Both sides raise and lower together. The hard part of the learning curve was figuring out the placement of the lifts so the lift pads hit the jack pads on the car. Once you have that figured out operation is pretty simple. It has two locking points, one two feet high and one at the halfway point. At the top lifting point I could pretty easily roll around under the car on a creeper. I debated quite a while on what to buy, my garage has a low ceiling so nothing taller inside would work, thought about mounting a two post in my back driveway but figured no matter where I put it it would eventually be in the way. So, I bought the quick jack. The hoses all have quick connects so storage is easy, just shove the lifts under the car.