What vehicle lifts are recommended?

[Racerke600]

Ok! We have lift off! This is what it looks like on the first height/lock/setting it can go higher obviously. I was using the rubber blocks that it came with- might go down to one next time. There is a slight lateral movement with the van upon touchdown.

What’s it feel like to get to all 4 wheels at once? 10/10.
How heavy is all the kit etc
8/10.
What’s the fear level of seeing such a large vehicle up so high and the prospect of getting under it?
11/10.

But hey! Proof of concept!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@JohnVZ , I already had the quickjack for my other car, never dared to used it on the Cali. But now I see your pictures it seems doable. What model quickjack are you using? Because the load rating of mine is just below the weight of the Cali approx 2400 kg , and the quickjack can lift 2270 kg. I have the 5000 model.

 

[JohnVZ]

Hi there,
I used the 7000TL with the plate extenders to make it work.
I would suggest emptying all fluids/fuel and going to the nearest weigh bridge/ASM recyclers and doing a split weigh to see the exact weight of your vehicle and weight distribution(Front to rear).

In the event yours comes in under the max weight of your lift then happy days, if not then I wouldn’t. As I inferred in my post it’s one thing to lift it, it’s another to start working under it.
Cheers
John


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RockinNRollin]

Absolutely - with the exception of 4-posters and the like, most lifting kit is only a mechanism to allow a form of prop/stand to be installed.

In the past (on cars, not a Cali I admit) I would lift using a trolley jack, use good quality axle stands on the suspension (but inboard, I don't want it sprung as it is far more solid if not on the sprung side), I'd then put the trolley jack under one lifting point, just touching but not tensioned fully, ditto with the bottle/scissor jack on the other side. I use them as backups effectively. I'd been known to throw spare wheels under the sills too. Overkill? Perhaps - but I have known of people being killed by vehicles dropping on them. Not worth the risk in my opinion, even if it does look a bit odd.

 

[andyinluton]

In the past (on cars, not a Cali I admit) I would lift using a trolley jack, use good quality axle stands on the suspension (but inboard, I don't want it sprung as it is far more solid if not on the sprung side), I'd then put the trolley jack under one lifting point, just touching but not tensioned fully, ditto with the bottle/scissor jack on the other side. I use them as backups effectively. I'd been known to throw spare wheels under the sills too. Overkill? Perhaps - but I have known of people being killed by vehicles dropping on them. Not worth the risk in my opinion, even if it does look a bit odd.

Just a safety warning re trolley jacks, I can confirm a Halfords 2tnne trolley jack will break a couple of welds & collapse if you use it to lift one corner of an Ocean.
Halfords will actively hunt down & delete any online negative reviews that you make, they will also not refund or exchange failed jack without a receipt, despite it looking brand new & covered in a Halfords only livery.

 

[RockinNRollin]

Just a safety warning re trolley jacks, I can confirm a Halfords 2tnne trolley jack will break a couple of welds & collapse if you use it to lift one corner of an Ocean.
Halfords will actively hunt down & delete any online negative reviews that you make, they will also not refund or exchange failed jack without a receipt, despite it looking brand new & covered in a Halfords only livery.View attachment 120343

I seem to recall somewhere something about the SWL of a jack is based on the vehicle weight, not the potential lift weight at the jacking point? I have a 3T Halfords trolley jack (at least 15 years old) and apart from a slightly leaky valve so it slowly drops, it otherwise is OK. Don't think I'd try and lift the Cali with it though given both the condition of it and your post!

 

[andyinluton]

I seem to recall somewhere something about the SWL of a jack is based on the vehicle weight, not the potential lift weight at the jacking point? I have a 3T Halfords trolley jack (at least 15 years old) and apart from a slightly leaky valve so it slowly drops, it otherwise is OK. Don't think I'd try and lift the Cali with it though given both the condition of it and your post!

No
The SWL of a jack is its lifting capacity, it shouldn't matter what it is you are lifting. as neither end of a cali weighs 2tnne it should have been fine lifting it.
Irrespective of that, I would expect there to be some sort of safety margin & you wouldn't expect welds to break until you were far in excess of its capacity. This was a 3 month old jack & its quite clear to me that it was a couple of dodgy welds, the metal hadn't torn just the blob of weld that hold the bits the wheels are on detached cleanly from the main chassis of the jack.

It was replaced with a sealy 3tnne low entry high rise jack that cost 10x more, weighs 10x more and looks like it could probably lift 20x more.

 

[Velma's Dad]

No
The SWL of a jack is its lifting capacity, it shouldn't matter what it is you are lifting. as neither end of a cali weighs 2tnne it should have been fine lifting it.
Irrespective of that, I would expect there to be some sort of safety margin & you wouldn't expect welds to break until you were far in excess of its capacity. This was a 3 month old jack & its quite clear to me that it was a couple of dodgy welds, the metal hadn't torn just the blob of weld that hold the bits the wheels are on detached cleanly from the main chassis of the jack.

Absolutely agree, a 2 tonne jack should be 100 percent adequate for lifting either end of a Cali. A rated jack failing in the way you describe should be a 'never event' and they should have been all over that as soon as you showed up to return it. Shame on Halfords.

 

[sidepod]

I sheared a Halfords T45 3/8 bit at the weekend.
It was bought in haste as I was in a hole at the time.
Not quite as catastrophic but the moral is the same.

 

[RockinNRollin]

I sheared a Halfords T45 3/8 bit at the weekend.
It was bought in haste as I was in a hole at the time.
Not quite as catastrophic but the moral is the same.

That said, I've got some of the Halfords Advanced stuff and it's served me well and appears at least to be good quality. But yes, I do agree with the sentiment!

 

[Velma's Dad]

That said, I've got some of the Halfords Advanced stuff and it's served me well and appears at least to be good quality. But yes, I do agree with the sentiment!

Yes their Professional tools range was excellent and they would exchange any breakages 'for life'. I don't know if the same guarantee now applies to their Advanced stuff. But alongside all that they do also seem to sell some rubbish. I suppose price has to be some kind of guide.

 

[sidepod]

Yes their Professional tools range was excellent and they would exchange any breakages 'for life'. I don't know if the same guarantee now applies to their Advanced stuff. But alongside all that they do also seem to sell some rubbish. I suppose price has to be some kind of guide.

Hmmm.Manufacturing Tolerance doesn’t seem to be as good as the good stuff. The Torx bit I bought was a rattling good fit!!!