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Hi - I have a Bend Pak scissor lift that I've used for years, and it's really great. But it does block me from getting to anywhere near the middle of the vehicle. So I want to be able to lift the car onto 12" - 16" blocks on all 4 wheels, so I can comfortably lay on the ground and slip under it.
Do you think a jack like this will successfully work to in turn raise the front and then the back up enough to do this - i.e. slip 12" blocks under the tires? Planning to use the rear diff and front jack points for this. Any safety issues?
DAYTONA 3 Ton Long-Reach Low-Profile Professional Floor Jack
Lifting half the car with one jack is sketchy to say the least, going over 12" like that is a recipe for disaster. There is no safe way to do what you want IMO.
Well, I know a 14'' lift jack BARELY gets the tires off of the ground, and the one you linked lifts up to 24'', so you'd only get +10, not +12.
The weight should obviously not be an issue, but the angle of the car you'd be reaching.... you'd be putting a lot of trust into whatever chalks you're holding the car with. And even so, it's still a hell of an angle.
You can get drive-up ramps which give you +6 inches and are a way safer way of achieving that, though it still is a pretty tight squeeze.
Well, I know a 14'' lift jack BARELY gets the tires off of the ground, and the one you linked lifts up to 24'', so you'd only get +10, not +12.
The weight should obviously not be an issue, but the angle of the car you'd be reaching.... you'd be putting a lot of trust into whatever chalks you're holding the car with. And even so, it's still a hell of an angle.
You can get drive-up ramps which give you +6 inches and are a way safer way of achieving that, though it still is a pretty tight squeeze.
Yeah the MyLiftStand version does it in 2 stages, so it's never at a crazy angle. Maybe I could stage it like this? I have 4 ramps, but they don't fit under the sill, and getting up on just two of them on a smooth garage floor is tricky because they slip.
I could use the bend pak to lower evenly onto 4 cribs, but I can't get the lift out of the way afterwards, it's so annoying. Maybe I could lever the lowered lift onto some heavy duty dollys and push it out of the way?
Ok I reckon I have a solution - the collapsed lift rolls on its back wheels if the front is raised 2 inches - that's how it is scootered around the floor. So I got a 6T roller dolly (used - as new from amazon warehouse, $30) coming this weekend. I'll crowbar the front of the lift up onto this and just roll the whole thing back out of the way.
Look into building a set of wooden stackable cribbing blocks. I've had a set that I built years ago that I use any time I need a good bit of room under a vehicle. There are plenty of different ways to build them but mine are 7in for the first set then another 7 for the second. You get 14in of lift without having to go the full height in one lift.
Look into building a set of wooden stackable cribbing blocks. I've had a set that I built years ago that I use any time I need a good bit of room under a vehicle. There are plenty of different ways to build them but mine are 7in for the first set then another 7 for the second. You get 14in of lift without having to go the full height in one lift.
Do you have any pics of that? I'd be super interested to see If you were to make them again, would you do them the same height? Any worries about chocking them while lifting with the jack?
There are some available this exact size, but kinda pricy - RACE RAMPS 14" Two-Piece Supercar Wheel Cribs - $327 a pair. Looks like sufficient height too.
Last edited by deanbrown; Feb 1, 2024 at 11:14 AM.
I have an Arcan XL2T, it has a 24" max lifting height with a super low 2 1/4" min lifting height. I got mine for $150 on Offerup, but they are kind of pricey around $331. Other companies make the same version just rebranded like Schwaben or something like that on ECS tuning.
With regards to safety, I would be concerned with the car rolling off the blocks; I picture cinder blocks (or similar) which should never be used. The blocks should have some kind of raised border to keep the vehicle in place.
I use a floor jack and four jack stands at the body seam (see attachment from 1998 service manual). Doesn't really matter which end you lift first; It depends on if I can jet the jack under the bumper.
Just make sure that when lifting, the jack walks forward while lifting. If the jack isn't walking forward, the vehicle is getting pulled toward you and the opposite end of the car is teetering on the stands.
@paulo57509 Where did you get that jack stand? - or more specifically, that rubber block on top? I could see from your picture that it is a Mack brand, but a web search shows nothing that looks like yours.
@paulo57509 Where did you get that jack stand? - or more specifically, that rubber block on top? I could see from your picture that it is a Mack brand, but a web search shows nothing that looks like yours.
I recently purchased an Arcan floor jack. Even though it's a "hybrid"; aluminum/steel construction it's still heavy. I inherited a "low mileage" Craftsman 3 ton that all of a sudden will not lift a load, even after fluid changes, numerous bleeding cycles, etc. I'm also tired of dealing with most HF jacks, Pittsburgh and Central Pneumatic. They work (for the most part) but the casters are crap.
I read that Arcan floor jacks are the same jacks that are sold off of the Snap-On trucks. During per-historic times, mechanics used to laugh at guys that showed up with Snap-On tools.
Do you have any pics of that? I'd be super interested to see If you were to make them again, would you do them the same height? Any worries about chocking them while lifting with the jack?
There are some available this exact size, but kinda pricy - RACE RAMPS 14" Two-Piece Supercar Wheel Cribs - $327 a pair. Looks like sufficient height too.
This is the only picture I have at the moment. This is with the first set and I was getting ready to lift the rear again for the next set to go on top. I built these out of 2X10 boards. 8 stacks of 4, each stack gives around 6 inches of lift. Think I built these 4-5 years ago for around $120. Gave me plenty of room to measure pinion angle, exhaust work, etc.. I used scrap lumber to add wheel chocks and bump stops as well. They also stack easily in a corner so they are out of the way when not needed.
Don't give me a hard time - I've got Race Ramps cribs coming next week. This was just to sanity check if I could move the lift our of the way. It was the best feeling to be able to finally scoot under there on the creeper! I pushed the lift out of the way with the orange dolly there.
Lifting the LS400 onto blocks
If you were to make them again, would you do them the same height? Any worries about chocking them while lifting with the jack?
