Love me, love my jack

I spend much of my weekends repairing 'improvements' to members Supra's and the no. 1. wind-up, is jacking the damn things up, which invariably takes more time and effort than the job in hand.

It goes something like this; first use the OE jack to lift the car up a bit to get a little trolley jack under cross-member, then pump it up to max height, using a socket extension for the first half of lift because there's no room to swing the jack handle, then install axle-stands, then repeat at rear of car.

This gives just enough room to wriggle under like a maggot and look at the problem. To then get under with room to work, entails using wooden blocks balanced on the trolley jack to lift it front and rear up to max height on axle stands. After the job is jobbed, then lower it back down with the above sequence in reverse order to find that the 10 minute job had wasted most of the day for 2 blokes.

At the weekend I discovered that my trolley jack had been stolen, it was low enough to get under mine yet lacking in lift so have replaced it with an upgrade. It's a 45kg beast with a 3 tonne rating, I wasn't after such a monster but it cost less than it's lesser brethren and has a lower (70mm) entry and greater (508mm) lift, which will get under anything I need it to and raise it up to max axle-stand height in one lift.

It's one of the best presents I have ever bought myself and rate it as a Supra owner's must have.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141468358273

I get fed up with that !!

Will have a look at this later

got a mac tools 3 tonne , as i needed something to lift my L200, but it goes under the supra , so sold my michelin ally race jack

I spend much of my weekends repairing 'improvements' to members Supra's and the no. 1. wind-up, is jacking the damn things up, which invariably takes more time and effort than the job in hand.

 

It goes something like this; first use the OE jack to lift the car up a bit to get a little trolley jack under cross-member, then pump it up to max height, using a socket extension for the first half of lift because there's no room to swing the jack handle, then install axle-stands, then repeat at rear of car.

 

This gives just enough room to wriggle under like a maggot and look at the problem. To then get under with room to work, entails using wooden blocks balanced on the trolley jack to lift it front and rear up to max height on axle stands. After the job is jobbed, then lower it back down with the above sequence in reverse order to find that the 10 minute job had wasted most of the day for 2 blokes.

 

At the weekend I discovered that my trolley jack had been stolen, it was low enough to get under mine yet lacking in lift so have replaced it with an upgrade. It's a 45kg beast with a 3 tonne rating, I wasn't after such a monster but it cost less than it's lesser brethren and has a lower (70mm) entry and greater (508mm) lift, which will get under anything I need it to and raise it up to max axle-stand height in one lift.

 

It's one of the best presents I have ever bought myself and rate it as a Supra owner's must have.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141468358273

 

http://www.lftauto.co.uk/WebRoot/BT2/Shops/BT3814/5123/DF6E/9883/E255/9C53/0A0C/05E9/E8C2/TT649.JPG

Got one similar to that, got it about 2 weeks back from screwfix, Hilka brand, nice and easy to get under now.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-2-tonne-low-profile-service-jack/52642

Your back will love your jack

I looked at similar items, yet the lower entry with longer low reach and higher lift could not be resisted.

I need to get myself one of these - the car is quite low now and I struggle with a normal height jack (either needing the OE jack first or some blocks).

I've got an Arcan XL30R, very similar to yours. It's really heavy. I remember reading on a 911 forum that "you would NOT want to spill its pint!"

I might sell mine at some point: it's too noisy/heavy to pull up my sloped drive to a flat surface where I do my jacking. I've got it's smaller brother, a 2 tonne Arcan, and use that all the time now.

Although with the XL30R and the 2-tonner, I still need to drive one of the supra's front wheels onto a small block of wood to get the clearance to jack the car.

Your back will love your jack

Confusticatingly for some, I don't have a problem lifting heavy items, I could pick you up with one hand whilst you were carrying it and walk a dozen paces, which is about as far as I can walk myself without a stick.

The reduction in jackthipperygarmi will outweigh it's weight ten fold.

This is the biggest pain in the backside with the supra. I was told the little dip in the sideskirt was for using a normal jack - most likely not true. I have a raised curb i just drive up to give me a bit of leeway when jacking up, gives me a headstart on one side atleast lol

I have some scaffold board ramps, they are years old and this has reminded me that I need to make some fresh ones, but they help to allow straight access to the diff and front cross member and you can easily taper them to give the approach angle required for your own car. The amount of suspension droop can make it hard then to get the wheels clear of them but it's easier than the usual two stages of 'up'.

