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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.
Last edited by sublime258; 04-09-2009 at 01:19 PM.
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.
Last edited by 1993-VG30E-GXE; 04-09-2009 at 02:21 PM.
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 ). 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.
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.
__________________
VIAS Removed, NWP Plate, SSIM, NWP Spacer kit, FC Intake, UR UnderDrive Pulley, HotShot Headers, FC B-Pipe with straight flow muffler, 17* Timing Advance, Tokico Shocks/Struts, MaxSpeed Springs, CustomMaxima Strut Bar, Stillen Front Lip,|2001 Tahoe|2003 Mazdaspeed Protege(Sold)|2002 Chevy 1500HD(Sold)|1996 Impala SS(Stolen)|1986 Rx7(Sold)|1972 Chevy C10(Sold)|1966 Caprice|1968 Impala
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 ). 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.
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.
Last edited by 1993-VG30E-GXE; 04-13-2009 at 10:09 PM.
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.
yup .... its full of win
__________________
Bmw Compact With lots of ///M Parts
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).
__________________ 1999 Super Black SE 5MT - Vortech V2 @ 10psi
Boosted, Fully Bolted, Tuned, VLSD, Coilovers, Retro'd, Stillen Kit, And much more...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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Custom intake w/Apex-i filter, Cattman headers & Cat-back, 350Z RAYS wheels 18X8.5 33 offset w/ Yokohamma S-Drives, 2001 AE AT w/ Stage II VB, ADV Timing 17 degrees, Stillen 2 piston BBK W/ Coleman Racing 2pc Rotors(front), Racing Brake Rotors w/Hawk HPS pads (rear), Stillen Bodykit, Smoked 2k2 Headlights, Progress Springs, Tokico illumina's, Stillen RSB, FSTB. ES motor mounts, ES suspension Bushings.
I am looking at this one. right now I got a crappy one from checker auto. Plus it's blue.
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.
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96 240SX 5 speed- The track toy
93 Maxima SE 5 speed- retired 1-5-09
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.
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Custom intake w/Apex-i filter, Cattman headers & Cat-back, 350Z RAYS wheels 18X8.5 33 offset w/ Yokohamma S-Drives, 2001 AE AT w/ Stage II VB, ADV Timing 17 degrees, Stillen 2 piston BBK W/ Coleman Racing 2pc Rotors(front), Racing Brake Rotors w/Hawk HPS pads (rear), Stillen Bodykit, Smoked 2k2 Headlights, Progress Springs, Tokico illumina's, Stillen RSB, FSTB. ES motor mounts, ES suspension Bushings.
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 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?
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.
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Custom intake w/Apex-i filter, Cattman headers & Cat-back, 350Z RAYS wheels 18X8.5 33 offset w/ Yokohamma S-Drives, 2001 AE AT w/ Stage II VB, ADV Timing 17 degrees, Stillen 2 piston BBK W/ Coleman Racing 2pc Rotors(front), Racing Brake Rotors w/Hawk HPS pads (rear), Stillen Bodykit, Smoked 2k2 Headlights, Progress Springs, Tokico illumina's, Stillen RSB, FSTB. ES motor mounts, ES suspension Bushings.
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.
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.
I have a small Craftsman jack and has served me well for over 10 years. The reviews are pretty scary though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sassie
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.
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.
__________________ -Jon 07 Frontier SE CC 4x4 ... Daily driver. 98 Maxima SE ... 14.9 @ 95. Never ending project. 09 Drag car: 94 Sentra E ... 1/8: 8.2 @ 94, 2.1 60' 356whp/322wtq. After 3 passes, on hiatus. 06 Drag car: 91 Sentra SE-R ... 1/8: 8.6@ 86, 1/4: 13.1 @ 110, 2.2 60' 250whp. After 7 passes, totalled. 03 Altima 3.5 SE ... Hers.
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..
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..
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.
). Not to mention, it should be more then enough for MY car - 65 Impala.
(you can view the replacement parts available for yourself on a tab there)
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