I've been using a simple scissor jack on wood planks to lift my LR2, then placing a jack stand under the pad, per the correct and safe method. The scissor jack is small and does the job, but it's a real chore to lift and lower. I'm now ready to upgrade to a proper floor jack. I expect to be more enthusiastic about working on my car if I can get it lifted more easily.

However, the problem I see is the pad for the jack stand is directly behind the pinch weld. If I roll a floor jack under the pinch weld and raise it to approx 18", the floor jack is going to travel forward a little on its wheels as the arm lifts up (like it's supposed to) and block the floor space needed for the jack stand. Too bad they are so close together at the front of the car! They are further apart at the rear.

How do you raise and support the front of your LR2 when working on brakes, etc?

 

Use the floor jack on position #3, for both front and rear. That will raise both wheels on that end, then use jackstands under the pinch welds.

For the front, my jack handle has little clearance on the lower grill, so I have to use short strokes until the car lifts up a little.

For the rear, the pic is misleading, you want the jack under the cross-brace with the web structure, not on the diff itself.

 

Thanks, good stuff! Although I have more confidence in holding it up for hours using the jack stands on the pads (#2) rather than the pinch welds (#1).

I'll have to carry my new floor jack up and down a couple flights of stairs to my parking space, so I'm looking at lightweight models with an aluminum frame and carry handles. The LR2 weighs approx 5,500 lbs. What do you think the minimum weight rating should be for the floor jack? 2 tons? 2.5 tons? Once you get up to 3 tons and higher these jacks get very heavy to carry up/down stairs.

Have you had any repair issues with your jack (leaks, broken handle)? Another purchase factor I'm considering is the availability of a rebuild seal kit (e.g., Torin), or the option to exchange the jack locally under warranty (e.g., Harbor Freight).

 

Just make sure the right amount of oil is in the jack and that all air is bled out. I always back off the jack release valve until the jack is fully seated and then I tighten it up again snuggly. 2.5 is better than 2 and 3 is better than 2.5. Steep stairs suck . Aluminum all the way but it gets pricy. Two bottle jacks can do the job. I actually replaced the standard scissors jack with a 20 ton bottle jack and I have a set of camper stand bases (to distribute base weight) which I store in a trunk organizer. Jack stands and chocks are a must.

 

I've had my floor jack for years, no problems. I don't use it constantly, maybe once per month on average.

For jackstands, I like the rating at least double the weight to be supported, because that's a safety thing. I use the pinch welds, the paint on the pads gets turn torn up a bit by the stands, so I'm worried about rust there. But the pinch welds are very sturdy, I've been doing that for years with no issues and no sign of damage or bending. But you can use either.

For the floor jack, since you should never rely it while under the car, it just has to be able to lift the car... or half of the car really, so a bit over one ton in this case. Mine is a 2 ton and it works fine. Especially if you have to haul it up and down stairs

 

Thanks for all the helpful input! I just purchased a Torin 2.5 ton floor jack (T84025) on sale for $150. It's a steel/aluminum hybrid, weighs 51 lbs, and has carry handles. My choice of this particular jack was based on the availability of replacement parts from Torin.

Between carrying this jack up/down stairs and torquing caliper mounting bolts, this car stuff is a real physical workout!

 

@merlinj79 To lift the rear from the center, getting to the Rear Diff support bracket at point (3) in the diagram above is a challenge. Do you actually do that?

I was thinking of lifting the rear at each pinch weld (1) and placing the jack stands (2) on each side one-at-a-time.

I don't have any problem lifting the front from the center.

 

You could do it either way. All I do is lower the handle on my floor jack before rolling it under the car, that provides clearance to get it under there. The first few strokes have to be pretty short until the car lifts a bit which allows clearance for longer strokes.

I've done it with the floor jack on #2 and the jackstands on #1 but for me anyway it's awkward getting the jackstands in place with the floor jack there. The rear point works better, only one lift and no interference with the jackstands (which I place under the pinch welds).

I would not want to use the floorjack on #1 and then have to crawl under the vehicle to place the stands. Hydraulic jacks do fail catastrophically, anyone who's been around shop work long enough has seen it. It's just a little o-ring holding that pressure in. Unless you have a floorjack with a mechanical safety stop... I know those exist but they're $$$$.

 

Is this the center rear point (#3 in the diagram) where you lift?

 

Yeah, the honeycomb.