Hydraulic car ramps, any good? Alternatives?

[ChrisDixon]

XJS and X300 are difficult to work under at home because of their size and low ground clearance. The XJS especially because if you use a trolley jack to raise the body there's nowhere to put an axle stand. Not such an issue for wheels off work on brakes, and I have even managed to get an IRS unit out on my own, but getting enough height to work on exhausts etc is tricky. So I've been looking at hydraulic ramps, are these worthwhile at around £400 a pair for 1350kg load bearing? Or would 900kg be strong enough to support half a big Jag, either one end or one side? Are there better alternatives?

[PaulGover]

Places to put axle stands: (a) the jacking points (as per the workshop manual) - ok as long as your jacking points don't need welding, and if they do, you really ought to get them fixed, particularly at the back, where they're part of the rear suspension mounts), (b) front, under the spring pans (also as per workshop manual). Not sure if there are any good or approved alternatives at the back.

[pimgmx]

hydraulic ramps, are these worthwhile at around £400 a pair for 1350kg load bearing?

I use them intensively, they played a major role in my XJ40 resto a few years ago, and are great to quickly raise the complete front/rear end of a car. Always use them for fluid changes on the collection, as well as many other chores.
Most of the cars I used them for have similar weight/ground clearance values as for your XJS/X300...



I live in the Netherlands and bought mine locally, didn't pay more than EUR 275 (roughly £250/pair) for them, believe mine are the 900kg version.

Although they feature mechanical lock-up I never used them without a set of sturdy axle stands as additional support: better too safe than sorry working underneath two tons of steel!

[J44EAG]

Hello Pim,

Good to meet you at the AGM last November.

I like the idea of those ramps very much. Do you have the makers details to hand please?

Mike K

[oldtimer]

At the 2016 Classic Motor Show held at the NEC there was a stand dedicated to a variety of vehicle lifting equipment. This display included hydraulic lifts as above together with roll over stands and of course two and four post lifts. I surprised to find that the cost difference across the range was not that dramatic.
Clearly consideration has to be given to the location in which the equipment is to be used together with the budget available so I would encourage folks to consider the longer term requirements. In my case, the mind is willing but the body does not necessarily agree, fortunately at retirement I extended my flat top garage upward and installed a pre - used four post lift. That was eighteen years ago so I am still able to carry out tasks which would be impossible without the lift. I guess I could still roll under the car but doubt if I could ever get up again.

Very best of luck with your choice

[pimgmx]

I like the idea of those ramps very much. Do you have the makers details to hand please?

Most likely the People's Republic... Unfortunately all information I have is the Dutch web site I bought them from: http://www.toolsnmore.nl/content/werkpl ... ax._900_kg
There's no brand/type mentioned there or on the actual unit.

BTW: looks like they have upped the price a bit, underneath the black & yellow they are identical to the red units I bought.

[J44EAG]

Appreciated, Pim.

Euro to GBP, these are priced at £278 from the supplier in NL.

Entering the RP504080 part number into a browser leads you to the web site supplier in Leiden in NL. The page translates to English language. I`d expect carriage charges to the UK would be applied.

Interesting, Pim. Many thanks.

Mike K

[pimgmx]

Many thanks

Very welcome, Mike!

Intrigued to see that they are that much more expensive your side of the Channel?
(found a few for £399...)

[Brakebuster]

Many thanks

Very welcome, Mike!

Intrigued to see that they are that much more expensive your side of the Channel?
(found a few for £399...)

so , we send you money , you buy six sets of ramps, drive to the UK and we give you some beer tokens for your troubles....

BB

[steve_m]

You were looking for alternatives; how about an original trolley jack?

[ChrisDixon]

You were looking for alternatives; how about an original trolley jack?

haha, what did I say about ground clearance?

[ChrisDixon]

Thanks for the replies folks, I like the idea of the hydraulic ramps but at £400 I'm not sure. Could I just use ordinary ramps? Maybe but space constraints would mean jacking the car up to slide them underneath the wheels. My 4 ton trolley jack just about gets under the crossmember and struggles to lift much higher than the lowest axle stand setting and ramps are at least as high. It won't go under a spring pan unless I use a second jack elswwhere to raise the car a little first.

[ChrisDixon]

Places to put axle stands: (a) the jacking points (as per the workshop manual) - ok as long as your jacking points don't need welding, and if they do, you really ought to get them fixed, particularly at the back, where they're part of the rear suspension mounts), (b) front, under the spring pans (also as per workshop manual). Not sure if there are any good or approved alternatives at the back.

Problem with the spring pan is a) getting a jack under it with a view to putting an axle stand under the jacking point or b) jacking high enough to allow the wishbone to lower so you can get an axle stand under it.

On the back of an XJS I jack under the rear cage (using a piece of thick ply to spread the load) then put axle stands under the jacking points as I've found that jacking under the hub compresses the suspension massively without lifting the car much.