Floor jack...Hydraulic jack...Bottle Jack...???

[Roger]

I'd like but a jack and some stands, but wow! What a dizzy array in the stores! 2 ton floor jacks for $19 or $190. Sears, Walmart, O'Reillys...they all seem to have such a wide spread. How do you decide what the difference is, let alone, good quality and safe?

 

[BigAl]

I bought an imported $15 "bargain of the month ad" floor jack from Coast to Coast hardware back in 1985. I still use it and it never gave me any trouble. Your mileage may vary.

If I were to buy one now, I'd try to buy one with a recognizable name, even a store brand. I'd also try to find one not made in Communist China, but that's just me.

 

[doitmyself]

That's an excellent question Roger and I hope someone with cabin fever and OCD will explore all the options and report back.

Lincoln/Walker used to be the industry standard, I believe, but they are gone now and supposedly taken over by Hein Warner. Very pricey.

I paid 3x for NAPA brand jack stands. Very well built,but still made in China. Seems like U.S. made jacks are available (Grainger's Westward brand for instance) but the jack stands seem to mostly be from China.

Who's to say? They all say they meet safety standards. I would concentrate on good stands first, since you work under the vehicle with them. Floor jacks are great on concrete floors - seems many have cheap wheels, so I would shop for good wheels, among other things. Steel make more sense to me vs. aluminum.

Avoid the obvious cheesy looking ones and maybe stick with a brand you can get parts for easy (they last forever).

 

[doitmyself]

O.K., so I,m the guy with OCD and cabin fever.......I called the local hy. jack repair shop in town (friendly, small town shop) and he enlightened me.

Hein Werner, BlackHawk, Lincoln all shared ownership of some kind and were purchased by Shin Fu (SP)some years back. He didn't think Hein Werner existed, which contradicts a web search and makes his advice questionable.

Today, U.S. brands include U.S. Jack, Milwaukee, and maybe some OTC. He said U.S Jack was a solid choice.

A good import brand is Norco.

Why good? According to him, nearly all imports have no customer support and no parts available. They're cheap because they are meant as throw aways. Would be good to call Northern Tools to see if parts are available.

I enjoy researching stuff, but in the end, I bet most of the imports would last many years for the diy'er.

Just the messenger - don't shoot me!

 

[CBDFrontier06]

I bought a cheap floor jack at Wal Mart and it lasted about 2 years before the piston siezed and it became a paper weight. Into the dumpster. On the other hand, the multi-hundred $ floor jacks like the ones used in a dealership service department last for years and years.

 

[NYEngineer]

I bought a Craftsman aluminum 2 ton jack for 199. The reason I went with that is I don't think Sears is going away any time soon, so I should be able to get parts for this thing for a long time.

 

[gizzsdad]

I bought the same jack NYEngineer did. All I can say is, I haven't used my $19.99 jack since.

Mike

 

[badmikey]

I have the 3 ton craftsman SUV jack and a 2 ton cheapie from Walmart. If you need to just change a tire most 2 ton cheapies are alright but many do not have the lift range needed to get a car up in the air enough to put jackstands in place. Make sure you get a jack with a high enough lift range for your use, some are done lifting as soon as they touch the frame.

 

[benjamming]

Quote:

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I bought a Craftsman aluminum 2 ton jack for 199. The reason I went with that is I don't think Sears is going away any time soon, so I should be able to get parts for this thing for a long time.

---

Whether or not Sears is around in irrelevant to parts availability of an item bought there. Sears doesn't make the jack. It all depends upon the supplier who furnished the jack with a Craftsman label.

 

[benjamming]

A couple websites I have used in the past.

www.hyjacks.com/

http://www.jackxchange.com/

 

[Win]

A floor jack with a large footprint is the most stable, and to my mind the safest.

I would get the most robust floor jack and jack stands you can afford. Your life may depend on it.

Many new cars are too low to get a good floor jack under, making ramps a necessary accessory in my shop.

 

[Greggy_D]

My wife (Santa) bought me this Craftsman set for Xmas:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Tools+&+Equipment&pid=00950188000

3 ton jack, 3 ton stands and a creeper. I've used it on my Taurus and was completely happy. The difference between it and my old 2 ton jack was night and day.