Homemade car lift

[@kencarp57]

LOVE IT! I've been watching YT for well over a decade now, and this is by far the most ingenious and impressive project I've ever seen. The amount of forethought, planning, and pure resourcefulness that went into building "Rujo" is amazing and very impressive... so impressive, that I'd run my C8 Corvette up onto Rujo without any concerns! Rujo is indeed a thing of beauty, with no hydraulics, only air power. AMAZING!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, North Georgia Hawg! And I appreciate your vote of confidence. C8 truly is a nice one. I'd like to have a '69 Stingray with a small block, and I will - as soon as I manage to clear three small obstacles on the way: time, room and money... Designing and building Rujo was so much fun, it didn't feel like work at all. Although I did not weld for a while after getting it operational... Originally I planned to make it electro-hydraulic, 'cos I'd picked up a proper cylinder, but before I could find the rest of the parts I found those air springs, and since money was indeed an object, plans changed. I had worked on cars for three decades before building Rujo: sitting down next to them or lying on my back under them. Being able to work on brakes and shocks and whatnot standing up is just awesome. And whatever there's to do under the car I can do sitting up. And since I don't have an actual garage, just that shelter, I had to make it portable. The telescopic lifting cylinder on the tow bar is originally from a snow plow, I guess.

[@pissupehelwan]

Awesome! You may call it Rujo but this is a thing of beauty to me. I have nothing but respect for anyone who can come up with a solution like this. It looks quite sturdy and well-built. Most other homemade car lifts on youtube look like they were made by people who are comfortable gambling with their lives.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Pissu Pehelwan! Sometimes something is so ugly it's actually beautiful... Also, with Rujo it's definately 'function before form'. I'm not an engineer, I don't know how to calculate the minimum strenght required for structures, so I make things to be strong for sure - 'That WILL do it' instead of 'That ought to do it'. I agree - on KZbin there are videos of contraptions I would not dare to go under. Getting crushed under a car is a rather embarassing way to die, especially when it can be so easily avoided. Safety first.

[@mxcatkiller]

Brilliant! I loved it! For the people saying you can’t get “in the middle” either way it’s an hell of an invention with out spending thousands. Plus you can always make your own modifications to it. Thanks for sharing!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Page Farms, for your comment! I made additional stands for getting “in the middle” of the car: I raise the lift, place the stands under the wheels, lock them in place and lower the lift. That makes about 50 cm/20 in space under the car - enough for, say, changing the exhaust pipe. Nothing much more to do there anyway. And I don’t need to lie on my back on concrete, but the wooden deck of the lift…

[@mxcatkiller]

Rujo lift it’s an awesome invention, the stands are a great add on!! You should be proud!! I would be... have a good one buddy 🤙🏻

[@alexwolf8019]

Ive tried and tried to find car lifts where I live sense I live out of the States now. You can car lifts everywhere back home, now its like finding gold. I wish I had the skill to build one like you. Good job man. I am going try and make one myself, like the cheap portable type you see everywhere.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Alex Wolf! Most commercial car lifts seem to operate with hydraulics, using pneumatics only to release the safety locks. At least I haven’t come across one like Rujo, operating purely with pneumatics. Which is not to say they do not exist, but pneumatic scissor lifts appear to be only tables, not car lifts. Many tire shops use low lifts based on convoluted air springs, whereas Rujo is built around air springs of a commercial truck. Those lifts only lift the car enough to change tires, but I wanted Rujo to be able to go high enough for one to perform a wider range of maintenance duties. That’s why the springs are not between the floor and the deck, but between the scissor arms, thus roughly doubling the spring stroke under load. Unloaded the deck rises three times the nominal stroke of the spring. There’s a lot of different kinds of lifts presented on KZbin, some simpler and easier to build and use than others. And some less safe than others, unfortunately. Safety first. Welding is easy to learn, engineering takes a bit more. The less engineering skills, the stronger the structures - that’s why Rujo is like it is… I hope you find a lift that meets your needs. And if not, I hope you get to build one.

[@alexwolf8019]

@@rujolift5558 Thank you for the explanation, I appreciate your time.

[@Sh0ck556]

Either way this is a pretty awesome idea! You can move your lift anytime you want to wherever you want. Thumbs up 👍 from me

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your kind comment, Randy Ethirtysix! Mobility was indeed the idea: to have a lift to make things easier, but not let it permanently occupy the carport. Takes only about 15 minutes to set it up. To be exact, I can’t tow it wherever - just around my property. A lot of details make it impossible to get something selfmade like Rujo inspected to be street legal: detachable wheels alone are enough to get it rejected. Also, only commercially manufactured trailers can be assembled by welding, home mechanics must use bolt joints, which is why nowadays nobody builds a trailer intended for street use. Wiring for lights wouldn’t take much, of course. None of those things are problems in, say, less regulated countries, but in Finland I’d be in a heap of trouble towing Rujo on a public road, if spotted by the police.

[@briansawdo6787]

That is an excellent build! I do not know how to weld yet but I see ideas in yours that I can do in wood. Like making a drive up platform to roll a creeper under. Good job!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Brian Sawdo! So, "yet" means you will one day learn how to weld - that's great! Metal works are fun. And meanwhile a wooden platform with a creeper is a huge step up from a jack and axle stands... Just make it strong - safety first.

[@evanmarrs353]

This is a well crafted piece of equipment. It’s not often you see a home built versions that the maker takes the time to add in the extra safety redundancies.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Evan Marrs, for taking the time to comment! Safety first. I trust my welding, but still I never, *ever*, go under a car without those corner supports. Or axle stands, if lifting with a jack. Being crushed by one's own car is a rather embarassing way to go - especially when it could be avoided so easily.

[@jameshendrix8217]

great idea what size air cylinder did you use? Do you have a part number or make ? thanks

[@nowthenad3286]

Superb. A pleasure to watch. I think that making it towable so that you could use your car to move it was ingenious.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Nowthen AD! As commonly known, need (or in my case sometimes laziness…) is the mother of inventions.

[@AB-C1]

Genius for a DIY lift! Plenty of thought time and effort went into this! Great piece of backyard engineering.. 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, A BC, for your comment! The project sure took it's time...

[@julianr6220]

nice bit of kit, looks like it does the job, glad too see some people still using there head, good bit of engineering

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Julian R!

[@stevewuertz3598]

Great idea and seems to be within my skill set to build. There's a lot to like here

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Steve Wuertz! Building something like this doesn’t take a professional welder - obviously, since I’m not a pro. I’d say basic knowledge of metalwork will do. After all, it’s not a cruise ship. That said, make sure the materials are thick enough and welded through, so the seams are strong. And as is the case with every lifting device from the cheapest jack to a state-of-the-art four-post: always make sure it's safe to go under the car.

[@Louisb4634]

Very few men can achieve such a feat. The resourcefulness, creativity of problem solving in this video has my upmost respect. Lov a build with multiple possibilities. Seems such ingenuity is fading these days. Statements from the father n law : "why don't you just go buy one' or "we need call somebody" hav put us on none speaking terms. Yes providing for your family is essential but passing on such abilities is priceless. Way to go.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Louis Ortiz, for your praising comment! As the phrase goes: Need is the mother of invention... I do teach my kids whatever skills I have in mechanics, metal and wood as they grow. Both have tried welding and a few days ago my 10-year-old daughter was with me as I worked on my mother's car. I hope you come to terms with your father-in-law.

