QuickJack

[robertcope]

I got tired of worrying about dropping my cars off jack stands and wanted a better way to get them up in the air. A few friends have QuickJacks and like them, so I picked one up for myself.

Putting it together was simple enough. I had it assembled and a car in the air in a few hours, working lazily on a hot afternoon.

There are two lift positions, middle and top, basically. I think that the top will be high enough to allow me to drop the motor on the NSX when the time comes.

 

[Donald]

While handy, they are over $1000.

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: Donald
While handy, they are over $1000.


I couldn't find a cheaper alternative; do you have one? I looked but didn't find anything.

 

[SZR48207]

Jealous of the lift and the car lol

 

[montero1]

You need to sweep your garage.

 

[Olas]

You have to be incredibly unlucky or incredibly clumsy for a corectly and securely jacked car to fall off it's stand, and you have to be *RICH* to spend a grand on a lift when you have a trolly jack and axle stands..
Nonetheless, I admire the new toy greatly and would like to use one to see what it's like, plus the time and labour saved can only be a good thing

 

[demarpaint]

I like it, but for a grand+ I'd want something that lifts higher.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I like it, but for a grand+ I'd want something that lifts higher.


Me too, but one could probably throw some 2x12s under for a little more height.

Working under cars I'm either on a creeper or standing under a lift 6 feet high. A 3 foot lift wouldn't do me much good as I'd still be on the creeper but my arms would be stretched all out.

The nice thing about these is the full access to exhaust, driveshafts, etc.

 

[Linctex]

This will be a nice little welding project for me.

I already have the hydraulic cylinders!

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I like it, but for a grand+ I'd want something that lifts higher.


Me too, but one could probably throw some 2x12s under for a little more height.

Working under cars I'm either on a creeper or standing under a lift 6 feet high. A 3 foot lift wouldn't do me much good as I'd still be on the creeper but my arms would be stretched all out.

The nice thing about these is the full access to exhaust, driveshafts, etc.


I hear ya! I thought about the 2x12's. Next house I buy I'm seriously thinking about a custom garage with a full lift. Coming from overly inflated Long Island the excess from the sale of the house will more than cover it if we decide to move south. Then I can finally have things exactly the way I want them.

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: Olas
You have to be incredibly unlucky or incredibly clumsy for a corectly and securely jacked car to fall off it's stand, and you have to be *RICH* to spend a grand on a lift when you have a trolly jack and axle stands..
Nonetheless, I admire the new toy greatly and would like to use one to see what it's like, plus the time and labour saved can only be a good thing

I've only had it happen when getting greedy on height on a gravel drive; it was stupid of me. Regardless, to get the cars to a decent height, it's a multistep process that takes time and any time the car is "in flux" it is a risk. This gets it up higher with hardly any risk.

I won't argue that I am doing okay, though I wouldn't call it rich. I also will admit that I went back and forth a lot on it. But given that I've got some car or another up in the air at least once a week, it seemed like a reasonable luxury. Also, at some point I will have to drop the motor on the NSX to do it's timing belt and other maintenance, and I believe this will allow me to do that MUCH easier than it would be possible with jacks and such. The alternative is to spend two or three grand having someone do it for me, so... technically I'm saving money

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
This will be a nice little welding project for me.

I already have the hydraulic cylinders!


I was looking at this and thinking someone could probably build their own for a faction of the price. I don't have the tools or knowledge to do it, though.

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I like it, but for a grand+ I'd want something that lifts higher.


Me too, but one could probably throw some 2x12s under for a little more height.

Working under cars I'm either on a creeper or standing under a lift 6 feet high. A 3 foot lift wouldn't do me much good as I'd still be on the creeper but my arms would be stretched all out.

The nice thing about these is the full access to exhaust, driveshafts, etc.


It comes with rubber blocks that can get more height, though only 2"-4" or so. I bet if you were smart and careful, you could do more with wood blocks or something. My car is low enough that I'd have to lift it, put something under the wheels, then put the blocks in and lift again.

I'm looking forward to being able to use a creeper again. There was no room with jack stands to do that.

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: montero1
You need to sweep your garage.

*embarassed* Yeah, the doors aren't level and need new seals. I leveled them this morning and have seals on order. We just moved in... okay, a year ago... it's been a busy year. But I'm finally getting to the garage. Also have lights to put in this afternoon.

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I like it, but for a grand+ I'd want something that lifts higher.


I'd love a real two post lift, but the garage isn't high enough for it. Maybe in a few years we can remodel the garage. Until then, this will have to do. I don't know of any alternative that lifts higher and is still massively portable.

 

[JHZR2]

What turned me off on this one was the reporting of hydraulic leaks early on. Hopefully that's been resolved.

Other than that, I sort of like the low format. No working overhead like on a lift, you can much more easily creep and move around than on ramps or stands, and its much less of a challenge to get unibody cars lifted up off of all four corners, than to have to use a trolley jack and stands, where you may have to do a low lift then a second lift.

This sort of lift also allows direct access to the wheels and suspension. There's a competing roll-on lift that is convenient for storage and height, but to get the wheels up requires another set of jacks and stands that seems a bit more dangerous.

 

[robertcope]

Yup yup, you pretty well nailed it in terms of the pros. I'm really excited to easily be able to get my wife's Rabbit in the air. Previously, it was a challenge because the jack points were also the jack stand points, if that makes sense.

I read about the leaking issues, as well, but I have four or five friends with the QJ and all said they loved them and had no idea what those folks were talking about. I think it was a very early issue, and I know they changed the type of quick connect they use; I've disconnected mine a few times and not a drop has leaked.