EZ Car Lift Review

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JHZR2

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Finally, after many years of considering that I wanted a lift, but not taking action on it, I finally pulled the trigger. Every now and again, I read forum threads about lifts. Recently I saw some threads about a new(er) hydraulic lift that was pretty reasonably priced. I was intrigued... But then I came to realize that it was all made in China, and there were lots of stories of hydraulic leaks and whatnot.

In doing more reading, I found that there was an EZ Car Lift SU (Single Unit) designed for mobile mechanics and able to be used by itself. I had a discussion with the company's owner (who answers the phone when called), and it was indicated that if one were to buy one of these, and then bought another later, they could be linked up like the regular lift. This was the determining factor. I hadn't really budgeted to buy an entire EZ car lift, and this allowed me to get my foot in the door so to speak. with a path forward if I chose.

The owner of the company is super-nice. He answers the phone when you call, and when I was putting this lift together, on a Sunday afternoon, and shot an email, he actually called me within less than five minutes!

The units ship from California. So to get cross country, if shipped on Monday, can get east by Friday via FedEx.

The unit comes in a reasonable sized box. One person can lift it, though its a bit long so could be unwieldy... But nothing crazy, that's for sure...

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It is wrapped in plastic in the box, pretty simple packaging, and easy to unwrap:

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Very nice manual, which lacked a few items, but those items were so simple they were self-explanatory.

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The only special packaging to remove are these plywood ends:

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There is a sealed gearbox that must be filled with supplied lube:

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The mechanism is quite simple:

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The unit uses hockey pucks to support the vehicle to ensure no damage. I might have done it wrong, not sure, but it is interesting that they are installed on spring loaded carriers so they can be moved and then revert to their parked position.

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The manufacturer recommends a drill of around 8A. My Milwaukee was only 6.5A, and I don't really care to use a cordless. I needed a bigger drill for large hole saws, so I decided to buy a Swiss-made HD21-2 Bosch two-speed drill.

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Here is a video of the lift going up. Ive heard figures of over a minute to lift a vehicle all the way up. I didn't lift all the way, but it was not that slow, nor was it as fast as a three-pump hydraulic jack... Kept the drill in the 0-1000 RPM mode per the instructions.



The unit is delivered with a hex to male 3/8" square, and then a very deep six point socket. The male end on the lift is a wobble head type so that the drill need not be straight, and can be kept off the ground at the start.

I used this to lift my Honda Accord to install snow tires (finally doing it, sort of late in the year, but oh well), and it worked super well and easy. The unit has casters on it, so its simple to slide underneath, and get positioned.

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In the end it can stow under most cars, on a garage floor...

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Officially the single lift can only go to 18", IIRC, with the regular one able to go a good deal higher. To me that's sufficient for any sort of woe Id want to do, and Id have to check with the vendor to see if higher is allowed in tandem application.

In closing, Ive been super happy with the EZ Car Lift. I will at some point buy another and either use them connected or perhaps just lift each side a little at a time. The possibilities are endless with this, its is small, manageable, little to no maintenance, and a great item.

Yes, some might argue you can buy a (likely Chinese) two post or other lift for the same money as the full EZ lift. But this is intrinsically portable, movable, and allows one to lift a car in any garage and greatly increase their capability to do various repairs safely without the challenges and safety concerns of jack stands (including damage to jack points, damage to undercoating or metal underneath, etc.

The owner is nice and helpful, the product is fully USA made and high quality, and well-finished, and Im really happy with it. Coupled with my jackpoint jack stands, and with another in the future, the possibilities are endless!
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Looks nice! Appreciate the write up and review.

What load is it rated for?


IIRC, the tandem "standard" unit is rated for 4400# but the single like I have is rated for 2600#.

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Looks like a very useful thing to have. Guess you threw on new rotors too?


???? This is a 2015 vehicle with less than 10k miles...
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Okay I see a little rust now that I looked closer, but still those are pretty clean rotors.


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Car has seen salt once only ever.
 
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I've had my ezcarlift since 2003 and I love it. I selected ezcarlift over all the others because of: Boytcho Manev the owner, you can call him anytime ( HE picks up the phone), it uses a screw drive ( no leaking down), it's compact and stores well when not in use, and it's made in the USA.
Mine has been utterly reliable and it's been used on lots of cars since I bought it. It's my most valuable tool.
 
Thanks for writing this up. I had never considered a piece of equipment like this, but will certainly look it up.

Hmm. $2k. Is that the typical price, i.e. buying direct from their website?
 
^ why do you think I only bought half?
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One or two full suspension jobs will pay for it. I figure I've got at least 35-40 years of wrenching before I'll need help.

Anything bigger than that sort of a job I'd likely have a pro do anyway...
 
I like the matched pair and the idea you can get at exhaust and stuff down the middle of the car. I seem to always be messing with the flange behind the cat, or snaking a long pipe over the rear axle which needs lots of vertical clearance.

But, OP, lifting one side of the car can be done with a service jack on the frame rail about a foot rearward of the firewall. Buying 1/2 the package gets you in about the same spot.

But you can slither around to the other side with your jack and get all four corners in the air, albeit on three points of contact. Not for crawling around underneath, obviously, but it would be great for wheel rotations.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I like the matched pair and the idea you can get at exhaust and stuff down the middle of the car. I seem to always be messing with the flange behind the cat, or snaking a long pipe over the rear axle which needs lots of vertical clearance.

But, OP, lifting one side of the car can be done with a service jack on the frame rail about a foot rearward of the firewall. Buying 1/2 the package gets you in about the same spot.

But you can slither around to the other side with your jack and get all four corners in the air, albeit on three points of contact. Not for crawling around underneath, obviously, but it would be great for wheel rotations.


I was wondering when the service jack comment would come up
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Yes, I could lift the entire car up with one jack, causing some stresses and a high pressure point. I could also lift a side up with two small hydraulic jacks, for the purpose of ding stuff like tire rotations. Sure. But then Id have to concern myself with bleed down, or exchanging to jack stands.

My real end goal for this is to use it to put my 300CD up in the air for a full suspension update. And, in the long run, to have two sides so I have a very secure, easy to use lifting system that is higher and stronger than jackstands, easier to use, and does not have the hydraulic components associated. Keep in mind I can use this along one side, or to jack up the entire front/rear end with one unit.

Like anything else, this isn't for everyone. I think that a lift like this is useful, Ill ultimately buy the other side, and I think its a great option for DIYers. Ive personally never been a huge fan of hydraulic jacks and jack stands, and so for me, this is a small cost for security and structure that I can use when and where I please.
 
I can see that sort of lift having a use for some folks but not me. I have a 2 post lift (9000lb cap)- american made and good quality. It was $2300 installed in my shop.

Nice lift, don't get me wrong, but the cost and limited use it offers and low weight is the cons. If you're just doing tire/wheel work its perfectly fine.
 
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