[@steelisthemeal]

@@rujolift5558 nice 😁👍

[@rujolift5558]

@@steelisthemeal Thank you for your comment, STEEL SCRAP Kingdom! Interesting channel you have! Appears to be a hard work to make a living. I don't think there are many people in Finland making a living like that. One reason is that running a scrap business in a scale that would provide a living requires at least an enviromental permit. I bet there would be some other bureaucracy as well. And taxes. Another is that there are several recycling centers in every village, town and city. Most of them are unmanned and just have these huge bins for glass, metal, paper, plastic and cardboard. Trucks empty them with certain interwalls. Some have a bin for clothes. It's like a giant mailbox, it has a kind of a flip drawer: a bag of (clean and usable) clothes is inserted into the drawer which empties into a locked container when closed. Those are operated by a charity organization that sorts them and sells the acceptable ones in their second hand shops. Last year they received 14 million kilos (over 30 million lb) of clothes of which 95.9% were either resold, donated further or recycled as material. Manned recycling stations also have truck containers for electronics and hazardous materials (oils, chemicals, batteries, etc.). And truck beds for metal: the unmanned bins only take items up to a certain size. Larger ones can be taken to the manned stations. Naturally they take the smaller items as well - no need to sort them by size at home. And then there are the dump sites, which nowadays are more accurately recycling stations as well, just added with truck beds for unrecycleable stuff: construction waste, large furniture, etc. All this for free. Except taking waste to the dump site stations in a van or a trailer, then they charge by volume. But stuff taken there in a passenger car is charge free. Also, small electronics (tv, radio, microwave, so on) can be taken back to the electronics store. And then there's the recycling of bottles and cans. Every one of them has a small deposit added to the price that's refunded, when taken back to the store. 93-95% of bottles and cans return to the stores to be recycled. In that we Finns are the best in the world, I might add. Sorry - got a bit carried away with this info splash from the other side of the globe... I hope your business runs good in 2022 and the years to come!

[@bbay1977]

Damn now that's a real DIY car lift and it is mobile. Great job. Every Mobile Mechanic needs one of these.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, James B, for your comment! Many times DIY is the best way to get what is needed. And sometimes the only way.

[@shannonsmith148]

Well done! Awesome build.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, shannon smith!

[@bmmg123]

Respect! So inspiring.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, bmmg123! I'm glad you like the video!

[@diesel-td1946]

Ok, you were very ingenious and good, you could patent it. Have a good time.

[@bsirvine]

Incredible Finnish ingenuity!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your kind comment, bsirvine! The mother of invention is a need - and in my case also a certain kind of laziness: I tend to use time and energy to arange things in such way that it minimizes the need to use time and energy in times to come...

[@kpj54256]

Even though you can't do under car work, I still see how you could use that for a mobile brake or oil change company. GREAT IDEA!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Kenny Johnson, for your comment - especially the part in capital letters… It’s amazing how many people say the same thing - that I could not get under the car with Rujo. Fortunately, my channel is insignificant enough not to gain 400 comments every day, so I get to comment back on each one. Please, watch the video again and hit pause around 5:52. You can see the car is pretty much in pieces - I took the photo when I was changing the clutch at 380000 kilometers. Now, how did I take out the gear box, if I did not have access under the car? Through the glovebox, perhaps…? Some people say Rujo is useless, because it does not allow access under the middle of the car. First: It does. I raise the car, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift, now there is about half a meter of space under the car. Beats having the car on ramps. Actually, you can see the first version of the stands in the picture, stacked in the lower right corner. Those are just something I quickly put together out of timber, the new ones I welded. Second: What kind of cars these people drive? I mean, the only times I have ever needed to get under the middle of the car is to change the exhaust pipe or spray some underbody protection stuff. Do they change the pipe monthly? Or weld the bottom every other week? I built Rujo mainly for changing tires, as you can see on the other video. Up to nine cars twice a year - that’s quite a bit of jacking, which annoyed the hell out of me. Then there’s the normal maintenance: brakes, shocks, ball joints, whathaveya. I’m old enough to enjoy being able to do those things standing up. And whatever work there is that requires getting actually under the car are a minority. Inner CV-joints, transmission oil - not that often. I chance the engine oil with a vacuum pump through the dipstick pipe.

[@kpj54256]

@@rujolift5558 Fair enough. Great explanation. I didn't catch that when I watched it. I understand about the getting to the middle of the car and you are correct. Not much need to get under the middle of cars often. Still just the same great idea and again, thanks for the great explanation about the work that can be done with your lift. Better than my snap on scissor lift that I have as your lift is more versatile than mine. Keep up the good work!

[@michaelderkinderen2261]

@@rujolift5558 sucking out the oil is quite genius. Unfortunately on many cars you need to access the oil filter from the bottom anyways.

[@rujolift5558]

@@michaelderkinderen2261 Thank you for your comment, Michael Der Kinderen! You are right about the filters. And annoyingly often the filter is screwed horizontally on the side of the engine block - removing it makes a mess. On my 1.9 TDI the filter is vertical and in front of the engine - and it gets even better: only the filter element is changed. Unscrew the top of the housing, lift it out, separate the used filter from the top, change two O-rings on the top, drop the new filter in the housing and screw on the top. All while the vacuum pump is removing the used oil. A highly recommendable device - costs around 100€. Except. Check the diameter of the dip stick pipe before buying a vacuum pump. At least some (petrol)engines have a dip stick pipe so tight the vacuum hose doesn't fit through. Like in my wife's 1.6 Golf. And the filter is sideways. Same thing with my dad's Fiesta. Damn petrols.....

[@michaelderkinderen2261]

@@rujolift5558 who needs petrol anyways :D Mercedes also uses this type of filter I believe, very convenient. On my Ford Mondeo the filter element is also sperate, but the housing is at the bottom of the engine and has a drain plug of its own. I have quite a decent vacuum pump for pressing plywood and fiberglass into molds. But considered my filter design I'll just stick to the good old drain plug method. Have fun with your car lift👍

[@tsherwoodrzero]

This is a great idea and has a LOT of potential. Having it be completely air powered is a VERY smart move and a massive labor saver. As for it blocking the middle, it appears to work similarly to the commercial QuickJack. So maybe it would be possible to separate the left and right sides, then make one side adjustable? There's a lot of flexibility in the air lines, so maybe a Mk2 Version could add this feature easier than you might think?

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, tsherwoodrzero, for your comment! There's not that much to do in the middle - or at least not very often. When I need to get there I lift the car up, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift: then there's half a meter of space under the middle. During these five-or-so years I've had Rujo I've used those stands once, so that's how often I need to work on that area. Separating the sides is not possible for two reasons: The air springs are not in the scissors but between the axles joining the scissors. I could make the wooden platform open in the middle, but the upper frame connecting beams, the release mechanism and the four axles of the scissors would still get in the way. And both springs are obviously connected to the same air source through a T-splitter, so if the load is not exactly balanced, one side of the lift tends to rise more than the other. This can be avoided by constructing a system of back valves and synchronized release valves, but more simple method was to make an X-shaped guide that connects the frames, forcing the lift to rise in balance. It's not visible on the video, but if you like, I can send you a link to some plans and detail pics. Just mail me.

[@hargisbb]

Nice! What air rams did you use?

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment and question, hargisbb! These are the airsprings I used, just because I happened to find a pair: airsprings.com/en/truck-trailer-parts-airspring-complete-scania-1362147-1386200.html I made threads on those 12 mm pins, so I could screw them on. I don’t know how they are secured to the truck subframe and axles in their original use - there’s just a hole through the pin. I also welded shut the original air inlet and made new one on the bottom of the springs.

[@JeanMelim]

Awesome! Congratulations.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Jean Melim, for your comment!

[@ericsade5961]

Wow lots of respect here! Great job!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Eric Sade!

[@williamdon3442]

Man. That’s awesome. I wonder if something can be done using a floor jack or maybe two

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, William Don, for your comment! I guess one could build a scissor lift based on a trolley jack. The jack should be a heavy duty version and the lift would also be of some height, 'cos the jack would have to be operated from the side, under the scissor. Unless one is ready to crawl under the car from the front or rear to pump the jack... The lifting force would focus on a single point, so the main axle should be very rigid. The max lifting height - hard to say. Not one meter like Rujo, but at least twice the max lifting height of the jack. Interesting idea - go for it. I'd start by choosing the jack: it would have to be the kind that lowers when one turns the handle. Also the handle would have to be modified to be detachable, otherwise it would stick from the side all the time. Using two jacks - how to operate them in sync? Pumping them one at a time would make one run a mile around the car... Before I found those air springs I was thinking about building the lift around a bottle jack. A big one. This fellow built his own four-post: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGrNk6abhtusbac Too slow for my use, but really neat design.

[@quincybirwood2629]

Creative use of scrap material. Well done.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Quincy Birwood! Recycling is the word of the day...

