When my older brother and I built a reverse trike go-kart, angle iron at the lumber store was more expensive than using bed frames people left out on the curb. Not sure that bed frame metal could support two tons, though.
If I'd known about these, I would have bought them instead of the quick jack. The quick jacks aren't light either. Also, you've got hoses to worry about.
About the only possible drawback is that, in order to accommodate cars of drastically varying widths, you may need multiple sets of cross-braces. (A given cross-beam size fixes the two lifting platforms a fixed distance apart, with some wiggle room given that the lifting platforms are 8 or 10 inches wide, I forget which.) But it takes cars of drastically different widths to need that--my V60 and Focus take the same spacing as the Miata I used to own, whereas the Elise requires a different spacing (and has other difficulties that lead me to almost never use it with that, but that's another story).
Jack has a good guess (and they are indeed not the same width, but close enough that they are within the margin of error of the lifting platform width), but the real answer is that the rear lift points are covered by a thin aluminum undertray which has to be removed first. There are something like 11 tiny bolts around the perimeter and 2 bigger ones that are *just* barely reachable without lifting the car. It's a serious PITA.
I have an aftermarket undertray that allows me to do oil changes without removing that, there's a point on each side rail that allows you to get both side tires in the air easily, and there's a rear jack point (not meant for a lift) that allows you to get both rear tires in the air easily...so I've only really had the undertray off once, when I was putting in a new radiator (requires removing the *front* undertray as well, which is easier) and decided to change the transmission fluid at the same time.
Fing hell! I've been Quik-Jacking all day, as a quick inspection of my 95 Roady wagon revealed severe wear on the inner rear tires. Turns out the right axle is wasted, the c clips are beat to hell...and there is still a good chance the axle tube is bent. Without the rear axles to hold the tires, it's Skyjacker up front and South of the Border ride height in the back-which got me thinking how easy it would be for the whole enchilada to slide right off that (rickety) sumbitch. It only adds to the shambolic vibe that rules my garage, along with the mephitic stench of gear oil (Cant someone make that shit smell like cotton candy instead of Satan's asscrack?)
"Quik-Jakking-great on a smooth surface" Man, maybe I should write copy for those guys
thanks for the post-added to the list of things I want but will prob never buy
Wow! Thank you so much for this! I came THIS close to buying a Quick Jack, but didn’t because of all of the drawbacks you listed.
I ended up buying a pair of lift bars that are custom made for my 986 Boxster and jack up each side with a Harbor Freight jack and lower the lift bar onto jack stands.
Thanks for sharing this “bit o’ kit”, I may invest in one. Bravo!
I'm intrigued! Have any pictures from under a car while it's up on these? Are the cross bars across the bottom or the top? 4400lbs is dangerously close to curb weight of many FCA L cars, and as you may know, I'm considering getting another one of those next year. The drive-over capability is very cool.
Oh, one last question; how does the thing lock in place once you've raised it to the desired height? I know it's a mechanical screw/gear system, but I do still want some sort of locking bar or teeth to completely lock the system out.
Google answered my first question: the bars go across the top. Have to admit I'm not a huge fan of that idea as I envision them being in the way. I also tend to crawl under cars from the side anyhow, so I guess this entire genre of lift just isn't for me. I suppose I'll have to keep saving up for MaxJax...
The cross-bars are in front and back, not really across the top. But they do get in the way of an occasional thing; what it is is car-dependent. I couldn't drop the fuel tank on the Focus, for example. But for the other 99% of things, they're not really in the way.
is that the point of all of these made in america posts
i liked seeing the miatas on the lifts as that is very relevant to me and im sure i can convince my father to buy a pair of these in lieu of yet another chinese floor jack
also the company website lists the stored height at 4.4 inches but the operating height at 6 inches so im curious as to how low these can get before you can use this to raise a car
Now that I no longer own a car that sits 5" off the ground and, er, weighs nearly 6000 lbs, I'm having to upgrade from my 2.5 ton Craftsman low profile floor jack and stands. I bought the 3-ton Snap-On ripoff from Harbor Freight and successfully... slid the giant truck off the spring perch I was lazily using when it was about a foot in the air. Oops. Replacing the air compressor dryer I broke was only $330. 😬
The problem with the Patrol/Armada/QX is that the blessed thing's frame rails are about 10" off the ground, but the suspension travel is so long that the driver side wheels were still on the ground even with my new Harbor Freight Non-Recalled 3-ton jackstands were at their full 16" of height on the passenger side.
