[Greg Reid]

Nothing wrong with using jack stands if it gives you a warm and fuzzy.... The manual actually advises the use of jack stands but I feel that it's probably a liability thing with them. I actually had a slightly different take on it- Use an obstruction lN the jack stand.. that is, use a block of wood as an obstruction. Just place it on the floor rail portion of the jack so that it is between the lower framerails and the movable upper rails that support the car. It can't come down as long as there is a block of wood or even a jack stand in there. In other words, instead of using jack stands under the car itself just use them as an obstruction inside the quickjack. You'd only need one in each side.

[dataway]

I figure if I need any additional rubber/pinch blocks I can just order the raw material from McMaster and make my own.
Greg I was thinking the same thing about jack stands, if desired, use them in the QJ, along with the QJ locks you probably can't ask for a safer setup ... other than sliding a few wheels/tires under the car.

[KJB]

I’m thinking seriously about a Quick Jack. It looks like the only model currently available is the 5,000. That should be fine for my 62 Grand Prix weighing in at around 4,000 but I wonder about the length. I read through this complete thread and didn’t see where anybody was lifting a full size Pontiac. I see they do offer frame extensions which might be the ticket for me.

[AdamIsAdam]

I originally had the longer EXT and wound up selling them to buy the standard length units because the EXT was too long for my other cars. Plus they are HEAVY to roll around the shop.

Which brings up the wheels. They are fine. And I seem to recall they send you an extra set anyway. I've even dragged the jacks on the frame a bit, as well as carried them. I would not discount these because of the wheels. Oh, and I often use them on my driveway, so they are being rolled on blacktop.

As for width apart, you are limited only by the car. In fact, some cars people put the lifts perpendicular to the car, ie, one jack for front half and one for rear. Depending on garage space and the car and the job you are doing, this is an option. So width is not a problem.

They are very good to have. My only complaint is that due to my small 2 car garage, I have to store and set them up each time. But even that is not a big deal. But using them is great.


EDIT: AHHHHHHHH. When did that sig picture get so huge?! Photobucket do something?

[dataway]

The 5000 I bought is right on the limit for my full size truck ... but from what I've seen there is plenty of safety margin built in and people say the 5000 lifts considerably more than 5000. I also couldn't find the 7000 in stock anywhere for a decent price. Also figured I'd rather drag around 70 lb sections than 100+ lb sections.

Should be in on Weds. Looking forward to trying it out.

[Aaron65]

I've lifted my '53 Buick Special with mine, and it has a 121.5" wheelbase. I've also lifted my '63 T-Bird, but I had to turn the lifts sideways because the subframe pickups aren't located where the lift would pick them up longitudinally. That car must be within a couple bills of 5000 pounds, and my 5000 model picked it up just fine.

[Greg Reid]

Wow, I didn't even know you could do that. Perpendicular, that is. Good to know.

[dataway]

Yep I guess you just have to make sure you don't run it into a post or wall since it will move it over sideways about a foot.

[Greg Reid]

Yeah, you definitely have to watch that lateral movement regardless of direction. Front to back space is fairly limited in my garage and l have to make sure if my garage door is up when l set up the jacks to raise the car that l consider where it's going to come down later when the door may be down.

[todden8]

No doubt, Quickjack is a good investment. It has made my life easier.

[dataway]

Picking mine up today ... looking forward to getting my gas tank installed without my nose being 1" from the pumpkin.

[KJB]

I talked to a Quick Jack rep yesterday and gave him the measurements I came up with on my 62 GP. Per the measuring directions on their website, I came up with 98” tire spread, 68/80” for the min/max lift point spread and 8” for the ground clearance. He suggested a new model that is available but not yet advertised. It is the 6,000 ELT at $1,995. He said the min/max lift point spread is 53/76” and it will lift 3” higher than the current models. Still on the fence about what I should do.

[dataway]

I thought about the 7000 for the extra lift ... but figure I'll just use blocks or something to gain the extra few inches if I need it since any lifting before it hits the frame is wasted.

[dataway]

Got it home and unpacked .... I'm already thinking about making some "mobility" modifications to it .. would be real nice if each side had a set of those spring loaded casters like you see on some step stools .... rolls around free with no weight on it, but then compresses the casters and sits firm on the ground with weight on it.

After looking into it ... think I could pretty easily make some spring loaded casters using stem mount casters, some "L" brackets and some misc hardware. Just something to hold them about 1/2" off the floor and just barely suspend the 70+ lb weight of each lift unit.

[dataway]

For those of you still looking .. a quick review.

Build quality is easily a couple of steps above the average Chinese made product. Welding is as good as any I've seen on US products. Most fittings etc. are what you would expect from a consumer level US made product.

Assembly and operation should be simple enough for anyone interested in this kind of product. Took me about 1.5 hours before a car was in the air. It's not a device I would want to be moving around a lot. Worth moving and setting up if you plan on being under a vehicle for a couple of hours, not ideal if you just plan on doing a quick oil change unless it's already on the floor in the area of the vehicle.

