My faithfull must be nearly 30 years old now and has been excellent, it wasn't cheap but has paid for itself many times over, wondering whether it might be time to retire it with a perfect record, lifts to about 24" so ideal for lifting onto axle stands all round, very stable with full ball bearing wheels and castors, noisy though on steel wheels.
Met up with the daugher at my tyre indy on Christmas Eve and had new Quatrac all seasons fitted to the Aygo, said tyre indy has blue trolley jacks British made i think that have large rubber capped lifting cups and rubber covered wheels, 'bout the same size as mine 2 ton decent lifters, made a mental note (forgotten..;) of make to look them up as they seemed ideal, could ring him and ask him for make i suppose but you know how it is..;)
Want decent professional quality if poss, plus parts back up, ideally British made but prefer European or Japanese to Chinese? happy to go up to £250, reasonable weight that i can lift on my own and put in car boot when needed.
Don't mind used or refurbed for the right product well cared for, but would prefer new.
Any thoughts?
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Thu 27 Dec 12 at 10:57
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>>Any thoughts?
Yeah, if it ain't broke don't fix it !
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Thats one way of looking at it,,;)
Found the jack they use, its this one (if the link works)
www.weberuk.com/shop/standard-trolley-jacks/wdk20q/
Bet it'll be a bit more than £250, but fairly flexible on price for the right tool...edit...found it at £280, not as bad as i thought.
Any others you lot like the look of?
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Thu 27 Dec 12 at 11:16
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Machine Mart have some blue ones like you describe:
www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/search/filter/trolley-jacks-bottle-jacks-transmission-jacks/type/any/module/shopcategory/page/1
I have a couple of the standard jacks which are a tad cumbersome but nevertheless do a good job - not that I do a deal of spannering any more. If I was looking for a replacement It would have to be one of the low profile lightweight aluminium ones.
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£215.99 here, probably excludes VAT, making it £260 +del.
hilifthydraulics.co.uk/2-ton-weber-standard-quick-lift-trolley-jack-wdk20q
I have one of these
magar.co.uk/arcan-1-8-ton-tonne-aluminum-car-service-trolley-jack-quick-lift.html
from Costco at about £90 a few years ago - not quite as beefy as you are looking at but OK and a lot easier to use than than a couple of miniature 2 tonne ones I have than need lots of pumping and don't go very high.
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>> £215.99 here, probably excludes VAT, making it £260 +del.
>>
>> hilifthydraulics.co.uk/2-ton-weber-standard-quick-lift-trolley-jack-wdk20q
Thanks MT, been looking there and another couple of sites (as well the ones linked by D and FC for Clarke jacks), all seem about the same price for Webers.
Can save about £60 by not having the 'Q' in the model which means no quick lift ability, which i haven't got on my present one and can't say i've missed that much, so far cheapest WDK20 seems to be £228 all in.
I've seen those Costco ones mentioned before elsewhere, people seem to rate them...I'm unsure about aluminium and not sure why must be me, my road tank is a made of the stuff as is the trailer chassis and they last around 20 years at full weight running in all weathers, have to do some more thinking about this one, i like the idea of a lighter jack chassis as last time i looked wasn't getting any younger.
Renewal is more about safety than anything else, at nigh on 30 years with no overhaul the seals must be on borrowed time.
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>>.I'm unsure about aluminium and not sure why
It doesn't feel that light when I carry it! About 20kg I think. The side plates and cantilevers are c. 3/8" thick at a guess. It is made in China, I just looked. It's not at all flimsy. It's reasonably quick to lift, and has a good long detachable handle that comes in two pieces. Release is just a twist, I can drop it gradually with care. The axles, the cylinder and the higher stressed bits are steel.
Probably not the equal of the one you are looking at, and not what you'd buy for a tyre bay or professional workshop, but good enough for what I do and in use it's fine.
www.powerstationusa.com/brands/Arcan/product.php?mod=ALJ2T
I'll may go to MK today or tomorrow, I'll see if Costco has any if I do.
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''I'll may go to MK today or tomorrow, I'll see if Costco has any if I do.''