[@ohyeahthatsright3155]

Yankee ingenuity. Thank you

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Oh yeah That’s right! Although - not Yankee, but Finnish.

[@vincentwadlington6255]

Very good job I like the simple but yet can get the job done type of plan I just sent you an email hoping you can send me detailed plans and what material you used to build this wonderful lift.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Vincent Wadlington! There is no drawn plans for the lift, ‘cos I made it up as I went along and just had a more or less clear vision of the final product in my head. I can provide actual photos of details in ,say, March-April when I set it up for yet another tire change session - now the thing is under a couple of feet of snow… But I’ll pen something to begin with and send them to you. Shortly. This week.

[@markwallace3181]

The only problem is that is you have to work on anything under the car you can’t get to it because of the way the lift was built. For just axles and ties it’s great.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Mark Wallace, for your comment! If you only knew how many people say Rujo is useless, because it does not allow access under the middle of the car. Wrong - it does. I just didn’t come to think about showing that on the video. I raise the car, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift - now there is about half a meter of space under the car. Beats having the car on ramps. Actually, if you watch the video again and hit pause around 5:52 you can see the first version of the stands in the picture, stacked in the lower right corner. Those are just something I quickly put together out of timber, the new ones I welded. Also… (I just gotta ask): What is there to do? In the middle of the car, between the axles? Mind you, this is a front-wheel-driven car, so don’t say drive shaft. Yes, brake lines and fuel lines, but that’s about it and - how often one needs to work on those? OK, having a lift like this in a professional garage would not do, but I designed and built Rujo to fit my needs as a private car owner. One with a thin wallet. I used the wooden stands only once - had to separate the exhaust pipe sections one and two, when taking down the transmission to change the clutch. Haven’t had to use the welded stands yet. My car has run 619000 kilometers on salt-sprayed southern Finland roads, still sporting the original exhaust pipe, mufflers, brake lines and fuel pipe and the base plate is rust-free. German cars, people.

[@SmittySpeaks]

Ok, now that was cool!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, SmittySpeaks!

[@wr4268]

Nice just wath I been looking for do you have any plans on the build

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, wr 426, for your comment! Sure you can have the plans. Mail me at [e-mail] and I'll mail you the links.

[@Eye-it-azz]

You’ve given me a great idea

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, VictorOkekebankhead, for your comment! I aim to reply to every comment my videos get, but for some reason KZbin failed to notify me of your input. But better late than never! Let me know if your idea becomes reality.

[@daviddewey1762]

I would like a set of plans to build one. This is awesome

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, David Dewey, for your comment! Mail me at [e-mail] and I'll get back to you in a couple of days.

[@JohnBobRoger]

Oustanding......awesome design...BravoZulu.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, J Roger, for your kind comment! Had to google BravoZulu - one learns something new every day…

[@Ali-nl2du]

Rujo beats them all, amazing how innovative human beings can be! I salute the father of Rujo.

[@rujolift5558]

Now that's what I call a positive comment - thank you, Lia!

[@bobleponge8447]

This is AWESOME !!! I've seen a lot of video and plans for car lift, but this one is by far the best ever! I hope you didn’t get annoyed by the email I'll send you soon, because if you could send me your plan, I would be very grateful. Br, Claude Villeneuve. NB: I'm sorry for my poor english, I'm a french speaker from Canada ;)

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your AWESOME comment, Bob Leponge! And Claude Villeneuve... Yes, just mail me and I'll send you links to the plans. I haven't drawn every detail, but the general parts and then there's a bunch of photos. And some text about the whole thing. My opinion has always been, that if you can make yourself understood in foreign language, that's enough - nevermind grammar. So, you're doing more than fine. English is not the first language to me either, so whatever hiccups there are in my writing won't make me lose any sleep.

[@shazzorama]

BRILLIANT!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Sharon Taylor!

[@thedukeofno]

This is nice when you live in an area of the world where you have to change your car's tires twice a year.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, thedukeofno! That's largely what Rujo is used for. Other works (shocks, brakes, etc.) take maybe 20 %.

[@genesssisss]

Seems like a lot of work just something that will allows me to rotate my tires .... if somehow would have access in the middle of the car you would have gold

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, genesssisss! You do have a point there: building it was quite a bit of work - although nothing compared to, say, building my house… But to be honest, it was more fun than work. For background: In Finland practically all passenger cars and vans have two sets of tires: one for summer and another for winter. And rims for both sets, of course. So, tire change biannually. A lot of people have the work carried out in a tire shop. Others, like me, do it themselves. And why wouldn’t I - I have the tools, know-how, physical fit (so far) and a thin wallet. I used to use two garage jacks to lift the car one side at a time. It’s ok for one car, but I tend to change tires of 6-9 cars. Sometimes in a single day, usually over a weekend - biannually. So, having to use those garage jacks really started to piss me off, especially when every other area of the work was optimized, meaning I have a suitable compressor, bolt guns, torque wrench and whathaveyou. So, building Rujo was peanuts compared to the work it saves me. If needed, I do have access in the middle of the car. By “middle of the car” I assume you mean the area between the axles. I lift the car up, place stands under the tires and lower the lift. I have used those stands only a couple of times, because apart from changing the tail pipe there’s not much to do between the axles. In my car anyway. For tire change I lift the car just off the ramps, for everything else all the way up to be able to work standing up. Or sitting up under the car, instead of lying flat on my back.

[@rujolift5558]

@@screwsinabell Thank you, screwsinabell, for your comment! I used to watch a lot of car lift videos when I was building Rujo and I still keep an eye open for them - for new interesting approach to the subject and to see, if someone else has built a pneumatic scissor lift. So far only Hercules comes close, but it's not portable - and costs something like 14 big ones. Then there are some low lifting pneumatic lifts and rest are just jacks. I looked up the EZcarlift and turned out I had watched a video by Derek Spratt about it. I guess it's a fairly decent lift, but as screw-driven it seems a bit slow to operate. When lifting several cars in a row, that is. Occasionally on my video you can see under the lift, for example on 6:00. You can see there's quite a bit of stuff there: more cross bars, safety mechanism and its release and of course the air springs. The springs in particular take a lot of space and for two reasons they could not be located in the scissors: they are way too high and the stroke is not very long. Placing the springs at the end of the scissors would have left the inside of the lift more open, but then it would have lifted only about 30 centimeters (about a foot). And the lift itself would still be as high as it is now. To multiply the stroke I had to have the springs closer to the main axle (the one connecting the scissors), which meant placing them inside the lift between two "auxiliary axles". All'n'all, I did what I could with what I had and fortunately the end result serves me just right. So, I could remove most of the deck boards, but free space under the passenger area would still be very limited. And for the very, very rare occasion of having to go under the car between the axles I raise the car, place stands under the tires and lower the lift - now there's about half a meter (about two feet) of space under the passenger area. Not much to do there, though - at least with my car. Only changing the brake lines or the exhaust pipe - and those are still the original parts after 556000 kilometers.

[@kingtut5923]

Lots of work however for us seniors to heavy to push around and how do you get under it?

[@rujolift5558]

Greetings, King Tut, and thank you for your comment! How's the tomb these days? Yes, it was quite bit of work, but at the same time it was such fun - I really enjoyed building it. I understand pushing around something like Rujo can be too hard for someone like you - being dead for 35 centuries must have somewhat weakening effect - but so far I have managed just fine. After all it only needs to be moved maybe half a meter to get it on the tow hook and in the car shelter it's easy to move on the concrete floor. I get under the car really easy - I just raise the car and have access to everything from the front bumber to the firewall and again from the rear axle swing arms fastening points to the rear bumber. And if I need to get under the middle of the car - between the axles, that is - I place stands under the tires and lower the lift. But so far I have had no business there: there's pretty much just the exhaust pipe to work on and after half a million kilometers my car is still sporting the original pipe. And turbo. And generator. And air conditioning compressor and rear wheel bearings. To name a few. German cars, people.

[@seppojk]

Nyt on hieno!

[@rujolift5558]

Kiitos kommentista, Seppo Kenttäkumpu! Kotimainen palaute on aina erityisen tervetullutta.

