Anyone using one of the lightweight aluminum floor jacks. Any recommendations or comments, brands, etc???

 

I got a cheap one from Harbor Freight to fit under my lowered "I" beams. I wouldn't trust it passed about half it's weight rating though.

 

I was gonna get one form harbor frieght next week - any one else got one??

 

I've got an old Snap On made by Lincoln, I think. Very heavy but built like a tank. Not sure that I would trust the aluminum floor jacks lifting my F-250 and holding it for any length of time.

 

I have one I bought from Sam's Club... it works well enough for occasional DIY mechanic use... The release valve is a bit on/off to me which makes it difficult to lower the car/truck onto jack stands in a controlled manner.

 

I have the Craftsman unit; the full alum one. Great for the track. By placing a 4x4 block on the pad the truck can be lifted. At 42lbs I my never use the old steel unit again. I saw one on Two Guy's Garage today for $600!!!!

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00950239000

 

My wife bought me one at Costco. I love it! I've used it several times and was impressed. I only lifted small cars, don't know if I would trust it to pick up anything heavier than a car. It is rated @ 3000Lb. I also went to Harbor Freight and purchased two Aluminum jack stands. Will have to see how they work.

 

OOPS! just went out to the garage and looked at my aluminum floor jack and saw that it was rated @ 4000Lbs. It is made by Alltrade.

 

I think the failure rate of the harbourfreight jacks is pretty high. They are everywhere in club racing these days, so much so that people wrap colored tape around the handles to distingush one from the other. The two complaints I have heard are a) the saddle can break if the load is not centered enough; b) they quit working mysteriously, possibly because of air in the lines. When mine quit last summer I had to drain all the oil and re-bleed it. I think it was a result of transporting on it's side...

 

I went into Canadian Tire last night with the idea of checking out their 21/2 Ton Service Jack and comparing it to a GEL Tools 2 1/4 ton, both at $140.00. After much grunting (80 lb. box) bringing it down and getting it back up, I figures that the GEL was a better tool for $140. Stood up and stretched and then noticesd that they had a 3 ton with two 2 Ton jack stands on for $89 on sale. Even heavier, has a speed pump handle plus the regular long handle and the jack stands are nicely made.

Gotta love it. Went back today and picked up a light one (2Ton) that came with double ended wheel nut sockets (Neat, never seen'em before), wheel chocks to stop the truck rolling and a 12 volt tire pump, all in a fitted plastic case and the works for $39.00. Remarkable prices and the quality is good enough for the hobbyk stuff that I do.

Pat