When I built my garage I made one bay with 12 ft. clearance to later install a 4 post lift. I now realize you need a two car garage to have the space to walk around it. I now realize, since I only have a single car space, a scissor lift is the only was to go. I totally agree with your choice John and having the clear access under the center of the car is very critical. Well done.
Hello John have been watching your videos for a few months now and they are fantastic, I just purchased an 06 XK8 Victory Edition (last weekend) your videos were invaluable when looking at vehicles. I have just changed installed the K&N Air filter thanks to your video tutorial. Thank you
@@a.pwhiteside5872 7 years ago when I was looking for an XK8 that was my choice of colour combo. There was one in Scotland that ticked all the boxes but felt it was too far to go from Devon. Got a JRG with ivory from Derby in the end.
Great video John. I'm in a similar position to you and was looking at this lift in particular when I stumbled across your video. Glad your happy with it as I am seriously considering this ramp.
Really fabulous John, very impressive. Would love that access on my XK8. Looks like new underneath, just like mine, but I’d love to be able to get under for routine tlc
For your American viewers, Strongman does not ship to the US, but I found Stratus Automotive Equipment Company in Texas, which makes a scissor lift very similar to your Strongman lift. The model number is MS8000E and it has a 8,000 lb. lifting capacity. They also have another model that is similar, but with minor dimension differences and a different locking system. I am hoping to order this within the next couple of weeks.
To The Garage Thank you John for listing my suggestion for a lift company in the US. I will watch the latest episode when I get home. I have ordered my Stratus Scissor Lift and it is in shipment and I should receive it this week. Will send you photos. Take care and stay well.
Fantastic video and very helpful. I am considering buying one of these lifts, but my car has a very short wheelbase. With the on off ramps hanging down, I am concerned the wheels will foul the ramps when the lift raises and my suspension drops. Could you possibly give me the total length dimension of the platforms including ramps when hanging down. For some bizarre reason, I am struggling to get this info from the supplier. Many thanks.
@@ToTheGarage I just got Miss Redd delivered to my home just now after 9 weeks of being at the mechanic. I will do a full video soon, emotions have stopped me from doing vids as you can tell. My Jag might be a total loss because of the mechanic.
The way you have this set up looks very tight to get the rear wheel off. But you do realize those 4 inch wide rubber blocks as long as at equal points can be placed anywhere on that pinch weld. The only time you got to worry otherwise is when you have a jack with a cup the size of your thumb like those in the background. It may crinkle a little with them just because of surface area but those rubber blocks won't whenever you put them on the pinch weld. Lots of times cars don't fit perfectly on the two post lifts in our shop to hit that specially marked jacking point but long as you are on the frame or that pinch weld you're good on unibodies.
Are you sure you haven’t placed it backwards? I have such a lift and the manual says the heavy engine side should be where the scissor joint is closest.
hi Bernd Mittwoch. Thanks for watching👍. You are right. Mine is that way around for ease of installation (where my power outlet is). And its one of the many beauties of the XK8. 51-49 weight distribution. so in my case the installation direction makes no difference. Thats more to do with the mammoth weight of the Jaguar rear suspension than the light weight of the engine 🤣
Hi John, As you say, lots of space...and the light is good too ! Agree with the protection of the hydraulics. Is there a dead mans protection in the event of power failure ? Absolutely love it. You've got me thinking now!!!
Hi Harry Even if you have not pressed the lock button (which lowers the lift onto a mechanical stop rather than holding the car up using the hydraulics) the furthest it could drop would be 2 inches. Very nicely engineered in that regard. It needs the power on to disengage the safety devices. Gravity turns them on.
Can you turn the back wheels as needed for greasing the four driveshaft UJs for example? It looks as if the tyres are jammed against the grey access ramps. You could let down the tyres but it would be better if they were free, of course.
Hi Richard. They do clear the ramp when the car is lifted but in fairness you do have to position the car just right to have both front and rear spin freely. The wheelbase of the XK8 is almost the same as the distance between where the ramps touch the ground. So its a case of letting the front wheels roll down the far side ion the ramp and no further.
