[Tigers] Hydraulic lifts

[James W. Burruss, Jr.]

I also have the Snap On scissors lift that I also purchased used from a
friend who only lifted Porsches with it.  (Snap On added their decal to
someone else's lift and raised the price $500.)  My basement garage ceiling
is too low for a "real" lift, so the scissors lift was a simple solution.
It allows me to sit upright on the floor for undercar work, which is a real
luxury after so many years of lying on a cold concrete floor.  I, too, will
only get under a raised car with the lift in the full-up, locked position.
However, for wheel/tire/brake/shocks tasks that can be performed from
outside the car, I sometimes lift the car part way.

 

When I first brought the lift home, I put my Lincoln LS on it, lifted it
just a few inches and left it overnight as a test.  The next morning, it had
not moved from that height.  Now, however, if I need to leave a car slightly
raised overnight, say without wheels mounted, I will employ jack stands
under the extension arms and lower the lift onto them.

 

One end of the hydraulic cylinder sticks up a couple of inches and can cause
clearance problems on low cars.  I use wood runners on each side to avoid
this issue, but my lowered Tiger still will not clear that cylinder unless I
double the runners.

 

Someone questioned the stability of the scissors lift.  I always lift a car
a few inches and then rock it side to side for reassurance.  Fully raised,
it would be possible to turn the whole assemblage over, but you would have
to work at it.  Opening a door or removing wheels and tires on one side does
not create a stability issue, and the car does not have to be perfectly
centered.  If you're reasonably careful positioning the car over the lift,
it is not unstable.

 

Jim Burruss