[@Blackdavid2011]

Very nice!! Are plans still available?

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Blackdavid2011! No real plans exist, just something I penned when they were first asked for. But I have uploaded them to Dropbox - mail me and I send you the link. And also a somewhat lenghty text about them, the pictures and whatnot.

[@StumpyVanLife]

I like it! Very good idea and seems well built. Yeah it may not be pretty but I will take function over beauty any day of the week. Unless were talking about... oh nevermind.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, SPC Mobile Auto Repair, for your comment! Indeed, function over form - with some exceptions...

[@valkman761]

I have a feeling the lift will stay under the tarp unless you need to do a engine removal job or something. Too much hassle to get it ready for operation just for a brake job. A good floor jack and sturdy jack stands does 99% of the jobs. Have you ever considered why motorsports teams build their cars on jack stands?

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Valkman! Feelings are a good thing - they make one feel alive. But nope, setting Rujo up is not a hassle. At least not to me: it takes 15 minutes to have it ready for duty. So, I do take it out even for brake job. I prefer to work standing up instead on my knees. Living on a dirt road out here in the countryside a small stone sometimes gets stuck between the brake disc and caliber or shield. If it doesn't fall out on its own, it has to be dug out - for that I use a garage jack. So I guess that's where I draw the line... As for using a jack and axle stands on 99% of the jobs: the first 30 years I did just that. So now that I get to lift the whole car to a convenient working height - pure joy. Every time. And about racing teams: I don't follow motorsports, so... no, I haven't.

[@magicalmysterytour-ce3nh]

pretty slick

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, 1978 magical mystery tour, for your comment! That's a pretty groovy van you've got there.

[@Benny-dv7xm]

Awesome dude that you can have the brain chemistry to hold focus long enough to pull on the knowledge base, use the creative, scan your material resources to materialize that device in a portable design.😳😁

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Benny! Building Rujo took its time indeed. Several years, actually - but due to all kinds of things in life demanding my attention the lift project was left aside for long periods of time. Which was just a good thing, because originally I was planning it to be quite different in what was to be the operating mechanism: toyed with electro-hydraulic and just hydraulic. The latter plan actually proceeded to a point where I modified a bottle jack to be used as the driving force. But then I found those air springs and went with them. And what speeded up the work was the clutch of my car: at the end of the year it became clear I had to change it during my next vacation in July. Just hoping it would last until that - I need my car at work, so I couldn't have it in pieces what eventually turned out to be almost a week. I also did not want to do it with a jack and axle stands, so I just had to find time to finish the lift. And I did, over the winter. Little by little, after work and in the weekends. Not always just fun: sometimes I cleared the snow and got the tools out and then something came up and I had to just put everything away again and call it a day without a single spot welded. But that's life and come spring the lift was ready for duty. And despite what I just wrote, I really enjoyed planning and building Rujo. Not to mention how much easier it makes working on cars. Turned out to be a long text - thanks for reading!

[@mtdogluvr6880]

Bravo!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Mt Dog Luvr! I myself am a Finnish Lapphound luvr...

[@Xanderfied]

Neat but do you need the ramps? I mean couldnt you just roll over the scissor bars and lift the same?

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Mikey-rikey! The height of the air springs in their compressed state is what dictated the height of the lift. I made the lift as low as I could, but it's still 40 cm (1,3 ft) high. If you look closely, for example at 8:20, you can see that one gap of the deck boards is wider than the others. That is to allow the spring frame to fit between the boards when the lift is down, otherwise the lift would have been yet another 5 cm (2 in) higher. So, the ramps are a must. I guess a Hummer or Jeep could manage without, but normal passenger cars need them... The height is actually a good thing when changing tires: on my other car lift video you can see the working height is quite alright, no need to raise the lift higher than the first notch. I briefly toyed with the idea of sinking the lift into the floor, but quickly gave that up: it would have been a lot of work and would have resulted in lessen lifting height - the elevating effect of the lift itself would have been lost. And it only takes 15 minutes to set it up.

[@Hannuhalkola760]

Melkonen seppä! 👍

[@rujolift5558]

Kiitos lämmittävästä kommentistasi, Hannu Halkola! Olet ensimmäinen suomalainen kommentin jättänyt - hieno homma, mukava saada niitä kotimaastakin.

[@Hannuhalkola760]

@@rujolift5558 Joo, sattu tuleen tämä sun video vastaan kun katselin saksinostimia täältä😅 hienosti kyllä toteutettu👍

[@georgekrivosic5094]

Great!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, George Krivosic, for your comment! It is greatly appreciated.

[@jeffirick9034]

Genius!

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Jeff Irick, for your comment!

[@diesel-td1946]

Congratulations on the project but there is a problem: with this lifting system it is not possible to work under the car, for example. to replace the muffler or in the tank.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Diesel-td! There is no problem: with this lifting system it is possible to work under the car. I wrote to some earlier commentator, that I do not mind repeating myself, but these “unuseful - no access undercar” comments just keep coming, so to tell you the truth I’m starting to get a bit bored typing the same thing all over again. Which only goes to show no-one reads the earlier comments before posting their own. It’s alright, I’ll just copy-paste from now on. Here you go: It’s amazing how many people say the same thing - that I could not get under the car with Rujo. Fortunately, my channel is insignificant enough not to gain 400 comments every day, so I get to comment back on each one. Please, watch the video again and hit pause around 5:52. You can see the car is pretty much in pieces - I took the photo when I was changing the clutch at 380000 kilometers. Now, how did I take out the gear box, if I did not have access under the car? Through the glovebox, perhaps…? Some people say Rujo is useless, because it does not allow access under the middle of the car. First: It does. I raise the car, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift - now there is about half a meter of space under the car. Beats having the car on ramps. Actually, you can see the first version of the stands in the picture, stacked in the lower right corner. Those are just something I quickly put together out of timber, the new ones I welded. Second: What kind of cars these people drive? I mean, the only times I have ever needed to get under the middle of the car is to change the exhaust pipe or spray some underbody protection stuff. Do they change the pipe monthly? Or weld the bottom every other week? My car has run 530000 kilometers on salt-sprayed southern Finland roads, still sporting the original exhaust pipe and mufflers and the base plate is rust-free. German cars, people. I built Rujo mainly for changing tires, as you can see on the other video. Up to nine cars twice a year - that’s quite a bit of jacking, which annoyed the hell out of me. Then there’s the normal maintenance: brakes, shocks, ball joints, whathaveya. I’m old enough to enjoy being able to do those things standing up and whatever work there is that requires getting actually under the car are a minority. Inner CV-joints, transmission oil - not that often. And with Rujo I have easy access to those, too - I get to do them sitting up under the car instead of lying on my back. I chance the engine oil with a vacuum pump through the dipstick pipe, so I don’t need Rujo for that.

[@harryberry474]

Great thinking except you're blocking pretty much the whole underside of the car...good luck doing any exhaust work or the front subframe (possibly)

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, harry berry, for your comment! First: there's not that much to do in the area the platform is "blocking". The exhaust, as you pointed out. Lines for fuel and brakes. Some wiring, perhaps. Drive shaft in RWD cars. But really nothing that needs attention every week. Or even every year. In fact, the last time I had anything to do in that area in my car was over five years ago. And never before that. Second: in case I do need access to that area I lift the car up, place stands under the tires and lower the lift. Then there's half a meter of space under the car - more than enough to carry out, say, changing the said exhaust. There are some still pictures in the video - in one of them you can see the stands stacked on the lower right corner. They were just temporary wooden blocks, used only that one time. Since then I welded new ones, but so far have not had to use them. I appreciate you wishing me luck with the exhaust, but it seems I don't need it: my car has 629000 kilometers on it and still sporting the original exhaust pipe. And the front subframe - just a couple of months ago I dropped it down to change the rack and pinion. Didn't even have to use the aforementioned stands. So - over the years Rujo has proven to work just perfectly for my needs.

