Looking for feedback from QuickJack users
 

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?

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.

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.

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!

Hydraulic lift........
 

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

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.

Quick Jack User
 

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,

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1499809803.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1499809950.jpg

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.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...168871434e.jpg

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

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

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!

Wow!

Lots of great info. Appreciate all the responses!

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'.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat5.gif

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

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?

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?

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!

Get a mid rise scissor lift.

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. :D

Good to know on the adapters.

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.

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?

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

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.

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:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/Quic...MG_1129-X2.jpg

Gallery of my unboxing and assembly here: Quick Jack

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,

My lines came separated. No cutting required.

Roy, thanks those numbers are a big help. I should be fine based on those lengths.

Ditto...

Its nice to be able to work on the car siting up, not laying on your back...

Midrise lift is portable too... though HEAVY...

The quick lift looks cool, would love to have one. But if you can only have one... the midlift rocks....

50 psi

Definitely understand the appeal of a mid-rise, but a consideration for the QJ is that while the mid-rise lifts are great for the 911, they are not always great for other cars where you may need to get to something in the middle of the chassis (drivetrain, exhaust, etc.). If I was just going to use this for the 911 that wouldn't be an issue but I do intend to use this to service other cars. So for that reason I think the QJ wins.

Just talked to the sales folks at QJ. The lifts are rated 1.5x the stated capacity so the 5000 is actually rated for 7500 lbs and the 7500 is actually rate for 11,250. Given that I think I'll go with the 5000.

Now here is something else I learned. I looked at Pelican the other day and did not see the EXT versions listed. When I called QJ sales they told me that the EXT units are not yet available -- the first units are expected to ship in August so they are only available for pre-order right now.

I'm going to go back and look at my measurements again to make sure I really need the extra length of the EXT, but I think I'm going to end up needing it.

For an air-cooled? I don't think so. Oldspool and I are using the 5000SLX, and have no problem. As long as you slide the frames inside of the tires as shown above, you'll be fine.

Do you think you need the extra length for the SUV? A big one? For our RAV4 and the CRV, the rubber blocks don't quite reach the exact lift points on the pinch welds under the rockers, but I still lift on the weld and there has been no damage at all.

If you go with the EXT, double-check the range of the lifting point spread. Sixty-six inches is probably too much for a 911, and you don't have an infinite adjustability on the lower end. The rubber blocks fit in trays, and they are only so big.

Mark

Right, I realize the SLX would be fine for the 911. And according to my measurements it would be find for 3 of the 4 cars. The SLX supports up to 60" max span between the lift points. Cars #2 & #3 are max 59 and 60 inches so the SLX model is fine for the 911 and 2 of the remaining 3 cars . It's the last car that the SLX looks a little short. The SLX would only catch a couple of inches of the jack point on each side. Think of it this way: 4" jack point + 58" span + 4" jack point = 66" from outer edge to outer edge of the jack points. So it's close. Maybe it's enough. I'll go look at it again.

Hey, folks -

Just wanted to provide an update. After spending some time looking at the QuickJack specs and measuring my cars again, I decided to buy the BL-5000EXT. I've got two cars that really seem to need the 66" lift span.

The downside is that the EXT model is new and doesn't ship until mid-August. I'm hoping it will be in my garage in 3-4 weeks.

A couple of years ago I ran a dedicated 30A sub-panel to my garage. I chose to go with the 110V option for the QJ. I think what I'm going to do is to run 2 new 15A circuits off the panel -- 1 for the lift (and maybe compressor down the road) and 1 for a portable A/C unit I recently bought.

Damned if I won't be working in the garage almost like a human being soon!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat6.gif

Just a quick update...

Part of the shipment arrived yesterday and the rest arrived today. It took about an hour to get everything put together.

I have to say, I'm impressed so far. I used the E350 as the guinea pig. :D It raised the car surprisingly fast.

It got done late tonight and I didn't have time to try it with the 911. I will do that tomorrow and report back. But the EXT version was perfect for this car.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1504839780.jpg

Quick update... haha see what I did there?

I did a very quick test earlier today. I was able to raise the 911 successfully. Didn't seem to have any problems and I may play around with best places to put the rubber blocks, but the first test was good.

So it seems the BL-5000EXT, even with it's longer length, is still fine to use with the 911.

I did feel a little better with the E350 having the ramps right at the edge of the car. The greater distance between the ramps is more stable. It seems that even with the shorter version of the QuickJack, the ramps are set more inboard with the 911. This model isn't any different in that regard so I don't think it will be an issue.

Like I said, I ran out of time so I didn't study it too much.

One thing worth noting. I wonder how many QuickJack users also have A/C? It seems that the placement of A/C and oil lines makes choosing good lift points a bit more of a challenge.

Here's the pics...

NOTE: After more experimentation, this is not the correct way to lift the car. The ramps should be oriented the reverse of the way the are shown in this picture. The hydraulic shaft should be pointing at the weight bias end of the car. The orientation shown is normal for front engine cars but should be the opposite for the 911.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1504926295.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1504926332.jpg

Nice thread....
So, any follow up? There have been some real *****fests about it on the Grassroots motorsports website...but they date back 4 years or so, and it appears Ranger has addressed teh issues with upgrades and changes.

