Does anyone have trouble getting the jack all the way to the rear beam to lift the car? I tried it last night for the first time because I was rotating the tires. What a pain! I had to remove the handle and partially insert it upside down (it's slightly bent by design) so I could get "enough" vertical motion to lift the car. "Enough," meaning the lever would only move about 1/6th its normal range, and it took forever to lift the rear end.

This was after having put the front end on jackstands, going around back and finding the bumper too close to the ground to lift the car, and then bringing the front end down again. What an aggravation.

Anyone have a better way of getting the rear end off the ground without ramps? Can't swap wheels that way.

BTW, the jack I own is the $30 2.5-ton quick-lift jack from WalMart. Do others allow an effective range of motion close to the ground, so you can stay under the bumper?

I have the same jack bought at wallmart...the 2.5 tons one. Same problem you described and what I have to do each time is to back my car up the ramp, then use the jack to jack up the rear beam since the rear bumper is now higher off the ground.

An alternative way but slower is use the jack at one of the standard jack point behind the left front wheel, take off the wheel then loosely put your spare tire on, lower the car and jack up the rear left, take that wheel off and replace it with the previous one. Continue to do this til you get back to the first one and keep in mind your tire rotation pattern.

Idea #1) Try raising the rear of the vehicle first and supporting it on jackstands. Then raise the front. That might work better.

Idea #2) You are working with a toy jack. Sell it for whatever you can get and replace it with a real floor jack. One example is Harbor Freight #4172 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=4172 priced at $54. Harbor Freight waives shipping (but not handling) charges on orders greater than $50.

Idea #3) For tire rotation you may want to equip your floor jack with a Cross Beam Adapter such as Northern #145883. This supports the vehicle in two places and makes it practical to lift the entire left or right side with one jacking operation. This is convenient for tire rotation. This adapter is Made in China, crudely finished, but seems entirely adequate for the purpose. http://www.northerntool.com/cgi-bin/...6&prmenbr=6970

Thanks, Daniel, that's exactly the help I was looking for. (BTW, #1 became very clear to me as soon as I got to the rear of the car, which is why I dropped the front end, jacked up the rear, then lifted the front again.)

And yes, it is a toy jack. But at least I have it, and I use it. That's something.