Farm jack or trolley

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oh yeh, i keep forgetting its the tyres that lift the axle height.

I have 300mm clearance to the bottom of the axle, or 250mm to the bottom of the diff. I do have big mud tyres because its just my off roading toy.

The jack Ch1s linked to goes to 530mm, so i guess if i lifted off the diff that would only give me an extra 250mm (by the time i put it back down on stands)? But is it possible to lift steady off the diff?
 
Rorie said:
I have a driveway of chuckies and a garage which is too low to get the car in!

If anything, i thought the farm jacks would be better on a rougher surface….though obviously not the chuckies!
Click to expand...

I have Googled "chuckies" and am none the wiser.
 
the_wolf said:
Chuckie stanes
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Or steens from further up north!

But more to the point….. is it possible to lift the car from the diffs? That way with a 530mm jack i could gain a good 250mm.

Otherwise how do i lift the whole front end?

I am unsure if i should get two farm jacks and take care, or get a trolley jack and just not get the same height…. hmm
 
We seem to have a bunch of applicants for the Darwin Awards on here.
Farm/hi-lift jacks are great for lifting from the bumper, jackable sill etc. but should only be used when you NEED the height it is capable of lifting to, eg lifting and slewing a motor out of ruts. By their very nature they are UNSTABLE and it is all too easy for a lifted car to slide to one side or the other when you are least expecting it (like when you are trying to get a spare wheel on). Using two may feel more stable but believe me it is marginal unless they are bolted together with diagonal braces.
If you are lifting on a gravel or cobble drive just stick a plank under a trolley or bottle jack to make a sound base. Lift from the diff, radius arm etc. as suggested and ALWAYS use axle stands (not piles of bricks) before you start any work, especially if it involves getting underneath the car.
If you insist it is safe to use a hi-lift as an alternative to a trolley jack it may be worthwhile gaffer taping a mobile phone to an accessible place on your body with 999 on speed dial.
 
Yoyodyne said:
We seem to have a bunch of applicants for the Darwin Awards on here.
Farm/hi-lift jacks are great for lifting from the bumper, jackable sill etc. but should only be used when you NEED the height it is capable of lifting to, eg lifting and slewing a motor out of ruts. By their very nature they are UNSTABLE and it is all too easy for a lifted car to slide to one side or the other when you are least expecting it (like when you are trying to get a spare wheel on). Using two may feel more stable but believe me it is marginal unless they are bolted together with diagonal braces.
If you are lifting on a gravel or cobble drive just stick a plank under a trolley or bottle jack to make a sound base. Lift from the diff, radius arm etc. as suggested and ALWAYS use axle stands (not piles of bricks) before you start any work, especially if it involves getting underneath the car.
If you insist it is safe to use a hi-lift as an alternative to a trolley jack it may be worthwhile gaffer taping a mobile phone to an accessible place on your body with 999 on speed dial.
Click to expand...
sound advice.
 
Thanks again for all the advice.

I do have a set of ramps. That instantly and quickly gives me an extra 300mm (ish) height for the front or back. Of course, no use if i am changing wheels, but i don't need loads of room for that.

So i guess the next question is: Would i be better putting the car up on two sets of ramps? Both front and back wheels up? Or is there risk with that?

Otherwise, what is the consensus on using a trolley jack to put it on 4 sets of axle stands? Not stable enough to be safe?
 
A friend has a device that you fit a farm jack into and effectively turns it into two,with the toes about 2 feet apart,giving a good even lift front or rear,probably on the side too,if you have side bars.Can't find any pics of it,and don't know where to buy one.
 
you could use 2 sets of ramps if you want to raise the whole car and keep it level for servicing ie refilling oils etc , you cant beat large blocks of wood for safety or resting parts of the vehicle on ie 2ft lengths of railway sleeper
 
I very nearly qualified for a Darwin Award myself using a hi-lift jack.

I have a Hamer 4 post ramp which lifts using hi-lift jacks, so I'm familiar with using them.

The Landy was on the ramps a couple of feet up, and with the car in the air I needed to jack up the back to get both wheels off the ground.
I have a removable tow bar so instead of going to the trouble of putting in the centre jacking beam and getting out my trolley jack I had the bright idea of shoving a spare hi-lift jack I had standing in the corner into the hole the tow bar slots into and jacking it up.

[I know you're ahead of me already, but stick with it! I promise you it's worth it]

Anyway, it went up ok until I let go of the jack when the car skewed sideways.
God only knows how but I managed to catch it and with a massive effort I somehow found the strength to get it back upright.

Had it fallen off the ramps it would have landed on my TVR Griffith and probably pushed the entire garage down.

Now there would have been a story for the insurance company !
 
Last edited:
Yoyodyne said:
We seem to have a bunch of applicants for the Darwin Awards on here.
Farm/hi-lift jacks are great for lifting from the bumper, jackable sill etc. but should only be used when you NEED the height it is capable of lifting to, eg lifting and slewing a motor out of ruts. By their very nature they are UNSTABLE and it is all too easy for a lifted car to slide to one side or the other when you are least expecting it (like when you are trying to get a spare wheel on). Using two may feel more stable but believe me it is marginal unless they are bolted together with diagonal braces.
If you are lifting on a gravel or cobble drive just stick a plank under a trolley or bottle jack to make a sound base. Lift from the diff, radius arm etc. as suggested and ALWAYS use axle stands (not piles of bricks) before you start any work, especially if it involves getting underneath the car.
If you insist it is safe to use a hi-lift as an alternative to a trolley jack it may be worthwhile gaffer taping a mobile phone to an accessible place on your body with 999 on speed dial.
Click to expand...

Some applicants never make old bones ...
Father Gavin Aldridge crushed to death under Land Rover Discovery after it fell off ramps at Bethersden Business Centre, inquest hears

:(
 
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