Trolley Jacks Usage On Yaris Mk1

[Yaristotle]

My dad is thinking of buying an aluminium trolley jack something like this. As he has a Yaris Mk1 he was concerned that the front jacking points might be problematic to reach with such a device. If this is the case there may be little point to making the purchase. Would anybody have any comments re our concerns? Thanks in advance for any help. ;)

[Madasafish]

Front jacking points are the sills or under the front suspension. Looks fine to me. I have a trolley jack which reaches both with no problems and looks similar. I don't really understand what the problem is.

[acetip]

If using trolley jack under sills use a piece of hard wood of suitable size between jack and sill,to protect the paintwork and sill.it also spreads the the load a bit.

[Yaristotle]

Madasafish: It is the jacking point under the suspension that was causing him some concern. He feels that in comparison to most cars of the Yaris size that this particular jp is positioned further towards the rear of the car – this, of course, may quite unfounded – and simply may not be accessible with a trolley jack. That you have confirmed that it can be reached with ease is very helpful, as he can now obtain the item without any worry. Thanks.

Acetip: Acetip, indeed. Thanks for that

[Madasafish]

Yaristotle

The suspension jacking point can be reached but the lever for the jack is initially restricted by the bumper so until you raise the car a little to gain more room, initial pumping is quite slow.... If you are patient..

Yes like Acetip, I use wood under the sills..

[mrpj]

The operating handle on the jack in the link would appear to be one of those which works in a more vertical position? If that's the case then the centre (suspension)point would prove very difficult or impossible. It will be fine on the sill points though. It does seem to have a rubberised lifting plate, as mentioned in the review. I'd still use some wood as well.

I found, with my own jack, with a "horizontal" handle, it was easier to initially use one section of the handle to raise the car sufficiently enough to then add the other half handle. Only works of course, if the handle is in sections in the first place!

[Yaristotle]

Oh bugger. Well spotted, mrpj. Yes, if the handle cannot be operated from the horizontal position I do not think it will reach the front jacking point. The jack is only about ½ metre long, so I reckon that only gets to about the sump. We will need to check with the manufacturer before purchasing. It is just that my dad is in his eighties and has always carried out his own maintenance, albeit using a hydraulic jack that was most likely sourced from James Watts workshop. Its a decent, traditional piece of kit, but it must weigh around 30 pounds. So these new(ish) generation of ally jacks seem just what the chiropractor would order, as they can be wheeled around. Thanks for your help anyway, guys.