I have a '73 that I'd like to do an engine drop on....apparently, based on a post in this thread, there is enough clearance with just the Quickjack??
I'd love some feedback from the 911 crowd...thanks!

I read those threads on the Grassroots site. It looks like most if not all of the initial complaints have been resolved.

I like the EXT. The extra 6" between jack points is perfect for 3 out of 4 cars (not needed for the 911).

Last weekend I lifted my wife's Highlander and did an oil change, replaced rear rotors & pads and bled the brakes. So much easier with all 4 wheels off the ground at once! Then I did an oil change on the MB E350.

I haven't tried yet but I feel pretty certain that there is plenty of room to do an engine drop, as others said, especially if you remove the rear bumper. It's about 19-20" of clearance, which doesn't sound like a lot but looks like enough in person. It seems about like the same clearance as when we dropped my motor using the "dog in heat" method a couple of years ago.

I like those, but, based on your pic, they don't look like they lift near high enough for an engine drop......anybody done this with the QJ, and have pix?

regards,
al

Don't see how you would do an engine drop...

There are bolts way in front you have to get to, and you have to tilt the motor/trans.

The scissor lift gets the car up 3-4 feet, and sometime I need to tilt the motor 30-45 degrees to clear the shift rod and not bend it.

I've thought about that. I think it could be done pretty easily in "lifts" using some form of cribbing between lifts. More work than a lift that goes to 40", but way less than jacks and stands.

See Post #6... Sboxin has done it.

Something else I have thought about is just to use the QuickJack to easily get the car up on jack stands. I’m guessing right now but it seems like there is room to get stands in place under the rear torsion tubes. Front should be no problem to put stands under the front A-arm points.

Another idea I think someone else mentioned is to build 2x12 ramps to put the QJ on to gain a little more height.

The QJ comes with 2 sets of rubber blocks. The short ones are 2-1/8” tall and the taller ones are 3” tall. They say you can stack them to get extra height — I need to convince myself that’s a good idea. They also make a set of SUV adapters that are taller. I have not looked at them closely to see if they would work with the 911’s lift points.

I lifted my wife’s SUV the other day with no problem. There wasn’t a huge amount of ground clearance at the wheels but it was enough to get the tires off and work on the brakes comfortably. Plenty of room to wrench underneath. Point is I’m not sure I need the SUV adapters for the SUV — wouldn’t it be ironic to need the SUV adapters for the 911? :D

Al, you can drop an engine with a motorcycle jack and one of the quickjacks all day. Super easy if done with the rear bumper removed

EDIT: uploaded wrong photo -- will fix

Not quite the same perspective but this is a photo from my last engine drop. I don't think the rear up on jack stands is significantly different in height from the QJ.

I do think seeing the pictures it's hard to get a sense but my decidedly subjective eye-ballin' says the QJ will be fine.

I think the angle of the car on the jack stands maybe makes it a little easier to navigate getting the shaft in and out of the tunnel.

There was another good thread the other day on engine jacking methods. I'd like to think through that some more. I suspect a low profile floor jack with a support or an ATV jack would have better clearance than a lift table with tall casters.

Sorry... this was the pic I meant to upload.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1505938941.jpg

I'm the guy that uses 2x12's under the QJ for our taller cars.

I've tried stacking the blocks but I just can't get comfortable doing it. For folks that don't have a QJ, it doesn't lift straight up. As the car rises it also moves forward or backward, depending on the direction of the QJ. As this happens I've found the stacked blocks can start to lean over, and I've always stopped the lift.

I often use the QJ in the driveway, which has a slope equal to the max allowable (about 7%). This makes the lean problem even worse.

In my opinion, the 2x12's are much safer. The only drawback is they can be difficult to position. Because of the total weight of the QJ, the wood tends to dig into the asphalt and it is very difficult to slide. I even have handles on them, but still a nuisance. I have an idea for retractable wheels for the 2x12's, but I haven't had time to weld them up and see how they work.

Mark

Wanted to post an update on continued experience with the QuickJack.

A few of my friends were getting together to prep for a DE session so I loaded the QuickJack up in my wife's SUV and hauled it over to where we all met.

We used it on it 4 cars that day.

2002 996
2007 997 S
2012 Cayman
2012 Boxster Spyder

Keep in mind this is the 5000EXT model. It fit between the wheels on all the cars but there is a trick to using it with the 996 & 997. The Cayman and the Boxster were easy. Since they're mid-engine they have a slightly longer wheelbase.

To accommodate the 996s & 997 what we did was place the QuickJack ramps between the tires with the "front" of the ramps facing the back of the car. We then drove the car forward about an inch or two where the rear tire was just barely on the ramp. Then we put the blocks at the normal lift points and raised the car.

The reason we had to do this was because if we didn't the front of the ramp would bind against the front wheels.

Also, keep in mind that the "front" orientation of the QJ ramps needs to be used facing the rear of all the cars as Mark noted since the weight is in the back. Probably wouldn't be as much of an issue with the mid-engine cars but that's the way we did it.

Here is a pic of one of the 996s.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1508163762.jpg

We bled the brakes on all the cars in no time. It was an assembly line -- we just did one right after another.

I'm very pleased with the decision to buy the 5000EXT. It has the best overall fit for all the cars in my fleet and it still works fine with the '83 911. It's nice knowing that it will work with other Porsches too.