Don't have a Costco card unfortunately but thanks for the thought, however coming round to the idea of alloy, some 10kg's lighter.
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I'm not trying to persuade you one way or the other, but it wouldn't be a problem to pick one up if you wanted one. I just called them, they have 41 in stock. £108 inc VAT.
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>> I'm not trying to persuade you one way or the other, but it wouldn't be
>> a problem to pick one up if you wanted one.
Very kind offer MT thankyou, will give that some thought.
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If you want to go that route, or just look at it, I'd suggest we meet there - just email me. I've got cabin fever and can use an excuse to go out.
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just email me. I've got cabin fever and can use an excuse
>> to go out.
Will do if i decide on that one, never been in a Costco before, thankyou.
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Our local auction centre usually have machine tools and such like in their weekly sales.
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Looked at those Clarkes jacks before, many thanks lads.
Whilst lifting well and being stable and dependable enough i found the release valve to be a bit too on/off switch (my lads one has this type of mechanism and can drop like a stone), my present jack you have to pull the handle and twist slightly to engage the eccentric shape onto the release valve, in practice this means you can minutely control lowering to fractions of an inch when needed with fingertip effort, the odd wipe of grease on the shaft has kept it fine.
edit, haven't been to a local auction for ages Tom, might be worth sending the gaffer there, she loves poke nosing about..:-)
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Thu 27 Dec 12 at 11:39
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>> This any good?
>>
Good jack that RR thanks, but again its the lowering mechansim that spoils the ship for me, i like fine control and usually end up with that sort dropping too fast.
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That's like my two. One has plastic wheels which runs silently the other steel which are noisy when dragged.
To be fair I have had no issues with the fast drop by slowly twisting the handle which is nicely greased.
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I've had a trolley jack fail - and it failed spectacularly - on me once.
well. not ON me, but you know the deal...
I have a set of 2.5 ton rated axle stands, which always get positioned and the vehicle dropped on to, before I crawl underneath.
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This one is 38kg - probably too heavy, but seems to cope with anything and according to the reviews, nice and smooth.
tinyurl.com/cwh6bto
You need something like this maybe, but 2 tonne equivalent. I don't want to be blamed for extortionate physio fees after manhandling the brute into the boot :)
Someone on the Pistonheads forum had a Clarke aluminium one fail on them - the seals blew and it went down slowly, he was alright but it does give you concerns about the build quality.
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Clarke aluminium one fail on them - the
>> seals blew and it went down slowly, he was alright but it does give you
>> concerns about the build quality.
>>
Corax, I have no problem with a slow leak - but mine went POW!, squirted hydraulic fluid across 30ft, and dropped the racecar from 18" to the ground in short order.
Blown seals - and this on a supposedly decent brand jack.
and the racecar weighs less than a tonne.
The racecar was NOT set up for that sort of stuff!
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That black Amazon one linked to by Corax is quite a bargain, not sure but i expect its the sort of release i didn''t want, though point taken FC seems to manage OK with them.
Bit high for me at its lowest steeing, was going to go for a lower model whilst changing, think the Weber is 80mm where the Sealey jobbie is 145mm, having stuggled various times to get my jack under cars was hoping for lower approach.
Quite a bargain though, hmm.
Ian's swift drop failure could have been horrible, confess i don't always prop the car up and know i should, but sometimes the stands get in the way, still better than my knee halting the rapid drop of my old Benz though..;)
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Sealey do a low clearance jack too, but slightly heavier :)
www.justoffbase.co.uk/Trolley-Jack-Premier-2ton-Low-Entry-Super-Rocket-Lift-Sealey-2000LEQ
More money too.
Last edited by: corax on Thu 27 Dec 12 at 13:59
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>> Sealey do a low clearance jack too, but slightly heavier :)
>>
Spotted that one earlier C, but for that money i'm into Weber's range, trouble is which is best for me as i'm not a daily user but will expect it to outlast me..;)
Weber seems to be in use at garages or tyre fitters and standing up to pro use, are garages using these Sealey jobbies with good results?
