Halfords Trolley Jack

[Ren Esis]

Had one of the 2t low profile jacks and whilst it does the job it's designed for, it doesn't fill you with confidence when lifting the car. Got it as part of a 5 piece lifting kit from halfords.

The maximum lifting height is a paulty 34cm (or there abouts) which is just above the lowest notch of the axle stands. Ended up buying a Clarke one which lets me reach the centre jacking point on my E39, and it lifts pretty much double that.

[GBTurbo]

I've got the 2 ton big orange one, had it for 5-6 years now gets quite a bit of use waiting it to break so I can buy a super low one but so far so good. It jacks up high enough.

[giblet]

I'm still on the hunt for a decent low profile jack for a reasonable price. The Arcan one at Costco is £116.38 including VAT.

I've seen quite a few low profile ones on ebay but the maximum height seems to be 36cm which going by previous posts on this thread isn't quite high enough. What sort of height should I be looking for? Car is currently on stock suspension but I'm planning to get some coilovers and have it sat 20-30mm lower at the most so a low profile jack would probably be the best option.

[dbfan]

It may be a daft question, but how low is the car? I use a 3T Sealey that I bought for my tractors and it goes nicely under the sills of my Mk5 Golf (which has GTI suspension). The only danger is that the jack will go too high - being bought to lift tractors that start with about 500mm clearance!

I only ask because these low jacks seem to be almost too popular (and cost more) than an ordinary one that will do the job on many "low" vehicles.

[theshrew]

I ended up getting a jack which actually looks the same as the Halfords but was a little cheaper and not gay orange colour lol

For the price it's a great bit of kit.

[daveenty]

Sorry to leap on this thread, but would THIS jack be OK for home use or is it a bit OTT?

I only want one to whip the wheels off for general cleaning every so often (trying not to get obsessed but it's a struggle) and because my knees are a bit goosed the standard side jack is not very helpful to me.

Any advice or recommendations welcomed.

[one eyed mick]

daveenty said:

Sorry to leap on this thread, but would THIS jack be OK for home use or is it a bit OTT?

I only want one to whip the wheels off for general cleaning every so often (trying not to get obsessed but it's a struggle) and because my knees are a bit goosed the standard side jack is not very helpful to me.

Any advice or recommendations welcomed.

That looks a bargain, capacity not brill depending on what you are lifting , personaly 2x capacity was my aim 2,5 ton clark low entry does the job nicely

[Collectingbrass]

daveenty said:

Sorry to leap on this thread, but would THIS jack be OK for home use or is it a bit OTT?

I only want one to whip the wheels off for general cleaning every so often (trying not to get obsessed but it's a struggle) and because my knees are a bit goosed the standard side jack is not very helpful to me.

Any advice or recommendations welcomed.

I would say it's capacity is too low at 1.25T as most modern larger cars come in at near that. I would want to be damn sure the all up wet weight of the car left some in hand, especially if I've got a wheel off for an appreciable period, and I certainly wouldnt get under a car on that jack.

A trolley jack will do what you want (you'll still have to get down to position it etc) but you don't need to spend that much.

[daveenty]

Appreciate your comments about the capacity guys, I'll go browsing for a larger one.

It will only be used for one corner at a time, though this could evolve into either full front or rear, so better to pick one too big than too small. I won't be crawling underneath it, though obviously don't want it collapsing as I value the car and want to keep it in one piece.

[ezi]

You can get a set of quality axle stands for <£15 from Euro Car Parts, for the cost you should really be using them WITH a trolley jack to work on your car, regardless of how big/small the job is.

[daveenty]

I have axle stands (well, wooden blocks actually) which are used for everything bar a simple wheel change.

I have no faith in the ability of a hydraulic jack to stop a ton plus of car from hurting me or damaging itself.

[kev b]

All that is stopping the car from returning to earth is a thin rubber seal, think about that before you go under your car supported with only a jack.

I bought a fantastic plastic piece that fits into the jacking points of a BMW, I kept forgetting to remove it and it now lives in a gutter somewhere, you can keep it if you find it.

[giblet]

Most low profile trolley jacks seem to have a minimum saddle height of 80mm. Maximum seems to vary from 360mm to around 380mm.

My dirt cheap regular height Wickes one in comparison had a minimum height of 135mm and a max of only 342mm. This was never high enough to get an axle stand under any car that I used it on.

This Clarke one seems to be the cheapest low profile one that I've found on ebay that gets to 380mm - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171269226148

There seem to be a few different Liftmaster branded ones too in the same price bracket but they all have a max of 360mm.

[daveenty]

Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated, and I do understand hydraulics as it's been part of my job for the past 30+ years.

I ended up taking all the suggestions on board, and ended up with THIS ONE. A bit more than I wanted to pay, but it should be on top of the job and, providing I don't screw things up, should last me my lifetime.

kev b said:

I bought a fantastic plastic piece that fits into the jacking points of a BMW, I kept forgetting to remove it and it now lives in a gutter somewhere, you can keep it if you find it.

Appreciate that Kev, though I've looked in all my gutters this morning but unfortunately couldn't find it.

[kev b]

It's somewhere in Lincolnshire, if that helps.............

[etchacan]

daveenty said:

Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated, and I do understand hydraulics as it's been part of my job for the past 30+ years.

I ended up taking all the suggestions on board, and ended up with THIS ONE. A bit more than I wanted to pay, but it should be on top of the job and, providing I don't screw things up, should last me my lifetime.

I know I'm late to the party (this forum is very quiet!), but you won't go wrong with that - I fought for years (20 of them!) with a cheap-ass no-name trolley jack, don't get me wrong, it worked, did what it was supposed to do, but that was it. I finally bought a 3 ton Sealey last year, and it's made lifting the car quicker and less annoying than ever before.

[kev b]

A bit of a coincidence this thread being reactivated today.

I have this morning seen a guy I know who has a BMW like mine, he wondered if the black plastic bit he found stuck in his car belonged to me! I left it in the jacking point when we were looking for a noise over a month ago .

Anyway, must dash as I need to buy a lottery ticket ........

[Toaster Pilot]

Does spending say £50 really get me much more than a cheap £25 jack? Don't need low profile and can't afford £100+ aluminium stuff.

My jack failed today, thankfully I noticed the drip of oil before it was actually supporting anything (and I NEVER get under a car on a jack without stands anyway)

[ezi]

I consider them a safety item more than a tool, spend the most you can afford really.

[Toaster Pilot]

Anyone got any experience with a jack like this? http://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-3-tonne-...

Seem to be available under multiple brands for around £100 (£83 in Euro Car Parts for one branded with their logo) and I assume they are all made in the same factory because they look identical. Clarke and Sealey ones available that are the same.