Need DIY Jag owners to weigh in here. What do you recommend for routine maintenance tasks at home? Considering quality ramps with wheel chocks, but know some prefer a trolley floor jack with jack stands. What is your preference?

 

I have a pair of Rhino ramps as well as a couple of floor jacks and four jackstands. I tend to use the jacks and jackstands more than the ramps because I can get our vehicles higher in the air with them....

 

I just got quick jacks and have also had a kwik-lift style. Both are great options, but the quick jack is just more useful all around and takes up less space, so I stuck with that that one. Of course no matter what you do you'll always get stuck sooner or later - right now the frame of the quick jack is blocking me from swinging the over axle pipe and box out where I need to to be able to untangle it from the car. Overall it's an incredible quality of life improvement. On the lowest of 2 settings I can just barely roll around on the creeper, and on the higher setting there's loads of room. I just leave them on the floor under the car just pushed togehter, and drag them out to the sides when I need to use them.

They are expensive of course - but they have good sales, and you don't need a high ceiling or good concrete to install like a real lift, which is my main reason.

 

I use a mid lift scissor lift. Lifts to around 1.2 metres. Operates without issue in normal garage roof height and with a low stool on castors it is very convenient and good value for money.

 

cheap (but safe) : I just use basic ramps for oil changes and minor under engine maintenance. I do supplement the ramps with jack stands for safety sake. Once the car is up on the ramps I can raise it more quite easily if needed with the floor jack using the sill jacking points. The ramps saving me much of the effort required when using the floor jack solely.

There are many benefits to using the scissor lift types and 2 post lifts. Not debating that . If one has the disposable $$$ for those systems then go for it. But many DIY projects can be done without them.

Z

 

I use a jack to lift, and home-made wooden wheel cribs to support - either under the wheels, or at the jacking point. Best thing I've ever used for this. Super-stable.

 

Just installed my two post 10K lb Bendpak lift. With my old back and knee's it's the only way for me to keep working!




Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas lift!
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Very nice ....and if your shop is smaller than your house.

 

quite the smile, Merry Christmas indeed.

WJ

 

No room for a real lift. This is my solution: Hydraulic ramps & Safe Jacks. Does the job.



4 positions - Lowest position shown. Lift much higher (Max ~18") Safety bar so not relying on hydraulics.



Safe Jacks (Lowest position shown) - Used when I need to remove the wheels.


Safe Jack adapter was fabricated to fit car. Plates stop the Safe Jacks digging into epoxy floor.

I have Race Ramps also. Only reliable ramps for epoxy floor. I have some very large 6T jack stands for working on the Trucks.

HTH, Dave

 

Hey I was at where your are now and it took a few decades to finally get a place that even HAD a shop or room for one!
Let alone some place big enough for a lift!

Now I did see a combination jack stand and floor jack that looked real interesting. Because when I use a floor jack it's always a pain to try and fit a jack stand in there to support the car. But they are expensive.

I think it just fits in with the old saying; Youth is wasted on the young and retirement is wasted on the old.
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I use Rhino ramps, the same as Jon89. They are quick to use for routine maintenance like Oil changes and easy stackable storage.
I use the Heavy Duty 7 Ton versions because they are a better fit for our wide tyres.

 

Same here, got mine 9 years ago, done a lot of work since then. Easily 10 times faster and easier than lying on the ground!

 

Hey another Bendpak guy!! Thanks for the picture with a Jaguar sitting proudly in the air. Let's hope it was for maintenance and you were not broke down.
After taken the above picture I removed almost all the stickers on my lift as they were just useless government mandated crap for the most part. I did keep the Serial and model number tag and the ALI certification tag.

I do plan to add some "man" stickers like you did as it just makes the lift your own!
My first lift was Bendpak blue but in 2015 they went to this grey. Of course you can still get blue and any other color you want for an additional charge.
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+1 for Quick Jack. A bit pricey but very versatile and I like the fact that they don't block the centre of the car...drive line, exhaust etc.
are all in the clear.

 

You're garages are bigger then my house. Nice.

 

Thanks all. Decided to go this route for now.

 

@PKWise I noted the red jack stands providing backup support under the car. What under-carriage member do the jacks align with?

 

Really like the look of the Quick Jacks. My garage is almost complete but it not much bigger than the car so they look like an ideal solution.

 

Jack stands and hydraulic lifts are generally better than ramps, if only because every other job on this car either requires or is made easier by removing a wheel somewhere. At the low end of budget, jacks/stands are the way to go imho for this reason. If you've got money to spend and space to install them, by all means 2 or 4 post lifts can't be beat, and/or some hydraulic EZ lifts, although they do hamper some access.

Almost every job I've done mechanically on this car that involved raising it has involved pulling the wheels. Front sway bar endlinks and bushings? Pull front wheels and liners. Topping up atmospheric recovery tank? Wheel and liner off. Suspension anything? Wheels. Oil change? inspecting brakes, bushings, boots, etc, Rotate your tires left-right, wheels. Brake job? Wheels.

And bear in mind, every professional mechanic I've ever been to will have jacks and stands as well in the shop, cos sometimes you need to take a car apart for a longer period of time, waiting for parts, big job etc and don't want it tying up a lift .