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CJ Autos Mini Tilting Car Lift


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Good morning all,

I'm looking for advice from anyone who may have bought one of the above. (See link https://www.cjautos.eu/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CL01)

Up until now I have used jacks and axle stands whenever I have needed to work under my TR3a but having just had a knee replaced and with the other on the way out, I fear that crawling under the car will be more challenging.  I also only have a single garage nowadays instead of my previous double garage so if the weather is anything like I move the car out onto the drive.

So I am giving serious thought to buying a lift.  I can't justify spending a grand or more on one of the more exotic options but the CJ Mini Lift makes economic sense for the amount of use I would give it.  My plan would be to store it flat on the garage floor with a couple of scaffold planks either side acting as permanent ramps to give the requisite ground clearance for the car to be parked over the top of it.

As stated already, has anyone any experience of using one of these products and what are the major pros and cons, and is my plan to store it under the car permanently, feasible?

Thanks for any help.

Rgds Ian

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5 hours ago, Ian Vincent said:

 

Thanks for any help.

Rgds Ian

Another pic for you Ian 

3AA804CF-0ABA-40E3-85AC-CDA367C4BB6B.jpeg

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I’m liking the look of that !

woild greatly help with some jobs i have in mind.....

is it the mid size one we need for TRs, seems so from the website?

does it fit nicely with the chassis rails, looks like it is a little narrow in your first pic Hamish?

its my birthday on monday .....

steve

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Ian

You will have a problem driving a TR3 over a CJ Lift 

I have one and find it to be a really good piece of kit especially for the price but there is no way it will fit between the wheels of a TR.  I have a TR6 and a TR3 and to be truthful it would benefit from being a little narrower to suit the 3, I am sure this would be simple to do but then would be a bit narrow for the 6

George 

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Also check out automotech.  I have their version (which looks identical and cheaper).  I picked it up from their works and it fitted in the boot of my car.  It’s heavy mind and moving it around the garage needs some planning.

i thought long and hard as to the logistics of using it in a wide, yet single garage.  I judged that I couldn’t drive over it because the car is too low.  I ended up buying 4 wheel skates from SGS Engineering.  Jack the car up and lower it onto the skates, push the car over to the side wall of the garage, position the lift in place, push the car into the centre of the garage ( the extra height of the car on skates means you now have clearance to the underside of the car), reposition the lift to line up with the chassis rails, the lift it using the handwinder or the drill attachment.  

I store the lift upright against the wall and tied back to it.  For quick jobs, use an axle stand and jack but for longer jobs, the Phaff of getting the lift out certainly makes life very easy.  Vertical lift with both wheels off the floor is around 500 to 600 mm.  But if you tilt it so the front or rear tyres are on the deck then the end that’s up in the air can get reasonably high (enough to work on the axle for instance by sitting on a stool).

if you want some pics then I will try to find some.

cheers

 

dave

 

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1 hour ago, harlequin said:

Ian

You will have a problem driving a TR3 over a CJ Lift 

I have one and find it to be a really good piece of kit especially for the price but there is no way it will fit between the wheels of a TR.  I have a TR6 and a TR3 and to be truthful it would benefit from being a little narrower to suit the 3, I am sure this would be simple to do but then would be a bit narrow for the 6

George 

George is right. 

For a mid point lift on the 3a it could be a little narrower. The first pic as at this point and the chassis sits on the inner edges of the lift plates which do move a few cm either way. 

And like Dave it’s stored stood upright in the garage CHAINED as it’s a heavy beast to move around or have it fall. And use axle stands for smaller wheels off jobs.

full suspension jobs it’s ideal  

Ive not attempted to devise a drive over system so it can stay on the floor. 

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Hi Ian

I have one of the CJ Autos lifts and it works very well. I have used it on the TR6 and the TR2. On both I also use their small drive on ramps to lift the car slightly (about 2 inches) before putting the 3in1 lift under the car. I think I use the middle size for the TRs, but you do get all three widths.

Great bit of kit and I would rcomend it. I used it to change the exhaust on the ‘6 and the tilting part made that really easy.