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Hmm whilst on Amazon spotted this.
tinyurl.com/bw4tj3y
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I've got a small RAC trolley jack can lift up to two tonne.Not used often but when I go abroad take it with me its not light but I'm happy having it.
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I have a couple of Sealey 2 tonners in the garage, both over 10 yrs old, bought from Classic Car shows at about £70.
The little 1.5 tonner was from Aldi or Lidl and lives under the driver's seat in the Suzuki. Try lifting a Prius at the roadside with it's OE jack.......you should live that long !
Ted
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>>Hmm whilst on Amazon spotted this.
tinyurl.com/bw4tj3y<<
Made in China (like everything these days) but the reviews are bueno.
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>> Made in China (like everything these days) but the reviews are bueno.
>>
I'm wondering if this is basically the same jack as the alloy chassised jobbie that MT has and has kindly offered to get for me...some decent sticks lurk here yernow.
As Ted is finding, i could sort of semi retire me old one and just use it for those times when lifting from both sides.
Have to sleep on it.
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>> >>Hmm whilst on Amazon spotted this.
>>
>> tinyurl.com/bw4tj3y<<
>>
>> Made in China (like everything these days) but the reviews are bueno.
47kg too. A mite heavy for single handed lifting unless you are built like Zydrunas Zavickas.
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>> 47kg too. A mite heavy for single handed lifting unless you are built like Zydrunas
>> Zavickas.
Well spotted that man i missed that, don't want to pop something precious out whilst heaving that thing about..;)
Hmm, Weber weighs in @ 31kg, that nice little Alloy jobbie of Manatee's only 20kg, could put that up on a shelf once i've rented a few skips and cleared the garage.
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The build quality of the Costco jack looks very well and there quite heavy which is also a good sign for a suitable jack, i do fancy one myself the cheap thing i have is ok for the boot.
Similar ones on e bay around £25.00 more.
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Agreed BigT it does look well made, low enough for easy entry and only about an inch less lift than the Weber.
The quick lift i haven't had before C and can honestly say only once or twice would it have helped and then only by seconds, i'm hardly Brad Pitt on £5mill a film so 12 seconds pumping up to start of lift wouldn't really hurt.
Still undecided.
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£25.00 + vat for a Costco card and some ID then you can buy one and while your there buy some more car related goodies there is a isle of car stuff.
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>> £25.00 + vat for a Costco card and some ID
NOT that easy....
''You qualify for Individual membership if you belong to or are retired from specific employment groups.
The cost to become an Individual member is £25 +VAT per annum, and this includes a complimentary spouse/domestic partner card for someone over the age of 18.
Membership is available to individuals over the age of 18 years who meet one of the following requirements:
Qualified as:
Chartered Architect Optician Pharmacist
Chartered Surveyor Qualified Accountant Solicitor/Barrister
Dentist Magistrate/Advocate Chartered/Civil Engineer
Current or retired employee of:
Banking/Finance Civil Servant Education Fire/Rescue Insurance
Local Government Airline Post Office Police Force Medical/Health Service''
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Light enough to lift into your boot: tinyurl.com/chb4p3r
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>> Light enough to lift into your boot: tinyurl.com/chb4p3r
>>
Looks a neat jack that, lifting heights 100mm to 460mm, i could probably manage with the approach height but wanted a bit higher lift without going to an elongated high lift design, my present jack has sometimes been at the top of its travel when i had the pick up with its longer suspension travel, now we have the Outlander whilst it obviously won't need so much height it helps when for instance jacking on the chassis to get axle stands underneath.
Also any extra lifting height has been invaluable when for instance balancing a gearbox on the jack and lifting it up into place whilst lining up, or forcing a part up to get the bolts started without danger of it springing out.
In this respect the Weber does have the advantage as its got a 495mm (80mm min) lift and a height raiser extender fitting which slots onto the lifting cup base is available.
Wouldn't want to go any heavier than the Weber @31kg, which is about the same weight and dimensions as the present which it must be said has proved itself to be a good heavy duty longer termer.
Think i'm leaning here to the more industrial duty steel bodied Weber, but very happy to be convinced otherwise.
