IIRC, each piece is about 75 lbs (we have the 5000 lb. model) then there's the motor and hoses to carry, too. It's pretty cumbersome to move around.
IIRC, each piece is about 75 lbs (we have the 5000 lb. model) then there's the motor and hoses to carry, too. It's pretty cumbersome to move around.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Cumbersome to move around a shop? Or cumbersome to load in the trunk and take from one location to another?
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
Both. I was the keeper of the GRM QuickJack for a few years, and finally gave it back to JG because I moved it out of my way a dozen or so times and used it twice. In the garage it's not too bad, but you're sliding 75 lbs. of steel around on the floor every time you use it.
It won't fit in most cars unless you're willing to lay it across the back seat, and it's somehow always coated in hydraulic fluid so keep that in mind as you put it on your interior. It's not hard to move around with a pickup truck.
Granted, I have a real two-post lift in the shop, so I'm not the target audience. I use a jack for quick wheel swaps and such.
I stopped carrying the QuickJack to the track after a few trips of spending time loading/unloading/setting up/breaking down/loading/unloading back at home and thinking about how much faster a jack and jack stands are.
That said, if I didn't have a real lift at home the QuickJack would be amazing, and it's also great for track outings where you're constantly putting the car on stands, like a suspension test.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Thanks
Principle
I don't go to the track without mine. When we were doing a semi-enduro at Laguna Seca (publicity stunt, run a turbo Miata in every session of a track weekend with a rotating series of drivers) it was invaluable to check the car over and service it in a short window. If I was racing a real enduro, I would definitely have one in the paddock ready to go at a moment's notice - I can think of a half dozen times we would have used it during the T25 for everything from brake jobs to a subframe replacement. When I'm on my own, I'm always adjusting and tweaking and working on my car so the height and ease of use well outweighs dealing with jack stands and a jack. With a truck it's easy to chuck in the back when prepping. In the garage, I keep it under a workbench or under a car. I like it because it has zero sketchiness and it's taller than jack stands and a jack.
But I'm built a little differently than Tom, so it's not a big deal for me to toss in and out of the truck.
Hey now! 
I'm stronger than I used to be, I can even pick up my Tremec Magnum now! That basically makes me an Olympic weightlifter.
IIRC you have the 3500 lb. model right? If so, each of your frames is 8" shorter and 18 lbs. lighter, which would go a long way towards making it easier to carry around.
Yes, I have the original 3500 which is (I believe) even lighter than the 3500SLX. This is not a complete accident, because I'm mostly asking it to lift light cars with short wheelbases. I didn't realize there was such a weight difference.
Being able to lift a T56 is worth bragging about.
Ive thought about scissor lifts a lot over the years and I've come to the conclusion the main place I'd use one would be bolted down in the middle of a car trailer.
Keith Tanner said:Being able to lift a T56 is worth bragging about.
But, can Tom bench press it into place while laying under the car is the question. That's when the old school mechanic bragging rights come in.
The autolift is interesting, but if im under the high side and working, whats keeping a weight shift from having a car land on me?
i have the quickjack 7000slx. It fits my e36 and my trucks. If i had to dig out the jack stands and jack and get the car fully up, it would take me probably a good 30 minutes to do it in what i would say is a safe way. Bringing each end up a little at a time to avoid it slipping from angle. The quickjack i can dig out, set up and have the car at full height in probably 5 minutes very safely. Also i have yet to find it annoying that i couldnt get under from the side. I have the truck adapter which is super handy, totally worth it. It gives a nice gap under the side if you needed to get an arm through from outside or under. I actually have never lifted using the rubber blocks.
Since the manufacturer of the autolift likes it to use a corded drill, that puts it with similar requirement to the quickjack needing plugged in. The quickjack can or did have a 12 v option to run it from the car thats being jacked. So kinda moot for comparison.
in my garage now i can use like 3/4 of the space to have the jacks out just wider than the car, pull in, slide em in and done. The autolift would require about 2 car widths of open space to pull in and have it on the ground next to you.
the front to back open access of the driveline to me is a massive plus over other "portable" lifts. I have already done plenty of work that i could have not done on a autolift or scissor lift. I'll be doing a transmission drop or 3 with the quickjack at some point coming up.
also i have a crummy back, few herniated discs and multiple bulged, pinched nerve. I can get the quick jack rails up in my truck bed without much drama or injury.
I have a quickjack, which I would not have known about if I didn't hang out here. I used to jack a Mazda up onto stands, no big deal. Then I was pals with a feller with a pair of 2 post lifts, which was the end of crawling around under jackstands for me. Since then, the Mazda got replaced by an e class Mercedes. I have put that thing up on jackstands exactly once. It takes an hour using 2 floor jocks. You can only lift from the 4 lift pads. So you lift the front till you can get shorties under the... gad don't make me relive the horror. Drive to pal's shop and do oilchange on lift. But then he went and moved outta state.since I don't have room for a proper lift, enter the qickjack. At least I can get under the car mow. Since new shocks are on their way, I figure the thing will pay for itself after that one job...
