mel g

Homemade TT jacking device:
2001 180 cq

Problem: with only 4 lift points, ( the rubber donut-like supports, about 2inch diameter, ) how to raise the car with a floor jack, then put jack stands in, to safely support it while working underneath?
Solution( of sorts):
The tire jack is designed to lift by going under the long ridge that runs between the wheels on each side. Thus, we do have 4 other lifting point possibilities.
I created a lifting bar that will lift one entire side of the car, using the 2 ridge-locations that the tire jack uses, thereby leaving the rubber lifting points free to install the jack stands.

1: Fabricate 2 Pads that will fit onto the ridge where the tire jack would be. I used 4" length of wooden 2x4 with a dado (i.e., an extra-wide saw cut) cut in them. Dimension of the dado is 3/8 inch wide x 7/8 inch deep. Although I did this on a table saw with dado cutter, it could easily be done with a hand saw and chisel, as long as the chisel is no wider than 3/8 inch. Precision of cut not required.
This creates a piece of wood approx 4"x4" x 1 ½" with a groove on one of the flat surfaces 3/8 x 7/8 , that will exactly fit under the ridge that runs under both sides of the bottom of the TT. This way the lifting force is spread both to the ridge itself, and to the metal on both sides of the ridge. And since the ridge is inside the dado, it can't be crushed or even bent out of shape.

2. Cut a 2x4 lifting bar, about 4 ft. long.

3. This is actually the hardest part. Put the four-foot 2x4 onto your floor jack, (the floor jack goes about midway.) Then put the 2 pads onto the ends of the four-foot 2x4, just resting, no need to secure them.

Height problems: my floor jack at lowest position is 5 ½ inches high, too high for the entire contraption to fit. But, if I remove the saddle, the height is now 4 ½ inches, enough for all this to fit.

Line all this up- not so easy. Starting form the top down, the sequence is:
Two pads on the ends of the four footer, the four footer balanced on its midpoint, on the lifting saddle of the floor jack. A third hand will help, but it can be done with 2.
Notice there is a rubber-like stiffener for one of the under-car panels that gets partly in the way of our four footer- but even though the rear pad doesn't rest precisely on the center on the 2x4, it all works fine.

4. Lift away. You'll note the 2x4 bends some under the weight of the car, but not a problem, it doesn't break ( at least mine didn't) and once it bends about an inch, it starts to touch the bottom of the car at its midway point, and that serves to limit how far it will bend.

5. Warnings: wood has various grades, strengths, and although my laying-around-the-house-and-with-a-few-knot-holes- 2X4 worked fine, stay far enough back so that if yours breaks, you will not be hit by anything.

6. Don't even think of getting yourself under the car using a floor jack. Just one loosening or leak of a 25 cent washer or seal, and it all comes down.

Have fun.

Mel g

Larrytt

it is NOT a good idea to use a floor jack with the saddle removed and the 2x4 resting on the end of the jack. The wood could easily slip off of this because the jack has to roll in order to lift the car and when it rolls the weakest point will give and that in all likelyhood will be the contact point between the jack and the wood and not the wheels/ground. Think about that for a minute. . . you will either gouge out the belly pan or worse the door of the car!

The idea of the 4x4x2 with the 3/8" dado is a very good one. Just take that and shape it to fit into the saddle and jack the car as far as you can in front. The rear of the car will lift off the ground as well. Once the front jackstand is set in place, then you can either relocated the jack to the back jack point or you can actually lift the car with your hand and place the jackstand in place. The back of the car is light enough and you have created a fulcrum effect up front. I have done this.

IslOMan

Since the grain of the wood runs along the length of the piece, it could easily split after having the groove cut in it. the strength of the wood is at the edges (both required) when under force.

Also the two lifting points the the Audi jack fit are reinforced with extra metal to accept the load. Jacking in the center of a long support (even if metal) would create a load at the point wher the jack meets the channel and possibly damage the rocker.

I use a jack pad extension ($6)that's made of hard rubber and approximately a 3" cube. In it I dadoed a groove to fit the standard jack lift points (like your rig.) I find that using it on the rear jack point will sufficiently lift the entire side of the car to change tires or a single wheel to set jack stands.

mel g

Good ideas- appreciayte the input

smallTTs

BTW, if one insists on lifting the entire side of the TT from one point, remember that 60 % of the weight is on the front, so the balance point is almost exactly at the center of the door, not halfway between the wheels.

Rik

**** sorry it was right there and I had to swing*****