I just received a hoist and chassis stand from MK Technologies. Really nice. The chassis stand has four heavy casters, and is one piece with the two stands fastened to rails. I like to support behind the engine and around the back edge of front tires. The stand is solid and easy to position. The lifting harness is slick and will not scratch or damage the chassis.
I was thinking about a four or two post lift, but I decided not to take up a bigger bay in my garage; this hoist allows me to work on my car in a smaller bay.
David, thanks for sharing. That does look like a really nice setup. Do you fold it back up for storage?
If so how easy is that?
Yes, the A-frame lift folds up in about five minutes, and it is easy to move with one person because it has wheels on one end. There are nice pictures at the MK site here. The chassis stand disassembles with four bolts. The idea is that this equipment can go to the track in a sufficiently big trailer. The lift has a 50A battery quick connect for 12V DC (car battery).
I also purchased setup wheels, scale platforms, laser leveler, tow-bar system, etc. which is very light and compact. Many teams use ramps for weighing and chassis setup which is heavy and bulky. The scale pads are minimal.
About two months ago I sent an email to Marty asking what I need to do chassis setup on Radicals and Formula Enterprise and he recommended the setup wheels and scale pads. He has seen and done it every which way, so I took his advice.
@davidf - Sounds like you went with the full enchilada on the chassis setup. Quite an investment! Would be great to get your review on those items.
@davidf - Sounds like you went with the full enchilada on the chassis setup. Quite an investment! Would be great to get your review on those items.
Will do. I will do a couple of chassis setups and then write a review.
Is a pair of 30" wide chassis stands wide enough to support the car?
Just want to make sure before i buy these....
@rojid Yes, this is wide enough. My chassis stand is 24 inches wide, and it works well however because it is pretty narrow, I need to locate the rear stand pretty far back under the GDU, or pretty far forward just in front of the rear diffuser front edge. Anyway, 30 inches will be fine and give you more options.
Edit:
The stands you selected look good and I think B-G makes good products, however I noticed these are a little low. Only 7 inches high might make it difficult to get under the car to change the oil.
@rojid Yes, this is wide enough. My chassis stand is 24 inches wide, and it works well however because it is pretty narrow, I need to locate the rear stand pretty far back under the GDU, or pretty far forward just in front of the rear diffuser front edge. Anyway, 30 inches will be fine and give you more options.
Edit:
The stands you selected look good and I think B-G makes good products, however I noticed these are a little low. Only 7 inches high might make it difficult to get under the car to change the oil.
oh no. I've been wrestling with the best value-for-money way to raise the car to do maintenance just like that... at this point in time i need to sacrifice convenience for budget in other areas of the car!
i managed to buy a second-hand BG quicklift very cheaply, which raises the car to about 8", which is why i was then going to get these stands to slide under.
couldn't i initially place the car on these stands, and then if i need more height for oil changes etc. i could use my trolley jack at front/rear to lift further and place on 4 jack stands?
would that be a safe way to go?
I don't know. I personally hate buying the same thing twice. You can use jack stands under the hubs; I used this for a couple of months and was able to service the engine oil/filter and GDU, but it was tight and unpleasant.
I don't know. I personally hate buying the same thing twice. You can use jack stands under the hubs; I used this for a couple of months and was able to service the engine oil/filter and GDU, but it was tight and unpleasant.
aah fair enough.
I will go with my method; i already have a trolley jack + stands so for me the net outlay has only been about £200 total to raise this new addition to the garage!
It was either this, or spend £1300 on a quickjack (super convenient but i need to allocate funds towards a trailer), or, use the airjack system, which would have cost me £500+ to get the lance/tube/regulator/bottle.....and i would have still needed to use my trolley jack to get more height anyway.
Congratulations on the new car! Your question is a good one. Unfortunately I can’t help,too much on this one because the Radicals I have owned had air jacks. I have heard the board technique works, but I have never seen it done. I know a lot of people like the quick lift style jack like this.
I have to say that I really like the air jacks. I bring a small nitrogen bottle to the track and use the air jacks to inspect the car between sessions. I may know of a good used set if anyone is interested.
Charley
@Charley - What size is your air jack bottle?
I'm looking for something I can keep in the trunk of my car (My race car is kept at the track so no trailer for me). On another note - any thoughts on safety of keeping a bottle inside the car? I imagine I just need the protective cap that goes over the top.
I use a 60cf aluminum tank, works great. Plus, this is the higher pressure Luxfer brand that can be filled at any welding supply.
Congratulations on the new car! Your question is a good one. Unfortunately I can’t help,too much on this one because the Radicals I have owned had air jacks. I have heard the board technique works, but I have never seen it done. I know a lot of people like the quick lift style jack like this.
I have to say that I really like the air jacks. I bring a small nitrogen bottle to the track and use the air jacks to inspect the car between sessions. I may know of a good used set if anyone is interested.
Charley
@Charley - What size is your air jack bottle?
I'm looking for something I can keep in the trunk of my car (My race car is kept at the track so no trailer for me). On another note - any thoughts on safety of keeping a bottle inside the car? I imagine I just need the protective cap that goes over the top.
My bottle is made by Catalina and is model B15 which holds 43.3 cu ft of nitrogen. It is a good size encaustic it holders enough nitrogen to last quite a while and is light enough to easily move around. There are quite a few bottle manufacturers that make good bottles, just make sure the bottle will fit into what ever bottle holder you have.
Regarding transporting bottles. Usually it is recommended to transport bottles vertically and in a holder to ensue they can’t move around or tip over. As I am sure you know if the nozzle gets broken off, the bottle becomes a rocket and can do a lot of damage.
well..reviving this thread as i'm about to embark on my first ever GDU/engine oil service so need to get the car up on all 4 jack stands for the first time. I'm still wrestling with the procedure in my head, because when i initially tried to raise the whole car i:
EDIT.....
thought for completeness i'd delete everything i'd put here originally as it's all very simple in the end..
my final procedure is as follows:
- raise front using quicklift jack, remove a front wheel, slide my BG chassis stand underneath the front in line with a cross-member
- with the front resting on the chassis stand, i use my low profile trolley jack at the rear jack point and raise high enough to put fully extended jack stands underneath. I've heard people suggest they can be placed under the uprights, and have seen this being done in the pitlane, but i prefer to place under the chassis frame areas. This can be a little awkward as the trolley jack could get in the way of one of the stands if not angled slightly. Also the left side chassis rail pivots up at an angle compared to the right, so i have to place the left jack stand on a piece of wood to raise it a little and ensure the car's weight is sat across the 2 stands and not just resting on 1.
- i haven't needed to raise the front high but if i needed to i'd simply use the trolley jack on the front splitter as others have said here and then place the front on jack stands also.
What I end up doing is just having a 4x6 wood block across a wheel dolly for the front and rear. Jack up the rear and lower it onto the wood/dolly combo across the frame where the splitter pushes into. Then I just walk to the front and lift by hand while someone rolls the front wood/dolly combo to the rivet line right behind the front wheels.