I keep thinking that I want to go get one of the portable ones - I drooled over the QuickJack at Costco last year. The problem that keeps cropping up is that I don't really see the need to use its portability since it would basically just stay in the shop all the time and the cost is not that far from a 2-post. Granted, I'd need to have some concrete work done first, but it seems like I'd be better off continuing to save my sheckels to get a lift installed.
The most underrated aspect of owning a quickjack to me is safety. On modern cross over type vehicles that are uni-body and have greater than car-like suspension travel, I was having to do some crazy things with floor jacks, stands and various wood blocks to get my wife's 2013 Highlander in the air. The cumbersome moving of the bases is worth the trade off for the safety and speed to get cars like hers to a working height.
This was one of the main selling points to get the wife on board with mine. I can safely and effectively lift all of my fleet from a SW20 MR2 to a lifted V8 4runner with the QJ 5000 model that can be had at costco for 1k.
Keith Tanner said:Yes, I have the original 3500 which is (I believe) even lighter than the 3500SLX. This is not a complete accident, because I'm mostly asking it to lift light cars with short wheelbases. I didn't realize there was such a weight difference.
Yeah, the frames on the 3500s are 15-20 pounds lighter than the ones on the 5000. "bring it with you to the track" was the intended use model for the QJ, IIRC the original name for it was "Track Jack".
After I got a real lift in my garage I started keeping the QJ in my enclosed trailer, which meant I didn't have to load/unload it every track day. I used it a few times for doing stuff on the Miata at the track, but once I switched to an M3 it didn't fit any more so eventually I sold it.
wae said:I keep thinking that I want to go get one of the portable ones - I drooled over the QuickJack at Costco last year. The problem that keeps cropping up is that I don't really see the need to use its portability since it would basically just stay in the shop all the time and the cost is not that far from a 2-post. Granted, I'd need to have some concrete work done first, but it seems like I'd be better off continuing to save my sheckels to get a lift installed.
It uses considerably less real estate than a two post. I think my lift is 12' wide, which means it occupies two stalls. It's a wonderful tool but you definitely need the space.
The width of the 2 posts were the deal breaker for me. Not only real estate but you always need an additional 2ph outlet for it as well which may or may not be easy. Figure that into the total cost as well.
Maybe not as portable but moveable which was a big selling point for me. You can see the qj for the trailer hiding there as well.
One of the problems I didn't expect with my scissor lift...
I have a Model A. There is plenty of clearance under it to park on top of the scissor lift, but the Model A has no pinch welds at the rockers, and no legit jack points. The only decent points are buried pretty high, and the lift pads for the scissor lift won't reach.
The Model A is ridiculously high, my lowered Miata is crazy low. The scissor lift is not a great solution for either. Pretty sure the QJ would have been a better choice.
In reply to racinjason :
The QJ5000 is not $1000 at Costco. It's $1400, but they are out of stock.
The QJ7000 is $1700.
Keith Tanner said:It uses considerably less real estate than a two post. I think my lift is 12' wide, which means it occupies two stalls. It's a wonderful tool but you definitely need the space.
Yeah, 2-post lifts are really wide. But that's why I love my Bendpak GP-7LC: It has super narrow columns so it's only 10' wide, but my F-250 still fits on it. If it was 6" wider I wouldn't be able to fit three cars in the garage.
I recently sold myself on a four-post lift--seemed like an easier way to pack three cars into a two-car garage. I talked to a friend who does that, and his feedback was positive. Then, he asked, did I have 9- or 10-foot ceilings? Good question. So I went out an measured: 8 feet.
No lift for me.
Tom Suddard said:Keith Tanner said:It uses considerably less real estate than a two post. I think my lift is 12' wide, which means it occupies two stalls. It's a wonderful tool but you definitely need the space.
Yeah, 2-post lifts are really wide. But that's why I love my Bendpak GP-7LC: It has super narrow columns so it's only 10' wide, but my F-250 still fits on it. If it was 6" wider I wouldn't be able to fit three cars in the garage.
Cool, I didn't know about those. Definitely a good choice for those constrained by floor area and height.
I would recommend you check the weight of that F250, though - a 7000 lb lift would not be enough for my Dodge 2500 diesel. I think it's 7700 lbs.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Yep, the F250 fits by a few hundred pounds. Hooray for gas engines!
Weedy little gas engines :)
Just don't leave anything in the bed or bolt on a big bumper made of plate steel!
I just got the 5k Quickjack. It was on sale at Home Depot for $998.00.I got their credit card and it's interest free if I pay it off in 6 months. It will be living in my trailer and going to the track with me.
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