Finding the right spot to lift, and the position of the blocks is a bit tedious the first time, if lifting the same vehicle most of the time making some reference marks for the position of the blocks would save a bunch of time, then make a little sticker for it with the name of the vehicle and how far from the front tire the lifts should go and it would save 90% of the head scratching time.

Lift speed up and down is fine, stability seems excellent.

As a fabricator one of the first things I think about with a product like this is how much would it cost me to build one myself. At my costs ... probably $100 in metal, about $100 each for the single acting cylinders, about $250 for the power unit and pendant, another $100-200 in hoses and fittings. So about $750. Fabrication time probably 6 hours in the shop, 4 - 8 more hours sourcing parts and making drawings. (All of this assuming I copy their design). It varies depending on your time/tool/skill vs your money factors .... but I'd call this lift worth the money. I'd charge someone probably $2500-3000 to custom fabricate something like this.

Now for the Cons and suggestions: First the hoses are absolute crap, the stiffest, cheapest hoses they could probably find, I fought with the hoses more than anything else, I sure hope they lose their "coil" soon. Hopefully they are standard ends as I plan to have these remade as soon as possible. Probably $80-120 for the two long hoses.

Suggestions: Having the bottom surface covered in teflon sliders would make sliding them much easier (although it's not real difficult now). Or retracting casters of some kind.

Not sure why they use two supply hoses .. could have used a single hose with a "Y" coupler since they use no-leak quick disconnects. The "Long" hoses could have been a single hose. Up and down time might be a bit longer but I wouldn't mind that, routing two curly stiff hoses is a pain.

A better lifting handle setup for moving them would have been nice, something on the end opposite the wheels.

Couple of leaks after assembly ... the instructions call for teflon tape, the kit now comes with a liquid sealant ( apparently they haven't updated the very good manual yet). I put it together with the liquid sealant, two connections had to be redone with teflon tape ... my guess is customers were having difficulty with the tape so they changed to a liquid sealant.

So, all in all, worth the money. Lifts my GTO PLENTY high for doing any under car work I can imagine. More than enough room for tranny and exhaust work .... assuming it's not a pipe that has to be radically angled to get it over the axle. The locks, to me aren't the most confidence inspiring ... they depend on a single welded block for each. That block or the notch it catches fails they are coming down. However, the design is not such that the left would collapse ... it would still have to compress the cylinders, the cylinders cannot compress because their outlets are blocked by a solenoid valve. The odds of the locks failing and a hose rupturing at the same time would be astronomical. And even then you'd probably have time to roll out from under as the cylinder leaked down.

So ... Quick-Jack gets an up vote from me.

[The Champ]

FWIW - I don't have any "coil" issue with my hoses, but I bought my QJ 3 years ago. Maybe a supply chain issue caused the change. I did get teflon tape with my unit and it's been leak free.

[F ROCK]

Good review.
I dont have any issues with the hoses having a "coil memory" at all, but yeah that would bug me too. The hoses are very hard.

I have a '71 GTO with the endura.
The quick jack lifts the car evenly; i couldnt do that with my floorjack and stands.
Lifting the car unevenly made the paint crack on the endura. I'd have to go a little at a time on each side.

[Greg Reid]

The hoses are quite stiff but l haven't had any coil memory issue with just lying them out on the floor before I attach each end. As for storage, I have found the easiest thing for me is to just push them to the center of the car and leave them there. I can drive the car over them with no problem. If I need them for another car or for the car they are under, I just slide them out. They are fairly heavy but I don't see myself moving them very far from my garage on a regular basis. My car is up on them right now as a matter of fact. Making some minor changes to my wheel setup. It sure makes things easier getting all four wheels off the ground together.

[dataway]

The lift was indispensable today removing and reinstalling the tank and adjusting the exhaust. The hoses have relaxed some, but still as you bring them back toward the power unit they coil right up. Good hydraulic hoses are pretty expensive and have to meet certain requirements, my guess is they would probably be the single most expensive part of the lift to the manufacturer. The quick disconnect fitting seem to be pretty high quality, not a drop of leakage when using them.

The high pressure hose on my power washer for example is quite hard, but still "loose" and flexible, and rated for about 4,000 psi.

I might need to stretch them out and apply some warmth, hasn't been above about 65 in the shop since I unpacked them.

I'm happy with the purchase, I was dreading doing the necessary detailing under the car, will be so much easier with this lift.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

As for storage, I have found the easiest thing for me is to just push them to the center of the car and leave them there. I can drive the car over them with no problem.

That was my original plan.

But when fully lowered, I can't drive over them with the Camaro as it doesn't have enough clearance as currently set up.

But it really only takes a couple of minutes to move the QJ over to the side of the garage. There is enough hydraulic hose to move the right side to the wall, then move the power unit as far as possible to the right, then move the left side to the wall and then move the power unit to the wall.