That's a nice unit and will work out very well for you. There's more undercarriage access than I thought it'd have. I only wish you'd shown a shot of your ceiling clearance just out of curiosity. Lucky me, I have an 11' ceiling so I could go with a taller lift. I got the single post which has worked very well. It's a totally self contained unit that you wheel around like a pallet jack. I can pick my Jag all the way to the limit (about 5" or 6" left from the ceiling) and walk around under it - lucky me - and it puts the wheels just at the right hight that I walk my damn face into them all the time too! (Lucky me!) It'll pick my truck (Chevy Avalanche) a bit higher than your car until I run out of ceiling. Mine runs off of 120V (just had to run a 20A circuit) and works fine with a heavy extension cord. Biggest drawback of mine is it has the frame pad setup so it takes 10 minutes of crawling around on shot, arthritic knees setting the pads. Also since it only picks from 1 side it can be kinda creepy being under it even though it's not going anywhere. A single tall tripod stand on the off-side though and it's steady as a house. You most certainly won't have any issues about stability with that thing, that car isn't going anywhere. I'd like to see someone make a scissor lift like that that went all the way up high enough to walk under. I rather envy that you can just drive on and be set! BTW, you guys still need to learn how to say "Jaguar" and "garage"! :) Cheers on your new toy!
Hi Andork. Hope you are well and safe. I only have 8 ft to the rafters though I could have them modified to improve the lift height. I do like the features of the single post a lot. But it is that 'Creepy' element that puts me off. Yes the park on it and lift aspect is brilliant. I will work on my English🤣
@@ToTheGarage You wouldn't have room for the single post anyway, it already stands 8 1/2' tall, but like I say, a single stand on the offside takes all the creepy out of it. I think given the layout of your garage (gar-AHGE over here, lol!) you made the most logical choice. As you also mentioned, you can easily add pads under the lift points to get the car a few inches higher if need be. Every couple inches does make a difference too. Gotta say, I love the ease of just driving onto those ramps and being set. Interesting that you and I both only got a lift because of our XK's. To own these cars you really have to be willing to work on them and, damn, without a lift they're really hard to work on! I've been wrenching on my own stuff since the mid 70's and like everyone else, always "wished" to have a lift but never really considered it seriously. Then comes the Jag and it basically becomes a necessity ... and then reality! Hey, it was 3 years ago today that my '04 XKR convertible arrived in my driveway!! Lol, if the US and the UK couldn't argue about how to pronounce "jag-whar", "gar-ahge" and everything else, we couldn't be friends! :)
Looks perfect - just what I need. My problem is that I rent a garage abot the same size as yours - but because it's not mine, I dread having to move out of it if/when the landlord decides - and a scissor lift would not be the simplest thing to shift! Also, I don't have a 3-phase supply: will it use standard mains power?
Earlier versions of the strongman lift did need an air compressor to operate the safety device. Mine was purchased after. they made the change to a electrically actuated fail safe. device
Fantastic lift , I would go for a scissor lift 2nd and go for the Jax Max M6 first which i ordered.. I think being the arms give you a better lift point selection than your lift. You have only the length of the tables with ramps. What happens if you use a smaller vehicle let’s say a fiat 500 , Porsche , etc. the wheel base spacing with the ramps are already set to one size ? You would have a problem using the lift with the ramps attached I would think ? Tell you what , can you make a video using a smaller and larger vehicle other than your jaguar? that way we can see how it works with different size vehicles.. thanks
Hi The JAG Max M6 does look good. Not a bad idea ref lifting some different size cars on my scissor lift🤔. I will have a look at that as soon as I have the T2 back out of the garage.
Hi King Ratphoumy. thanks for watching and commenting👍 Its easy to move the unloaded ramp around in your garage as it has removable and retractable wheels. Check out my video on installing the ramp to see them in use. the lifted car is very stable and does not wobble at all.
Hi Eddie. I have a creeper/crawler board, that folds up ti create a wheeled stool about 10 inches high. Between them I dot have any issues. Plus I genuinely could not have gone too much higher with my garage roof construction anyway. So standing would be nice but Im very happy with what I have.
