jack recommendations?

[meep]

searching for a floor jack of some kind.... i've had two electric-powered scissor jacks but both have failed and won't be buying a third... quality seems to have dropped A LOT.

So I picked up a truck & SUV rolling floor jack at Advanced. Tried it once and it started to bend sideways as it took a load. it went right back.

Have browsed harbor freight, tractor supply... same products pretty much wherever you look, all with sorta poor reviews, just with different names stickered on, all about the same cost.

opinions? bottle jacks have very limited range of motion. some floor jacks may be a bit short for suv's unless one puts a big chunk of wood over it.

what do you use?

M

 

[Voltmaster]

Most jacks are the same....

I have a duralast one and craftmen jack stands, cheap and good for basic job.

I put one regular jack on each side for "just in case" everytime i am under car.

 

[Donald]

Look at the 3 ton floor jack at Sams or TSC. Its big, wide and heavy duty.

 

[eljefino]

You probably want a "service jack" not a floor jack.

like this one from sears. Can get it for $65 ish on sale. I have one and if I don't go easy on the lip of the edge of my garage floor concrete, this will literally chip the concrete with its tough metal wheels.

The most notable difference aside from the heavy duty ness is on a cheezy floor jack the handle comes out and has to to activate the valve to lower it. On a service jack there are gears and gizmos that let you lower just twisting the handle in place.

 

[cptbarkey]

my HF heavy duty 3 ton has worked very well for the last year or so. picked it up for $59 with coupon. in hindsight i should have sprung for the aluminum because this iron one is very heavy but very solid.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
You probably want a "service jack" not a floor jack.

like this one from sears. Can get it for $65 ish on sale. I have one and if I don't go easy on the lip of the edge of my garage floor concrete, this will literally chip the concrete with its tough metal wheels.

The most notable difference aside from the heavy duty ness is on a cheezy floor jack the handle comes out and has to to activate the valve to lower it. On a service jack there are gears and gizmos that let you lower just twisting the handle in place.


That service jack says its "compact" which is compromise. I would like a larger jack for a larger and more stable footprint. I am not sure what the exact difference is between a trolley, service and floor jack.

 

[Rand]

I have a 2 year old all steel floor jack from HF

it weighs about 90lb.

very nice. The turn the handle to lower kinda sticks though

The newer ones are much lighter and slightly less stable.

dont get one with a roller front.. you want 2 seperate wheels for stability.

alum is good if you are going to be taking it places.

if not fork out for the big steel one.


edit: looks like HF has went to a whole different line of rapid pump steelies.. mine doesnt look anything like those.

mine closely resembles a cheaper version of

http://www.amazon.com/Hein-Werner-OMEHW9...042&sr=1-15

mine never sags. I use it with a smaller jack for tire rotations (I dont get under car)

and it never has let me down.. in about 15 rotations so far.

and quite a few other uses.

 

[JHZR2]

I wanted to like the HF aluminum jack because it was just so darn light that its convenience was amazing.

My experience is here:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2894659#Post2894659

Im looking for a US made version with similar mass to buy for myself. I havent been looking very hard though... Maybe this thread will bring one to surface.

 

[Rand]

which hf jack was that jhrz2?

They have about 9 alum models some are MUCH nicer than others.

for example
http://www.harborfreight.com/aluminum-racing-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-2-tons-68051.html
at 160$ IS MUCH MUCH nicer


than
http://www.harborfreight.com/rapid-pump-15-ton-compact-aluminum-racing-jack-68053-html-7814.html

at 69$

of course those are before coupon prices.


if you want a good HF jack stay away from the 1.5ton jacks and get at least a 2ton model(of alum jack)


or this 3ton alum jack at 190$(before coupon)
http://www.harborfreight.com/aluminum-racing-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-3-tons-68052.html

 

[wkcars]

I have one of these Husky from home depot, used it about 20 times last 3 years, haven't had any problem with it, though some of the reviews people say they had problems. It does have that extension seen in the picture, it's removable for working on lower cars. It was $50 back when I bought it but now it's $60 http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-...p;storeId=10051

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Rand
which hf jack was that jhrz2?



