Quickjack users - I have questions

While I find it hard to justify the expense, I'm finding myself irresistibly drawn to the idea of getting a Quickjack, and they're running a holiday promotion at the moment, which is not making it easier. My question is the practicality of pulling it out onto the driveway for use. I've got a garage, but the way things are configured there's little room to work unless I'm under the car, so it would basically have to be used outside on the asphalt. According to the Quickjack site, outdoor use is "prohibited" (wink wink nudge nudge); this statement is immediately followed by a whole bunch of suggestions for outdoor use, so I'm taking it less than literally. It would live inside (under the car), but be pulled out for use.

How heavy are the units, and how cumbersome to move? If it's going to take more time than pulling out the jack and stands, it's worth starts to diminish.

The asphalt driveway is old and has settled in places - how critical is it that the surface is perfectly level? It's basically flat, but I very much doubt it's 100% level.

Any other guidance on whether I should (probably unwisely) drop $1200 on one of these?

They have wheels on one end, so you just pick up the other and wheelbarrow them out. Easy. Then you carry out the pump and plug the hoses together. It's less effort overall than getting the car on jackstands, and you also get the bonus of having the car higher off the ground and more stable.

Basically flat should work. If there's a low point, you will either have to bridge it with the QJ or you'll see it deform as one end drops into the hole. This is obviously not ideal but the amount of non-idealness will depend on just how bad your surface is. If it's not level, just keep in mind that you'll have a ton or two of metal sitting a couple of feet above the ground and trying to find the center of the earth. Again, it's going to depend on how not level and how high and how heavy. It should be more stable than jack stands in the same scenario, though.

Quickjack does believe you can straddle the lifting units and then pull them outboard to lift. They even come with little handles to do this. That's the "skinny garage" solution they offer.

I've got the 5000 series quickjack and the side pieces aren't light, but they're movable without it being a huge ordeal.  The pump unit isn't heavy at all in my opinion.  As for how 'level' it needs to be, you probably want it pretty level because you want the two sides lifting at the same rate.  The biggest advantage for me with it other then how quickly I can get a car in the air is the ability to move between the two heights quickly.  I raise and lower it between the two far more than I thought I would.

Well in dirt racing quick lifts like this are very popular now. Most dirt oval pits are not paved and are dirt gravel or grass so not too level.

I don't think those little square tubes are going to handle " torsional racking"  or "bridging" very well.    The video where they load it to 3x capacity is on a flat surface. 

If the surface is broken or uneven it would take at least a strip of 3/8" plate, the widths of the lifts, under each of the lifts to remain square with the surface they set upon.      Yes, I have thought about buying one and have been figuring how I could use them on my broken concrete driveway and cracked slab garage.   I think the 3/8" plates are the solution for me. 

It looks like if the operator is careful the load could be transferred to jack stands and the Quickjacks gotten out of the way of working under the car for transmission or exhaust work.   

The lift shown for the dirt track car has a much stronger frame and can handle uneven surfaces plus the dirt will compress locally to accommodate an unequal loading and re-distribute it pretty evenly.  Also you could not use this type for access under the transmission or exhaust area.

I really like mine, I have the 5000. It is VERY sturdy. 

My main complain is how heavy they are, the frames have to be like 70 lbs each. Other than that, I am happy. 

I dunno if they still make the 3500 or not, but if so then those frames are noticably lighter.  That's what I have.

As far as garage width goes, if you can pull the car in and walk down either side, then you can get the frames in.  I've never tried it on significantly non-level ground, I definitely would not try to use it on a slope.

MotorsportsGordon said:

Well in dirt racing quick lifts like this are very popular now. Most dirt oval pits are not paved and are dirt gravel or grass so not too level.

Bah. I had hope for a minute that seeing a dirt car on one ment it might work on my gravel shop floor. Apparently not, although I'd argue it would be less sketchy than Jack stands balanced on stones. Certainly easier than shoving a floor Jack over gravel. 

RevRico said:

MotorsportsGordon said:

Well in dirt racing quick lifts like this are very popular now. Most dirt oval pits are not paved and are dirt gravel or grass so not too level.

Bah. I had hope for a minute that seeing a dirt car on one ment it might work on my gravel shop floor. Apparently not, although I'd argue it would be less sketchy than Jack stands balanced on stones. Certainly easier than shoving a floor Jack over gravel. 

Both quick lifts and jack stands work fine in dirt pits the biggest problem I’ve seen happen with the lift is if you get an air leak and it stops working. Most teams that use a lift have jack stands just in case.

If your surface is really a concern you could saw out two rectangles big enough for the lifts and just use the remaining asphalt as a form for pouring in some concrete pads. Blackjack the edges and put a coat of sealer on and no one would even notice. 

MotorsportsGordon said:

Both quick lifts and jack stands work fine in dirt pits the biggest problem I’ve seen happen with the lift is if you get an air leak and it stops working. Most teams that use a lift have jack stands just in case.

Note that the QuickJack has safety legs that come down so that you are not depending on hydraulic pressure to hold it.  Sitting on the safety legs it's at least as stable as on jackstands, probably more so.

oldopelguy said:

If your surface is really a concern you could saw out two rectangles big enough for the lifts and just use the remaining asphalt as a form for pouring in some concrete pads. Blackjack the edges and put a coat of sealer on and no one would even notice. 

What does “blackjack the edges” mean?

In reply to OHSCrifle :

Blackjack is a tar type roofing and driveway sealant that would be my choice for sealing the crack between the concrete and the asphalt to keep water out. Generally speaking it's compatible with asphalt and with asphalt sealers so I would think you could essentially use it like caulk but it would actually stick.