First impression of Powerbuilt jack & jack stand

[Donald]

I used this jack to lift the radius arm on my F250 so I could work on the front brakes.

The jack seems heavy duty and well built.

There are only 3 or 4 positions to lock it in jackstand mode. Once locked you need to lift it up to unlock it from jackstand mode.

You can also lift up (and lock with a pin) the jack shaft by hand so it's somewhat close to the height you need before you start.

The problem I ran into is when I lifted up the vehicle so tire no longer touching the ground it was above any of the positions to lock in the jackstand.

I tried to lift up the jack shaft by hand but the spacing between pin holes was too much.

My solution going forward will be to have a 1" and 2" pieces of wood I can put under the jack. Need to have wood that has a thickness of less than the distance between holes for the pin in the jack shaft.

 

[AZjeff]

I have one of these. It's a bit fussy to use but it seems well built and safe. You have to start with the saddle of the jackstand as close to the part you're lifting on as possible to get the most out of the bottle jack. I think the problem is going to be not using it enough to know how to use it.

 

[Donald]

I have one of these. It's a bit fussy to use but it seems well built and safe. You have to start with the saddle of the jackstand as close to the part you're lifting on as possible to get the most out of the bottle jack. I think the problem is going to be not using it enough to know how to use it.

The issue is the pin holes on saddle are too far apart. I think. I could only use it with saddle all the way down. Yet I could not get the wheel all the way off the ground unless I lifted the vehicle beyond the last jackstand point.

I could have pulled the wheel and lowered it into the last jackstand point. Then raised it again when I needed to put the wheel back on. I ended up just raising it beyond the last jackstand point and putting a jackstand next to it.

The jack is pretty high when it's all the way down. My F250 is a 4x4 (not lifted) but still pretty high. It's not going to fit under a normal car.

 

[doitmyself]

I ended up just raising it beyond the last jackstand point and putting a jackstand next to it.

Which defeats the purpose of an all-in-one jack/jack stand. Excellent critique and things I did not consider when evaluating this for possible purchase.

 

[Nukeman7]

The issue is the pin holes on saddle are too far apart. I think. I could only use it with saddle all the way down. Yet I could not get the wheel all the way off the ground unless I lifted the vehicle beyond the last jackstand point.
The jack is pretty high when it's all the way down. My F250 is a 4x4 (not lifted) but still pretty high. It's not going to fit under a normal car.

I have the same Powerbuilt Unijack rated for 6000 lbs. and the minimum height is 11 inches. They make a smaller version rated for 4000 lbs. that only requires 9.5 inches of clearance.

 

[IndyIan]

I guess you need to guess your vehicles suspension travel sag, and then get that range and more, in the jack you buy.
I think a lot of cars have quite a bit of sag. To get both tires off the ground one side of the Outback, I need to use a chunk of 4x4 on my floor jack to use nearly its full range. Guessing like 16-18"

 

[Donald]

Which defeats the purpose of an all-in-one jack/jack stand. Excellent critique and things I did not consider when evaluating this for possible purchase.

So I had two other choices.

1) use a 2x8 under the Powerbuilt combo. Or maybe 1 or 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood

2) jack the wheel off the ground. Remove wheel. Lower the Powerbuilt into a jackstand point. Reverse when putting the wheel back on. I would be working on the brakes with the Powerbuilt locked in a jackstand point.

 

[Donald]

So I had two other choices.

1) use a 2x8 under the Powerbuilt combo. Or maybe 1 or 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood

2) jack the wheel off the ground. Remove wheel. Lower the Powerbuilt into a jackstand point. Reverse when putting the wheel back on. I would be working on the brakes with the Powerbuilt locked in a jackstand point.

I emailed the company suggesting the pin holes in jack saddle are too far apart.

 

[George7941]

I have the exact same jack/jackstand but branded Caterpillar.

 

[AZjeff]

No problems using it with my Jeep or travel trailer. Since the jack and jack stand are together you can't use it the same way as a jack & jack stand. The point is to lower it to use the jackstand function for safety as you say. I don't jack a car up with a jack, put jack stands under it and leave it on the jack.

 

[Donald]

No problems using it with my Jeep or travel trailer. Since the jack and jack stand are together you can't use it the same way as a jack & jack stand. The point is to lower it to use the jackstand function for safety as you say. I don't jack a car up with a jack, put jack stands under it and leave it on the jack.

I have left a vehicle on a jack. With jackstand. And at times removed the jack. I have gone to the pin type of jackstand and sold all my old HF paw type ones.

But these days if I am under the car or truck almost certainly all four wheels are on the ground or a ramp.

But I am really only doing brakes and oil changes these days.

 

[Donald]

I also like the top of the jack saddle. It's not just a round piece of steel like a bottle jack. But rather shaped more like a jack stand saddle.