So I need to figure out how truck people lift their vehicles, but the problem may be solved for me in the simple sense that my standard garage door probably can't clear the truckuv + 24" of lift, anyway. Looks like I won't be rotating my own 275/50/R22s.
How do you like your Armada (or QX?)? I seriously entertained the thought of buying a lightly used ex-rental SV back in 2018-2019ish when they were going for $27-28k. If nothing else than for the awesome 80s-jap spec velour interior.
except for worrying about the uneven rear tire wear from the IRS. I forget, I want to say the lower trim cars didn't get the adjustable air suspension.
4x4 blocks cut to whatever length closes the gap between the jacking point and the jack is what I've always used, be warned if you need more than 3.5" you'll be loading the block with the grain so give the blocks a once over before using for any cracking. You really should get yourself some 6 ton jack stands, lifting a truck with the small ones is sketchy at best, but can be done with 2x12s stacked under the jack stand if necessary.
I had the same conundrum when I started accumulating trucks. 6 ton Jack stands is a must, I then got comfortable raising one corner at a time using the axles or something on the front end and then perching that corner on the stand while being creative with dunnage. I also made a few different shaped pads out of 2x4 glued together for the jack to get a little .ore height and spread the force out on whatever vehicle surface is being jacked.
I don't know if that is the best way, and it's a pia, but it has been working for me.
I love the idea. Not sure it would do much for my overweight or too tall fleet but it would be a hell of a time saver for the Camaro. I keep dreaming about 2 and 4 post lifts I run across on Marketplace except they would have to be set up outside. Not much fun with the onset of winter. Now, how can this overweight, too old body earn the $2k admission price with a minimum amount of legitimate work?
Around 2018, I found a some QuickJacks at the local Costco for just under $800.
They have provided $800 worth of value. I've had to replace all the shitty Chinese fittings with slightly less shitty Chinese fittings that have somehow not failed.
There is now way this thing could provide $2000 worth of value. EZ-Car-Lift is a clear winner.
Since then I've put in a proper two post lift so they're just hanging there, so the QJ's should probably get sold off soon.
It's been sitting in the basement for five years now! This car only has 1700 miles on it. Both Danger Girl and Mini DG have NC street Miatas as well so there's rarely a reason to pull this out of the garage.
Jack, as a former owner of a QuickJack 5000TLX model, I can say that you're absolutely spot-on about leaking hydraulics. Mine did that from the first day it was assembled, and it was constantly a bit of a problem. I sold the product after using it maybe 5-6 times as I had significant concerns about its reliability and safety. The hydraulic hoses and connections were always in the way, and the entire setup was honestly a bit of a mess.
I made the time to go look at this EZ-Car-Lift and will say that it looks like a superior product. However, I will also say that if any product needed better marketing materials (both website and videos), it is also EZ-Car-Lift. The site and videos all look as amateur as you could ever hope for, and I bet a couple of high school students could do far better. So, what is my point in saying that?
My point is that these guys are handicapping themselves horribly when one article that you sent out on your sub-stack is infinitely better than their 'professional' marketing efforts. My suggestion to them, in case someone here can pass it along, is LITERALLY to find some high school or college kids and allow them to build them a new website and marketing video. It will pay HUGE DIVIDENDS as I wouldn't take them seriously at all if not for your own efforts to promote their products.
Thankfully, because of you and your own testimony and examples...I do take them seriously. But think of how many they might not be reaching. Thanks as always!
"The site and videos all look as amateur as you could ever hope for, and I bet a couple of high school students could do far better."
I have a very rudimentary website for the Harmonicaster. I suppose that I could have taken the time to install Wordpress or some kind of storefront software that looks nice and has shopping carts and syncs to online payment processors but since I do just about everything that isn't supplied by component vendors I figured that I have more important things to do with my time, like build the gizmos.
Perhaps in time, if things go well, I'll have a better site made but in the meantime, some photos, a wall of text, some embedded videos, and a mailto: form for taking orders will have to suffice.
