Quick Lifts? Anybody got one?

[PranK]

I spent the entire of the long weekend going through my garage and I'm now, after 3.5yrs in this house, able to fit a car in. The garage is quite long and the back half has a high enough ceiling for a 2 post lift but it's going to just take too much space and I don't think I'd be able to get around the car if it was in the air.

So, in comes the quick lift. It looks perfect. High enough to do most things, I reckon even getting a gearbox out would be doable. 

Does anybody here have one? They're fairly cheap (~$3k) considering... 

https://www.dtmtrading.com.au/product/quick-lift-portable-vehicle-hoist-3500-kg-worksafe-approved/

I'm also a bit of a non risk taker so I'd probably still use stands when under!  

[Duncan]

Yeah I've got one of these, Quick Jack not Quick Lift, but your link looks like a good copy

For me, it's better than no hoist, but it is definitely not as good as a hoist  It lifts the car about 60cm which is a nice working height compared to regular stands and it is only under the sills so it doesn't get in the way like regular chassis stands do.  No need to use regular stands, it has a safety lock on it.

On the down side it is really heavy/unwieldy to drag into place, and you have to place it after the car is there (no option to drive the car to where the frames are. You need to try and line it up with the proper sill points which is hard as it swings up in an arc and there is surprisingly little adjustment in the distance between the rubber pads for different car lengths. Not a big deal, but in practice a jack + stands is probably quicker.

Also there are hydraulic lines to each side and you need either a 240v or 12v source to power it depending on which option you have, I use 12v as I always seem to have a battery around.

[Duncan]

Here's Neil's car up on mine recently

[Kinkstaah]

6 minutes ago, Duncan said:

Not a big deal, but in practice a jack + stands is probably quicker.

Is this not the biggest deal of all?

I was hoping the whole "will slide under cars with skirts etc and lift evenly quickly with minimal fuss" was the entire point of such a device? 

[PranK]

The jack pad placement always had me scratching my head. I only have a small section to work with on both the E90 and E70 (and insert new project car here ) and I could see lining it up to be a bit of a bugger.

For me, the E90 is just too low and needs small ramps and then the front centre jack point is a bit tricky to line up (it's half way down the subframe and about the size of a tennis ball, its really hard to see unless your head is on the ground), so I definitely like the idea of not having to do a multi-stage jack and just sliding these bad boys in under the sides.

There's only one small point at each corner, so I can't jack AND add a stand on the same corner. Or, maybe I can and I'm too nervous to try. 😟

[PranK]

This Quick Jack looks good and has 24" lift (as you said D). https://genesisequipment.com.au/product/vehicle-lifts/quickjack/quickjack-5000tl-portable-car-lift/

Look how easily he moves it with one hand @Duncan 🤣

Are the prices similar D? Roughly $3k for these? I like the look of these for some reason they give a better sense of quality on this site.

[Duncan]

35 minutes ago, Kinkstaah said:

Is this not the biggest deal of all?

I was hoping the whole "will slide under cars with skirts etc and lift evenly quickly with minimal fuss" was the entire point of such a device? 

All up I'd guess it is 2-3x slower than jack+stands (when you already know where you are planning to place the stands) because the frames are heavy/hard to move and line up, and you still have to connect the hydraulic lines, start raising it, check adjustment etc.

But in practice that is minor, we are talking 2min vs 5min, and being nice and high and very stable definitely makes jobs underneath easier

[Duncan]

yeah this video from about 6:10 shows the process, it is easy but not quick. 

I'll weigh the frames when I get a chance, they are not impossible, but not easy.

I don't want to seem negative, I am happy to have it and use it often.....its just that it isn't a magical solution to making cars hover.

[PranK]

The other thing for me would be needing to go the long way (ie, front or back) to get to the middle of the car 🤣

I need to do the transfer case fluid in the E70 which is right in the middle, it's quite the commute from the front or back.

[Duncan]

Yeah same with the GTR but in practice that is pretty easy because the car is so high, and the stands only go from sill end to sill end so you don't need to wriggle far

[silviaz]

I've seen these as well https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/395822887806?chn=ps&_ul=AU&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&google_free_listing_action=view_item&srsltid=AfmBOooak9PFJJwwNDusr8TrZ5lsminTjComhJr-Z4dJ52Tt35T1hBPl0wk&gQT=1 but always seemed a bit dodgy lol

[PranK]

Sydney Tools have them for ~$3400. More than the Quick Lifts but these seem better.

https://sydneytools.com.au/product/quickjack-7000tl208240v-5175642-7000lb-110220v-portable-light-duty-truck-and-passenger-car-lift-system

 

[PranK]

3 minutes ago, silviaz said:

I've seen these as well https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/395822887806?chn=ps&_ul=AU&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&google_free_listing_action=view_item&srsltid=AfmBOooak9PFJJwwNDusr8TrZ5lsminTjComhJr-Z4dJ52Tt35T1hBPl0wk&gQT=1 but always seemed a bit dodgy lol

[Murray_Calavera]

I've also got a quick jack. I would never get under my car again without using it. 

While it might be quicker to use a jack and stands, it is such a quality of life improvement that I wouldn't have it any other way now. 

How much slower the quick jack is to setup will be based on your circumstances. Can you leave the jack rails on each side of the garage? Can you leave the hydraulic lines attached? etc. 

If you can drive the car into the garage and simply push the jacking rail thingos under the car into place, it is super quick to setup and use. But if you have to pull the pump unit out of storage, attach the hydraulic lines, wheel out the lifting rail thingos.... yeah takes a bit of time. Having said that, I would still prefer that to using a jack and stands lol. 

[pogman]

4 hours ago, PranK said:

Sydney Tools have them for ~$3400. More than the Quick Lifts but these seem better.

https://sydneytools.com.au/product/quickjack-7000tl208240v-5175642-7000lb-110220v-portable-light-duty-truck-and-passenger-car-lift-system

 

I wonder if these would be discounted when they have their big sales? because if so would be a great time to actually buy them could even end up cheaper than buying from quickjack in the end.

[PranK]

I was surprised to see all the quick Jack models at the same prices on there. But yeah, grabbing one at 20% off would be great.

[MBS206]

For that price, why not consider a hoist, even if you don't take it up to full height?

I can see benefits like being able to put it away etc, which is useful for people who only use it occasionally, but I feel for those with project cars / race cars, I'd stick to a full hoist, especially if the car has a permanent home where the hoist would fit.

[ianp]

I went for the scissor lift option, gives a 3ft lift at full lift.

I wanted a 2 post but my concrete wasn't deep enough to secure it properly

[Duncan]

I think a scissor lift is better/faster in most cases, but I guess it does obstruct access to the centre of the car?

BTW I weighed the quick jack. 3.5 tonne model is 50kg for each side.

So yes, portable, but not with one finger

[ianp]

Very slightly as there are bars connecting both sides of the ramp. The only difficulty that I had was doing the gearbox, everything else so far has been ok