Trolley Jack & Axle Stands Comparison

[rockits]

Just thought I would share this in case it helped anyone looking.

Got in a new SGS trolley Jack, a little portable Bottle Jack with case for boot & pair of ratchet axle stands.

Last year I bought a 2 tonne low profile Halfords trolley Jack & pair of 3 tonne axle stands as didn't have any so I could do the 4200 hybrid project. They are OK but not great but the main issue is the jack doesn't really lift high enough.

Wow what a difference. The SGS jack is 10 times better in quality/size & so much easier to use with a higher & decent lift height in comparison. Also has dual pistons for quicker lifting with less pumping. You can go for a high lift but it makes the clearance at rest too high for many lower cars. This sits in between a low profile & high lift so ideal for most really. Very impressed & for the money fantastic VFM.

The axle stands add a bit more to the Halfords ones as go lower & just as high but the ratchet makes them easier to use sometimes with more positions. I didn't like the idea of ratchet only but these have a solid additional bar so double locked in 2 points.

Overall very impressed. Just got the Alfa GT wheels refurbed & changed from silver to gunmetal & they look much better IMHO. Just added a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4's as well as the old ones were shot.

I have decided trade rates from John @ The Wheel Specialist in St Albans as agreed to use them for all/any of my wheel requirements. They did a great job & did my XC90 wheels as well. Just got the QP in with them as well to have the alloys refurbed & new tyres. Very impressed at far.

He are some pics of the trolley jacks/axle stands to see the difference.

 

[toolman1954]

One of the worst trolley jacks I have ever owned was a two and a half ton "Snap On " branded one, which I would add was not very old.
OK I know that Snap On do not make trolley jacks, or guarantee them and just rebadge whatever they buy in but this was bad.
It died while I was trying to lift up a rear leaf spring that I was replacing on my Merc 508D van. Granted, the leaf spring was very heavy but it should not have blown the seals. Fortunately, I had a cheapy 2 ton Chinese one in stock on the van, and that completed the job without any problem.
As with any trolley jack, never trust it, always use an axle stand as well.

Steve

 

[OneForTheRoad]

hi, does the sgs jack go higher than most jacks, i need a jack for a kia sportage and mine isnt lifting it off the ground enough ....

 

[rockits]

hi, does the sgs jack go higher than most jacks, i need a jack for a kia sportage and mine isnt lifting it off the ground enough ....

It goes higher than the halfords one but not as high as the specific high lift ones. Sits in between so will fit under most cars & still lift high enough to get on the higher settings if most axle stands.

I am lucky that I have a 4 post lift so don't really use it to go as high as it can to the top of the axle stands as I'm not working under the car as use the lift. It is mainly for me to wip a wheel off quickly.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

thanks , ive looked at the stats and that one lifts around 465 mm , standard jacks are around 365 mm , so a decent 10cm gain , they are in the sale also so i think ill be ordering myself a one today .

 

[rockits]

It was to find a middle ground to get a bit more height but to not increase the rest height too much so it wouldn't foul going under lower cars.

The Halfords one is flawed in that it won't go up high enough for the lowest height on their 3 ton axle stands! Had to use a 1 or 2 inch slice of engineer grade timber as packer to get it high enough.

For the price I think this SGS one is great VFM & covered all bases for me.

 

[Will]

Costco do a very good trolley jack for sensible money. I bought one a couple of years ago and have used it extensively with no issues.

Fits under the 911 which has factory -30mm ride height (as per GT3) which none of my other jacks do, and lifts very high, very stable too

 

[Will]

Arcan 2000kg Aluminium and Steel Service Jack - Model HJ2000EU | Costco UK -

That’s the one I have but it was cheaper than that in store - around £70/80 from memory.

 

[Abb]

I bought the low low version of the SGS, complete with 4 ratchet axle stands and a dolly, all for around £250 IIRC. It has been a great piece of kit thus far.

 

[brucemillar]

I still cannot find (I did have it then lost it) the ebay seller who was selling jacking extension/adapters. Basically a steel tube that fits into the Jack hole (on my 124) this has a pivot on the trolley jack end, so that you can lift the car and slide axle stands under the jacking pads using a trolley jack. This is handy if you want to get all four wheels off the ground at the same time, like when I replaced all my discs & pads on my 124 Wagon.

 

[clk320x]

As with any trolley jack, never trust it, always use an axle stand as well.

Can not stress this enough... please chaps take care!

 

[alabbasi]

If you own a Mercedes, you really don't want anything rated for less than 3 ton. They won't last. The Costco Jack is great. The black steel jack in the first post appears to be the same jack that's sold by Harbor Freight here in the US. This is also a very good jack for the money and I'm seeing a lot of tire shops running them here in Texas.

 

[french]

I still cannot find (I did have it then lost it) the ebay seller who was selling jacking extension/adapters. Basically a steel tube that fits into the Jack hole (on my 124) this has a pivot on the trolley jack end, so that you can lift the car and slide axle stands under the jacking pads using a trolley jack. This is handy if you want to get all four wheels off the ground at the same time, like when I replaced all my discs & pads on my 124 Wagon.

One of my old jacks has an ext tubes ,about 5" lift & the jack handle swivels around so you can't trip over it, quite good. As far as low lift I mostly drive my cars onto Van ramps & then using the ext jack the car up, I have some lorry Jack stands that are from 15" to approx 20" which is usually enough for me to roll around underneath.

 

[MercedesDriver]

Gents I need an advice about stands vs ramps for a Mini R53. All the ramps I saw look a bit too high and steep for Mini and if used for gearbox or engine service I think I wont be able extract/drain all old oil, or I’m wrong?. Plus ramps are a bit bulky and would take much more space than I want in a garage.
On the other hand I’m not sure if the height of the stands will be sufficient for oil services (bucket, me under the car)?!
Which stands are good and reliable?

 

[Tonygw]

I have the same halfords trolley jack I use for my C250 cdi. I dont trust it one bit, almost every time i use it it drops a few mm after 10 mins or so, And if I am under the car for any length of time it drops lower. I ALWAYS use axle stands with the jack as it just does not hold the car well. I have had two of these and are both the same.

The pathetic jack supplied with the car is complete junk. I think I may invest in the SGS jack, can anybody recmmend a supplier in the LoughboroughLeicestershire area?

 

[Abb]

Buy direct....

Trolley Jack & Axle Stand Sets | Car Jack and Stands Set UK | SGS

I bought one of the low profile versions (3T) with 4 of the ratchet stands. A brilliant piece of kit, but be warned the jack is heavy if you ave to actually lift it.