Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Andy B on 29 March 2014, 19:58:36
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Went to Costco earlier today and noticed they had a pretty decent set of car ramps in with the car stuff.
They had a weight loading of 2 tonnes and were fairly wide, inline with today's tyres .... 230mm - some what wider than my 30 yrs old ramps.
All for £50-odd :y :y :y
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My ramps are of the same era as yours Andy and the third spar up is bent as a result of the length of 6"x3" timber being used as ramp extensions. ::)
I should have made extensions like yours but never got around to it. By comparison to later ramps, mine don't appear that beefy in the angle iron department, but they've been with me for so long that it seems wrong to bin them. ;D
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My ramps are of the same era as yours Andy and the third spar up is bent as a result of the length of 6"x3" timber being used as ramp extensions. ::)
I should have made extensions like yours but never got around to it. By comparison to later ramps, mine don't appear that beefy in the angle iron department, but they've been with me for so long that it seems wrong to bin them. ;D
I won't be binning mine :o :o :o :o mine must be 30-odd yr old now ....... but a new pair might be a nice addition ;)
I noticed the Costco ramps as I'd eventually decided to treat myself to one of their trolly jacks ::) ::) ::)
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My ramps are of the same era as yours Andy and the third spar up is bent as a result of the length of 6"x3" timber being used as ramp extensions. ::)
I should have made extensions like yours but never got around to it. By comparison to later ramps, mine don't appear that beefy in the angle iron department, but they've been with me for so long that it seems wrong to bin them. ;D
I won't be binning mine :o :o :o :o mine must be 30-odd yr old now ....... but a new pair might be a nice addition ;)
I noticed the Costco ramps as I'd eventually decided to treat myself to one of their trolly jacks ::) ::) ::)
What for? You don't have an omega any more ;D
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Is this one of the 1.5ton alloy jacks btw?
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Is this one of the 1.5ton alloy jacks btw?
It's a 1.8 tonne jack. I'm sure it'll get some use on other cars in the house hold .......I want to remove the Merc rims, one at a time, to give them all a proper clean (and maybe polish ;))
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Is this one of the 1.5ton alloy jacks btw?
It's a 1.8 tonne jack. I'm sure it'll get some use on other cars in the house hold .......I want to remove the Merc rims, one at a time, to give them all a proper clean (and maybe polish ;))
Yeah polish removes welded on brake dust nicely. Cem said. Must be true. ::)
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No, it was wax that removed brake dust. And youtube says so as well. So does Prof. Google. What do you know? ::)
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Went to Costco earlier today and noticed they had a pretty decent set of car ramps in with the car stuff.
They had a weight loading of 2 tonnes and were fairly wide, inline with today's tyres .... 230mm - some what wider than my 30 yrs old ramps.
All for £50-odd :y :y :y
Saw them and was tempted.
Jack, looks like I'll have to get the light one, as they haven't stocked the Arcan 3000XL for a year
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This is the one I'm considering...
http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_8,cos_8.5,cos_8.6.1/107255
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Compared to spec of my melted one (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcan-Trolley-3000KG-Professional-Model/dp/B003O65M0K), it seems to lack lift by 5cm (49cm as opposed to 54cm)
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I don't think I've ever topped out the Arkan, so I guess there's a bit of capacity spare on height.
I'd consider the lighter weight of the alloy one a good advantage, personally. Provided it doesn't dig in the drive and bend if its not man enough...?
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I don't think I've ever topped out the Arkan, so I guess there's a bit of capacity spare on height.
I'd consider the lighter weight of the alloy one a good advantage, personally. Provided it doesn't dig in the drive and bend if its not man enough...?
My concern is the top bit of lifting capacity is often hard to use anyway, so you rarely would. So that extra 5cm may mean the 1.8T jack is in that "awkward" bit of height where the jack has to drag itself right under.
Out of interest, where did you get your scissor jack from? I may get 1 (or 2) identical if cheap enough
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I don't think I've ever topped out the Arkan, so I guess there's a bit of capacity spare on height.
I'd consider the lighter weight of the alloy one a good advantage, personally. Provided it doesn't dig in the drive and bend if its not man enough...?
My concern is the top bit of lifting capacity is often hard to use anyway, so you rarely would. So that extra 5cm may mean the 1.8T jack is in that "awkward" bit of height where the jack has to drag itself right under.
