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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 02:19 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 03:21 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 11:09 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
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1998 318 ti,s50 swap, m3 brakes, green house control arm bushings,H&R race springs with bilstein struts,ASA wheels,Magnaflow catback ,sparco seats,two 10” JL audio subs,3.73 rear end,euro headlights and more to come![/center]
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 '00VI|VAFC-II|Fed Spec Conversion|Cattman Y|Budget B|HKS Rear Section|Stillen Hi-Flow Intake
OBX STS|18" Mille Miglia Evo 5s|Stillen FSTB|Progress RSB|Intrax Springs|KYB AGX Struts|AE Pedals+350Z Dead Pedal
Escort Passport 8500 Hardwired|Red/Clear Tails|Clear Bumper Lights|35%/25% Tint|Nismo Shift Knob|I30 Leather E-Brake+Autodim Mirror
Exedy Stage II Clutch|I30 VLSD Transmission
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.
). 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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