[@zsoltpuskas6683]

Olet todella taitava. Minusta tuntuu, että se laite on vähän monimutkainen, mutta toimii. Ainoa kysymys on, että onko se tarpeeksi turvallista? Kyllä pohjoismaiden puutavara on laadukas, mutta... Sitten ne pultit? Vuosia sitten asuin Lohjalla ja olen oppinut, että suomessa turvallisuus on paljon tärkeämpi kuin maailmassa muualla. Toivotan kaikkea hyvää Unkarista. Zsolt - muusikko ja tekniikan harrastaja.

[@rujolift5558]

Köszönöm kommentistasi, Zsolt Puskas - mukava saada kommentti suomeksi! On totta, että Rujo on toiseksi monimutkaisin projektini (talo vie ykkössijan), mutta se on kuitenkin loppujen lopuksi varsin yksinkertainen: enimmäkseen raakaa rautaa, mukana vähän paineilmaa. Saksien päissä olevat pultit ovat 16-millisiä 8.8-pultteja, siis tukevampia kuin monen hallitunkin akselit. Ilmajouset suorina pitävässä vivustossa taisin käyttää 10.9-pultteja. Pääakselit ovat 35-millistä ainestankoa. Turvallisuus on etusijalla: luotan hitsauksiini, mutten koskaan mene nosturin alle ilman nurkkiin laitettavia varmistimia. Ajoramppeja lukuunottamatta puuosiin kohdistuu vain puristusvoimia. Ja rampitkin tukeutuvat molemmista päistään alustaan, eivät siis ole pelkkien ruuvien varassa. Jos haluat nähdä piirustukset, niin laita minulle sähköpostia ja lähetän linkit kuviin. Syysterveisin Suomesta TJS - rumpali ja kotimekaanikko

[@zsoltpuskas6683]

@@rujolift5558 Jos mahdollista, lähetä. Kiitos. [e-mail]

[@thomaskramer9820]

Die ganze Konstruktion ist wirklich beeindruckend. Was mich aber stört ist die Plattform in der Mitte vom Wagen wenn die Schere nach oben fährt. Man kann dort unter der mittleren Fläche des Autors nicht arbeiten weil der Wagen dort aufliegt. Ansonsten ist es eine super Konstruktion und dafür muss ich wirklich sagen mein Kompliment. Was persönlich mich stört ist einfach die mittlere Fläche vom Auto kann man nicht bearbeiten weil dort der Wagen aufliegt. Gruß Thomas aus München

[@rujolift5558]

Danke für deinen Kommentar, Thomas Kramer! Ich spreche kein Deutsch, also schreibe ich das auf Finnisch und übersetze mit dem Übersetzer - ich übernehme keine Verantwortung für schlechte Sprache ... Es ist erstaunlich, wie viele Rujo dafür kritisieren, dass er nicht unter das Auto kommen kann. Falsch - ja, das kannst du. Ich hebe das Auto an, lege die Stützen unter die Reifen und lasse den Kran ab - unter dem Auto ist mehr als ein halber Meter Platz. Aber warum mitten ins Auto? Ersetzen Sie das Auspuffrohr - sonst nichts. Wie oft muss es gemacht werden? Mein Auto wurde über eine halbe Million Meilen gefahren und das Auspuffrohr ist original. Das Wichtigste ist, unter den Motor zu kommen, und Rujo macht es gut. Und natürlich ist es schön, direkt neben dem Auto arbeiten zu können.

[@wayneleroy6382]

What if you need to replace exhaust components?

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Wayne LeRoy! In short: I raise the lift, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift. Gives about 50 cm space under the car and access to everything. At 5.50 on the video there's a still photo of my car in pieces, getting a new clutch at 380000 kilometers. On the bottom right corner you can see a stack of timber: those are the stands I hastily put together to be able to separate the exhaust pipe from the first joint - a necessary maneuver when changing the clutch. I used those only once - I welded new ones for possible future use, but so far there has not been any need for them. Who knows when or if I need them - my car now has 552000 kilometers and it's still sporting the original exhaust pipe. German cars, people.

[@josephfalahi5982]

Hey man I hate to be the one to tell you but your lift is not rujo. At all, you did a great job.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your kind comment, Joseph Falahi! I'd say both "Function before form" and "Rust is beautiful" apply to Rujo...

[@zzford]

It seems like it would be a lot easier to just use a floor jack and some jack stands. Certainly a lot faster.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, zzford! Believe it or not, you are not the first one to present that opinion. And you would not have posted it, if you had read some of the previous comments with similar content, to which I did reply. Anyway. Allow me to ask you to shoot a video and send me a link to it: Take your jack and your axle stands and lift your car up to a height of one meter. In fifteen minutes. Safely. Firmly. I would really like to see that. Oh, one more thing: please, watch my other video titled "That time of the year". I change tires to a whole bunch of cars, twice a year. Doing that with a jack annoyed the hell out of me - that's one of the reasons I built Rujo.

[@UnapologeticAmerican]

Make my year and send me the measurements! I want to build one! 😁💪🍻

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Unapologetic American - your comment made my day! Measurements were simple: I built the thing to lift VW Golf-sized cars, 'cos those are the kind of cars people around me drive - and I fix them. Compressed air springs defined the height. Pretty much made it up as I went along. I can give you a more detailed description, if you send me a mail.

[@wiktorpacholski632]

@@rujolift5558 this it's genius! Can you also send me?

[@wiktorpacholski632]

My e-mail: ([e-mail])

[@rujolift5558]

@@wiktorpacholski632 Thank you, Wiktor Pacholski, for your kind comment! I don’t have all the plans yet, but I’ll send you what I have penned so far, so you can get started.

[@ALONSOIBARRA1967]

@@rujolift5558 Hi there, i know , you spent a lot of time, sweat, blood , but i would get plans, sketches or anything to make it like yours..... if this is possible ...thank you in advance ([e-mail])

[@SteveBlues87]

Genius.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Steve Jones, for your comment!

[@AUDIO2AUTO]

Nice build but 4 jack stands and a good jack would be quicker and easier.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, AUDIO 2 AUTO! "Quicker and easier" - hmmm... Setting up Rujo takes about 15 minutes. Lifting a car on four axle stands with a jack takes less, but not that much. Why I built Rujo? Car maintenance, of course, but one major thing is changing tires. Here in Finland practically every passenger car and van has two sets of tires - for summer and winter. I live in the countryside, I have space, so I store the tires of some friends and relatives. I also change them - to at least eleven cars. Usually over a weekend, but sometimes when their schedules allow it I get to do it in a single day. With a jack it meant 44 lifts. Twice a year. Of course I had two jacks, so at least I didn't have to move the jack from one side of the car to the other, but it still annoyed the hell out of me. But that's just me, maybe you are a fan of jacking. On my channel there's a video titled "That time of the year". Check it out - shows how Rujo makes changing tires a lot less of a pain. So - easier with a jack? Allow me to disagree. Another thing: I'd like to see a car being lifted one meter off the ground with a jack and axle stands. I have worked on cars my share on my knees or sitting on my backside next to cars or lying on my back under them. With Rujo that is a thing of the past - nowadays I get to stand straight up when working on brakes and shocks and whathaveyou. And sitting on my backside under the car, which beats lying under the car. Doesn't actually happen that often, basically just when working on inner CV's.

[@TVTruther]

nice...reminds me of nam

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, TVTruther, for your comment! Nam as in…Vietnam…? Just out of curiosity: do allow me to ask “in what way?”

[@abdulmohib8921]

Cool 😎.......

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, abdul mohib!

[@robertthomas7343]

ingenious

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Robert Thomas, for your comment!

[@germanrios8851]

awesome

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, German Rios, for your comment!

[@OFFICIALTAEIO]

im missing how this lift will make the under carriage of the vehicle accessible. from what I see, its an over glorified lift to take off tires. where is the room in the center to do transmission or muffler work, for which a lift is a great success???

