Quickjack Lift Discussion

I will be able to test it in about a week, when my car arrives.  I will post pics.

My 3500 quickJack has arrived

The jack works perfectly - I have a Beck Speedster - you can see where I put the rubber jackpads on the frame.

Pics attached

Looks really nice, Colin.

Nice, that it will work for a Beckwith a frame, but we still don't know if it will work for a pan based car.

I can't see why it wouldn't if you placed the lifts under the thick edge of the pan where the body reinforcement frame is.  You can place them as close together as necessary.

You're probably right Lane, but I would feel a lot better spending $1,000 if I heard it from someone who has lifted a pan based car with a Quickjack.

Just spent some time reading other threads about lifts and I'm starting to lean more toward spending $500 to a $1000 more and getting a scissor jack.  Looks like they can go about twice as high as the Quickjack.  BendPak makes one and there are several others.  I may even look for a used one.

Troy,unless clearance is an issue,why don't you get a 4 post lift. For about 2K you can get a very good lift. I purchased my lift from gregsmithequiptment.com. I opted for the "Atlas Garage Pro 8000 EXT". There is 79" of clearance under the runways. I can stand fully erect under the cars without any head bumping or bruising at all. It is one of the best investments that I have made. Working on my cars is a breeze. As I get older,I find it increasingly more beneficial to make it less stressful on the old body. Give it some thought. Takes 2 men about 4 hours to assemble. Easy peasy!

That would be ideal, but I have a typical garage with an 8 foot ceiling and there is no way it would fit.

How much ceiling height is needed for those 4 post lifts?

Marty,The simple answer relating to minimum ceiling height required is to add the height of both vehicles and then add another 8 ( 7 inches may be acceptable…ask your salesperson as this measurement depends on the model of lift you buy) inches to that total. The sum of all those measurements would be the minimum amount of ceiling height required. Assume you have two cars that measure a total of 107 inches ( 8 feet 11 inches). You need to add an additional 8 inches to 107 inches (this 8 inches accounts for the thickness of the runway and the 1-2 inches of “lift height” you will need to raise your runways “up” and off the locks, so that they can be lowered.)You now have a total required minimum ceiling height of 115 inches (9 feet 7 inches). Pretty simple math.

Greg Smith has a shorter one vs the EXT which is $200 less but you could bump your head - 67 1/2" clearance under the runways.  I'm trying to decide between 2 post - easy to change tires and work on brakes vs 4 post - seems more stable when parking another car under it.

 

Looks like you'd need about 12' - if you were lifting a small convertible up on it and not going for max height. I like that its 110 volts.

 

I am sure that for some guys 67" inch is plenty of room to get underneath without hitting your head Ray 

Several photo's of the 4 post lift in place.

I was looking at a ramp style system to do some work on my car... http://www.kwik-lift.com  I think Alan or someone on the list has had some experience with it... when you consider the pricing, if you have the room for it in the garage, for somewhat more money, a 4 post lift is the best even if your not planning on putting two cars in your garage. Ray

I don't agree. It all depends on what you want to use the lift for. Storage only? 4 post, hands down.

But if you want to work on anything other than exhaust, a 2 post, or a small flat platform like Merklin has would be ideal. To me, if you can't access the wheels on the lift, there is no point.

I agree with you Danny, except that there are some 4 posts that will allow you to use a bridge and lift the front or rear to remove the wheels and work like your on a scissor jack but it really does depend on a multitude of factors and use is the major one.

I would interject that there is a "jacking tray" that slides from front to back(between the ramps)for working on anything that requires the wheels be elevated.A simple 2 ton floor jack can easily be set in the jacking tray,and the front or rear of the car can be lifted.(not at the same time,unless you have 2 trays and 2 jacks)

I have two four Post hoists.

 

yes obviously garage ceiling height is an issue. My neighbour removed his dry wall ceiling and modified the triangular truss using engineering and builders. Works well if you have a roof cavity.

 

 

Although my garage ceiling height is pitched I just keep the windscreen up in between the timber beams.

 

And it requires trial and error to find the best position forward or back to avoid a beam.  Mark that position with a wheel stop or spot on wall etc.

 

...  importantly paint a mark up the upright - leg - closest to the motor so you know when to stop. Sounds basic but lifting or positioning incorrectly will damage big time...

 

Also, my hoists have heavy steel trays and jacks that make it easy to pull wheels etc.

 

i would go 110% with a four post rather than any other options.

 

damnnn their cheap over there also 

Yeah, you can put a bridge and a jack on a 4 post. But that isn't much different than a jack and jackstands on the ground. I'm sticking with my earlier post.

 

You know who has the ultimate setup? This guy: http://www.12-gaugegarage.com/

 

This is what I would do if I could. It is the be all, end all, of a serious, can-do, in-your-face, DIY guy. My hero! My next garage WILL have a lift table.

 

They said, "You'll never lap Laguna in under XX minutes with that car". You know, what, he proved the pundits wrong. Would love to meet him someday.