Online ordering features could be very helpful to you or not. I think Mr. Theodore's point was about marketing ineffectiveness. A site's order processing technology is secondary to the question of whether the text, photos, and videos SELL the product.
You're absolutely right and it's a nontrivial issue, largely because the first thoughts people have when they see the site are likely "Is he still in business, or did he shut up shop in 2008?"
He could put something like "UPDATED: Jan 1, 2024" in bold on the first screen, and have the html flash the text on an off. That would fit the Geocities aesthetic.
On my gizmo's home page, after a banner ad and some photos, the first line of text reads:
"Note: Please excuse the rudimentary website and rather primitive ordering system. It does what it needs to do and it keeps prices down because I don't have to pay someone to design and maintain a pretty website.".
The EZ Lift looks like something for which you could have gotten DIY plans from Mechanix Illustrated back in the '60s.
A friend likes this place: https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/
When my older brother and I built a reverse trike go-kart, angle iron at the lumber store was more expensive than using bed frames people left out on the curb. Not sure that bed frame metal could support two tons, though.
Sold. You are the best Jack!
If I'd known about these, I would have bought them instead of the quick jack. The quick jacks aren't light either. Also, you've got hoses to worry about.
Same!
Can second every single word of this.
About the only possible drawback is that, in order to accommodate cars of drastically varying widths, you may need multiple sets of cross-braces. (A given cross-beam size fixes the two lifting platforms a fixed distance apart, with some wiggle room given that the lifting platforms are 8 or 10 inches wide, I forget which.) But it takes cars of drastically different widths to need that--my V60 and Focus take the same spacing as the Miata I used to own, whereas the Elise requires a different spacing (and has other difficulties that lead me to almost never use it with that, but that's another story).
Fantastic product.
what are the "other difficulties," please?
If I had to guess, I would say that the front and rear lift points aren't the same width.
Jack has a good guess (and they are indeed not the same width, but close enough that they are within the margin of error of the lifting platform width), but the real answer is that the rear lift points are covered by a thin aluminum undertray which has to be removed first. There are something like 11 tiny bolts around the perimeter and 2 bigger ones that are *just* barely reachable without lifting the car. It's a serious PITA.
I have an aftermarket undertray that allows me to do oil changes without removing that, there's a point on each side rail that allows you to get both side tires in the air easily, and there's a rear jack point (not meant for a lift) that allows you to get both rear tires in the air easily...so I've only really had the undertray off once, when I was putting in a new radiator (requires removing the *front* undertray as well, which is easier) and decided to change the transmission fluid at the same time.
Thanks. RIP ACBC.
Fing hell! I've been Quik-Jacking all day, as a quick inspection of my 95 Roady wagon revealed severe wear on the inner rear tires. Turns out the right axle is wasted, the c clips are beat to hell...and there is still a good chance the axle tube is bent. Without the rear axles to hold the tires, it's Skyjacker up front and South of the Border ride height in the back-which got me thinking how easy it would be for the whole enchilada to slide right off that (rickety) sumbitch. It only adds to the shambolic vibe that rules my garage, along with the mephitic stench of gear oil (Cant someone make that shit smell like cotton candy instead of Satan's asscrack?)
"Quik-Jakking-great on a smooth surface" Man, maybe I should write copy for those guys
thanks for the post-added to the list of things I want but will prob never buy
As a fan of hot wagons, I would like pics of your car plznthanks.
Agreed. Bubble content is always welcome.
Wow! Thank you so much for this! I came THIS close to buying a Quick Jack, but didn’t because of all of the drawbacks you listed.
I ended up buying a pair of lift bars that are custom made for my 986 Boxster and jack up each side with a Harbor Freight jack and lower the lift bar onto jack stands.
Thanks for sharing this “bit o’ kit”, I may invest in one. Bravo!
I'm intrigued! Have any pictures from under a car while it's up on these? Are the cross bars across the bottom or the top? 4400lbs is dangerously close to curb weight of many FCA L cars, and as you may know, I'm considering getting another one of those next year. The drive-over capability is very cool.
Oh, one last question; how does the thing lock in place once you've raised it to the desired height? I know it's a mechanical screw/gear system, but I do still want some sort of locking bar or teeth to completely lock the system out.
