Looking for feedback from QuickJack users

[tirwin]

My Fellow Pelicans,

I am starting to get serious about buying a lift. My dream is a 2- or 4-post BUT it is very likely that we'll be selling this house in the next 4-6 years. The next house will (hopefully) be the one we're for the long haul and I'd rather make a bigger investment later when I can do it right. A 2- or 4- post would eat up a lot of valuable space right now in my smallish garage.

So as an interim, I'm looking at the Ranger QuickJack that our host sells.

For the majority of the work I do I just need something to get all 4 wheels off the ground (oil changes, brake work, etc.) that is quick and safe. I think that will address 80-90% of my need. Engine drops will still have to be done the good old fashioned way but I hope to not need to do those too often.

I went to the QuickJack website and downloaded a little worksheet to figure out which lift model I need.

There are essentially 2 variables - lifting point spread length and load.

BL-5000SLX - 5000 lb load, 60" max lifting point spread
BL-5000EXT - 5000 lb load, 66" max lifting point spread
BL-7000SLX - 7000 lb load, 60" max lifting point spread
BL-7000EXT - 7000 lb load, 66" max lifting point spread

My gut tells me I need to go with the 7000 lb load version. In the table below, Car 3 is at 90% of the 5000-lb load limit. Probably not enough safety margin.

Car 3 is an SUV. The alternative is that I just use the QJ with the other 3 cars and not the SUV. The SUV would require the SUV adapters at additional cost too.

The table below is the percentage of the vehicle weight vs the load limit of the lifts.

Am I crazy for being concerned about 90% load limit with Car 3?

              5k           7k
'83 911       56%          40%
Car 2         58%	   41%
Car 3         90%	   64%
Car 4         76%	   54%

The other variable is lift point spread length. It appears that for the other 3 cars, the 66" reach of the EXT models is perfect. My question is will the extra length of the EXT version be a problem for the 911 since it has the most narrow spacing between the jack points of all the cars?Has anyone specifically bought the EXT version and used it with a 911? If so, I'd like to hear any feedback.

For anyone that is using the QJ with a 911, are you using the rubber blocks or do you just place the ramps directly under the belly pan?

Has anyone specifically bought the 7000-lb version? It is a little taller than the 5000-lb version. Just wanted to confirm there are no clearance problems.

Any other feedback or ideas is welcome. I've read that the first versions of the QJ had some bugs that needed to get worked out and newer versions have (reportedly) had better reviews.

Thanks in advance.

[Dmitry at Pelican Parts]

Hi Tim - I'm going to let our members comment on this as I do not want to have bias opinion since we sell them , but to answer a couple of your questions. The extra length of the EXT will not be an issue for your 83', it mostly is problematic with the short wheel based 964/993s. The 90% load limit has to do with the actuators (lifting your car), structurally the jacks were tested with a much heavier load and had no issues; so even at 90% you'll be safe; but I completely understand your concern and wanting a safe piece of mind knowing that it won't fail! Best of luck and of course, please let us know if we can be of any help.

[tirwin]

Thanks for the quick reply, Dmitry. That is valuable info and helps a lot.

I would still appreciate feedback from other Pelicans who have been using the QJ. Any thoughts/impressions would be helpful.

Also, another thing I thought about is storage. How are people storing them? Is it possible to just push the ramps together and drive over them to keep them out of the way?

Thanks!

[boyt911sc]

Tim,

Find a good and reliable hydraulic lift that would suit your needs. There is no perfect hydraulic lift so decide which one you like and go for it. Until you own one, you really don't realize what your are missing. For me, a hydraulic lift was a gift from heaven. No way I am going back to floor jacks. Four or five years is a long time to wait. Heaven forbids, you might not be that healthy in 2022. If you could rent a hydraulic lift for $1 a day, which is unlikely, after 5 years you already paid more than the purchase of a typical hydraulic lift. For 911 and smaller cars, a 5000 lb. capacity is more than sufficient. My 5000 lb. lift could get my 4Runner up but a 7000 lb. capacity would be better for heavier vehicles.

Just tell your spouse that it is on on sale and cheap. Plus you could do more house chores if you have a lift to alleviate your back pain (even if you don't have) from using the floor jacks. Any excuse to get her sympathy.

Tony

[Dmitry at Pelican Parts]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Thanks for the quick reply, Dmitry. That is valuable info and helps a lot.

I would still appreciate feedback from other Pelicans who have been using the QJ. Any thoughts/impressions would be helpful.

Also, another thing I thought about is storage. How are people storing them? Is it possible to just push the ramps together and drive over them to keep them out of the way?

Thanks!

No problem, glad to help out! I wouldn't recommend driving over them, but they are quite low to the ground, so you can likely tuck them underneath something.

