Hey All,
I'm looking to get a trolley jack. There is a prolift one available from repco for 1650kg for $69 and also there is a toolpro one available at supercheap auto for 1600kg for $60. I was going to get the toolpro one as it has good reviews and is slightly cheaper on sale. There weren't any reviews for the prolift one so I just wanted to see what you guys thought.
thanks in advance !!!
This, either will be fine but don't skimp on stands.
Save your money and don't buy one of the small trolley jacks, made that mistake when i was younger, they are next to useless.
On lots of cars they wont even lift the vehicle high enough to get stands under it. They are basically only useful for small sedans that are fairly low to the ground, also have a think about practicality, is 37.5cm enough room to get under the vehicle and actually do what you need to do.
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/toolpro-toolpro-low-prof…
Jack lift height 375mm
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-car-stands-ratch…
Lowered stands 363mm
On a side not do not buy the pin style car stands as they are junk, get a ratchet set. Ideally you need 2 sets of stands so you can get the car level and all 4 wheels safely off the ground.
Save your pennies and wait for one of the large low profile jacks to come on special, you can pick them up on sale for around $200.
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/toolpro-toolpro-low-prof…
NEVER GET UNDER A CAR SUPPORTED ONLY BY A TROLLEY JACK
Agree with all except pin stands being junk (curious why).
I've had the 3000kg jack linked above above for a couple of years, been fine (but not low enough for one of our cars)
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Pin stands are generally less stable as the pin becomes the fulcrum point, depending how tight the tongue and groove is they can be very unstable at higher extension, particularly poorly made cheap ones.
There is also a higher risk of user error with the potential for the pins to not being inserted all the way through both sides, the stand can appear fully functional but actually be in an unsafe configuration. Also the pin is repeatedly stressed across the same small contact point, if the pin fails there is no backup to 'catch' the fall.
In comparison a ratchet stand supports the weight across the entire length of the ratchet contact area, if a failure was to happen and a ratchet groove snapped there is several more below it to 'catch' the fall. They are also pretty idiot proof, if the ratchet is not seated correctly it will do so once weight is applied to the stand.
Ratchet stands are just much safer IMO. Of course any poorly manufactured product has the potential for failure, i would be looking for a pretty tight fitting tongue and groove as first priority if comparing stands side by side. Ratchet stands should ideally have a nice deep groove on each step and not be shallow.
I have a set of Stanfred 3000kg and Kinchrome 3000kg ratchet stands and have been using both for many years with great success.
The Kinchrome seem better made and more solid but also cost a bit more. I am sure the SCA ones are fine too.
I have this ToolPro jack but they don't seem to sell it anymore, i think i paid around $180. Had it for about 3yrs and still going strong.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ToolPro-Low-Profile-Aluminium-Ga…
thanks for the feedback.
I'll take a look at some ratchets when I next have a chance (interested on what is down the inside)
the pin stands I have use a U pin (so a bit like like having two pins)
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/sca-sca-car-stands-pin-3…
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I bought a set of 4 (really cheap) pin stands in 1982. Two are still going strong. Two failed because I exceeded the parameters of use.
I find both pin and the ratchet type to be fine when used properly.
On lots of cars they wont even lift the vehicle high enough to get stands under it. They are basically only useful for small sedans that are fairly low to the ground, also have a think about practicality, is 37.5cm enough room to get under the vehicle and actually do what
you need to do
I'm not sure what the height of cars have to do with what you're referring to, and you conveniently picked one of the smallest jacks with some of the highest jack stands.
Pin-style jack stands are absolutely fine, they're simply just not as convenient or easy-to-use. I've had a pair for 15 years and still use them multiple times per year.
OP, you don't need a $200+ jack, it's unnecessary and a waste of money if you only need to use it once or twice per year.
Additionally, the bigger the jack, the heavier it is to haul around. I recently purchased a decent Mechpro jack during the recent Repco sales and am very happy with the quality and size for what was paid for it.
Agree. A smaller jack for occasional use is fine. My jack is rated to 1750 I think and I can lift it with one hand to cart around and hide in the garage. I did buy a larger one on a deal that came with two ratchet stands. Ended up selling the larger jack because it was too big and heavy to deal with in the garage. At least the ratchet stands were still a bargain.
The old jack is only just being big enough to lift our 4wds up (stock ride hieght), its often at the limits. Normal sedan it’s fine.
I’ve had pin stands for years as well and while not as convenient as the ratchet stands, they are noticeably lighter and still easy and stable to use. I’ve never pinched myself with the pin stands either, unlike the ratchet stands that have dropped onto fingers a couple of times.
careful if your car is low profile but if not either will do. unless you are using it every weekend i wouldnt spend too much on it .
also agree on the stands, never skimp on safety in that respect and never just use a jack. always have someone with you as well.
Seriously? You aren't SCUBA diving.
Jack up car
"fit" jack stands
Let jack down so jack stands have the weight.
Give the car a good shake.
If you want a back up then keep the upraised jack under the chassis or as you remove wheels, slide them under the sills.
Literally tonight on news … guy stuck under a car due to jack falling
did he have stands?
the trinity of jack safety - jack stands + hydraulic jack propped up but not bearing the weight + the tyre that you took off flat on ground
the tyre that you took off flat on ground
… under the vehicle. Some might miss that bit.
Well it wouldn't do too much good anywhere else.
It's not worth using a cheap trolley jack. I actually bought BOTH of those jacks you've written about in your post from Super Cheap and Repco for around $60 on special over the course of two years. Both failed because the swivelling castors broke off the trolley.
I certainly did not exceed their loading weight - the kerb weight of both my cars is under a ton, so it's clearly not the best build quality.
If you're going to go down the cheap and nasty route, you might as well save a bit of cash and get a bottle jack instead. Not only does a bottle jack provide about the same amount of lift as those cheaper trolley jacks, they have the added bonus of being portable enough to keep in the boot for when you get a flat tyre.
I saw at Costco they have considerably better trolley jacks for sale at around $200, and that's the minimum I would go for if I was going to buy a trolley jack from now on.
bottle jack won't fit under shit unless you got a 4wd or suv
I bought a low-profile ToolPro jack from SCA a couple of years ago. Was decent enough, but wouldn't buy again after seeing how many SCA's jacks and stands get recalled.
https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recalls/browse-all-recalls?…
I've got 2 of those prolift ones and they work well but it depends on your car if it's really low or not.
because they don't go down super low but they did hold up my car while I changed all my wheels over… Held up for like 20 minutes no issues
Can anyone comment on these ones?
https://m.catch.com.au/product/super-low-profile-hydraulic-c…
I'm in the market for a low profile jack and these just seem a rebadged version of the mechpro (but with an even lower Min height).
I have this https://sydneytools.com.au/product/daytona-dlp1700-1700kg-lo…. I bought it for 80 bucks and its pretty good and hasn't failed me yet. Jacked up my car atleast 10 times. Car is about 1500 kg. Bought it to replace my supershit jack that failed even when I didn't exceed the weight capacity.
Do you have jack stands?