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Ramps or jack stands?


ProntoTonto

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I use the wood ramps too and yes, they are heavy. I had this article in my folders from some time ago. I did shorten my ramps as compared to the overall 78" in the article and then installed door pull handles on the "side" of the ramp which helps to carry them from one place to the other.

 

http://www.mustangworld.com/ourpics/News/mwramps/index.htm

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I'll be changing my oil shortly and wanted to ask what you all use to lift the car up. Are there any ramps that the Shelby can drive up on? Should I use a floor jack to jack the car up by the crossmember and then support using jackstands?

 

Thanks

 

 

I personally use a floor jack and jack stands, two at a time (either front ONLY or rear ONLY). I'm not crazy about having a car up on four stands then sliding under it.

 

With jack stands, when I have it up for changing oil I can also check the suspension, steering system (from lock-to-lock), check the lube points and lube (if any), check my rubber brake hoses, check inner brake pads, pull wheels and rotate, etc.

 

I have ramps but they can be a REAL pain in the ass driving up on them if they're on finished concrete (like my garage floor is).

 

Sounds like it's just a matter of preference to me.

 

 

Phill Pollard

2010 Kona Blue/White GT500

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The wood ramps work pretty good for oil changes. My garage floor is coated so I use some equal lengths of 2 x 4s to brace them against the wheel stops.

 

Wear mechanics gloves while handling otherwise you'll end up with a hand full of splinters.

 

Oil_Change.jpg

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I also use the wood ramps. They are a little heavy but don't slide around on the cement floor when you pull up onto them. I used some left over 2x10's from another project, that is why some of them are painted white.

 

th_car.jpg

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See the link in Post #6 for complete plans; I just left off the 78" plank.

 

My issue with the ramps is going over the end--i did that once with a 4spd GTO and what a mess.I had the front end,both wheels hanging over the front of the ramps,and the frame sitting on the ramps.With a high hp.manual shift it was tricky going up the ramp easily.But mine were only 4 ft long

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My issue with the ramps is gong over the end--i did that once with a 4spd GTO and what a mess

I almost did that while backing up on the wood ramps - had one tire sitting on the very last 2" piece - it would have been messy; really freaked my wife out. Now I place wheel chocks against the 2" piece to help me stop before going too far on the last step.

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I am done with ramps, ordered one of these last week...

 

1.jpg

 

 

I've thought very seriously about buying a above-ground lift like that. I worked with one for decades (professionally) and they're great for under-car work such as transmissions, clutches, exhaust, etc.

 

BUT, when we serviced a car (lube/oil/filter) we also did a 4-wheel brake check so we used a standard single post hydraulic for that task. It's impossible to pull a wheel on a drive-on lift such as that one.

 

I have seen one that has a sliding two-post jacking system so you can lift one end or the other for tire removal but even then, pulling a tire off over a ramp is HARD on the back.

 

I'm curious...how much is that one you pictured?

 

I was thinkin' more along the lines of putting the car on it and parking my two Harley-Davidson's under it. Talk about a "space saver"...

 

 

Phill Pollard

2010 Kona Blue/White GT500

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I've thought very seriously about buying a above-ground lift like that. I worked with one for decades (professionally) and they're great for under-car work such as transmissions, clutches, exhaust, etc.

 

BUT, when we serviced a car (lube/oil/filter) we also did a 4-wheel brake check so we used a standard single post hydraulic for that task. It's impossible to pull a wheel on a drive-on lift such as that one.

 

I have seen one that has a sliding two-post jacking system so you can lift one end or the other for tire removal but even then, pulling a tire off over a ramp is HARD on the back.

 

I'm curious...how much is that one you pictured?

 

I was thinkin' more along the lines of putting the car on it and parking my two Harley-Davidson's under it. Talk about a "space saver"...

 

 

Phill Pollard

2010 Kona Blue/White GT500

 

It was about 3 grand Canadian... It's a pretty heavy duty lift, 9000lb... I ordered the optional rolling bridge jack too, seemes safer to me... So it should be easier to get a car onto jackstands!!

 

BEN-5175344_1.jpg

 

I can't wait to paint the rear end of my car and detail the undercarrige!!