I dont remember honestly, but IIRC it was a 1.5 ton unit. It was a deal from a flyer, so probably the cheap one.

By the time you get up into a $190 unit, you can more or less buy a hein-warner US made model... and the big ones are heavier.

What I liked about that one in my post/link above was how light it was... Bigger and unwieldy isnt my thing - my hein-warner fits that bill and is TOUGH.

 

[Rolla07]

I just picked up a couple cheap ones. Im guessing in your case, best to go within something a bit more heavy duty. Ive heard of cheap jacks leaking hydraulic fluid and failing to go up or down, but also heard hyrdraulic stop leak can extend the lifespan. so far no leaks but havent used em much yet.

 

[KD0AXS]

Here's what I have. Very sturdy and has no problem at all lifting my F-350.

http://www.walmart.com/msharbor/ip/14560043?adid=1500000000000012981640&veh=mweb

(I didn't actually get mine at WM, they just happen to have it listed on thwir website)

 

[cathy]

What does this mean "I have one and if I don't go easy on the lip of the edge of my garage floor concrete, this will literally chip the concrete with its tough metal wheels."

What is HFS? website?

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: cathy
What does this mean "I have one and if I don't go easy on the lip of the edge of my garage floor concrete, this will literally chip the concrete with its tough metal wheels."

What is HFS? website?

He means that the heavy steel wheels will chip the edge of the concrete floor at edges, expansion joints, etc. if he pulls it too roughly over those places.

HFS is Harbor Freight stores.

For import $100 dollar jacks, the Arcan XL35R gets good reviews. Hein Werner at well over $300 is the only "American assembled" jack at affordable prices (owned by Shin Fu).

 

[rationull]

I bought this one at Costco a few years back:

http://www.amazon.com/Arcan-ALJ2T-Aluminum-Floor-Jack/dp/B00132CGEW

and I love it. Light enough to carry if needed, pumps and lowers easily, sturdy, and has a nice big saddle. I'd buy one again. I'd consider a steel one with a little higher capacity (2 tons won't comfortably lift our Suburban) but it's hard to argue with the weight advantage of aluminum when you have to move the thing.

 

[meep]

I wanted to like the HF models as well--- reviews are sketchy. heck... reviews are sketchy everywhere you go... which makes sense because they all seem to come from the same factory. heck-- i had a HF coupon in my pocket... but decided to wait on this forum first. glad I did, will forego the smaller AL jack with roller instead of front wheels.

will look towards the steel models, 3 tons.

Thanks!

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: cathy
What does this mean "I have one and if I don't go easy on the lip of the edge of my garage floor concrete, this will literally chip the concrete with its tough metal wheels."

What is HFS? website?

He means that the heavy steel wheels will chip the edge of the concrete floor at edges, expansion joints, etc. if he pulls it too roughly over those places.

HFS is Harbor Freight stores.

For import $100 dollar jacks, the Arcan XL35R gets good reviews. Hein Werner at well over $300 is the only "American assembled" jack at affordable prices (owned by Shin Fu).

That looks like a small footprint for a 3.5 ton jack.

 

[Woody71]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
You probably want a "service jack" not a floor jack.

like this one from sears. Can get it for $65 ish on sale. I have one and if I don't go easy on the lip of the edge of my garage floor concrete, this will literally chip the concrete with its tough metal wheels.

The most notable difference aside from the heavy duty ness is on a cheezy floor jack the handle comes out and has to to activate the valve to lower it. On a service jack there are gears and gizmos that let you lower just twisting the handle in place.
I bought this Craftsman jack on sale a month ago, have yet to use it.

 

[zzyzzx]

Exactly what went wrong with the motorized jacks that broke? I've been using one for the past couple of years, and I love it. I have used it on a Camry, Escort, and Alero. I don't use it on the pickup truck for obvious reasons.