Seems like the perfect track jack

If you're like me, jacking up our cars can be a real PITA. The guys on Garage Journal are chatting this up. Seems like a great option. Garage Journal QuickJack

Non-GJ forum members can't see picks. FYI.

Video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHhCVW2YexQ

Handy, I'd be tempted to use that for everything.

If this thing is still in development they should consider having some kind of locking strut on it so you can take the load off the hydraulic cylinder, that way it could fill some of the roles of jack stands as well.

$1,000 seems steep for a track jack

Whats the point, you can get into air jacks that are on the car all the time for not much more if you look.

I like that!

Pretty sure I can build it for a lot less than a grand.

...mumbles something about digging through the junk boxes for the hydraulic power unit...

In reply to GameboyRMH:

Looks to me like it does have a locking strut; you can see a guy deploy it at one point in that video...

yamaha wrote: Whats the point, you can get into air jacks that are on the car all the time for not much more if you look.

Good point...if they're gonna compete with air jacks for people who want to use it for quick tire changes, they'll have to bring the price down. Maybe swap the powered hydraulic system for some kind of manual pump?

I guess I don't see the engineering here to support a 1K price tag. I mean its maybe 65$ in bulk for the cylinders and some steel. Add a higher volume manual pump like on a normal quick jack and I bet you could crank then out for 120$ a set all day long.

Plus not every single car has a even rake to it or even a even bottom so some sort of a cup on top is going to be required with a treaded base.

$400 maybe. Definitely not $1k

People around here are cheaper than I realized. $950 for the set-up is very well priced in my opinion.

Hell, I paid $129 for my HF hydraulic jack. This is way more complicated.

I dont have a problem spending money on something that is going to keep my car from crushing me. I am buying one of these, its great for people with low garage ceilings.

In reply to Slippery:

For that price, buy air jacks. I'll eventually run them on my e36 because jacks don't fit under the sides/front.

In reply to Slippery:

Buy 3 more HF jacks and you'll get the same lift height for less money.

Price is expensive. Also, it limits access under the car since it completely covers entry from between the wheels / under the doors.

I'll perfectly happy with my Sears AL jack and cheap jack stands.

Those are pretty cool. I wouldn't buy them, but I can acknowledge that they are cool.

So air jacks work with what? Do you guys carry a "free" air compressor around?

DaveEstey wrote: In reply to Slippery: Buy 3 more HF jacks and you'll get the same lift height for less money.

Great point! I will do that.

GameboyRMH wrote: Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHhCVW2YexQ Handy, I'd be tempted to use that for everything. If this thing is still in development they should consider having some kind of locking strut on it so you can take the load off the hydraulic cylinder, that way it could fill some of the roles of jack stands as well.

at one point you can see the guy pulling down a support.

kinda nifty, but i'll keep my $100 Craftsman one pump jack and the $15 jack stands...

It's neat, but it's really a one-trick pony. It'll allow quick tire changes, but not much else. And I don't see it being the answer for folks with standard garages since you can go way higher than that in any garage unless you're lifting an H1. A mid-rise lift is an answer to the garage height issue, that's an answer for a super-portable jack for the track really.
Not knocking it, I'm not the target customer.

Wouldn't a rapid pump pallet jack work as well?

I'd much rather spend $600 for a pair of air bag jacks and a good set of jack stands.

Actually, thinking about it, 4 pieces of channel and 4 air bags and the car would be off the ground faster than the hydraulics and for about $250...

I've considered geting two of those lawn tractor lifts that go on sale for about $100 each. That would accomplish the same basic thing.

Tough crowd! I would guess the costs of manufacturing and bringing something like this to market go well beyond the costs of raw materials. Can you imagine the liability insurance you have to carry?

logdog wrote: Tough crowd! I would guess the costs of manufacturing and bringing something like this to market go well beyond the costs of raw materials. Can you imagine the liability insurance you have to carry?

While that's true, it doesn't make it a more viable option to some.