Looking for a good floor jack...
 

I bought a cheap POS floor jack from Autozone last year as a replacement for my OEM scissor jack. The thing worked for a while, but then the arms on it actually bent and is basically unusable now. I was looking at Craftsman jacks on sears.com, and pretty much every single jack they sell got horrible reviews. Even the $300 Craftsman Professional got horrible reviews. People say the seals fail after a very short amount of time, but yet Craftsman doesn't sell replacement seals. Just wanted some input from people who have had good experiences with a floor jack. Let me know your experience, what type of jack, how much it cost, where you got it, and anything other relevant info. Thanks.

I would shy away from the cheap walmart Torin jacks like what I have. I've alredy damaged one....and last night when I was lowering the max on the SUV model, it was going slow, then suddenly started dropping fast and making a horrible sound. They are really flimsy.

If I were you, I would look at:

NORCO

norind dot com

SHIN FU who makes BLACKHAWK & HEIN-WERNER

There are other high end companies like Milwaukee, US Jack....but it's not priced for the consumer unless cost is of no importance. I forgot OTC too. But the first 2 I listed are pro quality....I would go with the one of the Shinn Fu models.

go to sears and get a prolift or craftsman.

I just recently pulled the trigger after a LONG time debating and looking...

Couldn't go with Craftsman or anything Sears, since the reviews are scary and the anxiety was too much, even though they carry the "reputable" Craftsman name.

I ended up going to my local Grainger location and getting a Westward jack for $120. I already have jack stands from when nothing was made that wouldn't hold a house, so I went with their cheapest 2.5 ton.

Best price? No... Best lift? No, minor downside of 16.25" max lift

Selling points for me though to justify paying $120 just for a jack when Sears would give me a jack and stands for the price:
1. Grainger backs 100% for a year, then you have the manufacturer's warranty
2. It has a "shorter" handle - I've found it convenient for tight spaces, particularly my narrow work area
3.BIGGEST THING: they can order any piece of the jack for repair... Sears amazingly offers NOTHING for almost all of theirs.

I was worried about max height only being 16.25", but that is enough to get the rear tire 4 inches off the ground and easily set jack stands in place at a sufficient 14" height (others can probably get higher with newer stands, mine are older with 12/14/16 as pretty much my only option :D). Not to mention, it should be more then enough for MY car - 65 Impala.

So not the bargain basement price of anything from autozone/etc, sears, or harbor freight - but good luck getting repair pieces for nearly any of those brands.

Linky: Click Here for the one I got :nod: (you can view the replacement parts available for yourself on a tab there)

I got a Michelin one from Sams Club a couple years ago. It works great, had no issues with it. This one has the longer handle which I like because I have a few bigger cars that I work on. It was about $80 I think.

i have a craftsman...been working strong for a couple years

Westward has some good products, but let me know how that jack holds up. I have lots of products from Westward, they generally make good stuff...or I should say, the China manufacturer who makes it for them generally makes good stuff, like a high quality torque wrench I bought.

If you don't need to move it around, I would get a big heavy duty, commercial style jack (like 90-100 pounds that should last almost forever).

Check out jack comparison test here:
http://www.vorshlag.com/tech_jacks6.php


For jacks to drool over, check here:
http://www.asedeals.com/prodserv2.html

Actually, they have some models by Ranger for under $200 with free shipping that look like a great value.

I got the Norco 71230 about 5+ years ago and it's served me well. i expect to still be using in 10 years from now
http://www.norcoind.com/norco/products_71230A.shtml

Thank you, very helpful post. I still have yet to buy a jack...

yup .... its full of win

I had a Craftsman that crapped out on me when the car was up on jackstands and I couldn't get enough pressure to raise the car off the stands to lower it (due to the seals blowing).

Long story short, I had to borrow a car, drive to Sears and ***** and whine and explain my extreme need for a new jack (and luckily replaced it under the 90 day guarantee on jacks). I wasn't happy to say the least, but the new jack works okay for now (knock on wood).

I have had the all aluminum Craftsman referred to in the test for 5-6 years. It has served me very well - I especially like the two-stage hydraulics.

I think I got it for around $170 on sale - plus, if I ever join that pit crew - I'll be able to go over the wall with it baby!

Arcan 3.5 ton jack in costco
 

That is one heavy sob. Costs 91 bucks or so in costco.

Check that one out.

Arcan 3.5 ton jack in costco
 

That is one heavy sob. Costs 91 bucks or so in costco.

Arcan XL35r - a lot of folks are selling it on ebay for 129 plus shipping - costco deal is sweet, plus if anything goes wrong - costco will refund/replace regardless of duration.

Check that one out.

Harbor Freight just introduced a new low profile service jack from Central Hydraulics (HF house brand?) which goes from 2-3/4" to 19-1/2" for $89. It looks like a copy of the famous Lincoln shop jack, even the blue and yellow colors (the same jack my Norco was based on). I am tempted to buy it just to have a backup heavy duty jack. I would definitely try this one if I didn't already have my Norco.

