Floor jacks, what’da’a use?

[Roert42]

I’ve got a teq/ car quest brand 3 ton roller jack.
Big cast iron jobber. Has decent lift, but not great for smaller cars. Has a lot of slop in the link for the piston, so on lower cars there can be too much play to even actuate.
Works good on SUVs and light duty trucks.

Works ok rebuild the piston a few years ago.

Looking to get one of them newer jacks with the dual pistons with the roller rockers and springs. I think that would be nice in tight places without a lot of throw on the handle.


Been looking at the ProEagle Abrams and the Daytona SuperDuty.

I’m leaning towards the ProEagle because of the oversized wheels and it’s made in USA. Figured it would be better in the gravel driveway.

Only reason I’m considering the HF jack is because I could go buy one and pick it up tomorrow. Seems like the quality is probably close/ the same, but no reason to buy made in china when you could get USA made for almost the same price ($290 vs $300)


What are you guys using?

 

[Roert42]

I also have a few everlast bottle jacks, they can be nice, but the everlast ones are junk. Most of them needed rebuild after a few months of use.

 

[pjtoledo]

a 40 year old 1-1/2 ton Sears.
another Sears, cheaper stamped frame and rapid pump. probably 12-15 years old.
3 year old Jegs brand, aluminum. don't use that one much, it's too pretty to get dirty.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I have an older Craftsman and an older NAPA, both need rebuilt and I haven’t got to it yet. They went up and down when I bought them used but the one failed the first I tried to use it and the second worked for one use and never again.

I bought an aluminum Duralast one from Autozone many years ago, think it’s a 2.5 ton. I don’t use it a ton because it doesn’t like gravel driveways. But it works when I need it. Most of the time I use bottle jacks though. I have a no-name that needs rebuilt, a Pittsburgh 4 ton that works ok, a 4-ton that I bought from Walmart years ago that is a frickin tank, a 12-ton Pro-Lift and two 20-ton jacks (one Craftsman and the other I don’t remember off-hand).

 

[JoshT]

I'm in a similar boat. My current floor jack is an older HF 3 ton IIRC. Atleast 13 years old because I didn't have my car at the time. With not having an indoor place to work, it's starting to sccumb to the elements so time for a new one. Like you, I don't have a pad to work on, I'm out in the yard.

The 2010 Kia Forte is too low to use it. Have to run up on boards or ramps before I canput a jack underneath. The 99 Ranger is being lowered and the clearance below the engine crossmember is getting kind of tight. The 85 Ranger will be a similar situation when I start building it.

I'd like a Badlands offroad Jack for the bigger trucks and the terrain, but that won't work well on the lower vehicles. Atleast for the Kia that ProEagle Abrams would have the same issue. I think it would be kind of tight under the Ranger too.

I probably won't buy anything until I have a pad to work on, or atleast better place to work in and store stuff. When I do it will proably be one of the low profile, long reach, Daytona Jacks from HF. If mine fully dies before then, it'll probably be a cheap aluminum "racing" jack from HF for the purpose of changing tires and stuff of the sort. Just enough to get onto a jack stand.

 

[Roert42]

The HF low profile jack list a lowered height of 3.75” and the ProEagle Abrams lists a lowered height of 4”, so I think the difference there is probably moot.

I actually have a two car garage with a nice cement floor, but for the most part I can only really use one bay. So if something is in the garage, I have to work in the gravel.

I’ve got five daily drivers that are all in various stages of disrepair.

 

[scotts90ranger]

For the most part I use two jacks, a 20 year old HFT 3 ton orange jobber that works fine but you have to pump a LOT, then a newer aluminum dual piston HFT 1.5 ton jack for the rest, I do have a newer grey dual piston 3 ton but it's usually in the back seat of the F350 for camping purposes... I got the aluminum one for like half off at a sidewalk sale, it leaks down slowly but fine for my needs for what I paid...

 

[19Walt93]

I have a Napa Carlisle 3 ton that I bought about 3 years ago when the jack I bought in 1989 wore out.

 

[Blmpkn]

3 ton dual piston HF, had it a decade at least. Been left outside for most of that.. she's mint. Doesn't even leak yet lol.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I have a Craftsmen here... and a Matco I bought when I was 20... it's tired.

I'm looking at the HF off road for my new carport project. But I also want a long reach low profile for the driveway. Kinda need that for the escape and kids cars. My Craftsman jack doesn't like to go under those at all.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I got a torin i bought like 5 years ago. Came with stands for 150 bucks and never had an issue with it.

Before that i had a big michelin branded jack that quit pumping and a napa one thatll only lift a quad or mower.

 

[Bill]

a 40 year old 1-1/2 ton Sears.
another Sears, cheaper stamped frame and rapid pump. probably 12-15 years old.
3 year old Jegs brand, aluminum. don't use that one much, it's too pretty to get dirty.

I have a 3-ton Sears jack. The original leather seals deteriorated, so I bought new rubber seals and replaced them. It works like new.

 

[AHenry014]

3-ton Daytona jack from harbor freight is one of the best jacks you can get right now. I got mine in candy purple a couple months ago and have nothing bad to say about it.

 

[sgtsandman]

For off road or in the gravel driveway, I use the HF Badlands jack. It doesn't sink as bad and the wheels still roll most of the time.

For in the garage, I have a HF Daytona 3 ton low profile, long reach jack. It fits under a car but has enough lift for a track. In a pinch, I can use it in the driveway but I have to put a piece of plywood down so it has a chance of rolling as it should when raising and lowering a vehicle.

On the side of the road, I have the factory jack and a bottle jack for unplanned things. For events like LBL, I'll bring the Badlands jack along. I still need to make a mount for it and figure out where and how I'm going to secure it.

 

[Shran]

I have several-

2 ton Pittsburgh w/ rapid pump - only jack I have ever bought new and it pukes oil all over. Very irritating. Other than that I like it but does not give me good feelings about HF jacks
2.5 ton Pro-lift - by far my favorite, I actually pulled this out of a pile of metal at the scrap yard and it just needed oil & a handle. Has worked great for years
3 ton Big Red - Also like this one but the handle is kinda quirky and it's hard to release the cylinder

I've got a bunch of bottle jacks too from various brands. Cummins, HF, Evercraft, Big Red/Torin, etc...they are probably all made in the same factory. The little portable floor jacks are the same deal, cheap junk.

I guess personally I'd look for another Pro-lift jack since that has been so good to me and probably would not buy another piece of crap from HF.