Hi I used a middle rear seat for a Renault scenic, cut all the fixings off , tilted it and welded four castors on Slides under in and is extremely comfortable,. I’ve posted John a picture , perhaps he may include it somewhere
John, Just subbed to your channel, I‘m jaguar man myself E Type & XK 150 and i liked the video you did on the best ramp for your setup. I have the strongman 4 post lift which i bought around 8 years a go! Being a Jaguar guy i hope you will take a look at my channel but warning i‘m also in to Minis lol, Cheers Dave
91cat hi It's fee standing I have drilled two holes. 10mm dia and. About 50 mm deep the floor though the pre existing holes in the base plate and literally dropped a couple of 8mm bolts into them. But this is just because I noticed that every time I drove onto the ramp it moved back about 5mm. Basically my floor is too smooth and shiney😁 You don't need to bolt these down at all. Indeed a feature is you can drag it out of the garage and lift cars outside, which I shall use with my VW camper vans
Be careful with the hoses where they connect to the rams, I have one and it’s ejected the banjos from the crimps and flooded the garage with hydraulic oil - the other side is also working its way out. I took said hoses to 2 different hydraulic hose specialists and they say that the hose markings are inconsistent with uk specs and could not manufacture 600Bar hoses to the same spec as supplied. Hopefully you don’t have any issues but for your safety keep an eye on it. The post purchase service has been frankly infuriating. Good luck 👍
Yes. Although on a shiney surfact like that i would put a thin rubber floor mat or similar under the base to stop the ramp moving a little each time the wheels of your car strike the front of the up ramp. (or fit a coupole of floor anchor bolts obviously) The underside of the platform base is completely smooth so it should not present a problem in my opinion.
Hi, thanks for answer, I just ordered a similar one, I'm going to bolt it to the floor for sure but not right away, first have to figure out the exact placement as like you I need to be conscious of space. And thank you for posting these videos, they're very thorough and your thoughts are spot on for people in our part of the world where not every garage looks like a hangar. Greetings from Poland.
Hi John, I understand the height restrictions you've got, but when I go in for a lift it'll be a two poster for me and my pal. We can buy them over here (France) for about 1100€ (about £1000) whereas the scissor lift is £1600 and doesn't give standing headroom.
When I built my garage I made one bay with 12 ft. clearance to later install a 4 post lift. I now realize you need a two car garage to have the space to walk around it. I now realize, since I only have a single car space, a scissor lift is the only was to go. I totally agree with your choice John and having the clear access under the center of the car is very critical. Well done.
Thanks Michael. All the lifts have their merits but I do think you need a lot of space for the 4 and 2 post lifts to work well in a domestic garage.
Hello John have been watching your videos for a few months now and they are fantastic, I just purchased an 06 XK8 Victory Edition (last weekend) your videos were invaluable when looking at vehicles. I have just changed installed the K&N Air filter thanks to your video tutorial. Thank you
Hi Adrian. Thank you very much
Congratulations on obtaining a Victory Edition. What colour out of interest?
@@ToTheGarage Frost Blue with Ivory leather
@@a.pwhiteside5872 Beautiful👍
@@a.pwhiteside5872 7 years ago when I was looking for an XK8 that was my choice of colour combo. There was one in Scotland that ticked all the boxes but felt it was too far to go from Devon. Got a JRG with ivory from Derby in the end.
Excellent topic - well done John. Probably every car guy in the country wants one of these!
Nice piece of kit John. Looks to be a perfect size. No more back-breaking removing wheels from too low down.
Great video John. I'm in a similar position to you and was looking at this lift in particular when I stumbled across your video. Glad your happy with it as I am seriously considering this ramp.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the video. Your situation is very similar to me. I've come to think the scissor lift is the best compromise for my space. Cheers John.
Thanks for sharing. Yes I think you would find it really useful. I have subscribed to your channel and am enjoying your forrest find👍
As Usual a Very Good Video from the Garage, good job on the
Lift John. Nice to be able to get Under The Jag & get Up Close & Personal.
Very nice setup, John.
Thanks 👍 I love it
its a pleasure to go play under the car now.
Hi John what a great bit of kit perfect size for the home garage what can I say but I WANT I WANT I WANT.👍
Great John, looking forward to your Vids of underneath work
Really fabulous John, very impressive. Would love that access on my XK8. Looks like new underneath, just like mine, but I’d love to be able to get under for routine tlc
Thanks John and Well done
Thanks
Nice setup. It looks like commercial grade. Maybe a little more than you need, but better more than less. Now you’re the envy of the neighborhood.
