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I picked up a 4-post BendPak a few years ago from a relative that was downsizing. I added a cross platform and jack so I can do wheels-off stuff. It works reasonably well. Oil changes with my cheap Harbor Fright telescoping oil drum are a breeze.
My garage is not laid out for a lift, though, so there are some annoyances like I have to crawl under the lift if it’s only up part way (swapping brakes) and I need to get to the side against the wall. This also only works because my cars are short enough to not hit the ceiling. I helped a friend with an SUV and it was probably worse than being on the floor with stands having to crawl under the ramps to get underneath.
I have a two-post Bendpak lift and a 4-post Wildfire lift. Both have different functions and pros/cons over each other.
And then I leave project cars on them and end up using a jack and jack stands in the driveway to change tires.
I haven’t figured out how to lift my G20 BMW onto jack stands.
It’s got little plastic jackpoints that are crushed without the right adapters. Adapters are easy enough to get but it’s just another thing that makes it more complex
There’s no official central rear jack point but people use a block of wood under the differential. There’s no official front center jackpoint and there’s no good short cut for the front
To get the front on stands I’d have to figure out how to move from from the jack to a stand with only the one small jack point.
I used to have a travel trailer, so I had a bunch of 2×8” boards that I used for leveling the trailer at campsites. One time working on my Ford Fusion, I decided to rest the front tires on a stack of 4 boards while I jacked up the rear. Not a good idea. My jack didn’t roll forward as I was lifting like it is supposed to, so it wound up pulling the car towards me. And it didn’t happen a little at a time so I could stop. It happened all at once with the back of the car swinging several feet. Fortunately no damage or injury but I learned my lessons.
Now, I use a 3 ton jack and proper jack stands. I also jack slowly and make sure the jack rolls forward and the jack stands already in use are not tipping.
I recently acquired a Honda S2000, and for jobs where I need the whole car in the air, wheel cribs are awesome. They give me a level car with plenty of room underneath to do things like gearbox and differential fluids. I have the 11” race ramp ones and they are just short enough that I can jack the car onto them using the front pinch weldd as my jack points. I jack up a side and insert the cribs and then jack the other and insert the cribs. It is by far the fastest way to get the car up in the air, and it feels the safest as well. The only issue is that it doesn’t put wheels in the air for things like wheel changes or brake jobs. But for those, I’ll do a side at a time with jack stands.
Anybody interested in a Rotary 12,000Lb 2 post lift? It was used maybe about 50 times over 2 years before my friends and I had to move out of the shop we were subleasing for our project / lemons cars at the beginning of covid and it’s been in my apartment’s garage since. It needs 11’4″ in it’s short configuration and 12′ in it’s tall configuration.
I avoid it as much as possible because of the aforementioned lack of flat jacking points. Fortunately oil changes are quite possible without needing to lift.
One of the joys of a truck or full size SUV…
Neither of which I have, just cars with 5.5-5.8″ of ground clearance.
5.8″ of ground clearance?!? Are you 2-dimensional or do you have 4′ long arms to reach the drain plug from the front/side of the cars?
Neither. They’re both within reach of my regular length arms.
I’m impressed. Do you have a low profile oil catch container?
I just measured it. It’s 4″ high without the underlayment of cardboard.
I bought a Kwik-Lift (https://www.kwik-lift.com) when I got my TR6 since I figured that I’d need to be under it a lot and getting a jack down there is tight. It works really well, especially since I don’t have the clearance for a lift but there are also a few compromises.
Lifts are cheap. Height is expensive.
My Miata is a pain. It’s quite low and has the factory body kit. I need to drive it onto stacked 2×4’s to get the front high enough to get a jack under it. I jack it from the front cross member and then put jackstands under the side jacking points. Then I jack from the differential and support the rear.
I then have to remember to lower the rear first, because if I lower the front with the rear raised, the jack gets trapped and I feel like an idiot. I still do it wrong about 1/2 the time.
Ditto for me with a lowered G35 (including the part about forgetting half the time)
My Honda Accord is the same. Getting it up on the jackstands takes about 45 minutes of jacking around. Whenever I get around to building a new workshop, I am putting in a two post lift.
As someone with an aversion to getting my hands dirty, and also being an apartment dweller, my method is, I don’t.
Jacks and jack stands, always keeping in mind with my Austin Allegro not to use the factory jack points at the rear of the car, as doing so risks flexing the body in a way that may cause the rear glass to pop free. See instructions, steps four and five:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53204627793_3ef04bcede_o.jpg
I have a few options. Mostly I use a Harbor Freight Daytona 3 Ton Low Profile Quick Pump Jack with up to 4 jack stands (not from Harbor Freight). I also have a set of Rhino Ramps that work well for oil changes.
I have a Daytona long reach, low profile jack, but it’s still not low enough to get under 2 of my 3 vehicles. Those get driven up on a set of 4″ ramps, which in some cases is enough to do the work. Otherwise they provide enough space to get the jack under the car. Once in the air, I have four 3 ton jack stands and a pair of 6 ton jack stands for the truck. Technically 3 tons would be enough, but the extra height and safety margin makes me happier using the 6 tons.
Tell me more about these 4″ ramps.
They’re a no name brand from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MF18542 I guess they’re only 3″ too, but either way they’re tall enough for my purposes. Been using them for about 2 years now and they still work well.
Full disclosure, I originally got them free-ish for review (I paid taxes on the value, but Amazon got no money from me). Since I already reviewed them I have no further obligation to the company or Amazon, but I thought I should mention it.