[@OFFICIALTAEIO]

to add, it seems like a ton of work just to set up the machine. in the time it took to uncover the machine, get it hitched to vehicle to move into the garage, pull off the heavy platforms and ramps, hook up the hydraulic lines, i probably could have rotated the tires of 5 or 6 vehicles.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Josh Mason, for your comment! I grew tired of writing the same story over and over again, so I wrote a copy-paste-answer to all those, who are “missing” how Rujo works. More on that later. I guess “over glorified” is a matter of an opinion. I don’t glorify it, I just presented it as it is. Some commentators seem to be pretty thrilled about the video, but that’s their reaction to it. Of course, it’s great if people like it, some have even asked for the blueprints - it sure would be great, if someone actually got to build another one to help with their cars. How about you - what do you use to lift your car? Don’t tell me - jacks? “To take off tires” - yes, that too, of course. Check my other video for that. But apparently, for you seeing is not believing. Still, watch the video again and stop at 5.50. Keeping an open mind you can see I’ve taken out the transmission. And driveshafts. And the suspension struts. All that to change the clutch. And while I was at it, I changed the brakes and shocks to all corners. In the picture the rear is already sporting new shocks. So, I can do a helluva lot more than just take off the tires. In fact, with Rujo I can do everything there is to do in the under carriage. My car is a VW Golf (or Rabbit in the New World). A front-wheel-drive. So, the engine and transmission are sideways in the engine compartment, the whole package pretty much inline with the front tires - I could drop down the entire subframe if needed, the lift would not be in the way. Of course, rear-wheel-drive (and some front-wheel-drives, too - like the first and second generation Passat) has the transmission lengthwise, more or less between the front seats. And for that - here you go: the copy-paste (well, part of it) …. “Some people say Rujo is useless, because it does not allow access under the middle of the car. First: It does. I raise the car, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift - now there is about half a meter of space under the car. Beats having the car on ramps. Actually, you can see the first version of the stands in the picture, stacked in the lower right corner. Those are just something I quickly put together out of timber, the new ones I welded. Second: What kind of cars these people drive? I mean, the only times I have ever needed to get under the middle of the car is to change the exhaust pipe or spray some underbody protection stuff. Do they change the pipe monthly? Or weld the bottom every other week? My car has run 530000 kilometers on salt-sprayed southern Finland roads, still sporting the original exhaust pipe and mufflers and the base plate is rust-free. German cars, people. I built Rujo mainly for changing tires, as you can see on the other video. Up to nine cars twice a year - that’s quite a bit of jacking, which annoyed the hell out of me. Then there’s the normal maintenance: brakes, shocks, ball joints, whathaveya. I’m old enough to enjoy being able to do those things standing up and whatever work there is that requires getting actually under the car are a minority. Inner CV-joints, transmission oil - not that often. And with Rujo I have easy access to those, too - I get to do them sitting up under the car instead of lying on my back. I chance the engine oil with a vacuum pump through the dipstick pipe, so I don’t need Rujo for that.” Got this far? Great! I hope this helped you to see how greatly Rujo helps me. It’s not high-tech, it’s not the fastest, highest lifting or strongest of lifts, although it quite possibly is the ugliest, but for my needs it’s right on the dot.

[@rujolift5558]

@@OFFICIALTAEIO Oh my, I didn't notice you had added to your comment, Josh! Thanks for taking the time. I am truly impressed by your effectiveness! You see, I have timed setting up the lift - it takes fifteen minutes. From uncovering to fully operational. And in that time you rotate the wheels of six cars - wow! As for the weight of the platforms: naturally things seem heavy to those who do not have what it takes to lift such objects.

[@OFFICIALTAEIO]

Well i can see your genius behind what you have going in. I feel like you can come up with a stationary machine within your garage that would enable you to be able to have free range of all things under that vehicle, using the same deviced you are using in your video. Its clear to see that you have the hydraulics figured out, which is something ive been learning about lately. Theres alot to learn and your machine is brilliant in my eyes. I dont mean to throw shade, i just mean to push.

[@rujolift5558]

@@OFFICIALTAEIO Hi, Josh! Two- or four-post lift permanently stationed would be great, but from time to time I need to have the whole floor area of that two car garage open. Back in the day I toyed with an idea to acquire a used two-post lift and converting it into a portable one. It was just that - toying, for about two minutes. Something like that would require quite impractical support frame. Small correction: it's not hydraulic, but pneumatic. Originally I meant to make Rujo electro-hydraulic, because I had happened to salvage a pair of rejected hydraulic cylinders. From a snowplow or something. But they alone are not enough: I would have had to get a pump and motor, not to mention all the hoses and connectors. And those cylinders were thrown away because they leaked, so I should have fixed them first. Then I found those air springs. One or both leak, too, but so little one can't tell - they deflate overnight if left pressurized, but in lifting a car it means nothing. Naturally I already had a compressor, and pneumatic accessories are so much simpler and cheaper than hydraulic, so - plans changed. At one point I sorta half seriously thought about sinking Rujo to the garage floor so it would always be ready for use, but eventually dropped it: as a carpenter I sure would have pulled it off, but it would have been pretty laborous project and it would have cut 40 cm off the lifting height. Aaand.... Money. I set out to make a sufficient lift on minimum cost. Clearly at the expense of appearance. Fiddling with pneumatics and hydraulics is fun, so keep learning - there's so much cool stuff one can do with them. Just keep in mind that both systems can contain a lot of force, so be careful. Safety first.

[@MrGmchinchilla]

impressive, awesome work. I congratulate you. I would love to make mine too, please if you are not against, send me the plans. King regards

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Gerardo Moreno Chinchilla! Mail me at [e-mail].

[@nickwhite2996]

so, Basically you have bought a scissor jack, and then put some wood round it ??

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Nick White! No. Nope. Did not buy a scissor lift. I built one, manufactured it piece by piece with my own little hands. I salvaged two air springs of a truck, then designed and welded the frames and scissors they operate - mostly out of scrap metal, had to buy a few bars of flat iron and angle iron. So, basically I only bought a little raw material, pneumatic connectors, nuts'n'bolts and quite bit of gas for my MIG. The wooden parts - I was in a bit of a hurry to get the lift in working order and since I am a carpenter, I had the timber to make the ramps and deck fast. Something sort of temporary, which of course remained permanent...

[@tedtolentino4955]

Impressive design, and well thought out convenience for storage and mobility.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your kind comment, Ted Tolentino!

[@kingtut5923]

Ted well thought out, what planet are you from?

[@redorefurb1422]

The most complicated jack I have ever seen. I want one I will look like a PRO.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, redo refurb, for your comment! I never thought about it, but yeah - you're right: it is kinda like an XL-sized trolley jack. Sort of. If you're a welder, I've penned some very rough plans - mail me if you like to have them.

[@CoolGarage]

👍😎🥇🔝

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, S F, for your positive comment - that much even I can read those modern day hieroglyphs!

[@markpeterson6627]

It's cool but defeats the purpose of being able to do any work under the car with everything in the way. This wouldn't work for me with the solid platform and all the bracing in the way.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Mark Peterson, for your comment! Even as it falls into the category of “Oh boy, another one of these…”. ANY work, EVERYTHING in the way…? First: Why on Earth would I build a lift that is not good for any work? For garage decoration? Second: No part of the lift is in the way of anything. Many, many people have questioned the useability of Rujo, so I wrote a copy-paste answer. Here’s the revised version of it: With Rujo I have total access under the car. Period. I raise the car up and from the front bumper to the firewall and again from the front of the rear wheels to the rear bumper - everything completely accessible. About one meter up from the ground - sitting under the car beats lying under the car… There’s a still photo at 5:50. You can see I have taken the gearbox out of the car to change the clutch. Now, how did I do that, if Rujo doesn’t allow access under the car? Through the glove compartment, perhaps…? While I was at it, I changed shocks and brakes to all corners. Conveniently standing up, everything at hand, at the right working height. And if for some reason I need to get under the area between the axles I lift the car up, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift: now there’s over half a meter of space under the car, well enough to change the exhaust pipe or brake lines or drive shaft or whathaveya. Although, my car has 572000 kilometers on it and still sporting the original exhaust pipe and brake lines, so I do not need those stands that often. In fact, in the aforementioned photo you can see wooden stands I hastily put together: used them once. Then when I had the time I welded better ones, but haven’t had to use them yet. Of course, my car is a front wheel drive and the engine and transmission are sideways in the engine compartment, so it’s a rather compact package to deal with. Dropping the gearbox out of a rear wheel drive would require the use of said stands. One more thing: I have never declared I have built the ultimate car lift. I built what I needed out of what I had, because what I needed is not sold in stores. The end result suits my needs just right.

