GT6_sleeper Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hi all, My trolley jack has given up the ghost again. It is only a cheap Halfords one but this time after another failure I want to replace it with something a little better. so asking what you have all got, what are your experiences and what should i stay away from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egret Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I got a clarke low profile jack for christmas: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-ctj2250lp-2-25-tonne-low-profile-trolle/ Looks pretty good, but I've yet to have a chance to use it. Seems to be a reasonable compromise on cost and function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zetecspit Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I have a weber. Not a cheap option, but they use them in some of the national tyre fitting chains, so expect good life.Plus it is very controllable. http://www.weberuk.com/shop/standard-trolley-jacks/wdk20q/ Prior to that I had a sealey low entry jobbie. It was OK, but rather clunkier to use, especially the ability to bring a car down gently. https://www.tool-net.co.uk/p-354249/sealey-2500le-2-5tonne-low-entry-trolley-jack.html the 2nd jack is approx half the price. Is the first worth the extra? Depends on the user I guess, it is a bit of a luxury.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprint95m Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I have two, namely a Draper 3 tonne (0.5 m lift) and a Ferm 2 tonne (0.8m lift). The Draper one is not a bad bit of kit overall. It has decent wheels, spaced wide enough to make it stable. The handle needs to be rotated to release the pressure for lowering, which can be a bit on/off if you are not used to it. Also the saddle is quite high, even with the jack fully lowered, so I usually employ a scissors jack on the sill to gain the clearance needed to be able to position the jack. I only use the Ferm jack occasionally. It is not as stable as the Draper but being able to lift an extra 30cm was the reason I bought it. It is long and narrow (and heavy too) making it sometimes a scutter to position satisfactorily. If I had to lose one, I would keep the Draper. My advice is to look at the jack before buying to assess the ease of operation and also consider the width, a wider wheel spacing being better. The low access design is something I happily do without. Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattius Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) I have two, A clarke 3 tonne profesional jack, its a beast, very good very strong and stable, but very big. An Arcan 2 tonne alloy jack from Costco which is now my favourite, much more compact, lighter and very well built, but still as stable, bargain aswell at only £99 In an ideal world i'd like one with a foot pedal release as they have a bit more control, but they are all huge. I learnt a very good lesson with trolley jacks, an old halfords one collapsed on me when its hydraulics went (yeah i should have had an axle stand) it was a very close call and a very good life lesson. The bigger the footprint the better as well for lifting a car, i've seen the thinner ones topple before, alhough i do borrow one occasionally to lift diffs etc. Edited January 20, 2017 by mattius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) I have a Clark ultra low profile. I bought one but only had it for six weeks and had it stolen. It was a great jack, and the family bought me another for my birthday. I have lowered cars and this being a long reach ultra low profile is ideal for the GT6, Vitesse and very low MX5. Only downside is that it's bulky and heavy. Mark https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-ctj1500qulp-ultra-low-profile-1-5t-quic/ Edited January 20, 2017 by Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatter4 Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Halfords jack I've had for 30 years. Still works well and doesn't leak. Has lived outside for weeks on end holding cars up. Highly recommended. Clark 3 ton. Low(ish) saddle, low price. Good as a second one, but does not return to the bottom unless you stand on it. Recently used a Clark aluminium one. Fantastic, very sexy! Good for a quick wheel change. None of the above are really stable, so it depends what you're after? If you have to carry it about get the Al one. ... and your experience is a reminder to myself to never ever put any part of your body under the car until it has at least 2 (one backup) independant supports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 One is never enough...you need a normal one the a 2nd to do the other side, then a low jack then 2 more for the other side & rear, then some high lift ones, then all your jacks are on the other projects so need a couple more....oh the axle stands have to match too :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 RedRooster, I hope that you are joking. NEVER .... EVER ... suspend a car on two jacks. It will tip over! You see the F1 teams jack the car from each end at once for a tyre swap, but they are using lever jacks, that engage in designed brackets on the car, are wider and only lift the car an inch or two, as there is so little droop in F1 suspension. A better professional team to watch is a rally service, as rally cars are much more like a road car in terms of suspension travel and the the height they are lifted to for service. EG Some teams will have two jacks, but that's just to save time and dragging a jack from end to end of a crowded and busy service area. It's always, front up, axle or side stands in, back end up, ditto. NEVER jack both ends at once - sorry to be all H&S, but ... JOhn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattius Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Totally agree John, but you do need two , just try and get an LSD back in a Corvette, i needed two just to get the diff in the right angle and up (P.s. Corvette was on axle stands) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 John, i use 2 jacks one each side to raise the front onto stands then repeat for the rear, i never said the ends of the car. RR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 (edited) Thanks, RR, sounds better, but still, you need two people, one each side, who carefully coordinate their lift, or else the car will fall off one side. Why do it that way? One in the centre is safer. John Edited April 11, 2017 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Low profile jacks, my garage floor isn't that flat so prefer to use 2 jacks & do it a bit at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Can't see the point if you are lifting from one, not two! JOhn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 You do what you want to do & i'll do it my way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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