Natt Dogg beat me to a similar post about his knees. However my problem is my lower back. Besides split squats, step ups, lunges and front squats what free weight exercises hit the quads without putting a load on the lower back??? (I guess front squats do put a load on your lower back but not that much.) I have to figure out what’s going on with my back before I squat again. However I hate leg presses and leg extensions just blow. Hack squat machine hurts my knees. Plus I like to keep to the free weights. I honestly can’t think of anything. Doh! 
See current issue of T-mag. Hip belt squats!
Get a hip squat belt man, it kicks ass…I gave a little review a few weeks ago on the forum, just type in my name or type in hip belt squats…And I was surprised to see that a routine was described in the last t-mag. It’s a little awkward at first, but your back will be saved, trust me.
I’m of the opinion that one could build a great pair of quads using nothing but back-foot elevated split squats holding dumbells for resistance.
Barbell hack squats. See Coach Davies’ “Forgotten Squats” article.
As Jason noted, with Barbell Hack Squat, Front Squat and a Squat-Pull you really don’t have any need for any other movements for the quads. Good luck! In faith, Coach Davies
Yeah I was thinking of getting one. Looks like the shit. Thanks. 
Thanks for the ideas. Okay front squats can agravate my back too. As for barbell hack squats unless I’m doing something wrong I can’t see how that wouldn’t put stress on the lower back??? Please explain. Lastly I’ve heard of a squat pull but I’m not sure how to execute one. Do you know where I could find info on this? Thanks Coach.
Great idea!!!
leg press worked when u f’ed up my back.
Why don’t you fix your lower back? I did! Unfortunately, it took me several years to figure it out (it sucked). Hopefully you’ll be smarter than I was. Here’s a posting I put up on another thread. Good luck.
Four months ago, I was about where Jason B. is now (425 bench, 500 deadlift, 335 squat); my squat and DL deficiencies were due to lower back problems I’d had all my life. However, rather than resign myself to this disparity, I decided that, once my latest pinched nerve recovered, I had to address my weak link, which was my spinal erectors (and core strength in general). I tried flat back good mornings and stiff-leg deadlifts without a lot of improvement. I tried a few other movements with some progress, but not enough. Finally, I started performing power-arched good mornings and power-arched Romanian deadlifts. I augmented these with reverse hypers and glute-ham raises. Now, after two months, my max (contest legal) squat is finally over 500 lbs, and it continues to improve every week. Also, with the increased lower back and core strength, I simply feel a lot better. This change, along with serious forearm/grip training I did at the same time, has allowed my to finally have functional strength that is useful in daily life, as opposed to being strong only on the bench. I don’t know what your weak link is, so I can’t give much in the way of specific advice. Hell, you may not know what it is yet. I would advise you to find it and defeat it, and to continue reading Dave Tate’s Westside articles on squat. Good luck.
When I do barbell hacks, my upper body stays almost completely upright. I focus on holding a tight arch and don’t let my back round at all. I notice much less strain on my lower back when doing these squats as compared to back squats or deads. Another option is to do dumbell squats with a similar motion to the barbell hacks.
Try double or single leg wall squats (ski sits, if you can do single legs easily enough add dumbells for extra resistance. The exercise can be done with a swiss ball between you and the wall for a more natural feel.
Hehehe. Trying man. Chiropractor did diddly shit. I have alot of stuff to read on back problems and with any luck I can figure out what the damage is. But thanks.
I find the barbell hack squat to be the most akward movement going. I don’t think I’m flexible enough in some area to do it correctly. Plus I can feel it in my back with no weight.
I always like to think of myself as someone with a great imagination but apparently not. Thanks for the great suggestions.
Chiropractors basically suck at fixing lower back problems, because the root cause is strength. Seriously bro, train your spinal erectors. Try reverse hypers, arched-back good mornings, arched-back Romanian deadlifts, and rounded back stiff-leg deadlifts. The reason nobody knows this (and why you won’t find it in the shit you’re reading) is because nobody wants to get sued when some weak fuck wrenches his back. Basically, you can try to address the root cause of your problem (I was there for six long years… I know all about it) or you can keep doing those Smith machine front squats (hehehe). Good luck.
throw in some sprinting and wall sits at the end of the rest of that shit. Run uphill VERY STEEP very fast, drag a sled if you can.
Good point about me not finding it in the stuf I’m reading(or will be reading soon) cause noone wants to get sued. I’m not so sure that my problem has to do with strength. Let me eludicate to what I think it may be. I’ve noticed pains with my stiactic nerve plus it seems very easily reinjured. I don’t think…or haven’t noticed any muscular discomfort or spasm. I think possibly a disc in my back was deformed plastically that is beyond the elastic limit and maybe even ruptured…albeit not to a great degree. Therefore this injury(scar tissure) is putting pressure on a nerve. Also I could have damaged some ligaments etc? I’m not sure? I’m guessing. Could you discribe your injury in greater detail? Thanks Mark.
You may consider going to an orthopedic surgeon and having an MRI done to find out what is wrong with your back before further damage is done. You said you had sciatic nerve problems and that sounds like a disk problem. I have a buldging disk and spent years in pain. If your disk had ruptured you would be getting surgery as they do not heal. The chiropractor did me little good but physical therapy worked wonders. You can still work out but with some restrictions. Each time the disk wall buldges out it gets weaker. It’s best to find out before further damage happens.