[@clint0699]

Bullshit, if you add up the money what all the material and time has cost, I prefer to put together double what a cheap scissor lift costs new, you get nowadays for little money (2500 € new and no self-made 1m lifting height at 3t, the middle way free to work and does not have to be rebuilt for half an hour to be ready)

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, clint0699! I am yet to meet a person that can write but not read, so I just have to ask: why did you not read what I wrote in the beginning and the end of the video? Or maybe you did read it, but just did not get it? Well, let me explain it to you. There are two main reasons for me building the lift: 1) I didn’t have money to buy one and 2) what I needed just isn’t available. 1) I spent around 600€ for material, mostly on gas for MIG and the stuff I couldn’t manufacture myself - hoses, connectors and such. Time did not count: I was having a blast building the thing - it was a hobby, not work. Do you set a price on the hours you spend hiking, lifting weights, painting or whatever it is you do for a hobby? How wonderful, if 2500€ is “little money” for you. Or is it 1250€ and then you double that - your writing is a bit confusing. Well, it’s still double to what I spent. 2) Even if I had the money to buy a scissor lift, I still don’t have a place for it - it has to be portable. I’m not saying there isn’t portable scissor lifts out there, I just haven’t found any. Not for 600€, or at any price. True, max lifting height of my lift is about one meter. And that’s pretty much the space there is - not much higher and the roof of my car would meet the ceiling beams of my car shelter. But that’s just the right working height for me, I mostly do brakes, CV joints and shocks. Sometimes something under the engine compartment, like the clutch of my car at 380000 kilometers. And of course, changing tires - roughly 80% of the lifting is for that and just to get the wheels off the ramps is enough. Working under the middle of the car… Oh boy, how many times have I answered to people criticizing Rujo for not allowing access to under the car. Between the axles, that is. It does. See the older comments for that. For now, I just say I have access to everything under the car. But at least in my car there is nothing to do between the axles. Except changing the exhaust pipe when the time comes. When is that, I dunno - it’s still sporting the original pipe after 544000 kilometers. German cars, people. It doesn’t take half an hour to set up the lift. I timed it: it’s fifteen minutes. Ten, if I rush it. I gladly spend that quarter of an hour even for changing the brake pads. That’s how much I value being able to work standing up after working on cars with friggin’ jacks and axle stands for three decades. There’s one thing some people do not seem to understand: I did not upload the video to declare to the whole world “Look, I made the ultimate car lift”. No, I built Rujo to fill a need and I used pretty much what I had. It’s not for every car, but works great with my cars and the cars of my friends and family. Fortunately, none of them owns a Dodge RAM or some other monster like that. It perfectly suits MY needs for car maintenance. If a lift like Rujo is not good for someone else’s needs - well, build a lift that is or go buy one. And the video - I uploaded it so that it might perhaps maybe possibly inspire and/or encourage other DIYs to build one of their own. If they need a lift, but lack the money and/or a garage. Aaaaand… yeah: I am a bit proud of the lift being self-made.

[@stepheng6514]

this dude is freakin me out.This is a scary fuckin video.Who is this woodsman?Where are the bodies?

[@rujolift5558]

Stephen G! Dude! This is freakin' ME out! You commented this two years ago and it wasn't until now I noticed it - when I signed up with my laptop. Your comment is not visible when I sign up with my phone, which is what I almost always do. Weird. Friggin' technology... Anyway - better late than never: Thank you for your comment! Although I must confess it makes me a bit confused: What's scary about it? The trees? Or the silver Volkswagen? Woodsman - that's me: your friendly Finnish carpenter. Bodies... Um... What...? Take care, dude.

[@fitulus]

How is this useful? Just having the car on ramps is more useful because you can work under the car. If you would have to remove wheels then just take a car jack and lift. So much work yet no use in it..

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, jozef danyi, for your comment! It contains so much, that let’s take it apart: "How is this useful?” It lifts the car - that’s how. "Just having the car on ramps is more useful because you can work under the car.” And now I can’t? I prefer working under the car sitting up instead of lying on my back. And as you can see on the video, working outside the car I can stand straight instead of crouching on my knees. These things start to matter when one gets older… “If you would have to remove wheels then just take a car jack and lift.” I used to do that - take a jack and lift. Works just fine when changing A tire, but changing 4 tires to 9 cars twice a year - using a jack just sucks. And what about procedures requiring all tires to be removed at once? Just the other day I bled the brakes of my wife’s car: I lifted the car all the way up, removed the tires, screwed on my (homemade) pressure bleeder to the brake fluid reservoir (never use vacuum bleeders, people - they suck in more than one way) and bled each caliper in sequence. Like a walk in a park. In a couple of weeks I’m going to change brake discs, pads, fluid and shocks on all corners of my car. Just normal maintenance. I like to perform each work on all corners before moving on to the next, as opposed to lifting one corner, completing all those things and then starting everything all over on the next corner. But that’s just me. “So much work yet no use in it..” Yes, you’re right: so much work - and no, you’re wrong: there’s very much use in it. I enjoyed planning and building Rujo so much it was more a relaxing hobby than work, and it saves me so much work and effort now that it’s in active use. Please, read my response to genesssisss down the comment section.

[@jeffreyallen3777]

@@rujolift5558 Great answer.I was just thinking how usefull your lift would be for the most common and essential of all car maintenance procedures-brakes! Also I live in snowcountry USA and we too do the yearly tire swap. I am very impressed by your ingenuity.Great job and thanks for making your video!

[@rujolift5558]

@@jeffreyallen3777 Thank you, jeffrey allen, for your great comment! California drivers don’t know what they’re missing… Rujo has proven itself on wheel-a-baloo and other mechanic works, and I do enjoy utilizing it - remembering all the brakes, shocks and CV joints I’ve done during the past thirty years.

[@SaladDodgerMedia]

You can buy one for less than £500

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Andy! Just out of curiosity - please, do send me a link to that less-than-500£ lift. Of course I checked how much car lifts cost before I started to build my own. The cheapest one was 1800€. Which I didn't have. Still don't. That was the price then - haven't checked since. Naturally I didn't search outside of Finland (say, UK for example) because the delivery cost for an item of that size and weight is a lot. Not to mention customs fees and taxes - back in the day you guys were still in EU, but now I'd have to pay those, too. Oh, and then there was this one little thing: like the text in the beginning of the video says, the lift had to be portable. Perhaps you blinked and missed it? That kind of lifts just did not exist. Still don't, for all I know. Except that one american four-post lift, that costs something like 15000$, takes a truck to tow it and about an hour to set it up. So - a portable car lift, delivered to my door, for less than 500 quid? Gotta see this - send me the link, thank you. I appreciate it.

[@Corfine]

People would buy the plans

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Liam mc c Mc, for your comment! Well, the plans I penned are not that professional - they show the principals and measures of some parts, but some parts are best just shown in pictures, because to fit together they need to be manufactured after the main parts are ready. But I send them to anyone who asks for them - afterall they do work as guidelines. And the rest is up to the welder.

[@Corfine]

company s should make them to for change wheels on road breakdown top class

[@rujolift5558]

@@Corfine For highway use the structure should be a lot heavier, even to be towed at top speed of 60 km/h (some 35 mph). Would need brakes and lights, too. When I started to toy with the idea of building Rujo I tried to find something similar on the net. Nothing. All commercially available lifts for domestic use are electro-hydraulic and not portable. Rujo is pneumatic - a lot cheaper solution. Except one I stumbled upon about a year ago: an american made portable lift, takes a truck to tow it, price tag about... I dunno - a lot, I'd guess. It's not pneumatic, not affordable, not fast to set up, but it's really cool and well thought-out. And ok - maybe it's not meant for domestic use... But check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3a6gGCsfaqdfck Couldn't find much about it, though - maybe it has been discontinued.

[@gerardkoeller3303]

Moto

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Gérard Koeller!

