Jack / Ramp / Lift options & experiences
Discussion
So I'm 37, been doing DIY car maintenance for about 15 years. I probably only raise my car to work on it a handful of times a year, but when I do I like to get it raised to a decent height and safely / securely.
These days I have a fairly low car and only concrete strip driveway with gravel in between to work on the car which makes raising it a little more challenging.
I use a set of ramps for quick stuff like oil changes and that works great. Beyond that I have a few different jacks and axle stands. Occasionally I'll need to get the whole car in the air high enough to get under.
For years I've contemplated all kinds of lift, ramp and jack products to make life easier. I've come to the conclusion none are perfect and they all have pros and cons. Here's some options that are the closest to what I want:
- hydraulic ramps (such as those sold by 'CJ Autos').
- this jack which while a brilliant concept has some pretty damning reviews: https://www.powerbuilt.com/products/2-ton-u-jack-f...
- 'quick jack' but the price of these has gone up considerably recently
- a full-length ramp such as the 'sealey modular pit ramp' which I just don't think is high enough
Alternatively I could just get a decent full width concrete parking pad sorted and I could probably manage a lot better with what I've got.
Anyway just wondering on other people's thoughts / experiences - what works for you?
These days I have a fairly low car and only concrete strip driveway with gravel in between to work on the car which makes raising it a little more challenging.
I use a set of ramps for quick stuff like oil changes and that works great. Beyond that I have a few different jacks and axle stands. Occasionally I'll need to get the whole car in the air high enough to get under.
For years I've contemplated all kinds of lift, ramp and jack products to make life easier. I've come to the conclusion none are perfect and they all have pros and cons. Here's some options that are the closest to what I want:
- hydraulic ramps (such as those sold by 'CJ Autos').
- this jack which while a brilliant concept has some pretty damning reviews: https://www.powerbuilt.com/products/2-ton-u-jack-f...
- 'quick jack' but the price of these has gone up considerably recently
- a full-length ramp such as the 'sealey modular pit ramp' which I just don't think is high enough
Alternatively I could just get a decent full width concrete parking pad sorted and I could probably manage a lot better with what I've got.
Anyway just wondering on other people's thoughts / experiences - what works for you?
I've got the 7000lb quickjacks, they're heavy as f
k! Granted they're the big boy ones and I'm a weakling, but moving them about in a confined space is a ball ache, sometimes quite literally! 
Doubt it would be much fun on gravel. Plus I don't think you're not meant to leave them outside, so longer jobs would mean packing them away mid task which would be even more annoying.
Lining them up is a little bit of a faff too, as my garage floor isn't smooth, trying to line up one end they can pivot in the middle making them come unaligned from the opposite end. Piece of piss if you've got an assistant though.
k! Granted they're the big boy ones and I'm a weakling, but moving them about in a confined space is a ball ache, sometimes quite literally! Doubt it would be much fun on gravel. Plus I don't think you're not meant to leave them outside, so longer jobs would mean packing them away mid task which would be even more annoying.Lining them up is a little bit of a faff too, as my garage floor isn't smooth, trying to line up one end they can pivot in the middle making them come unaligned from the opposite end. Piece of piss if you've got an assistant though.
Dave. said:
I've got the 7000lb quickjacks, they're heavy as fk! Granted they're the big boy ones and I'm a weakling, but moving them about in a confined space is a ball ache, sometimes quite literally! Doubt it would be much fun on gravel. Plus I don't think you're not meant to leave them outside, so longer jobs would mean packing them away mid task which would be even more annoying.
Lining them up is a little bit of a faff too, as my garage floor isn't smooth, trying to line up one end they can pivot in the middle making them come unaligned from the opposite end. Piece of piss if you've got an assistant though.
Yeah I think if I had a garage with enough space to get the car in then the quick jack is a good solution. Lugging anything bulky around is not ideal and why I've discounted any of those 'tilting lift' type of things too. k! Granted they're the big boy ones and I'm a weakling, but moving them about in a confined space is a ball ache, sometimes quite literally! Doubt it would be much fun on gravel. Plus I don't think you're not meant to leave them outside, so longer jobs would mean packing them away mid task which would be even more annoying.Lining them up is a little bit of a faff too, as my garage floor isn't smooth, trying to line up one end they can pivot in the middle making them come unaligned from the opposite end. Piece of piss if you've got an assistant though.
It's a shame no-one makes more lightweight mechanical or foot pump operated hydraulic scissor lifts - a bit like a more heavy duty version of those motorbike platform jack / stands (I know some people use them for cars but I wouldn't trust them personally). One on each corner with some form of safety lock could work.
Just to clarify about the gravel as well - the driveway is concrete slabs which create tracks for each wheel and in between and around them is the gravel e.g:
G|C|GGG|C|G
G|C|GGG|C|G
G|C|GGG|C|G
G|C|GGG|C|G
etc.