I have a Maxjack 2 post 4 ft lift due to ceiling height can get everything from my 90s s10 to my 2010 gmc Sierra on there. A stock spitfire is just a bit too narrow to fit. Pretty convenient for big jobs but depending on the car and the job many times it’s just easier to use a floor jack and not the lift.
I wish I had the ceiling height for a lift.
I have just barely enough for the 4 ft lift. I had to take down my garage door opener to do it. Priorities!
Where I worked there was a nice drive on Hydraulic lift I used for doing oil changes.
If I ever get back into cars I’ll avoid Hydraulic anything with a passion. There are pneumatic Jacks, and I bet someone makes a pneumatic lift, if not it wouldn’t be hard to replace the Hydraulic cylinders on many existing lifts with pneumatic ones.
I have a Daytona 3 ton jack for the lifting. I also have a set of jack stands and a set of Race Ramps wheel cribs. I like the wheel cribs for when I don’t need to take a wheel off at all. If I have to take a wheel off, I use the jack stands. I also have a big rubber pinch weld pad to put the jack on the side of the vehicle for ease of use and not have to use the rear diff or front subframe. For simple oil changes, I have a set of Race Ramps I can drive up that has like a three inch lift.
I’d love a set of Quick Jacks, but haven’t gotten around to it. Storage space in my garage is also at a premium and there isn’t much room to store those at the moment.
I use ramps for oil changes and a floor jack with good jack stands* if I need to take a wheel off. For jobs where I need to take all wheels off or access the exhaust I’ll go to my father-in-law’s barn and use one of his lifts. He’s a retired welder/fabricator and has a tool for every problem.
*For fuck’s sake DO NOT cheap out on your jack stands.
I know I’m bragging (but after many years ( like 30) of saving and financial self discipline), I now have both a 4-post and 2-post lift in my detached garage.)
Good on you! There is no bragging there, that is being humble. I also have a 4-post that I got after I turned 50 and it really does make many things more enjoyable. The biggest downside I have now is that I detail the underside of my cars – just not the DDs.
That’s barely bragging my dude. Well done. I knew I was in deep when I needed a 3 pair of jackstands, probably the result of exactly the opposite of financial discipline.
What size of garage do you have? We just closed on a house with room for a medium sized garage, and I plan on building one next spring. My requirements are room for a 2-post lift and an additional area about 25′ x 25′ for workshop. I’ve been using some 2D drawing apps to try to size what I need, but it’s hard to truly see if it’s too large/small
Approx 30 X 30
I have a 4 post lift for storage and underbody maintenance, but I have to admit that I still do stuff on the floor at times. Oil changes are easier and more difficult at the same time. My biggest complaint is I have a telescoping oil tank and that thing leaks all the time. So my messes can actually be bigger than when I’m on the floor. However, I do enjoy not laying on rough concrete or gravel anymore.
Tires rotation and most suspension/brake work is with a jack and jack stands. I need to buy the adapter for the 4 post, but I have a hard time letting go of $1K for a central jack.
Ramps for the end of the car I’m working on and jackstands on the other end with other stuff underneath to catch in case of failure.
Canadian tire jack to lift at the pinch points and throw the tire under for wheel changes.
If I’m lifting to do more work than that I generally stick the jack under the suspension and lift, then axle stand under the pinch points then the tire goes behind it as a just in case. If my Kia has a central lift one end point I haven’t noticed it. My Mustang is too heavy for my jack to lift one end at a time. Should I get a new jack? Yes, I’m waiting for the next sale. Or one in 4 years when it finally gives up on life.
Quckjacks, RaceRamps or jackstands. Depends what I’m doing. I’d like a set of maxjax. Quickjacks are great especially if you can get them used off FB marketplace or craigslist. The QJ’s are heavy and can take a minute to set up, but if you’re doing something like a rotation or full brake job, they will more than make up for it in time and headaches saved. I don’t fully trust any of the above. I shove whatever detritus I can find under the car with me because being squished is a big fear.
I’ve looked at quickjacks before but never knew anyone that had used them. I need to do a full bushing job on an older XJR this year and that might be a good excuse to buy some! And yes, I think I would still want my jackstands under there just in case…
I have been so tempted by quick jacks, but cannot justify the cost. I did recently upgrade to a 3-top heavy duty HF jack that has a ton of articulation, and added a very beefy pair of 6 ton Arcan jack stands to my arsenal because my newly acquired GX 470 is too dang tall for my smaller stands.
That said, if Rhino Ramps can suffice, they are my go to, so much easier, far less sketchy, and plenty of clearance. But for brake jobs or anything with the wheels off, a jack and stands has never done me wrong.
On unibody cars, my front jack point is almost always the front subframe, because jacking a back corner sky high by the pinch weld to get the front up a few inches is sketchy and tedious. As for my new GX, seems the front lower control arms make great lift points and then jack stands on the frame, which works plenty fine for me.
My pinch welds are a bit wavy and flat in areas, some my fault some from the previous owner but the actual jack points are still good so that’s where the jack stands go. But getting my car up into the air is a bit of a process, partially because I’m too lazy to buy a set of ramps.
I have the lowest profile Harbor Freight Daytona jack that they make, the big orange one and it has a long enough reach to easily make it to the subframe on my car but I’ve lowered my car to where it’s too low to fit a jack under the front when all 4 wheels are on the ground. So instead, I jack up one side just enough to slide an old brake rotor under a front wheel, do the same on the other side, then jack up the front from the subframe. Similar process for the rear.
I’ve been telling myself I should get a set of those low profile ramps for a while now but I don’t really have to jack my car up all that often and my process works so it keeps getting put off.