Out of interest, where did you get your scissor jack from? I may get 1 (or 2) identical if cheap enough
A tenant left it behind.
If searching one, go big. Provided it fits under the car. As mine lacks a bit of height.
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This is the one I'm considering...
http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_8,cos_8.5,cos_8.6.1/107255
That's the one I bought yesterday :y
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I don't think I've ever topped out the Arkan, so I guess there's a bit of capacity spare on height.
I'd consider the lighter weight of the alloy one a good advantage, personally. Provided it doesn't dig in the drive and bend if its not man enough...?
My concern is the top bit of lifting capacity is often hard to use anyway, so you rarely would. So that extra 5cm may mean the 1.8T jack is in that "awkward" bit of height where the jack has to drag itself right under.
Out of interest, where did you get your scissor jack from? I may get 1 (or 2) identical if cheap enough
A tenant left it behind.
If searching one, go big. Provided it fits under the car. As mine lacks a bit of height.
Damn. Trouble is, many are made of chocolate, so unless you can see one, you can never tell :'(
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This is the one I'm considering...
http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_8,cos_8.5,cos_8.6.1/107255
That's the one I bought yesterday :y
But no Omega to try it on :(
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But no Omega to try it on :(
No ;) But it'll be low enough to get under her Smart & as long as it gets high enough for me to remove an occasional wheel from my Merc it'll do me. My other jack was bought 30 years or so ago .... it's had a £6 seal replaced a few years ago but is still going strong, so the new one has a lot to live up to. :y :y :y
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This is the one I'm considering...
http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_8,cos_8.5,cos_8.6.1/107255
I have one of those, albeit marked as 1.25 tonne, and Clarke branded from Machine Mart.
This one, in fact:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-ctj1250ab-1-25-tonne-aluminium-racing-j (http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-ctj1250ab-1-25-tonne-aluminium-racing-j)
OK, it's rated much less, but ask yourself how much difference there can be. Looks pretty identical to me.
It's absolutely great for the Westfield and MX5. It'll lift a corner of the Omega but no way would I buy one for regular work on an Omega. You're hanging off the handle to lift an Omega and it feels like it's about to throw in the towel, although mine has actually lasted that sort of abuse well.
It also has a habit of falling apart. You really need to check all the nuts and bolts with every use as they work loose. Keep meaning to give it a dose of Loctite.
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Purchase made. If its shite, Costco are pretty good at sorting it out.
First impressions, its a damn sight lighter, or the box is empty. Can't be arsed to open the box, so threw it in the back of the mobile storage unit Battlebus
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..... Can't be arsed to open the box, so threw it in the back of the mobile storage unit Battlebus
My new jack is still in the back of my Merc ;D ;D ;D
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This is the one I'm considering...
http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_8,cos_8.5,cos_8.6.1/107255
I have one of those, albeit marked as 1.25 tonne, and Clarke branded from Machine Mart.
This one, in fact:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-ctj1250ab-1-25-tonne-aluminium-racing-j (http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-ctj1250ab-1-25-tonne-aluminium-racing-j)
OK, it's rated much less, but ask yourself how much difference there can be. Looks pretty identical to me.
It's absolutely great for the Westfield and MX5. It'll lift a corner of the Omega but no way would I buy one for regular work on an Omega. You're hanging off the handle to lift an Omega and it feels like it's about to throw in the towel, although mine has actually lasted that sort of abuse well.
It also has a habit of falling apart. You really need to check all the nuts and bolts with every use as they work loose. Keep meaning to give it a dose of Loctite.
When I think of Clarke jacks from Machine Mart, I think of the 3 tonne jack that Daz had at Newent a few years back. Talk about hair trigger when trying to slowly lower it ...... either up or down and very difficult to get something in between.
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This is the one I'm considering...
http://www.costco.co.uk/view/product/uk_catalog/cos_8,cos_8.5,cos_8.6.1/107255
I have one of those, albeit marked as 1.25 tonne, and Clarke branded from Machine Mart.
This one, in fact:
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-ctj1250ab-1-25-tonne-aluminium-racing-j (http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-ctj1250ab-1-25-tonne-aluminium-racing-j)
OK, it's rated much less, but ask yourself how much difference there can be. Looks pretty identical to me.