[Sboxin]

Tim,

We have been using the Quick Jack 3500 for our 1978 911SC race car for engine drops and all the
other smaller jobs in the garage. We use the rubber pads placed on the body seams front and
rear. We store the QJ under the car or the truck in the garage - the pump has dry separating
hoses and can be stored most anywhere - easy to move. The lift has small wheels that help with
moving around on concrete.

And, like a carpenter = measure twice and cut once . . .

Attached photo on 911 on lift - son the driver and workshop helper -

Regards,

[OldSpool87]

I have the 5000XL and use it (with rubber blocks) on a lowered '82 SC with aggressive wheel/tire set up. This decreases the amount of space available to allow for the radial movement as the lift rises. I get tire interference if I use the "usual" fore and aft lift points. So, I pick up the car using seam welds slightly more inboard alleviating the interference.



I've really like having it. Oil draining, CV joint replacement, muffler replacement, heater back date, are some projects that come to mind.

I keep them on the ground and pushed together for storage. I keep a car parked over them at all times so I'm not "losing" foot print.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mark Salvetti]

I've had a 5000SLX for about 18 months. I've used it to lift the 911SC in the garage, and a CRV, a RAV4, a Crosstrek, and a WRX in the driveway.

I use the rubber blocks for all of them. The Subaru is the lowest. For the SUVs I have two 2x12 boards screwed together that I put under the QJ to give me about an extra 3 inches of height. I prefer this because my driveway is slightly sloped (you can use the QJ on up to a 7% grade), and if I try to stack the rubber blocks they lean and will fall over. I think the SUV adapters would do the same thing.

For storage I just stack the two pieces on top of each other, and then I set the pump unit on top of them.

I am very happy with the unit. My garage has a steel I-beam down the center, so the max lift under it is probably about 36 inches, and I decided something like a MaxJax isn't worth it. I also like using it in the driveway. For me, this is much better than a scissor lift (it would be too heavy to move around the driveway).

Just be aware that for the 911, you orient the lift so the hydraulic hoses point towards the front - all my other cars it goes the other way. Also, as you can see from the two posts above, you slide the QJ under the car so it clears the wheels. My other cars it fits between the tires, but you can't lift the 911 that way.

Tony makes a good point about weight. Each piece that slides under the car weighs about 80 lbs. There are little wheels at one end to roll them around, but you do need to have some strength to slide them under the car. Using the wooden boards like I do is especially difficult, but I think I've come up with a way of building some retractable wheels for the boards that will make it much easier, and I also get to practice my welding when I build them. Just haven't had the time to get to it.

Mark

[DHE11]

Hi Tim,
I use the 5000 on a 77 chassis and works great, easy to slide on the concrete in the garage, and i put it in the trailer and take it to the track as well for multi day events. Makes servicing and wheel changes easy....
(I do the same as oldspool has shown in the diagram above)

Love it!

[tirwin]

Wow!

Lots of great info. Appreciate all the responses!

Originally Posted by boyt911sc

Just tell your spouse that it is on on sale and cheap. Plus you could do more house chores if you have a lift to alleviate your back pain (even if you don't have) from using the floor jacks. Any excuse to get her sympathy.

Ha! Great minds think alike. One day my wife and I had a very -- shall we say -- "animated" discussion.

I was in the middle of getting the car off the jack stands. She came out to the garage and said she needed to talk about something urgent. As it turns out, we have very different definitions of the word 'urgent'.



I think she's on board with the idea now.

Originally Posted by Sboxin

We have been using the Quick Jack 3500 for our 1978 911SC race car for engine drops and all the other smaller jobs in the garage. We use the rubber pads placed on the body seams front and rear. We store the QJ under the car or the truck in the garage - the pump has dry separating hoses and can be stored most anywhere - easy to move. The lift has small wheels that help with moving around on concrete.

Excellent. I'm happily surprised to learn that you were able to do an engine drop. I just assumed that it wouldn't be enough height. I guess removing the bumper provides enough clearance?

Originally Posted by OldSpool87

I have the 5000XL and use it (with rubber blocks) on a lowered '82 SC with aggressive wheel/tire set up. This decreases the amount of space available to allow for the radial movement as the lift rises. I get tire interference if I use the "usual" fore and aft lift points. So, I pick up the car using seam welds slightly more inboard alleviating the interference.



I've really like having it. Oil draining, CV joint replacement, muffler replacement, heater back date, are some projects that come to mind.

I keep them on the ground and pushed together for storage. I keep a car parked over them at all times so I'm not "losing" foot print.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

That picture is a great help! Now a follow up question. Do you have A/C lines? I was looking under the car thinking about where the lift points would line up and I was wondering if the A/C lines will possibly interfere?

Originally Posted by Mark Salvetti

I've had a 5000SLX for about 18 months. I've used it to lift the 911SC in the garage, and a CRV, a RAV4, a Crosstrek, and a WRX in the driveway.

Mark, lots of good info especially about the SUV adapters. Thanks. I noticed that QJ has blocks with a groove in them for cars that would be lifted at the pinch weld. I have one car (MB E350) that looks like it may need a different type of adapter. Need to do some research on that but it looks like the SUV adapters might actually work.