It is item # 67022

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=67022

I've had this one for a few years now and couldn't be happier with it. Super light-weight and maneuverable. Much better all around than my heavy Craftsman that I use as a back up.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40105

Anyone have the 3 ton Kobalt floor jack from Lowe's? It's a quick lift and it was selling for $125? Just wondering if it's any good.

I am looking at this one. right now I got a crappy one from checker auto. Plus it's blue.

That aluminum racing jack is great for a portable jack or light duty stuff at home. I have had one for 5+ years and it's served me well for autox and track events. As a primary jack though, I think a heavy duty one is required. I really like this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=67022

I like the 2-7/8" minimum height, great for lowered cars and getting under tight spots. For $95, I might even buy it myself, which would make it my 4th jack.

yeah I was looking at that one too. for the price its a hell of a deal. I am going to be needed one soon cause I got front suspension work coming up.

for occasional use, those are fine. For daily use, I wouldn't bother. I've worn out 3 of them in the last 4 or 5 years just with every-other-wekeend track use.

yeah I am going with the orange one for under $100. I got a harbor freight he so I will go pick it up. Besides it will only really get used for changing oil and change from winter to summer tires and back but if I ever get a truck I want one to handle it.

I have this jack and it crapped out before it was 1yr. old. leaking fluid; can't seem to find replacement parts. Kobalt said take to hydralic repair person, cause they don't stock parts for it. I'm going back to sears.

How much lift should I be looking for in a floor jack in order to change out the exhaust system on my 2003 Maxima SE? I'll be replacing the stock y pipe, catalytic converter and catback exhaust sytem once the next order of 3" exhausts ships out from Cattman.

It looks like I should try asking my question again, but worded differently. What is an acceptable lift height to be looking for in a floor jack? My car is lowered, so I would imagine that every bit of lift available would be a good thing.

Is it safe to use a 1.5 ton jack with a 3200lb car? That is obviously rated at less than the car's entire weight, but the jack would only be lifting a portion of the car's weight anyhow.

I have two jacks in mind at the moment, which of these would you choose?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows...m%252BJack.jsp

This first one is rated for 1.5 ton, and lift range is: 3 3/8" to 14 3/4". I like that this jack costs $100 less, and I can purchase it locally.

http://www.buytools.ca/index.php/3-t...loor-jack.html

This jack is a 3 ton, and lift range is 4-1/8" to 21''. I like the increased lift range of this jack, however I would have to order it online, and the shipping estimate I got was pretty steep at $100.

I just got my orange 2 ton from harbor freight and I really like it. Alot better then my other jack. used it to put the summer tires on and felt better about this one compared to the other one.

I second the Arcan lift jack. It's definitely heavy, even moving it with the rollers but it lifts high up and doesn't flinch on either car or SUV.

I've got pix of it here for anyone interested, and my mini-review:
http://gshack.org/g/index.php?album=arcanjack

I have a proper Matco for shop use and an aluminium HF "racing" jack for autocross use...I could probably get by with the aluminum one for shop use, but man, it is nice to have a good, proper shop jack...one less thing to worry about.

Has anyone used the Pittsburgh jacks from harbor freight? I am thinking about buying one but i can find any good reviews on them. I there are a couple posts is some random forums and there wasnt anything bad said, but there seems to be a lack of info on their reputation.

Thanks.

+1 on staying away from the crappy autozone ones

:rotz:

Since this thread got bumped already, I use the craftsman aluminium jack. Worth the money I had spent on it and couple years of use with it and no issues.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-4000-...p-00950239000P

dizzammmmmm at $240...thats a low profile jack isnt it

I have a small Craftsman jack and has served me well for over 10 years. The reviews are pretty scary though.

I have 2 Kobalt jacks with no problems. One stayed outside for at least a year. Aside from some rust it works great. Both are over 4 years old.

I just purchased a 3 ton jack from Freight harbor tools for $70 so far I used it to jack up the car when I was doing the 6th gen BBK upgrade and my rear brakes also... I use the jack just to lift the car in the air and put my jack stands under it... Last week I jacked up my 2.5 ton Audi A6 to drain the radiator (I lifted just the front of the car) so far it works like a champ no problems what so ever... I would recommend..

Your audi weighs 5000 lbs???!!! :eek:

Damn...:eek:

Same as the Pittsburgh
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_11503.jpg
But you can get this for 60 bucks and add 10 bucks free 2 yr replacement...:D

Or you can go with this one...
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_14281.jpg
2 3/4'' to 20''...:D

Craftsman 3 ton ova here. Got it on sale with two 3 ton jack stands and a creeper for $100.

Harbor freight 3 ton low profile perfect