Trolley jacks for the bongo

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sotal
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Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by sotal » Mon Sep 07, 2020 3:48 pm

After 2 previous repairs, my trusty old trolley jack has decided to squirt all its fluid out over the drive.

My old one was around 20 years old, so had done well but I have no idea on the spec. I think it was a 2 ton one.

It is currently required most for the bongo so want to get something best suited to that but something more slimline would be useful as with a previous car I used to have to drive onto a sleeper to get the Jack under.

I was looking at...

SGS 2 ton low profile (89 - 359mm) £35.62 delivered
SGS 3 ton heavy duty (130 - 465mm) £70 delivered
Halfords 2 tonne low profile (85 - 375mm) £50 collected
Halfords 3 tonne (140 - 430) £64 collected

My current one is 13cm high and only just fits under the sill on my other car. So really the Halfords 3 tonne one is out as it won't be useable for both. All the others should be fine though.

I'm tempted to go for the SGS 2 ton low profile. I take it that it will be strong enough to lift the bongo as you usually go on 3/4 of the weight.

My only concern is if it will actually fit under my other car. Although it is low profile, I rarely lift in the jacking points as I don't normally trust them, and this one does up to 15cm high, so wouldn't fit under the sill beyond that point.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what is best?
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by rita » Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:02 pm

Personally I would go for minimum of 3ton lifting capacity, I have seen too many 2ton jacks blowing the seals, and buy a known UK .
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by Bob » Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:13 pm

I've got the SGS 2 ton.

Agree 3 tons would be better, but it's too big and heavy, and I think the 2 ton is a lot better than the pressed steel Bongo jack.

Obviously I don't put so much as a finger nail under a vehicle without stands.
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sotal
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by sotal » Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:56 pm

Bob wrote: Mon Sep 07, 2020 4:13 pm Obviously I don't put so much as a finger nail under a vehicle without stands.
How do you get the stand under without going under 🤣

Seriously though, I use 3 ton axle stands, I'm always happy with the rear on the bongo as it has a proper axle to put them under. Where do you put them at the front. I tend to put them on a bit that looks strong behind the radiator. However I'm never 100% sure how strong that bit is, so I get them under but don't drop the weight on fully.

I always get the wheel under with a block of wood on top, so there is a double back up!

If the wheels don't need to come off then it just goes on the little ramps that I've got.


I like the look of the SGS stuff but if I buy the 3 ton one then I won't really be able to use it on a standard car unless I'm jacking on the sill which I don't like to do.

The 2 ton would work for both but if it is like my current one, then it will only just lift high enough. The wheel currently lifts off by about 5mm at maximum lift.

I guess I could get the 3 tonne and drive onto a sleeper like I used to with an older car. Just adds the slight danger of remembering to put the sleeper back in before lowering!
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by Bob » Mon Sep 07, 2020 5:15 pm

Push the stand in place with a stick. :wink:

I've not had to work under the front (yet) so haven't looked for a suitable spot, doubtless something solid under there. 8)
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by sotal » Mon Sep 07, 2020 6:20 pm

I've gone for the 3 ton SGS one, as I'm pretty sure the previous one was a 2 ton and although it has worked for a few years the seals let go which could well have been to do with it being close to the limit (or perhaps just age!)

The SGS one looks good and although it is called a 3 ton one, the manual says it can lift 3.5 ton. So should find it easy to lift the bongo.

If it proves to be a complete pain on other cars then I'll have to get a 2 ton one to go with it!
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by Bob » Mon Sep 07, 2020 6:54 pm

Nice one. 8)
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by RichRS » Tue Sep 08, 2020 9:00 pm

I recently went for the SGS 2.5 low profile as I needed one that would work for both my Bongo and low MX5. I’m really happy with the quality of it for the money. Definitely a good buy.
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by MWiedenhof » Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:25 pm

Not a trolley jack but i just bought this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251898242635
4 tonne ( one part says 4 ton the other 4 tonnes not a huge difference)
an air bag jack that you inflate with the exhaust or a compressor with supplied adaptor
Apparently popular with the landrover/4x4 crowd. Seems like a good idea for not completely solid ground.
It should arrive Tuesday, I will report back.
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by Bob » Sun Feb 28, 2021 2:02 pm

I've heard good reports of the air bag jacks. :)
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by Winniebongo » Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:42 pm

Just reading this now but I am glad you went for the SGS one. I have an old Hilka that I have had for donkeys. A few years ago I thought maybe I should change it and I bought one from Halfords. It was the worst jack ever, obviously mainly for DIY market but it was heavy, the mechanism was just an increased size of the small trolley jacks you get, which are fine in themselves to et into awkward spaces and so on but with increased lengths and weights it made the jack really cumbersome to use. I think I used it 4 or 5 times before giving it away as it wasn't getting used.
I then bought a SIP low profile, which I thought would be handy as we had a couple of A3s which are low and hard to get a jack under. The low profile bit isn't as exciting as I thought and I still needed a series of ramps and so on before jacking, much the same as I did with the old normal trolley. Also its slow to pump up,doesn't store well as the handle doesn't go all the way up, so I don't actually like that either, I force myself to use it every now and again but I have now restored the Hilka and it's still the best of the lot. I thought SIP, being an old school garage equipment supplier, would be good quality and so on, the jack pad fell apart after about a year and when I contacted them it is not warranted, nor were they interested in giving me a discount to buy it as a spare part, think it was £16, so I went cheap and to E.Bay, hopefully it will last longer. I have also had an air tool from them (Air Impact gun) and it was also completely unimpressive, so won't be using them again
I did look at SGS, I was put off by the fact they don't actually make them but I think they maybe assemble them? They certainly have lists of spares they stock and I did undertake to use them in the future and bought a compressor from them last year which I am delighted with :)
Hope this helps others
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by TheLongRoad » Mon Mar 15, 2021 8:19 am

I’d go for the heavy duty three ton trolley jack. For the low profile ground hugging cars I have been stupid enough to buy, I used to drive the wheel onto a block of wood. That gave me sufficient clearance to get a proper trolley jack under it and then get serious with axle stands.
I also put wheels under the vehicle and a pair of ramps - anything that will give wriggle room to avoid getting trapped under the vehicle if the worst happens. PS only jack up on solid level concrete or tarmac never on gravel or loose surface.
2002 Friendee 2.0 ltr Petrol.
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by mikeonb4c » Wed Mar 17, 2021 10:54 am

TheLongRoad wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 8:19 am I’d go for the heavy duty three ton trolley jack. For the low profile ground hugging cars I have been stupid enough to buy, I used to drive the wheel onto a block of wood. That gave me sufficient clearance to get a proper trolley jack under it and then get serious with axle stands.
I also put wheels under the vehicle and a pair of ramps - anything that will give wriggle room to avoid getting trapped under the vehicle if the worst happens. PS only jack up on solid level concrete or tarmac never on gravel or loose surface.
Great advice. Even with the Bongo I have to increase clearance to get my 3 tonne trolley jack into position. But I've seen a brand new 2 tonne one go pop when attempting to raise a Bongo. And never ever get underneath without thinking 3 times to check you've covered the safety angles. [-X
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Re: Trolley jacks for the bongo

Post by TheLongRoad » Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:25 pm

Bob wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 2:02 pm I've heard good reports of the air bag jacks. :)
Don’t think I’d go anywhere near anything supported by a blow up bag - too many sharp bits of metal under my old cars. :?
2002 Friendee 2.0 ltr Petrol.
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