It's absolutely great for the Westfield and MX5. It'll lift a corner of the Omega but no way would I buy one for regular work on an Omega. You're hanging off the handle to lift an Omega and it feels like it's about to throw in the towel, although mine has actually lasted that sort of abuse well.
It also has a habit of falling apart. You really need to check all the nuts and bolts with every use as they work loose. Keep meaning to give it a dose of Loctite.
Aren't the Clarke ones all Sealey? Certainly my old 3t one was Sealey. Actually, my cordless impact wrench is Sealey as well ;D
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Going back to the opening post re ramps .... I've had a look on the costco web site and no ramps listed ?? Were these seen on-line or in-store ??? and did they have extension pieces for low bodies (Irmscher) ... :)
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Going back to the opening post re ramps .... I've had a look on the costco web site and no ramps listed ?? Were these seen on-line or in-store ??? and did they have extension pieces for low bodies (Irmscher) ... :)
Costco's website is utter rubbish. Always look instore. No extensions that I saw.
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Aren't the Clarke ones all Sealey? Certainly my old 3t one was Sealey. Actually, my cordless impact wrench is Sealey as well ;D
I don't think the brand makes any odds at all. A mate of mine used to have contacts in China. He did a bulk buy and brought a couple of shipping containers of tools in a few years back. All of the extensive range of stuff he could get was clearly exactly the same stuff that's in the shops here and you could recognise stuff from dozens of brands. It turns up on a boat from China, a brand label is stuck on it and it goes into whatever distribution warehouse.
This included everything from sets of ratchet spanners to compressors, mini lathes, etc. I reckon the budget stuff all comes from the same place.
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Going back to the opening post re ramps .... I've had a look on the costco web site and no ramps listed ?? Were these seen on-line or in-store ??? and did they have extension pieces for low bodies (Irmscher) ... :)
It was in store Nige. I looked on their web site to see if there was I link I could have used, but I couldn't see anything either.
No extensions either ....... can you buy them? :-\ Mine were home/work made.
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Aren't the Clarke ones all Sealey? Certainly my old 3t one was Sealey. Actually, my cordless impact wrench is Sealey as well ;D
I don't think the brand makes any odds at all. A mate of mine used to have contacts in China. He did a bulk buy and brought a couple of shipping containers of tools in a few years back. All of the extensive range of stuff he could get was clearly exactly the same stuff that's in the shops here and you could recognise stuff from dozens of brands. It turns up on a boat from China, a brand label is stuck on it and it goes into whatever distribution warehouse.
This included everything from sets of ratchet spanners to compressors, mini lathes, etc. I reckon the budget stuff all comes from the same place.
I'll post back on suitability of the Arcan 1.8T jack when I used it to lift an Omega :y
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Going back to the opening post re ramps .... I've had a look on the costco web site and no ramps listed ?? Were these seen on-line or in-store ??? and did they have extension pieces for low bodies (Irmscher) ... :)
It was in store Nige. I looked on their web site to see if there was I link I could have used, but I couldn't see anything either.
No extensions either ....... can you buy them? :-\ Mine were home/work made.
Yup .. I'm considering these .. but would really like to know if anyone has used them, or seen them "in the flesh" as it were ... I'm a tad concerned that the extensions look a lot narrower than the main ramp ....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cougar-Low-Entry-Metal-Car-Van-Ramps-Extensions-2-5-Tonne-25000KG-Capacity-/291110395981?pt=UK_Lifting_Moving_Equipment&hash=item43c788204d
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I purchased a aluminum jack from Costcos about 4 years ago now. the 1.8 tonne version. Been is use many many many times for one of the clubs i am affiliated to. Also been using is on my mobile van workshop. still not let me down. it only weight 25kg too
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The 1.8 ton alloy jack in costco is exactly the same as Kevs, just about a 5th bigger in physical size.
I've considered the costco one purely on grounds of weight for lugging around in the car. The 3.0 ton Arcan is way too heavy to be portable and needs to be boxed in in the boot or it will destroy the boot innards and dent the lpg tank.
Just not worth the agro, hence make do with the scissor for portable use. That won't last too long either though with the vibration from the impact wrench and it doesn't like uneven ground or being pulled over out of vertical.