It looks like a perfect lift for your garage.
For your American viewers, Strongman does not ship to the US, but I found Stratus Automotive Equipment Company in Texas, which makes a scissor lift very similar to your Strongman lift. The model number is MS8000E and it has a 8,000 lb. lifting capacity. They also have another model that is similar, but with minor dimension differences and a different locking system. I am hoping to order this within the next couple of weeks.
Top tip for American subscribers. Thanks Michael. I have referenced your suggestion in our recent 'To the Garage Live! video👍
To The Garage Thank you John for listing my suggestion for a lift company in the US. I will watch the latest episode when I get home. I have ordered my Stratus Scissor Lift and it is in shipment and I should receive it this week. Will send you photos. Take care and stay well.
To The Garage thanks John. I will be waiting for that live episode to be shown on your RUclips channel.
Fantastic video and very helpful. I am considering buying one of these lifts, but my car has a very short wheelbase. With the on off ramps hanging down, I am concerned the wheels will foul the ramps when the lift raises and my suspension drops. Could you possibly give me the total length dimension of the platforms including ramps when hanging down. For some bizarre reason, I am struggling to get this info from the supplier. Many thanks.
OMG mate, been waiting for this.. wowowowow
Me too Mitch. Purdey has barely been off the lift since I got it. Total game changer in terms of access.
@@ToTheGarage I just got Miss Redd delivered to my home just now after 9 weeks of being at the mechanic. I will do a full video soon, emotions have stopped me from doing vids as you can tell. My Jag might be a total loss because of the mechanic.
@@MitchGrooms Fingers crossed for Miss Redd🤞
The way you have this set up looks very tight to get the rear wheel off. But you do realize those 4 inch wide rubber blocks as long as at equal points can be placed anywhere on that pinch weld. The only time you got to worry otherwise is when you have a jack with a cup the size of your thumb like those in the background. It may crinkle a little with them just because of surface area but those rubber blocks won't whenever you put them on the pinch weld. Lots of times cars don't fit perfectly on the two post lifts in our shop to hit that specially marked jacking point but long as you are on the frame or that pinch weld you're good on unibodies.
Are you sure you haven’t placed it backwards? I have such a lift and the manual says the heavy engine side should be where the scissor joint is closest.
hi Bernd Mittwoch.
Thanks for watching👍.
You are right. Mine is that way around for ease of installation (where my power outlet is). And its one of the many beauties of the XK8. 51-49 weight distribution. so in my case the installation direction makes no difference.
Thats more to do with the mammoth weight of the Jaguar rear suspension than the light weight of the engine 🤣
So it's a deliberate choice. I was noticing the same :)
I was just about to say. Just vent my rams after 3 months of work. Not sure it really should take 3t
Hi John,
As you say, lots of space...and the light is good too ! Agree with the protection of the hydraulics.
Is there a dead mans protection in the event of power failure ? Absolutely love it. You've got me thinking now!!!
Hi Harry
Even if you have not pressed the lock button (which lowers the lift onto a mechanical stop rather than holding the car up using the hydraulics) the furthest it could drop would be 2 inches.
Very nicely engineered in that regard. It needs the power on to disengage the safety devices. Gravity turns them on.
Great bit of kit. Id like one for detailing on
Do you mind me asking the cost ? I have a B7 RS4 and sure it would fit on this
dave harris
Hi
The specific one I got was £1500 plus £200 delivery
There is a link in the decription below the video if you want details
@@ToTheGarage thankyou very much i missed that .
Very impressed with the video 👍
@@ToTheGarage That's another thing, my single post cost about $3K US. For what you paid you're getting a LOT of versatility!
Looks good, need one will check it out
👍
Can you turn the back wheels as needed for greasing the four driveshaft UJs for example? It looks as if the tyres are jammed against the grey access ramps. You could let down the tyres but it would be better if they were free, of course.