Just out of interest i've been out and measured my old jack, min height 120mm max height 490.
Its also only rated @1500kgs, the only sticker left on it so considering its jacked everything from loaded Transits and pick ups to Jags and other heavy cars over a 30 year period i reckon its done well (borrowed time now i suspect), i have a feeling it was a mid 80's Sealey but could well be wrong.
If one was feeling a bit adventurous, does the panel think i might be able to strip the ram out and get new seals for it (almost certainly it was British made), or like master cyl overhauls, probably find wear grooves and scores galore and all i'll do is hasten its scrappage and deny meself a competent standby when two jacks would be handy, where would one find seals like those these days?
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Fri 28 Dec 12 at 10:32
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>> Think i'm leaning here to the more industrial duty steel bodied Weber, but very happy
>> to be convinced otherwise.
If you're only putting the jack in the car occasionally, I'd go for the Weber if it was me. If it's being used in tyre bays theres' no question about its durability, that lift range is useful for more awkward jobs - it's a well built nice solid jack that'll be a pleasure to use year after year.
If you were constantly moving the jack between garage and car then I would seriously think about an aluminium one like the above.
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That about sums it up Corax, in practice i don't put the jack in the car for years then other times have carried it several times over a period of months, so really not regular enough to worry about.
The aluminium jack would be able to be stored on a shelf though without too much bother, especially easy since it has lifting handles, looking pretty i'd be more inclined to keep it clean too...i don't think i've ever cleaned mine, kept it lubricated and oiled yes, but its prettty mucky.
I think you're right about the durability aspect though, in tyre bay or garage use any weakness the Webers had would soon come to light, and i do want this to be a long term totally reliable tool, those nylon or rubber covered wheels make it silent in use too.
Another thing in the Webers favour is that you can register the jack with them for an extra years warranty, haven't seen any 5 year warranties bandied about, most incl Weber are 12 months only, though in the ggrand scheme of things i want this to be my last jack purchase, if it last 20 years (and if i do) then doubt i'll be (allowed or able?) to do very much home maintenance anyway, to me all electric whizzkid state guided and authorized personal transportation device..;)
Many thanks for all your contributions, been interesting in a blokey sort of way.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Fri 28 Dec 12 at 11:35
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You know it makes sense :)
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Yes there are hydraulic repair outfits about.
Many years ago I bought a Blackhawk jack (if I remember correctly) from Machine Mart. It started to leak and I took it to a local specialist. They were unable to get the parts for it and it was scrap. They supplied me with a reconditioned item which is not branded but looks like the Sealey. I matched it later with a branded Sealey.
One of them has since been repaired with no issues. So as to whether it can be repaired would depend on it's origins. If its a common brand probably or some cheap cloned import maybe not.
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>> Yes there are hydraulic repair outfits about.
>>
Almost certain it was British made, at the time i only bought large items made here so most unlikely its a far eastern copy.
Nearly got caught out like that once when i went to buy a Belling microwave with the Union emblem proudly displayed on the front and made in China stamped small on the back (shop never been asked that question before), disgusting and never bought one of their products since, cynical as Rover with their Union badged Tata City carp.
Just remembered thanks to you there is (or was last time i looked) a very old established air/hydraulic workshops a few miles from me, will give them a tinkle once i have the new one see if they can overhaul the ram for a reasonable figure.
Thanks for the memory jog FC.
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If money is not the issue the weber does look a neat jack i had a brand new jack 20 years ago the type found in garages with the sprocket type release mechanism to lower it etc it seized up not been used enough.!!
The weber does look a nice quality jack i wonder have you tried these places that provide to the garage trade a local search there's loads up here you may get a new one cheaper or they take in used stock too.?
Let us know what you get i think im off to Costco for the aluminium one it's light enough to drag out and then sling back in shed besides it won't rust. :-)
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After much deliberation i decided to order the Weber WDK20, thats the one without the quick raise lever, but i spent an extra £15 and ordered the rubber cover for the lifting cup.
Many thanks for all your inputs, much appreciated.
First job already booked, see technical thread.
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what trolley jack? - Runfer D'Hills