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Oh. Back then it cost £78 inc VAT too
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....... I'm a tad concerned that the extensions look a lot narrower than the main ramp ....
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Agreed. I think you'd be better of with just 2 short planks ........ should be able to find them almost anywhere! ::) ::) ::) ::)
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....... I'm a tad concerned that the extensions look a lot narrower than the main ramp ....
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Agreed. I think you'd be better of with just 2 short planks ........ should be able to find them almost anywhere! ::) ::) ::) ::)
I used planks many years back when raising a Zephyer 6 (ok on to breeze blocks not metal ramps but the principle is the same) and it all got exceedingly messy after this big cracking sound as one of the planks gave way .. leaving the car at a very weird angle .. and me trying to get a bottle jack under the broken plank side whilst wondering how long the other side was going to last ..... it was sagging very badly... after "rescuing" the situation - and not killing/injuring myself - I vowed NEVER to use planks to raise a car again ..... my level of cowardice grows as I get older ...... :)
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.... ..... my level of cowardice grows as I get older ...... :)
I think you meant common sense :y :y :y
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I think it better to jack the front of the car high enough to place the ramps under, rather than try to drive into them, especially with an Irmscher front air dam fitted. There simply isn't room. Reversing on to raise the rear is less restrictive I'm told.
But the front will need extensions much too long to be useable, with the added risk of bending, even if made of metal, with the car running standard ride height.
The number of cars I've jacked up round here, ramps would be very useful to drive onto. But they are just too steep for the omega when covering all ride heights especially.
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I think it better to jack the front of the car high enough to place the ramps under, rather than try to drive into them, especially with an Irmscher front air dam fitted. There simply isn't room. Reversing on to raise the rear is less restrictive I'm told.
But the front will need extensions much too long to be useable, with the added risk of bending, even if made of metal, with the car running standard ride height.
The number of cars I've jacked up round here, ramps would be very useful to drive onto. But they are just too steep for the omega when covering all ride heights especially.
Not tried that as I don't have ramps .. but my thought is that the jack doesn't go high enough once the suspension droops ... I suppose the answer would be to jack it on the bottom shock absorber mount ... is that strong/safe enough ???
I have 4 axle stands.. so can get all four corners up .. but the height is not huge, and its a faf ...
:(
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I think it better to jack the front of the car high enough to place the ramps under, rather than try to drive into them, especially with an Irmscher front air dam fitted. There simply isn't room. Reversing on to raise the rear is less restrictive I'm told.
But the front will need extensions much too long to be useable, with the added risk of bending, even if made of metal, with the car running standard ride height.
The number of cars I've jacked up round here, ramps would be very useful to drive onto. But they are just too steep for the omega when covering all ride heights especially.
Not tried that as I don't have ramps .. but my thought is that the jack doesn't go high enough once the suspension droops ... I suppose the answer would be to jack it on the bottom shock absorber mount ... is that strong/safe enough ???
I have 4 axle stands.. so can get all four corners up .. but the height is not huge, and its a faf ...
:(
How about building a set of steps with various short/shorter/shortest planks as a ramp up to a set of ramps :-\ :-\ :-\
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I think it better to jack the front of the car high enough to place the ramps under, rather than try to drive into them, especially with an Irmscher front air dam fitted. There simply isn't room. Reversing on to raise the rear is less restrictive I'm told.
But the front will need extensions much too long to be useable, with the added risk of bending, even if made of metal, with the car running standard ride height.
The number of cars I've jacked up round here, ramps would be very useful to drive onto. But they are just too steep for the omega when covering all ride heights especially.
Not tried that as I don't have ramps .. but my thought is that the jack doesn't go high enough once the suspension droops ... I suppose the answer would be to jack it on the bottom shock absorber mount ... is that strong/safe enough ???
I have 4 axle stands.. so can get all four corners up .. but the height is not huge, and its a faf ...
:(
Ahem.... You might want to think about that for a minute.
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When torquing wishbone bolts, I regularly jack the car onto ramps, but I have the Arcan 3.0 jack in TB's link.
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I thought it was just me that couldn't find anything useful on Costco's website; no matter what you ask for, it can't find it!
Will this help:-
www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_9/275-1001255-9348613?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=car ramps&sprefix=car+ramps%2Ckitchen%2C318
Ron.