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Hi Guys,
What floor jack do you recommend for working on your 3/4-ton Super Duties? Based on the GVWR and the Payload rating, my curb weight is 7,886 lbs. My truck is stock, not lifted or lowered. I'm thinking a 3-ton floor jack is what I need, but what lift height should I go with?
I do have compressed air in my garage, so a pneumatic-powered jack is an option.
I have a floor jack, and a el cheapo HF pneumatic bottle jack. I stack 2x12's under the bottle jack if I need more height. Many floor jacks have extensions you can add to the cup for more height.
With my 2019 SD (was the same with my old F-350), I can use a creeper to gain access without lifting. Only time I need to lift is tire rotation, and for that, I can lift via the axle, so any 2.5-3 ton floor jack is fine for that, as is.
I use non-HF jackstands prior to getting under any vehicle.
This is the one Snap-on tried suing HF for patent infringement but the case was settled out of court after HF pointed out that the Snap-on jacks are also made in China in the same factory.
I agree with Cleatus Hogwallop a 2.5 to 3 Ton will work just fine. With a floor jack your Are usually only lifting a portion of the truck. I have lifted my buddies F-350 with a hobo freight 2 ton al jack to change a flat on the road but would go bigger for normal maintenance. In my garage I have a 2.5 ton Napa Pro Series low pro and regular profile 3 ton Craftsman. I find my self preferring the 2.5 ton low pro because it has a higher lift height and just a better jack.
1. Long reach. Being able to roll a floor jack under the frame rail of the truck from the sides, or under the spring perches of the axles from the front or rear, while still being able to apply a full arc of pump on the handle, is worth the extra weight and cost of long reach, long frame floor jacks. Front or rear floor jack entries under trucks to reach the axles, where additional equipment is attached to the front or rear bumpers (winches, liftgates, etc) is another benefit of long reach floor jacks.
2. Get two, if you currently have zero. Having a pair of floor jacks provides an incredible measure of additional utility, convenience, and safety when raising and supporting a vehicle. Easy, smooth, bilateral lifts - without racking the body or cracking the seam sealer or twisting the frame - is just one of the benefits of having two floor jacks. Being able to reposition a jack stand while leaving the original floor jack in place is another. Being able to unload the springs , or reseat and align spring parts, by raising and lowering the truck separately from a simultaneous ability to raise and lower the axle independently, is another power of having at least two floor jacks (I've used as many as four floor jacks at once under a motorhome, along with eight jack stands.) Adapting one floor jack with a cradle to raise or lower drivetrain components like transmissions, or to shift the engine up or down off of the motormounts to aide in the installation of a turbo... are among the many ways that an additional floor jack can prove useful to those who do their own service work.
3. High lift. The higher the lift that the floor jack is capable of delivering without monkeying around with placing boards underneath the floor jack to raise it higher... the safer and easier life with a floor jack will be. The combination of long reach and high lift is ideal. There are quite a few long reach jacks that are not high lift, but all high lift jacks have somewhat of a longer reach than a typical floor jack. The downfall of some high lift jacks is a reduced capacity, but this is resolved under recommendation number two, which is to get a second high lift jack, and use both simultaneously, one on either side of the truck. This reduces the lifting load on each jack by half, while offering the benefit of a higher lifting capacity, with less twisting of the body. For those who run leveling kits, lifts, or larger tires, the high liift floor jack is worth it's extra weight in gold, for the safety and convenience that operating a floor jack without stacking boards underneath it provides.
4. If using the floor jack for other vehicles, such as passenger cars, then a low saddle height is another recommended feature to look for in a floor jack. Just being able to wheel the floor jack underneath modern fuel efficient vehicles that are low slung to the ground can be difficult with some floor jack designs. Something to look out for.
The following photos show a floor jack design that meets three out of the four recommendations above (1, 3, & 4). Obtaining two or more will then meet all four recommendations.
1. Long reach. Being able to roll a floor jack under the frame rail of the truck from the sides, or under the spring perches of the axles from the front or rear, while still being able to apply a full arc of pump on the handle, is worth the extra weight and cost of long reach, long frame floor jacks. Front or rear floor jack entries under trucks to reach the axles, where additional equipment is attached to the front or rear bumpers (winches, liftgates, etc) is another benefit of long reach floor jacks.
2. Get two, if you currently have zero. Having a pair of floor jacks provides an incredible measure of additional utility, convenience, and safety when raising and supporting a vehicle. Easy, smooth, bilateral lifts - without racking the body or cracking the seam sealer or twisting the frame - is just one of the benefits of having two floor jacks. Being able to reposition a jack stand while leaving the original floor jack in place is another. Being able to unload the springs , or reseat and align spring parts, by raising and lowering the truck separately from a simultaneous ability to raise and lower the axle independently, is another power of having at least two floor jacks (I've used as many as four floor jacks at once under a motorhome, along with eight jack stands.) Adapting one floor jack with a cradle to raise or lower drivetrain components like transmissions, or to shift the engine up or down off of the motormounts to aide in the installation of a turbo... are among the many ways that an additional floor jack can prove useful to those who do their own service work.
3. High lift. The higher the lift that the floor jack is capable of delivering without monkeying around with placing boards underneath the floor jack to raise it higher... the safer and easier life with a floor jack will be. The combination of long reach and high lift is ideal. There are quite a few long reach jacks that are not high lift, but all high lift jacks have somewhat of a longer reach than a typical floor jack. The downfall of some high lift jacks is a reduced capacity, but this is resolved under recommendation number two, which is to get a second high lift jack, and use both simultaneously, one on either side of the truck. This reduces the lifting load on each jack by half, while offering the benefit of a higher lifting capacity, with less twisting of the body. For those who run leveling kits, lifts, or larger tires, the high liift floor jack is worth it's extra weight in gold, for the safety and convenience that operating a floor jack without stacking boards underneath it provides.
4. If using the floor jack for other vehicles, such as passenger cars, then a low saddle height is another recommended feature to look for in a floor jack. Just being able to wheel the floor jack underneath modern fuel efficient vehicles that are low slung to the ground can be difficult with some floor jack designs. Something to look out for.
The following photos show a floor jack design that meets three out of the four recommendations above (1, 3, & 4). Obtaining two or more will then meet all four recommendations.
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Thanks a ton, or rather 3-tons! I do have an old Craftsman 3-ton floor jack, but it's difficult to release the pressure and usually drops the vehicle pretty quickly. I'd like something easier to control. I like the idea of a long reach, that's makes a lot of sense. I'll also be using it to lift one side of our fifth-wheel camper to do maintenance on it - it weighs in at about 7,500 lbs; the truck is right at 7,900 lbs., so 3-1/2 tons ought to work just fine. I do have four 4-ton jack stands as well - i never rely on the hydraulic jack if I am under any part of the vehicle!
Thanks again.
Cheap 3 ton Duralast from Autozone. Just got it as my old Autozone one finally gave up the ghost after 25 years. I use it daily for my business so it definitely got its use.
make sure you use jack stands. I had a craftsman two ton floor jack. lifted my ac cobra replica. turned around and car on ground. i like man i thought it was raised. jacked it back up, as turning around car just dropped right back to ground, no warning, no popping had used jack for years. Now i have a hein werner and ALWAYS USE JACKSTANDS.
my dad has a craftsman floor jack and it is the biggest piece of crap. He also has a Hein Werner (from back when they were orange) and it's quality but needs a seal replaced cause it has a slow leak.
