I had head room for a 4 poster.  just saying.

You can often find used Scissor lifts in craigslist ads or on Facebook marketplace. Gordon got a screaming deal on his Bendpak low-rise when the seller bought a permanent  2-post lift and sold the old one(he was a Speedster guy but sold that too).

I just looked on FB Marketplace. $800 to $2500 price range.