The QuickJack

 

A few months ago, Bendpak sent over  a BL-3500 QuickJack  in hopes that I would review it. The only problem was that my shop is still very much under construction and in no condition to test the newly developed portable lifting system. So, I hauled the thing over to Austin Speed Shop, dropped it off, and told them I’d be back in a few weeks asking for feedback.



For those unfamiliar, the Quickjack comes in two forms: the 3,500 pound capacity BL-3500 and the 5,000 pound capacity BL-5000. They were developed primarily as a track tool – allowing teams to easily jack up and support their race cars with a lightweight and portable system perfect for the pits. We, however, were testing the unit in a commercial shop environment  while lifting things like ’32 roadsters for easy access to the rolling stock and ’65 Corvette coupes to address some brake issues.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how handy this would be for the Speed Shop. They already have a full compliment of two post lifts and, of course, a number of floor jacks and jack stands at the ready. To my surprise though, the boys really took to the QuickJack in every day use. It’s light enough that one guy can easily tote the thing around the shop and quick enough in use that they preferred the unit over a traditional jack and jack stands. Even better, because it’s a split unit any width of car can be supported. So it’s just a matter of positioning each side of the lift to the width of whatever car you happen to be putting up in the air. Want to lift a Model A Ford? No sweat. Want to pick up a Ford Falcon? The QuickJack can handle that too.

You can see the basic process in this video provided by BendPak:



Bendpak claims the QuickJack can go from bottom to top (just shy of two-feet) in about 10-seconds with a typical load. We found that to be just about right – the light weight ’32 chassis you see here went up in about 7-seconds and down almost as quick  utilizing an integrated air tank (the little aluminum tanks located on each lift-side next to the hydraulic cylinders) for a power assist. And once up, a simple locking system locks the units in to place for safeties sake. It’s a very clean and simple system.

Of course, I’m not into paid reviews… And, this could very well be that if I failed to mention the short comings of the QuickJack. It does have some.

The biggest gripe from the Speed Shop boys dealt with storage and transport. There are essentially four separate pieces to the QuickJack – two lift sides, the hydraulic pump, and the control unit. One guy can easily carry the lift sides to the work space, but  the he has to go back for the pump and the control unit. At your home shop, this isn’t a big deal. But, when you are working at hourly rates time is of the essence. In fact, the Speed Shop takes this so seriously they came up with their own solution. They keep the QuickJack strapped to a dolly with all of it’s accessories locked in and ready to go.

Personally, I think Bendpak should really think about creating their own storage system for the device. Something compact, easily maneuverable, and easily stored.

The shop’s second gripe wasn’t as big of a deal. Like any hydraulic lift, the QuickJack has hydraulic lines. To transport the lift, you disconnect these lines using quick disconnect fittings. However, each time you disconnect these fittings you lose a little hydraulic fluid to the floor. It’s not a huge mess and easily wipeable, but still not ideal.



And that’s really it as far as complaints at this point. In fact,  I was planning on getting the QuickJack out of the Speed Shop’s way after this review and gave them that option, but the boys didn’t  want to give it up. And to me, that really say more than this review. If the QuickJack works efficiently in a commercial shop environment (something it really wasn’t designed for), it should be great in our home shops.

Here’s a few photos of the lift in action:



 

If you are interested in learning more, just head on over to Bendpak’s website for the details.