tilting lifts

[alanr]

Can someone tell me about how much the Quickjack platform radial movement is from fully down to full height please? I am guessing around 12inches ( 300mm)?...Is that about right?

Thanks,

Alan.

[stugilmour]

Alan, sorry for the long wait. Finally lowered the car using the QuickJack BL-5000SLX.

The lateral movement is about 6” on the mid height setting and 11” on the full height setting. I have attached a few pictures at each setting.

This picture shows the geometry of the QuickJack. The bottom foot stays stationary on the floor. The top swivel moves the car backwards as it is raised and forward as it is lowered. The carriage bolts that pick up the Plus 2 jacking points are a few inches beyond the top swivels. The 2x8 pad is resting directly on the QuickJack frame. The plywood pads hold it securely, but it is a bit fussy to engage by yourself.

The green tape marks at each end of the car are from left to right

• Bottom foot of the QuickJack
• The top swivel at the highest lift height setting.
• The top swivel at the mid height setting.
• The top swivel in the fully lowered position.

Car up in the air at the highest height.

Car flat on the floor with the QuickJack and 2x8 pad in place. The carriage bolts have to be trimmed so the jack and pad can be fitted. Green tape lines show the movement in the top swivel. Tape position was placed while lowering the car, so the car appears to have rolled forward from where the jacks would be placed to raise it again.

The pictures also show the 2x8 pad engaged on the Plus 2 jacking points. Worked great with no modification to the plywood pads required. I did cut one carriage bolt a bit short though. Will be easy to replace. Issue is leveling the car a bit better.

HTH

[alanr]

Hi Stu,
That's brillant information and has filled lots of gaps in my knowledge of the Quickjack. Looks like using the jacking pins with the extended planks works just fine on a +2 although I note you say a bit fiddly to get just right. The photos are great...it looks good!
I notice that the Quickjacks on sale in the UK have the 12v Motor/pump assembly and not 220/240v mains electricity. I guesss that it is because being a US company 110v is the version predominately sold. I am unsure if that would be a problem or not?

Thanks again,

Alan.

[alanr]

I see Quickjack are shortly going to announce availability of a 3inch taller version Quickjack so for me best maybe to wait awhile. Probably why existing versions are relatively low price at Costco.
See here:-
https://www.quickjack.com/tl/

Alan.

[mbell]

I have the 12v pump version. I went for it as it's a long term investment and I might end up somewhere in the world with 230v power at some point. It also has the advantage of making it "portable" so can use it somewhere without power.

I power mine of one of those modern jump packs, which works great. I have added a wired connection so I can just plug the pack in the lift and go, then remove it once done. It's also very useful to have one of those jump packs with a older lotus that doesn't get used as much as I would like.

I also use the lifts the opposite way around to Stu, due to the location of my pump by the garage door.

[alanr]

Thanks for the info that the 12v version does the job perfectly ok. Good idea using a 'jump pack'.

i have a few more question that hopefully someone can answer?
Stu who is obviously using the jacking points to lift mentions that he would like to get the car more level than he has at present so maybe using the floor corners and packing accordingly to get the car level is an easier solution but is there a tendancy for the car to 'slide' at all when heaving on a bolt or something?

Any thoughts on the 3inch height increase that Quickjack say they are launching? It will no doubt increase the radial movement effect so will take slightly more room to operate and no doubt the new model will be more expensive but should improve things if doing anything underneath the car maybe?

Do you also position axle stands when using the Quickjack for safety?....and maybe you would care to comment on how safe you feel if crawling underneath?

Thanks again,

Alan.

[mbell]

s there a tendancy for the car to 'slide' at all when heaving on a bolt or something?

I am not using the lift points but I've had no rocking of any vechile on them.

I used them while changing the drive shaft in my bmw, that has 6 very high torque rated bolts. A long breaker bar and long spanner with all your strength type job. Car was rock solid, even when bracing against the lift.

Any thoughts on the 3inch height increase that Quickjack say they are launching?

More lift is always helpful, I find the current one is high enough thou. I'd suggest looking carefully at any increase in length when down. There isn't a lot more length in the wheel base for something much longer than the bl5000.

Do you also position axle stands when using the Quickjack for safety?

No. It has in built safety locks. Would be hard to place stands anywhere useful on the car any way.

and maybe you would care to comment on how safe you feel if crawling underneath?

I feel pretty safe, a lot safer than with axle stands. Your still aware you under as car thou. The likely hood of a car coming off it if lifted correctly is very low and much hard to lift it incorrectly than using a Jack and stands.

I think it's order if magnitude safer for you and the car than Jack and axle stands.

The major risk would be a major failure of the lift which is very unlikely. I use it regularly with 2 ton cars with no issue. The lotus is really not stressing it at all.

[The Veg]

Do you also position axle stands when using the Quickjack for safety?....and maybe you would care to comment on how safe you feel if crawling underneath?

The first time I used mine, since it was an unproven tool and I was an unproven user, I put a stand under each lifting frame, sitting on the bottom of the frame and extended to the highest notch below the top of the frame, just in case something failed. What did fail was me remembering that they were there when I tried to lower the car and it only went about half an inch. D'OH! Raise the QJ back up, remove stands, lower the car to the floor, no problems.

As MBell points out, the QJ has safety-catches, and in fact it has them at both 1/2-height and at full height. The instructions recommend giving the catch-arms a kick after raising, just to make sure that they've caught securely. No problems as yet!

[alanr]

I have discovered that some users of Quickjack, not Lotus, position the Quickjack at 90degrees across the car which I thought was a slightly unusual way to use it. It might solve the radial lift platform movement issue though if your garage has plenty of width I suppose?
Unsure without measuring how it would work out on the platform length though!
Food for thought I suppose....

Alan.

[stugilmour]

Alan, the cross ways position is required for short wheelbase cars. Not 100% sure, but I assume the Elan requires this. Note the frames lie longer in the fully lowered position, and they have to fit between the tires.

The difficulty with the crossed position is interference from the exhaust. One would have to try fitment I guess, but I expect the Lotus car floor and rockers are low enough that the exhaust may need to be removed or it may be very difficult to fit the rubber blocks between the jack platforms and the car; note the blocks fit into a roughly 1 1/4” deep well on the platforms. Not saying it can’t fit, but it will be close.