I get the feeling my car isn't low enough. Can get a standard Halfords jack on the rear diff without any problem...

http://m.costco.co.uk/view/p/arcan-2000kg-aluminiumsteel-service-jack-model-hj2000eu-900930

Had this Jack for a few year now it's built like a tank.

Bollocks to using a OEM jack for anything other than an ornament horrid things

http://m.costco.co.uk/view/p/arcan-2000kg-aluminiumsteel-service-jack-model-hj2000eu-900930

 

 

Had this Jack for a few year now it's built like a tank.

 

Bollocks to using a OEM jack for anything other than an ornament horrid things

That's my other jack I was talking about. I can lift this one, but the 3-tonner is a different story.

Good choice David. I have this one from SGS and it's awesome too. So, so much better than a standard trolley jack from Halfords!

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/trolley-jacks/tj2-professional-low-profile-service-trolley-jack-axle-stands

I don't think I've ever used the standard jack and don't plan on ever doing so!

Unfortunately it has been used in the past and my sills are a little worse off for it

Halfrauds low entry jack ftw

Got one similar to that, got it about 2 weeks back from screwfix, Hilka brand, nice and easy to get under now.

 

http://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-2-tonne-low-profile-service-jack/52642

I have this very one, but sadly it hasn't stood the test of time. The mechanism that operates the pump is a poor design and over a period of time due to the play and movement in it falls to pieces. I have rebuilt it a few times now using washers to pack it out and reduce the sloppy fit and its ok ish. I have left it at my other place now as an excuse not to use it as the missus bought it for me and kept asking me why I was still using my old (not so low profile) one which I was always moaning about and not using the one she bought for me. David will confirm this as he heard me swearing a lot about this when we were changing the engine on her NA last year.

Balls didnt want to hear that!

http://m.costco.co.uk/view/p/arcan-2000kg-aluminiumsteel-service-jack-model-hj2000eu-900930

 

 

Had this Jack for a few year now it's built like a tank.

 

Bollocks to using a OEM jack for anything other than an ornament horrid things

I am popping to Costco later, will check it out

Although with the XL30R and the 2-tonner, I still need to drive one of the supra's front wheels onto a small block of wood to get the clearance to jack the car.

Got one similar to that, got it about 2 weeks back from screwfix, Hilka brand, nice and easy to get under now.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-2-tonne-low-profile-service-jack/52642

Annabella, what's your jacking point when using that jack on your supra? I guess you must jack near the sills. The jack starts off low to the ground, but then there's the big hump.

I only jack on the cross-member (for the front) or the diff (for the rear).

Same question to David as well please. Your beastly jack looks like the same design as mine, but I can't get mine to the front cross-member without getting a little bit of extra height first. It fouls the undertray otherwise. Does yours make it to the cross-member without fouling anything, or do you use a different jacking point?

Not my photo, but here's my 3-tonner on the left:

I only jack on the cross-member (for the front) or the diff (for the rear).

This is what I do too

Getting to the Supra front cross-member is the challenge and depending on how far it may have been lowered and/or which fibreglass tat has been glued on, some Supra's are more of a challenge than others, which is why I bought the lowest longest reaching model I could find.

So far, I have only used it on my old dog Rover, next time I go to the lock up I will have a trial with my stock front Supra and confirm.

Anyone used either of these :-

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/draper-2-tonne-low-profile-trolley-jack-with-q/

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-ctj2qlp-2-tonne-quick-lift-low-profile/

Getting to the Supra front cross-member is the challenge and depending on how far it may have been lowered and/or which fibreglass tat has been glued on, some Supra's are more of a challenge than others, which is why I bought the lowest longest reaching model I could find.

 

So far, I have only used it on my old dog Rover, next time I go to the lock up I will have a trial with my stock front Supra and confirm.

Mine's completely stock bodied: no bodykit, stock bumpers, stock suspension, stock wheels (16"). It still fouls the undertray if I approach the front cross-member from the front of the car. Will be interesting if you can reach yours without using wood etc.

I just screw two 14 inch long pieces of 6 x 2 inch timber atop a longer piece, to give a stepped rise from 2 inches to 6 inches off the ground. You can make 4 if you like, two sets for the front wheels, two sets for the rear, and hang `em on the garage wall when not in use. Chamfer the drive up ends of the pieces if you want, it helps to stop them moving, or glue ribbed rubber matting under the longest piece.