Car lifts for use on a drive - how dangerous are these?

[poordecisions]

I’ve recently bought another liability of a car, and after years of working on cars that I have to lift onto stands bit by bit, I’ve been looking for something better.

I’ve just come across these: https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-LIFT-/282670320980?ha...

Thoughts? Also looking at hydraulic scissor lifts. Interested to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Will

[finishing touch]

That looks like brown trouser equipment to me.

Also, I'm trying to think of jobs that you could do using that. Nothing to the front wheel (of a FWD) obviously.

[poordecisions]

finishing touch said:

That looks like brown trouser equipment to me.

Also, I'm trying to think of jobs that you could do using that. Nothing to the front wheel (of a FWD) obviously.

I agree and I don’t think that it’s a particularly useful photo! Looking into it, it seems to have an adaptor for lifting at the sills - if it was posted from Hong Kong I would immediately dismiss it, but it doesn’t look badly made at all.

I’m effectively look for something that I can work under (obviously buying multiples), backed up by stands regardless and is easier than jacking each corner up..

Interested to hear if everyone here lays on their back on tarmac whilst working on their cars!

[PositronicRay]

poordecisions said:

finishing touch said:

That looks like brown trouser equipment to me.

Also, I'm trying to think of jobs that you could do using that. Nothing to the front wheel (of a FWD) obviously.

I agree and I don’t think that it’s a particularly useful photo! Looking into it, it seems to have an adaptor for lifting at the sills - if it was posted from Hong Kong I would immediately dismiss it, but it doesn’t look badly made at all.

I’m effectively look for something that I can work under (obviously buying multiples), backed up by stands regardless and is easier than jacking each corner up..

Interested to hear if everyone here lays on their back on tarmac whilst working on their cars!

From the photos it looks well made, it's just the design. A short car with solid suspension maybe ok but a longer car with longer travel suspension? The sill adaptor doesn't look like it'd locate well, more like it'd just crush the sills.

I'd rather lie on my back under a pair of ramps.

I use a pair of std ramps but would like some more height. Like these.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ADJUSTABLE-CAR-RAMPS-CAR...

[GreenV8S]

I think you would find a trolley jack and some jack stands far safer and easier to work with. I haven't seen those contraptions in the flesh but they don't look very stable to me.

[The Seer]

I don't favour the fact that all the weight is resting on one area of the car, it's unbalanced and unnatural. I would use two of those contraptions if I was to buy.

[scsracing]

Can't imagine if you used a breaker bar on the back left hand wheel id feel safe (vise versa if you put lift on back wheel and was working on the front) but id work underneath if It had a lift on each wheel but then very limited

[finishing touch]

I don't mind jacking four wheels if it feels safer. I use these (500mm lift).

Paul G

[tapkaJohnD]

NEVER, EVER, WORK UNDER A CAR THAT IS NOT SUPPORTED ON SOLID POINTS OF THE CHASSIS/BODYSHELL.

Excepting, maybe a properly mounted 2/4 post lift. Even those supports under all four wheels - small movement will tip it off.

JOhn

[Mr2Mike]

tapkaJohnD said:

NEVER, EVER, WORK UNDER A CAR THAT IS NOT SUPPORTED ON SOLID POINTS OF THE CHASSIS/BODYSHELL.

Nothing wrong with ramps under the wheels provided the car is properly centered on them. I usually ratchet strap a couple of the wheels to the ramps to make sure it can't roll off.

tapkaJohnD said:

Excepting, maybe a properly mounted 2/4 post lift. Even those supports under all four wheels - small movement will tip it off.

JOhn

A two post lift supports on the chassis, not the wheels. By far the best solution for working on cars if you have the space to install one.

I'd probably use the lift in the OP's link if the design looked reasonable up close (pictures on eBay advert are crap), but I'd definitely want to be lifting two wheels rather than a single one. However two lifts starts looking very pricey and they look quite bulky/heavy to store.

[peterg1955]

I have a set of these Quickjack lifts although luckily I picked them up as an ex-demo for £600 off this listed price, very solid and secure (each ramp weighs 34kgs) and can be stored up against the garage wall so take up very little room when not in use compared to the more conventional scissor lifts.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BENDPAK-100-PORTABLE-COM...

[richs2891]

finishing touch said:

I don't mind jacking four wheels if it feels safer. I use these (500mm lift).

Paul G

I like those, where did you get them from please ?

[E-bmw]

They (or similar) are available from many places, the bay that is e, Amazon etc.

They are actually bike lifts & as they are rated at 500kg each 4 will easily lift virtually any car.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ReaseJoy-1100lbs-Motorbik...

[markiii]

richs2891 said:

finishing touch said:

I don't mind jacking four wheels if it feels safer. I use these (500mm lift).

Paul G

I like those, where did you get them from please ?

do they lock?

[GreenV8S]

finishing touch said:

I don't mind jacking four wheels if it feels safer. I use these (500mm lift).

Paul G

How do they work? I don't see any lifting mechanism - do you need to wind/jack up each corner separately? I can imagine that would get pretty tedious if you need to work round raising and lowering each corner in small increments.

[E-bmw]

If you look real careful at the offside pair, in between the sides of the upper plate you can just see the end of a threaded bar, this is an ACME thread like the one on a scissor jack.

You can see it much better in the pic on the amazon ad I linked earlier.

They are a different make/build but the same thing.

[Mr2Mike]

E-bmw said:

They (or similar) are available from many places, the bay that is e, Amazon etc.

They are actually bike lifts & as they are rated at 500kg each 4 will easily lift virtually any car.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ReaseJoy-1100lbs-Motorbik...

Cheap enough but only 400mm lift, and I wouldn't want to put much weight on the unsupported end when near full extension.

[E-bmw]

Absolutely, I would chock the wheels at the other end for peace of mind if using these, they could have some uses for the price.

Personally, I just accept that jacking up the car bit by bit & using 6t stands is the safest way, yes it takes 1/2 hour to get it properly up, but I know it is safe.

[liner33]

I'd love to have the flexibility of these kind of ramps at home but there is no way I'd be comfortable working under a 2 tonne car on any of these options

I put my Evo up on axle stands to underseal it but even then whilst it was safe once it was up it was sketchy getting up onto and back off the stands

[finishing touch]

Where my scissor lifts score is their adjustability, from 100mm to 500mm.


If axle stands have a downside then it's their lack of adjustment.

My set (pictured) measure 350mm closed, and 550mm fully extended.
For a stand that big 200mm doesn't seem much of a range, but thats the nature of the design.



Perhaps I should stick with bricks.


Paul G