Google answered my first question: the bars go across the top. Have to admit I'm not a huge fan of that idea as I envision them being in the way. I also tend to crawl under cars from the side anyhow, so I guess this entire genre of lift just isn't for me. I suppose I'll have to keep saving up for MaxJax...
The cross-bars are in front and back, not really across the top. But they do get in the way of an occasional thing; what it is is car-dependent. I couldn't drop the fuel tank on the Focus, for example. But for the other 99% of things, they're not really in the way.
It's a hassle but you can pull the crossbars after the car is in the air, too.
From the site photos, it looks like you can crawl under the side (at least when the car is lifted sufficiently). https://ezcarlift.com/gallery/allard/image.php?i=phpGallery_images/Allard-K3_6.jpg
And you might be able to rotate it 90 degrees. https://ezcarlift.com/gallery/austin/image.php?i=phpGallery_images/1960-Bugeye_04.jpg
Very cool
"this is starting to sound like an advertisement"
is that the point of all of these made in america posts
i liked seeing the miatas on the lifts as that is very relevant to me and im sure i can convince my father to buy a pair of these in lieu of yet another chinese floor jack
also the company website lists the stored height at 4.4 inches but the operating height at 6 inches so im curious as to how low these can get before you can use this to raise a car
It needs to get a couple threads on the mechanism before its effective lifting. He sells a set of ramps to handle that if your car is very low.
gotcha
thanks bud
Seriously, man. Cuff those pants!
Now that I no longer own a car that sits 5" off the ground and, er, weighs nearly 6000 lbs, I'm having to upgrade from my 2.5 ton Craftsman low profile floor jack and stands. I bought the 3-ton Snap-On ripoff from Harbor Freight and successfully... slid the giant truck off the spring perch I was lazily using when it was about a foot in the air. Oops. Replacing the air compressor dryer I broke was only $330. 😬
The problem with the Patrol/Armada/QX is that the blessed thing's frame rails are about 10" off the ground, but the suspension travel is so long that the driver side wheels were still on the ground even with my new Harbor Freight Non-Recalled 3-ton jackstands were at their full 16" of height on the passenger side.
So I need to figure out how truck people lift their vehicles, but the problem may be solved for me in the simple sense that my standard garage door probably can't clear the truckuv + 24" of lift, anyway. Looks like I won't be rotating my own 275/50/R22s.
How do you like your Armada (or QX?)? I seriously entertained the thought of buying a lightly used ex-rental SV back in 2018-2019ish when they were going for $27-28k. If nothing else than for the awesome 80s-jap spec velour interior.
I should have done the same. Velour Armada is the ultimate tow vehicle flex.
except for worrying about the uneven rear tire wear from the IRS. I forget, I want to say the lower trim cars didn't get the adjustable air suspension.
That SL Velour is enticing.
iirc it was SV only
You're right I mistakenly put SL, SV is the move
Velour allures.
4x4 blocks cut to whatever length closes the gap between the jacking point and the jack is what I've always used, be warned if you need more than 3.5" you'll be loading the block with the grain so give the blocks a once over before using for any cracking. You really should get yourself some 6 ton jack stands, lifting a truck with the small ones is sketchy at best, but can be done with 2x12s stacked under the jack stand if necessary.
I had the same conundrum when I started accumulating trucks. 6 ton Jack stands is a must, I then got comfortable raising one corner at a time using the axles or something on the front end and then perching that corner on the stand while being creative with dunnage. I also made a few different shaped pads out of 2x4 glued together for the jack to get a little .ore height and spread the force out on whatever vehicle surface is being jacked.
I don't know if that is the best way, and it's a pia, but it has been working for me.
Dang, that would have made working on my TR6 many years ago so so much easier.
I love the idea. Not sure it would do much for my overweight or too tall fleet but it would be a hell of a time saver for the Camaro. I keep dreaming about 2 and 4 post lifts I run across on Marketplace except they would have to be set up outside. Not much fun with the onset of winter. Now, how can this overweight, too old body earn the $2k admission price with a minimum amount of legitimate work?
$20 is $20
No judgment here brother
Do you have feet?
Do you have a camera?
with ai and photoshop the only thing standing between you and a six figure onlyfans income is a moral code
Is it even to possible to "corrupt the integrity of OnlyFans?"
hey now there are honest ewhores out there who would be very offended by that assertion
also, Dude, "ewhore" is not the preferred nomenclature. "Sex worker", please. Gagging on camera for cash is the way to show you are a strong woman.
i will refer to them as cyberthots and if they dont like it they can pay me 9.99 a month to not say that
Around 2018, I found a some QuickJacks at the local Costco for just under $800.
