New car jack

[firebobby]

Well, after having my old 1.1/4 ton Sealey jack for 28 years (21st birthday prezzie) I have just ordered a new SEALEY 3075LE Trolley Jack, it's a 3 ton jack and the lift heights are from 9.5cm to 54.cm.
This will get under my boys Mini and my GT6 without having to drive them onto bricks and should lift them half way to the moon.
And no more struggling to lift my truck :thumb2

Next purchase will be a tool chest, looking at the Sealey AP2200BB Topchest & Rollcab, I have a couple of canter-lever type tool boxes but find it a pain looking for the right spanner or tool in these.

 

[jonela]

Thinking of getting a new trolley jack myself, just for general maintenance,pads etc
Any size/make recommended ?

 

[stinka]

Just go machine mart tbh, they do some nice ones 4x4 specific to suit all budgets

 

[firebobby]

I payed £150 on ebay, I need a jack that is low to start with and has a good lift height, this one ticks all the boxes :thumb2

 

[spinna]

I've got a 3 tonne Blue Point trolley jack with long reach handle which is great for lowered cars aswell as my Trol. Only problem is it weighs nearly much as the Trol :doh:lol

 

[firebobby]

Well, after waiting for 9 days and a phone call yesterday asking WTF was happening, I got home to find Sealey had delivered an upgraded jack, it's a 3.25 ton beast and is more heavy duty :thumb2

 

[stinka]

Winner mate

 

[bry]

Yea i bought myself a new high lift trolley jack.
But i would like to offer a word of caution when using these jacks.
Always Always make sure you have your vehicle supported with good quality axle stand also.
A testimonial of this can be found on a land rover site,

Where a well experienced Landy/Mechanic Died because he trusted a Trolley jack.
Very sad.

 

[rustic]

I always put axle stands under too, take most weight off the jack, but leave it in place so the axle stands are stable.

If I take a wheel off and I am working underneath, I sometimes put the wheel under the car with beams of wood on top close to a chassis point, so if the axle stand slipped then the weight would be taken by the wheel.

You never know what can happen when you are using breaker bars and brute force whilst you are under neath.


Talking of jacks, I have a 3 tonner with a cross member option too, but to save me some time, yesterday I got some new tyres for the Picasso, that passed ( just) the MOT with a few advisories that I new about, tyres was one, but the handbrake barely made the minimum efficiency on the off side, so I bought a new cable, and since the car was on the ramp at the tyre place I bunged the technician a drink, and he fitted the new cable for me.
Soooo much easier to work on the car when you can stand underneath it.

I wish I had a four poster lift...

I have two trolly jacks, 4 axle stands a pair of ramps, and depending on what I am doing, I can use various combinations to safely get enough height.

Timber is better than breeze blocks or bricks, but in any case avoid point contact which can crack the wood or shear bricks :doh

DO NOT TAKE RISKS with jacks and always ensure the ground is stable.
I use a flat concrete floor in my garage.

Best regards.

Rustic

 

[frosty]

I have to agree, I put Axel stands and the wheel + blocks of 6x2 cos these Mavericks are heavy buggers and they wont take any prisoners, I am looking for a heavy duty jack at the moment.

 

[11redrex]

Got a high lift jack from Hilka a while back, it was about £70 and it does the job pretty well, Hilka part number 82940400. It's a normal height jack with an extension for 4x4s. It's got a quick lift thing as well, which is nice.

TBH it's made in China - but just about everything is these days !

 

[macabethiel]

Axle Stands

When I was a teenager I was taking a gearbox out of an old Ford Consul using the hydraulic ramp it was a single central pillar H type platform. Suddenly it dropped about a foot as we were under it - due to an internal seal leak.
We dropped the gearbox and escaped with just big bruising to our shoulders.

After that I always used axle stands. Not the flimsy things Halfords sell but substantial heavy duty three legged ones.

I still have the stands and they have lasted over 45 years the old waxoyl overspray on them has stopped any rusting.

Its a pain sometimes getting the stands in place but its a very sensible Health & Safety must.

 

[firebobby]

I have used my new Sealey jack many times now and what a tool, no more driving the Mini onto bits of wood, so I could jack it up.
I have 4 axle stands and a pair of ramps and now, 2 trolley jacks.

When my son and daughter passed their tests, I showed them how to change a wheel with the car jack, what I drilled into them was to always shove the punctured wheel under the car and never put their hands between the new wheel and the road...hold the tyre at 9 and 3 o'clock positions, if the jack did slip, their hands should be clear of danger

 

[(RIP) rustygates]

Good advice FireBobby.I taught my 2 daughters to do the same.I swapped my neighbour's trolley jack with my own,his was a Sealey 2.25 tonne high lift and mine was a 1tonne machine mart in a box with folding axle stands, fair swap, he has a corsa.i made my own axle stands some years ago, as for changing wheels, with the 2 terrano's, even the alloy ones are fairley heavy, so i slide a piece of 3"x1" 3' long under the wheel and lift to required height and if it's slightly out line with the studs, i move the wood side to side,to align it up.lot easier.

rustygates