Hi Richard. They do clear the ramp when the car is lifted but in fairness you do have to position the car just right to have both front and rear spin freely. The wheelbase of the XK8 is almost the same as the distance between where the ramps touch the ground. So its a case of letting the front wheels roll down the far side ion the ramp and no further.
Wondering if you managed to get the cable covers for the pipes/cables and if so what kind?
Hi👍 No not yet. My current plan is to make something myself🤣
Can you advise what the spec of the ground is? As in concreate depth, type, hard core etc?
That's a nice unit and will work out very well for you. There's more undercarriage access than I thought it'd have. I only wish you'd shown a shot of your ceiling clearance just out of curiosity. Lucky me, I have an 11' ceiling so I could go with a taller lift. I got the single post which has worked very well. It's a totally self contained unit that you wheel around like a pallet jack. I can pick my Jag all the way to the limit (about 5" or 6" left from the ceiling) and walk around under it - lucky me - and it puts the wheels just at the right hight that I walk my damn face into them all the time too! (Lucky me!) It'll pick my truck (Chevy Avalanche) a bit higher than your car until I run out of ceiling. Mine runs off of 120V (just had to run a 20A circuit) and works fine with a heavy extension cord. Biggest drawback of mine is it has the frame pad setup so it takes 10 minutes of crawling around on shot, arthritic knees setting the pads. Also since it only picks from 1 side it can be kinda creepy being under it even though it's not going anywhere. A single tall tripod stand on the off-side though and it's steady as a house. You most certainly won't have any issues about stability with that thing, that car isn't going anywhere. I'd like to see someone make a scissor lift like that that went all the way up high enough to walk under. I rather envy that you can just drive on and be set! BTW, you guys still need to learn how to say "Jaguar" and "garage"! :) Cheers on your new toy!
Hi Andork.
Hope you are well and safe.
I only have 8 ft to the rafters though I could have them modified to improve the lift height.
I do like the features of the single post a lot. But it is that 'Creepy' element that puts me off.
Yes the park on it and lift aspect is brilliant.
I will work on my English🤣
@@ToTheGarage You wouldn't have room for the single post anyway, it already stands 8 1/2' tall, but like I say, a single stand on the offside takes all the creepy out of it. I think given the layout of your garage (gar-AHGE over here, lol!) you made the most logical choice. As you also mentioned, you can easily add pads under the lift points to get the car a few inches higher if need be. Every couple inches does make a difference too. Gotta say, I love the ease of just driving onto those ramps and being set. Interesting that you and I both only got a lift because of our XK's. To own these cars you really have to be willing to work on them and, damn, without a lift they're really hard to work on! I've been wrenching on my own stuff since the mid 70's and like everyone else, always "wished" to have a lift but never really considered it seriously. Then comes the Jag and it basically becomes a necessity ... and then reality!
Hey, it was 3 years ago today that my '04 XKR convertible arrived in my driveway!!
Lol, if the US and the UK couldn't argue about how to pronounce "jag-whar", "gar-ahge" and everything else, we couldn't be friends! :)
Looks perfect - just what I need. My problem is that I rent a garage abot the same size as yours - but because it's not mine, I dread having to move out of it if/when the landlord decides - and a scissor lift would not be the simplest thing to shift! Also, I don't have a 3-phase supply: will it use standard mains power?
Hi Manek. Yes this lift is running off my domestic 2 phase supply.
Hi John..........This model doesn't appear to require an air compressor..........I think the later one does.
Earlier versions of the strongman lift did need an air compressor to operate the safety device. Mine was purchased after. they made the change to a electrically actuated fail safe. device
How to change Jaguar xk8 Coupe 2003 door seal?
Fantastic lift , I would go for a scissor lift 2nd and go for the Jax Max M6 first which i ordered.. I think being the arms give you a better lift point selection than your lift. You have only the length of the tables with ramps. What happens if you use a smaller vehicle let’s say a fiat 500 , Porsche , etc. the wheel base spacing with the ramps are already set to one size ? You would have a problem using the lift with the ramps attached I would think ? Tell you what , can you make a video using a smaller and larger vehicle other than your jaguar? that way we can see how it works with different size vehicles.. thanks
Hi
The JAG Max M6 does look good. Not a bad idea ref lifting some different size cars on my scissor lift🤔. I will have a look at that as soon as I have the T2 back out of the garage.