They have provided $800 worth of value. I've had to replace all the shitty Chinese fittings with slightly less shitty Chinese fittings that have somehow not failed.
There is now way this thing could provide $2000 worth of value. EZ-Car-Lift is a clear winner.
Since then I've put in a proper two post lift so they're just hanging there, so the QJ's should probably get sold off soon.
Any suggestions for working on something that exceeds the 4400 lb weight limit such as a 5500 pound tow vehicle?
I'd ring the fellow who makes them. He answers the phone. And I'm pretty sure he can do something with more rated capacity.
I’m just happy to see you maintaining the Miata I’ll eventually buy from you.
It is a nice one. When is that Blackbird bar going in?
It's been sitting in the basement for five years now! This car only has 1700 miles on it. Both Danger Girl and Mini DG have NC street Miatas as well so there's rarely a reason to pull this out of the garage.
That makes me feel better about the new bumper and front bash plate for my Bronco that has been sitting in a box since April.
Oh yeah, you're not even close to the standard of laziness I am exhibiting!
Jack, as a former owner of a QuickJack 5000TLX model, I can say that you're absolutely spot-on about leaking hydraulics. Mine did that from the first day it was assembled, and it was constantly a bit of a problem. I sold the product after using it maybe 5-6 times as I had significant concerns about its reliability and safety. The hydraulic hoses and connections were always in the way, and the entire setup was honestly a bit of a mess.
I made the time to go look at this EZ-Car-Lift and will say that it looks like a superior product. However, I will also say that if any product needed better marketing materials (both website and videos), it is also EZ-Car-Lift. The site and videos all look as amateur as you could ever hope for, and I bet a couple of high school students could do far better. So, what is my point in saying that?
My point is that these guys are handicapping themselves horribly when one article that you sent out on your sub-stack is infinitely better than their 'professional' marketing efforts. My suggestion to them, in case someone here can pass it along, is LITERALLY to find some high school or college kids and allow them to build them a new website and marketing video. It will pay HUGE DIVIDENDS as I wouldn't take them seriously at all if not for your own efforts to promote their products.
Thankfully, because of you and your own testimony and examples...I do take them seriously. But think of how many they might not be reaching. Thanks as always!
"The site and videos all look as amateur as you could ever hope for, and I bet a couple of high school students could do far better."
I have a very rudimentary website for the Harmonicaster. I suppose that I could have taken the time to install Wordpress or some kind of storefront software that looks nice and has shopping carts and syncs to online payment processors but since I do just about everything that isn't supplied by component vendors I figured that I have more important things to do with my time, like build the gizmos.
Perhaps in time, if things go well, I'll have a better site made but in the meantime, some photos, a wall of text, some embedded videos, and a mailto: form for taking orders will have to suffice.
Online ordering features could be very helpful to you or not. I think Mr. Theodore's point was about marketing ineffectiveness. A site's order processing technology is secondary to the question of whether the text, photos, and videos SELL the product.
You're absolutely right and it's a nontrivial issue, largely because the first thoughts people have when they see the site are likely "Is he still in business, or did he shut up shop in 2008?"
same issue with dads website
it looks so bad im pretty sure guys order from mcmaster carr even though its slower and way mor expensive
If only there were someone in his life who is good with computers and has time on his hands.
dunno if youre referring to me as i have zero idea how to do that (i dont even know how to torrent games) but he did have someone like that
my best friend had been designing professional websites for 15 years and was more than willing to do one for him for a thousand canadian dollars
dad wasnt sure if it would even be worth it and then my friend died so that was that
My condolences on the loss of your friend.
He could put something like "UPDATED: Jan 1, 2024" in bold on the first screen, and have the html flash the text on an off. That would fit the Geocities aesthetic.
On my gizmo's home page, after a banner ad and some photos, the first line of text reads:
"Note: Please excuse the rudimentary website and rather primitive ordering system. It does what it needs to do and it keeps prices down because I don't have to pay someone to design and maintain a pretty website.".
Needs a view counter with a faux-7 segment display!