[@evolutionvn5326]

unuseful, almost under car had been covered

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, evolution vn! Comments are always welcome, even a bit vague ones. So far I’ve worked on 12 cars (most of them several times) on Rujo; how fortunate I haven’t known it’s useless… Well, jokes aside: I take it you mean Rujo doesn’t allow access under the car - between the axles, that is. Please, read my response to genesssisss down the comment section, so I don’t have to repeat myself. Not that I’d mind repeating myself - being a parent I’m used to it…

[@robertkorn]

@@rujolift5558 Unfortunately with zero access to the underbody it would not be very useful to most mechanics.

[@rujolift5558]

@@robertkorn Thank you for your comment, Robert Korn! And congratulations for getting to be the first one to get a copy-paste-reply. I wrote to some earlier commentator, that I do not mind repeating myself, but these “unuseful - no access undercar” comments just keep coming, so to tell you the truth I’m starting to get a bit bored typing the same thing all over again. Which only goes to show no-one reads the earlier comments before posting their own. It’s alright, I’ll just copy-paste from now on. I never would have guessed how many people think the underbody mechanic work is done between the axles - directly below the passenger space, that is. Apparently they do not realize there’s practically only the exhaust pipe to work on in that area. Pretty much everything else is between the front bumper and the firewall. To which area Rujo gives full access. And there’s same kind of area in the back - if I ever need to take down the fuel tank or the whole rear axle. There’s not much more to do under the car in that area, everything else is done from the outside - at a convenient working height, I might add. But anyway, here you go - The Standard Copy-paste Reply: It’s amazing how many people say the same thing - that I could not get under the car with Rujo. Fortunately, my channel is insignificant enough not to gain 400 comments every day, so I get to comment back on each one. Please, watch the video again and hit pause around 5:52. You can see the car is pretty much in pieces - I took the photo when I was changing the clutch at 380000 kilometers. Now, how did I take out the gear box, if I did not have access under the car? Through the glovebox, perhaps…? Some people say Rujo is useless, because it does not allow access under the middle of the car. First: It does. I raise the car, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift, now there is about half a meter of space under the car. Beats having the car on ramps. Actually, you can see the first version of the stands in the picture, stacked in the lower right corner. Those are just something I quickly put together out of timber, the new ones I welded. Second: What kind of cars these people drive? I mean, the only times I have ever needed to get under the middle of the car is to change the exhaust pipe or spray some underbody protection stuff. Do they change the pipe monthly? Or weld the bottom every other week? I built Rujo mainly for changing tires, as you can see on the other video. Up to nine cars twice a year - that’s quite a bit of jacking, which annoyed the hell out of me. Then there’s the normal maintenance: brakes, shocks, ball joints, whathaveya. I’m old enough to enjoy being able to do those things standing up. And whatever work there is that requires getting actually under the car are a minority. Inner CV-joints, transmission oil - not that often. I chance the engine oil with a vacuum pump through the dipstick pipe.

[@user-bw5yw9ft3q]

Неудобный подъемник

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Yovi Yovi! Google Translator tells me it means "Inconvenient lift" in English or "Inconvenient elevator" in Finnish. Yeah, well - personally I find it extremely convenient as it helps tremendously with working on cars. But thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@TorontoSupraMan]

Useless for working under car which is the whole point of raising a car high. I could do everything this does and more with a jack and stands in 1/50th the time and cost

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, TorontoSupraMan! I find it somewhat amusing, that some people declare Rujo useless - saying it doesn't allow access to under the car. It does. I have total access to everything from the front bumber to the firewall and again from the rear axle fastening points to the rear bumber. What's left in between? Not much - the exhaust pipe. The middle muffler. And if I need to get to those, I lift the car up, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift - then I have 50 centimeters of open space under the car. Between the axles, that is. The front and back have about one meter. I do admire your skills with a jack and stands. Please, post a video - I'd really like to see a car lifted to a height of one meter with a jack and stands. In a couple of minutes. Of course setting Rujo up takes about fifteen minutes, but from there on it's just a matter of opening a valve, as you can see on the video. I get to work sitting up under the car and standing up next to the car. How about you with them stands? About the cost: you are absolutely right - a jack and stands cost somewhere around 50€ and the cheapest lift (all of them stationery, by the way - couldn't find any portable by tow) costs roughly 1900€. Rujo cost maybe 500-600€ - didn't really keep track. Most of it was gas for the MIG. With that money I got two things: a lift that suits my needs perfectly and I got to carry out an interesting project. At least it was interesting to me - I really had a blast building it. And one thing just keeps on giving: memories. Pretty much every time I use Rujo I remember what a friggin' drag it was to work on my back under a car with a jack and stands. So far I've worked on at least twelve cars on Rujo, most of them several times, and carried out dozens of tire swaps (four tires to nine cars each bi-annually) - how fortunate I haven't known Rujo is useless... Check out my other video on that, by the way.

[@durvalrebelo2624]

I don't videos without explanation 👎

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Durval Rebelo, for your comment! You don't... what? Support? Like? Understand? I explained the whole thing in writing in the beginning and the end of the video, and I think the video pretty clearly shows what the device does - it lifts cars. I fail to see how I could explain it clearer. But thanks for watching and commenting!

[@lilyanimate7266]

I don't know where to even begin with this... But overlooking just how dangerous and poorly constructed this is I just cannot see the point to this death machine. Why? You can't even get under the car with it 😂 . You made this just to change tires? Hahaha umm bad idea there are easier ways to change tires hahaha. Dude next time you have an idea to build something ask a friend or your mom or somebody if what your gonna build is a good idea hahaha 😂😂😂

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you for your comment, Lily VonVolsung! I'd like you to specify how Rujo is dangerous and how you have come to the conclusion of it being poorly constructed. I mean, you have only seen a video of it - you haven't examined its structures. Death machine? So far no casualties... I trust my welding - I wouldn't have built Rujo, if I didn't. And even so, I never go under a car without those corner supports you can see on the video. And as for "seeing the point": I think the video clearly shows what Rujo is about. If you fail to understand it - I can't help it. Ooh Miss Lily (or is it Mrs?), I can't even begin to count the times I have explained the "u cant get under car" bit to people. But I'll explain it again, for you. Here goes: With Rujo I have total access to the underside of the car. From the front bumper to the firewall and again from the front of the rear axle to the rear bumper the working height is obviously about one meter. And if I need to get under the middle of the car, I lift the car up, place stands under the wheels and lower the lift - now there is about half a meter of space under the car. More specifically under the passenger area of the car, between the axles. Beats working with a jack and stands. And as always, to those of you who know nothing about cars I also tell, that there is very little to do in that area. At least in a front wheel drive car like mine. Pretty much all the work requiring access to under the car is under the engine compartment: inner CV joints, clutch, oil change if vacuum pump is not an option. And as you can see on the still photos on the video that area is very accessible with Rujo. Or how you think I got the transmission out of the car - through the glove compartment, perhaps? I guess this is how it goes: I get to explain this over and over again, because there will always be people like you who do not read the previous comments. You see, you are not that original with your "can't get under the car hahaha". This may amaze you, but I actually built Rujo to... lift cars. So - not just for changing tires. But for that and everything that requires lifting the car. And it's actually very seldom I need to go under the car: shocks, brakes and joints, all done from the outside - just standing next to the car as it's resting on the lift on a comfortable working height... Please, tell me what is an easier way than this to change 40 tires in an afternoon. I get to do that twice a year. I'm all ears. Or eyes, on this case. And do not say "a jack". Another thing, Miss Lily, that you mockers do not seem to understand is I have never declared I built the ultimate car lift. I just used what I had, to build a lift to fit my needs. And what I needed is not sold at stores. One more thing, Miss Lily: "what your gonna build". Don't you mean "you're"? English is not my first language, so I get grammar hickups every now and then, but this... Shape up, lady.

[@robertbutler8004]

If you have a wife I hope she has you Heverly insured.

[@rujolift5558]

Thank you, Robert Butler, for your comment! A bit on the cryptic side, but that's ok - positive, negative, weird, cryptic, all comments are welcome. Googled that "Heverly" - seems to be a township in Pennsylvania and there's also a whole bunch of people with that name, but I fail to see what that has to do with my lift. I do have a wife and I have us both insured. But I fail to see, what that has to do with my lift, either.