C = concrete slab, G = gravel
Hope that makes sense. It's a long driveway but really narrow. It makes using a trolley jack and axle stands very tricky. You could do the old 'plywood' trick but no way I'm getting under it like that.
A 'drive on' solution would probably be the best option. These look good:
https://cjautosheywood.co.uk/product/heavy-duty-sc...
But they are seriously heavy and not cheap. If I had a recommendation from someone with them then I might be tempted, I'm willing to spend the money but it has to be worth it!
G|C|GGG|C|G
G|C|GGG|C|G
G|C|GGG|C|G
G|C|GGG|C|G
etc.
C = concrete slab, G = gravel
Hope that makes sense. It's a long driveway but really narrow. It makes using a trolley jack and axle stands very tricky. You could do the old 'plywood' trick but no way I'm getting under it like that.
A 'drive on' solution would probably be the best option. These look good:
https://cjautosheywood.co.uk/product/heavy-duty-sc...
But they are seriously heavy and not cheap. If I had a recommendation from someone with them then I might be tempted, I'm willing to spend the money but it has to be worth it!
I have two of those CJ auto ramps that I picked up cheap(er) on Facebook marketplace. They are brilliant tbh, although very low cars may need a little help by raising the opposite side onto wood so when they are raised, the car doesn't touch the floor. Yes they are heavy, but you can still lift them. Pump disconnects from the hydraulic hoses and I store them standing upright against the wall.
Thanks all. Good to hear someone finds the CJ Autos hydraulic ramps useful and sounds like I need to take a proper look at quick jack too.
I think if I'm going to be jacking up the car with a trolley jack or similar in future for now, I really need something I can put it on to jack up on the gravel to access front and rear centre jacking points. I guess as I mentioned before plywood would do and as long as I can place axle stands on the concrete to support the car that should be fine just to raise it. I might see if there's anything stronger than plywood that could be used as a base for the trolley jack in the short term.
But I think my days of using trolley jacks are numbered, definitely going to invest in *something* that makes raising the car easier, I'm just so indecisive about what! Will follow up and let you know if find a good solution. Any more suggestions or recommendations are still appreciated.
I think if I'm going to be jacking up the car with a trolley jack or similar in future for now, I really need something I can put it on to jack up on the gravel to access front and rear centre jacking points. I guess as I mentioned before plywood would do and as long as I can place axle stands on the concrete to support the car that should be fine just to raise it. I might see if there's anything stronger than plywood that could be used as a base for the trolley jack in the short term.
But I think my days of using trolley jacks are numbered, definitely going to invest in *something* that makes raising the car easier, I'm just so indecisive about what! Will follow up and let you know if find a good solution. Any more suggestions or recommendations are still appreciated.
OSB 3 is better than plywood.
Get 18mm thickness, it's available from B&Q in various sizes, or if you can transport/cut a sheet then any decent local supplier will have it.
Cheap (£20 for a full sheet) and can withstand a bit of moisture unlike plywood (using marine grade ply would be expensive). If you cut it to size give the untreated edges a bit of protection, any exterior paint/varnish will do.
Get 18mm thickness, it's available from B&Q in various sizes, or if you can transport/cut a sheet then any decent local supplier will have it.
Cheap (£20 for a full sheet) and can withstand a bit of moisture unlike plywood (using marine grade ply would be expensive). If you cut it to size give the untreated edges a bit of protection, any exterior paint/varnish will do.
Interesting - that MR1 lift is a good concept, and I do like the idea of a proper full length ramp, but man good luck moving those things around! There's some good options for those with a big enough (/empty enough) garage where they could live inside.
Good tip on the OSB M11rph thanks.
Regards lifts you can hire, not sure there's anything like that in this area (Norfolk).
Good tip on the OSB M11rph thanks.
Regards lifts you can hire, not sure there's anything like that in this area (Norfolk).
I have a full height Dunlop scissor lift in my shed and it’s great but I must admit I’d quite like a mobile one that I can use outside for power washing / undersealing etc.
I wouldn’t entertain a cheap one but something mid-range maybe £3k would be ok. Nusbaum would be great, a mate of mine has one and it’s rock solid. Runs off a 13A plug. They’re serious £££ though.
I wouldn’t entertain a cheap one but something mid-range maybe £3k would be ok. Nusbaum would be great, a mate of mine has one and it’s rock solid. Runs off a 13A plug. They’re serious £££ though.
ChocolateFrog said:
If it's once or twice a year I wonder if there's anywhere local that hires their lift out by the hour.
See the sticky 
I've only got two rent-a-ramps in there, if anyone knows of other facilities please add them. Hoping to make it useful for people across the country.