Is it hard to move the lift around the garage? Heavy? Is the car stable?
Hi King Ratphoumy. thanks for watching and commenting👍
Its easy to move the unloaded ramp around in your garage as it has removable and retractable wheels. Check out my video on installing the ramp to see them in use. the lifted car is very stable and does not wobble at all.
does your back ever get tired of bending down while you're underneath the car?
Hi Eddie. I have a creeper/crawler board, that folds up ti create a wheeled stool about 10 inches high.
Between them I dot have any issues.
Plus I genuinely could not have gone too much higher with my garage roof construction anyway. So standing would be nice but Im very happy with what I have.
@@ToTheGarage is it safe?
Yep, NO shop is complete without a rolley-stool!!
Hi
I used a middle rear seat for a Renault scenic, cut all the fixings off , tilted it and welded four castors on
Slides under in and is extremely comfortable,.
I’ve posted John a picture , perhaps he may include it somewhere
John, Just subbed to your channel, I‘m jaguar man myself E Type & XK 150 and i liked the video you did on the best ramp for your setup. I have the strongman 4 post lift which i bought around 8 years a go! Being a Jaguar guy i hope you will take a look at my channel but warning i‘m also in to Minis lol, Cheers Dave
Couldn’t have made a better choice
Can you please tell me the dimension of your garage?
spiros Spyrosa hi
My garage is 5m x 5m and 8ft to the rafters. 👍
Why my friend?
@@ToTheGarage iam asking becouse iam in the same dillima.mine is 7,14 long x 5.20 and 9 feet height
Have u bolted the lift to the floor or is it free-standing?
91cat hi
It's fee standing
I have drilled two holes. 10mm dia and. About 50 mm deep the floor though the pre existing holes in the base plate and literally dropped a couple of 8mm bolts into them. But this is just because I noticed that every time I drove onto the ramp it moved back about 5mm. Basically my floor is too smooth and shiney😁
You don't need to bolt these down at all.
Indeed a feature is you can drag it out of the garage and lift cars outside, which I shall use with my VW camper vans
@@ToTheGarage how is the weightreaio?
When can I bring mine round John? I'll bring a flask!
Hip flask?😉
Nice but a limited ramp for access underneath
It does mask off the sill (rocker panel) area but in all other regards its just son convenient
Be careful with the hoses where they connect to the rams, I have one and it’s ejected the banjos from the crimps and flooded the garage with hydraulic oil - the other side is also working its way out. I took said hoses to 2 different hydraulic hose specialists and they say that the hose markings are inconsistent with uk specs and could not manufacture 600Bar hoses to the same spec as supplied. Hopefully you don’t have any issues but for your safety keep an eye on it. The post purchase service has been frankly infuriating. Good luck 👍
Thanks for the tip Roadman Top
How much did it cost?.
Hi, how big is your garage?
hi. 5m square I believe from memory
Where do you get the original style p zero tyres from :)
I’d just cut a channel out of the floor and put a metal grate or chequer plate over it for access and hide the cables.
Thats a pretty good idea actually Jonathan 🤔
Can it sit on tiles?
Yes. Although on a shiney surfact like that i would put a thin rubber floor mat or similar under the base to stop the ramp moving a little each time the wheels of your car strike the front of the up ramp. (or fit a coupole of floor anchor bolts obviously) The underside of the platform base is completely smooth so it should not present a problem in my opinion.
Hi, thanks for answer, I just ordered a similar one, I'm going to bolt it to the floor for sure but not right away, first have to figure out the exact placement as like you I need to be conscious of space. And thank you for posting these videos, they're very thorough and your thoughts are spot on for people in our part of the world where not every garage looks like a hangar. Greetings from Poland.
Hi John, I understand the height restrictions you've got, but when I go in for a lift it'll be a two poster for me and my pal. We can buy them over here (France) for about 1100€ (about £1000) whereas the scissor lift is £1600 and doesn't give standing headroom.
If you have the height and the floor quality then its no brainer to go for the 2 post David. Particularly at those prices
Where would that be from David? I'm in France; your help would be appreciated.
Lifts the xk8 at 13:41
Edit required.