Advice on Trolley Jacks Required

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Tue 20 Jun 2006 22:34
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - kelvin
I'm looking into the idea of buying a trolley jack. The thing that concerns me it that most of the ones below £50 seem to have a maximum lifting height of between 30 to 38cm.

I'm quite a big guy so I would find a 38cm gap very difficult to fit under. Does it mean that the total gap between the floor and the botom of the car will be a max of 38cm after jacking it up to full height or does it mean that the gap between the floor and the botom of the car will increase by 38cm(eg the gap under my unlifted car is about 22cm so would I then get a 60cm gap)?
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Tue 20 Jun 2006 22:35
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - kelvin
BTW I should point out that I will be using axel stands as well before I get any safety lectures.
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Tue 20 Jun 2006 23:04
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - Ian G
I doubt you'll get the total hieght to be 22cm jack maximum of 38cm.

As the jack range will start from it's lowest position, and it will take several cranks to get to the base of your car.

In fact, if your car jacking point is 22cm high, the jack lifts to 38cm, you're only going to raise the body by 16cm.

A solution could be to use decent wooden blocks to pad the jack - not pine softwood that could split. The jack won't waste it's range getting up to your jacking point.

Or investigate higher range jacks perhaps. It's a very infrequent purchase, and like most tools not worth skimping on (think of it as an investment).

I got a CTJ2LR from Machine Mart (£30) which lifts to 405cm. However, it's not quick lift, and takes loads of cranks, but I needed it's low 110cm saddle height - you don't with 22cm height.

The CTJ3000QL looks best in their range for your needs: 3 tonne, 20cm min, 52cm max, quick lift £41 inc Vat from machine mart.

And coincidentally, this wins the autoexpress Best Buy award!

www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/producttests/6203...l

hth

Ian



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Tue 20 Jun 2006 23:04
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - bell boy
if you want my advice all the trolley jacks under £50 are rubbish
Spend approx £85 inc vat and you will get a professional 2 1/4 tonne jack that will last years and they have proper cast wheels and a very wide stable base.
jack sealey does one available at brown brothers or machine mart probably do the same one but saying clarke on it instead
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Tue 20 Jun 2006 23:30
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - Aprilia
Good advice Oldman. I've got a 3 ton Sealey. Bought it 5-6 years ago for about £90. Also invest in a big rubber saddle pad so you don't damage the paint when jacking on sill flanges.
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Tue 20 Jun 2006 23:37
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - martint123
I got the machinemart CTJ2LR as well a few years ago. It's been fine for me and I also needed the low starting height of 110mm which just gets under the front subframewith. It's cor cast steel wheels and castors.
I've been eyeing some 2nd hand lifts up, but they're a bit beyond my pocket and the legs would stick out of the garage roof.
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Tue 20 Jun 2006 23:46
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - burpie
Surely a lift height of 38cm means that the car can be lifted 38cm higher than it already is!? You can lift the platform of the jack to the car's jacking point without using the actual jacking action, by screwing the platform upwards.
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Wed 21 Jun 2006 14:38
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - Cliff Pope
A wide base is very important for stability. Trolley jacks are often praised for their stability, but in fact they have one serious weakness, which is that the point of application does not rise vertically, but moves lenghthways by pararellogram action.
If you are only lifting at one point that does not matter much, because the remaining three tyres on the ground can accommodate a bit of movement. But be careful once you have one point lifted on an axle stand, and then move the jack to another point, because it can tip the whole car over.
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Wed 21 Jun 2006 14:55
Advice on Trolley Jacks Required - Xileno {P}
I used to gain some extra height by placing the jack on a hard wood block which had holes recessed in it for the wheels to sit in. Not as scary as you might think if done properly. The extra three inches made all the difference.
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