Whe sells a good floor jack ?

[NEp8ntballer]

i use a craftsman high lift SUV/truck jack. it does the job. it's kinda heavy though. I don't mind it too much except for when I lost my grip on it when I picked it up to move it, had the handle slip out when it dropped and smashed the **** out of my finger. it bled for about two days and throbbed in pain for about the same amount of time.

 

[JohnW63]

I wonder if the quality of these jacks has changed over the years ? Doing web searches on Floor Jack reviews, the top end Craftsman jacks had lots of bad things. Of course, it could be only the few failures found the web in frustration. I've wanted a larger capacity jack, for safety, but most of the ones you can find at local places are just 1.5 ton. Do I need a "low profile" jack to get under the subframe under the front of the car ? And... what DO you jack the rear of the car from ? No diff and no axels and nothing really beefy under there.

 

[zak]

I also have two of the 3000# HF US General Aluminum frame jacks, they've been in fairly constant use for about 5 years now. No problems with them at all.
.

I have one of these as US General well. If you ever hear it make a high pitched ping when under load, carefully check the hydraulic piston/cylinder. My outer cylinder started cracking on both sides (right along the "flats" that are there as an installation aid) and eventually started leaking fluid at higher lifts (yikes). Harbor nicked me for $80 to send a complete "power assembly" as they would not sell the individual hydraulic cylinder. Yes I plan to change the oil on the new power unit.

For Xmas I got an OTC 1525, assembled in USA, Swedish hyrdaulics, 3.5" minimum height, 22.5 inch maximum lift (most jacks only go to 19 or 20"). Very, very nice jack . . . . . if you don't see a lift in your near future consider this jack as it can get the car up high enough that you can work under it (on jack stands of course)..

The original poster should consider changing the fluid in his jack to see if that revives it. I wish I had kept my Walker jack and repaired it rather than spending a great deal of coin for a new one.

zak

 

[sdpatt]

I also have two of the 3000# HF US General Aluminum frame jacks, they've been in fairly constant use for about 5 years now. No problems with them at all.

I will make this suggestion to prolong the life of these jacks. The hydraulic fluid they're shipped with is little better then urine, and about as corrosive, especially the units that come from China. Drain and flush it immediately with good hydraulic fluid. If you really want to be good to them, drain and flush annually. I have a 5-gallon bucket of Valvoline AW-32 hydraulic fluid, my 4-post lift only used 3 gallons, so I have enough to flush and refill my rolling jacks for some years to come.

The item listing for this jack at Harbor Freight is here. I gave one to myself as a $70 Christmas gift a few years ago and have enjoyed it ever since. I see it advertised around $90-$120 from time to time, but never as low as the $70 tag when I bought it.

The high-pitched noise under load was a fluid leak due to inadequate torque of the cylinder. This and other assembly faults can be corrected to ensure this jack lives a much longer lifetime. I disassembled mine, cleaned and lubed it as it should have been from the factory. One key service is to add grease to the front roller that supports the majority of the load when the jack is in use. I found it to be dry of lubricant and galling very early in my ownership. I have seen others suffering the same fate. The assemblers apparently did not have good procedures or training, but the jack itself is a nice piece.

 

[JohnW63]

How much of the reported jack failures, do you suppose are due to cheap fluid and poor lubrication from the factory ? I have no problems spending over $100 on a jack, if it works well and lasts like it should. How do those wide single roller " race " jacks work ? Easy to turn and maneuver, or just for straight lines ?

 

[gmorrell]

Turning and maneuvering?

It's a floor jack, you're not running autocross courses with it.

They've got some oversteer on account of the wide front roller and narrow rears, but it's no big thing, they roll around nicely and go where you put them. They like smooth concrete surfaces, gravel and dirt are difficult surfaces - not recommended. They are a tiny bit more difficult to maneuver then a 4-caster jack body, but you get used to it.

 

[JohnW63]

I figured they might not want to turn, and you'd have to slide them around a bit more.

 

[mustangracer91]

I have a Harbor Freight Jack that is heavy as all get out. But does it work? Yes, and it was on sale for about $60 I think.

that is bigger than the the one I got looks nice...

 

[Phoenix]

I got the Big blue michelin jack (the big one) , its heavy and sturdy and it lifts pretty high. Plus its a quick lift. I recommand.