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I bought a lift last week it is suppose to be here on Tuesday. I bought it from garage-toys.com they are here in MN. I got the XLT version it will hold 8,000 lbs it comes with the sliding jack, drip trays and rolling casters to move it around, All together I paid $3,000 for it and thats with tax, delivery and set up. http://garage-toys.com/gt8lbdesesta.html

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I bought a lift last week it is suppose to be here on Tuesday. I bought it from garage-toys.com they are here in MN. I got the XLT version it will hold 8,000 lbs it comes with the sliding jack, drip trays and rolling casters to move it around, All together I paid $3,000 for it and thats with tax, delivery and set up. http://garage-toys.com/gt8lbdesesta.html

 

 

I used jack stands forever and decided on a Maxjax. Works great and love to be able to get under the car. The only better thing will be when I have my 2011 GT500 in the air. :)

 

 

th_IMG_3060.jpg

th_IMG_3061.jpg

 

Craig

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I used jack stands forever and decided on a Maxjax. Works great and love to be able to get under the car. The only better thing will be when I have my 2011 GT500 in the air. :)

 

 

th_IMG_3060.jpg

th_IMG_3061.jpg

 

Craig

 

I'd be scared shitless under one of those. How do you determine the PSI of your concrete to see if it's good enough? My house is 35 years old.

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How high does the garage ceiling need to be to have enough clearance for lifts?

 

I used jack stands forever and decided on a Maxjax. Works great and love to be able to get under the car. The only better thing will be when I have my 2011 GT500 in the air. :)

 

 

th_IMG_3060.jpg

th_IMG_3061.jpg

 

Craig

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I'd be scared shitless under one of those. How do you determine the PSI of your concrete to see if it's good enough? My house is 35 years old.

 

 

Well obvious the concrete is a very important part of this lift, or really any lift being safe. The Maxjax is rated @ 6000 lbs and will lift to 48 ". It uses 5 power drop anchors on each tower, that goes down in the concrete and the concrete needs to be a min of 3 1/2 inches thick and concrete should be at 3000psi. People that have old and brittle concrete will dig out and repour footings, like a 3'x3'x12". The best way to tell if your concrete is good drill the hole and see if the anchor holds @ 100lbs of torque. The drop in anchors base expands as you torque them down and "BIT" into the concrete. If you can torque to 100 lbs, one anchor is rated at 12,580 lbs of strength. I also had an engineer friend of mine look over engineering performed stress analysis tests that Maxjax provided and he was convinced if your concrete was good, it would be fine for 6K. He also mentioned you would want any lift especially 8, 9, 10 or 12 K lifts on poor concrete. All 2 post lifts use power anchors driven into the concrete.The higher the lift weight rating the higher the PSI for the concrete will have to be.

 

Mine has worked flawlessly and am very happy with it. I put the family beater on the lift for 2 days before I got underneath it. I also have small levels on the side of each tower to make sure it is staying plum with no movement. It has been one of the best investment I have gotten for my garage and working on cars. I will never go back to jack stands.

 

Craig

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How high does the garage ceiling need to be to have enough clearance for lifts?

 

 

The maxjax is made especially for low garage ceilings. Mine is 10'8" but I didn't want to cut into my ceiling and I wanted to keep my garage opener . A full height lift would effect both of those issues. I can lift it 48" and use a roller stool to roll underneath the entire car. I'm not sure what the height requirements are, but I know some people have the standard height garage and it works for them. Another nice thing is you can break down the lift and store it in a corner of your garage, I have not needed to do that yet because I have 2, 2 car garages and really don't need to. There is a video on YouTube that shows how long it takes to set up and take down, about 12-15 min to to set up/take down. It might not be for everyone, but it sure works really well for me.

 

Craig

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I use a floor jack and jack stands...here's why.

when i drain the oil out of the pan, i pull the stands and use the floor jack to lower the car down flat on the floor. This allows the oil that may have collected in the corners of the pan to drain. After all is out, i jack back up and apply the stands again. if you are on a ramp, you can not get that last bit out of the pan unless you start the car and drive it down the ramp, which is a no-no.

 

Just my 2 cents.

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You guys that are interested in buying a lift, Find your area auto shop supplier to see if they have any used. I did this and got a 6mth old lift still under warranty installed for half price. I ended up with a 2 post for service and a 4 post for storage. Started to do work on the side and these things have paid for themselves tenfold. If you have a building with 11-12ft, ceilings they are definetly worth the investment.

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