It is very heavy and moving it round can be difficult - I use it mostly on my drive but that really because you can’t swing a cat (nor should you try) around in my garage!

To be clear and transparent, I do some work for CJ Autos, but I did buy the lift independently and would buy it again.

Thanks

Roger

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After using my lift several members from my local group have bought CJ lifts and all say that they are happy with them.

One of the chaps has a bit wider than normal single garage and with a bit of careful positioning and 2 people can use the lift in his garage, but its tight and you would never do it on your own. You should also be aware that the car will travel forward/backwards  about 6 inches as the lift is raised so keep an eye on obstructions.

I used my lift this morning with a friend to change the diff on his 6, we started at just before 10 and were done by lunchtime the lift made the job easy.

George 

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Great additional inputs., think i might buy one for my 6.

my garage is 9’ wide and 16’ long approx so think it will work well

my only remaining question is : can i leave the lift in the middle of the garage and drive the tr6 over it?

steve

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Steve.

 

I think (...????) you need 50 inches clear to the side of the car to push the frame under.  So your garage looks to be too narrow.  Can you use it on your drive?  I don’t think you can drive over it with ramps because the tyre centres are about the same distance apart as the frame width - check out Hamish’s photos.  Perhaps someone has devised a way to do it though.

 

cheers

 

dave

 

 

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Steve

1 hour ago, Steves_TR6 said:

 

my only remaining question is : can i leave the lift in the middle of the garage and drive the tr6 over it?

steve

Steve

No the lift is way to wide to go between the wheels 

George 

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Thanks everyone for the incredibly helpful replies to my question. 

I am coming round to agreeing with Pete that for my circumstances, (a quite narrow single garage with stuff stored along the walls already) a set of hydraulic ramps will be a better solution. 

Rgds Ian

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12 hours ago, Ian Vincent said:

Thanks everyone for the incredibly helpful replies to my question. 

I am coming round to agreeing with Pete that for my circumstances, (a quite narrow single garage with stuff stored along the walls already) a set of hydraulic ramps will be a better solution. 

Rgds Ian

I’m leaning the same way Ian

which ramps did you buy Pete?

issues to consider are the slope of the ramps, to clear low bodywork and perhaps ramps with removable slopes so that when the car is on them the ramp part can be removed to give better access??

steve

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11 hours ago, Steves_TR6 said:

which ramps did you buy Pete?

 

Can't tell you, sorry, they were advertised on Gumtree and don't have a maker's name. They're very low when not extended but extend to more than double the height of my fixed ramps. Rather hard work to wind them up though - they're mechanical. Only cost me £60 though.

Pete

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I got a pair of CJ Hydraulic ramps (cr01) with lead-on ramps (cr01b)  for £200 off eBay .... they come up quite regularly, just need to keep an eye out when something local appears (they are heavy, so would cost a few quid to courier)

....... Andy 

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  • 2 months later...

I understand that Costco are currently selling the Quickjack 5000 for £960 inc Vat, maybe of use to anyone interested in that option, but not certain of it is intended as an on-going line or short-term stock

..... Andy 

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After much research using this forum I opted to buy the 900mm (not 1,030mm as too wide for a 5, pinch the inside of the tyres when driving on it) hydraulic Scissor Lift from SJR Equipment, and I am not disappointed! This is quality and great access. Sam the man there was really helpful as well.

Will take 2.5 ton and hydraulic. Cost March 18 - 1030mm £1,138.80 / 900mm £1,424. A lot of money but will hold its value well, aim to keep it for 20 years or so unless I pop off earlier.

Had to add scaffold boards either side to clear the height of the jack when completely flat, my mate has a 6 and it took that no problem.

SJR scissor lift.JPG

Edited by MikeThomas
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Mike - Your attractive mechanic (am I permitted to say that?) looks extremely pleased with your acquisition, and I trust that she is permitted to operate the lift and then carry out the servicing for you.

Do you place some packing between the chassis rails and the lift in order to stop the chassis getting scratched?

My 6 year old grandson wants to operate my trolley jack next time I undertake greasing, but he's not heavy enough yet to pump the thing.  It's good to know that he wants to have a go, and there will come a time when he will have the strength.

Ian Cornish

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