Originally Posted by DHE11

Hi Tim,
I use the 5000 on a 77 chassis and works great, easy to slide on the concrete in the garage, and i put it in the trailer and take it to the track as well for multi day events. Makes servicing and wheel changes easy....
(I do the same as oldspool has shown in the diagram above)

Love it!

Appreciate the feedback!

[Dpmulvan]

Get a mid rise scissor lift.

[Mark Salvetti]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Wow!


Mark, lots of good info especially about the SUV adapters. Thanks. I noticed that QJ has blocks with a groove in them for cars that would be lifted at the pinch weld. I have one car (MB E350) that looks like it may need a different type of adapter. Need to do some research on that but it looks like the SUV adapters might actually work.

Appreciate the feedback!

Or just use a couple of hockey pucks, resting on the rubber block on each side of the pinch weld. Can you get hockey pucks in Georgia?

Seriously, not sure you really need any adapters. All my other cars are lifted on the pinch welds along the side rails, and I don't use anything special. The rubber blocks are actually kind of soft, and deform quite a bit when a pinch weld is resting on them.

Mark

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by Mark Salvetti

Or just use a couple of hockey pucks, resting on the rubber block on each side of the pinch weld. Can you get hockey pucks in Georgia?

Seriously, not sure you really need any adapters. All my other cars are lifted on the pinch welds along the side rails, and I don't use anything special. The rubber blocks are actually kind of soft, and deform quite a bit when a pinch weld is resting on them.

Mark

A friend of mine was looking for some hockey pucks to cut to fit in the neck of his jack stands and he had to search all over to find them. Thankfully, Amazon delivers.

Good to know on the adapters.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

Get a mid rise scissor lift.

Definitely considered the Jack Olsen method. Thought about putting in a shallow pit too or ramps. Pit is a little more permanent than I'd like to do. I kinda like the fact that the QJ can be easily moved.

[tirwin]

Hey, another couple of quick questions.

Can someone give me an idea of how long the hydraulic hoses and the power cord on the pump will reach? I've got a electrical sub-panel in my garage and I'd like to get an idea if it will reach.

Also, I could support either 110V or 220V and up to 30A breaker. Any particular reason for one vs the other?

[Mark Salvetti]

For the 911, plan on having the pump at the front of the car.

On the hoses, it kind of depends. Mine came connected to one another, like lamp cord. I separated them, but not completely, since I felt they would be easier to roll up and store if I kept them attached to each other. That however gives you less flexibility when it comes to locating the pump. Maybe if you completely separated the lines you could run them to the back of the 911 to put the pump there, but I'm not home to measure them now.

Now that I think of it, the hydraulic line arrangement was the most disappointing part of the QJ. You can't just pull them apart, I had to use a utility knife. Really hard to do without cutting into the sheath in places, and I had to wrap portions of my lines with electrical tape where the sheath was cut. Not sure if this was an error on the part of Bendpak or not. I meant to write and complain about the lines, but never got around to it. They still work fine.

Your other power option is 12V. Since I planned to move my QJ around a lot, I went with that, and have never regretted it. Runs easily off a Harbor Freight jump start battery.

Mark

[tirwin]

Thanks, Mark.

That should work fine then. My sub-panel is directly in front of the car bay next to the 911.

Now that you mention the way the hydraulic lines are attached together, I think I remember reading that elsewhere. It was probably one of your posts.

[Mark Salvetti]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Thanks, Mark.


Now that you mention the way the hydraulic lines are attached together, I think I remember reading that elsewhere. It was probably one of your posts.

It probably was. I have a feeling my lines might have been defective, because I think I read some other posts where people were able to just pull them apart by hand (like a lamp cord). No way I could do that. I tried to go slowly, but:


Gallery of my unboxing and assembly here: Quick Jack

[Sboxin]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Hey, another couple of quick questions.

Can someone give me an idea of how long the hydraulic hoses and the power cord on the pump will reach? I've got a electrical sub-panel in my garage and I'd like to get an idea if it will reach.

Also, I could support either 110V or 220V and up to 30A breaker. Any particular reason for one vs the other?

Tim,
I measured our 3500 cords -
110V electric = 9.5'
Remote UP/Down = 10'
Hydraulic lines = 12'

Great photos by Mark - we didn't have the problems with the lines - and the 110V is just plug
and play after you get the mechanical and hose assembly done - directions seem to be clear.
You do have to put compressed air into the cylinders - maybe 80psi (? poor memory)
But, the QJ sure does work great for lifting the car and lots of room to work. With the remote
I am comfortable lifting by myself - and the locking mechanism works fine, although I do put a
couple of jack stands under for extra safety.

And, we run the pump from a 15amp garage outlet with no problems.

Regards,

[OldSpool87]

My lines came separated. No cutting required.