I have my car on two jack stands (5.5 ton rating each - I like stable and sturdy) and have 17.5 inches of clearance at the front lip. The transmission height is about 15 inches. However, you will want to drop the transmission onto something - I chose to use 1/4 inch plywood. My plywood piece was long enough so that it stuck out in front of the car. This gives you something to grab and makes it easy to drag the tranny out from under the car.

Having never used a transmission jack for this job I can't compare it to the hoist. The hoist I used is a 1 ton chain fall I bought at Menards. I have an engine hanger with a bar that goes across between the strut perches and two arms that go between there and the radiator support. One arm I used for suspending the engine and hung the hoist off of the other.

http://www.mile-x.com/norco-78099-en...port-tool.aspx