ETA someone's added one for Oxfordshire today, much obliged!
Edited by donkmeister on Saturday 9th November 20:53
Time for a thread revival...
I bought one set of the CJ Autos hydraulic ramps and thought I'd share my experience with them. I went for the heavy duty ones (cr06xhd). My reasoning - the smaller / lighter ones are a design that raises in an arc - if you need to raise all 4 corners you need to be very careful to ensure front and back is raised together ideally - the heavy duty ones raise pretty much straight up which seems safer.
First impressions were they are bloody heavy, what have I done?!
I set them up in the garden to test everything out. There was some oil seepage from one of them as I think I didn't nip the connection to the ramp up enough - the connection to the each ramp requires a spanner, the others can be hand tightened with a 'knurled nut'.
Once I got them setup and raised and lowered a few times I was happy they worked as intended. I also phoned CJ Autos to confirm a few things and they were very helpful.
The first and only time so far that I've used them I needed to change the underfloor coolant pipes on my MG.
I popped them on a trolley which I rolled down the drive, popped them in front of the rear wheels with the intention of driving the front onto my existing plastic ramps. I stupidly didn't connect the lead-on ramps to the hydraulic ramps with the pin and the result was the rear wheel drive MG scooted them backwards as I drove on - not great.
At this point I gave up on the idea of raising the whole car as it seemed like added peril(!) and tried again with the lead-on ramps properly connected. Driving on was straightforward that time and lifting the car really quick and easy. Also I found that by not connecting the hydraulic hoses to the ramps until after I drive onto them there is less risk of crushing them with a low-slung car as you drive up. Lesson learnt - just read and follow the instructions.
In short there was no way I would attempt jobs like the coolant pipes without something like these ramps: it made it so much easier. To me as someone who has only ever used jacks and standard ramps the amount of lift possible is a revelation. Anything I need to get full access to the underside or lift the front, back or side of the car together from now on I will be using these.
For jobs where you just need one wheel off the ground and removed - a trolley jack and stand is quicker.
I may get a second set eventually in case I need to raise the whole car together, or I may try again with my plastic ramps at the front.
Overall I'd say these are worth the money, but emphasise they are very heavy so not particularly mobile unless you use a trolley to move them about like I did. Lifting them short distances is fine, I'm probably average strength and I can handle that.
It was between these and the 'kwik-lift' for me and I still can't be sure I've made the right choice as never tried the kwik-lift / quick jack product. But I'm happy enough with the hydraulic ramps.
I bought one set of the CJ Autos hydraulic ramps and thought I'd share my experience with them. I went for the heavy duty ones (cr06xhd). My reasoning - the smaller / lighter ones are a design that raises in an arc - if you need to raise all 4 corners you need to be very careful to ensure front and back is raised together ideally - the heavy duty ones raise pretty much straight up which seems safer.
First impressions were they are bloody heavy, what have I done?!
I set them up in the garden to test everything out. There was some oil seepage from one of them as I think I didn't nip the connection to the ramp up enough - the connection to the each ramp requires a spanner, the others can be hand tightened with a 'knurled nut'.
Once I got them setup and raised and lowered a few times I was happy they worked as intended. I also phoned CJ Autos to confirm a few things and they were very helpful.
The first and only time so far that I've used them I needed to change the underfloor coolant pipes on my MG.
I popped them on a trolley which I rolled down the drive, popped them in front of the rear wheels with the intention of driving the front onto my existing plastic ramps. I stupidly didn't connect the lead-on ramps to the hydraulic ramps with the pin and the result was the rear wheel drive MG scooted them backwards as I drove on - not great.
At this point I gave up on the idea of raising the whole car as it seemed like added peril(!) and tried again with the lead-on ramps properly connected. Driving on was straightforward that time and lifting the car really quick and easy. Also I found that by not connecting the hydraulic hoses to the ramps until after I drive onto them there is less risk of crushing them with a low-slung car as you drive up. Lesson learnt - just read and follow the instructions.
In short there was no way I would attempt jobs like the coolant pipes without something like these ramps: it made it so much easier. To me as someone who has only ever used jacks and standard ramps the amount of lift possible is a revelation. Anything I need to get full access to the underside or lift the front, back or side of the car together from now on I will be using these.
For jobs where you just need one wheel off the ground and removed - a trolley jack and stand is quicker.
I may get a second set eventually in case I need to raise the whole car together, or I may try again with my plastic ramps at the front.
Overall I'd say these are worth the money, but emphasise they are very heavy so not particularly mobile unless you use a trolley to move them about like I did. Lifting them short distances is fine, I'm probably average strength and I can handle that.
It was between these and the 'kwik-lift' for me and I still can't be sure I've made the right choice as never tried the kwik-lift / quick jack product. But I'm happy enough with the hydraulic ramps.
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