Floor Jack Rating
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Junior User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 79
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From: Vancouver, Wa
Floor Jack Rating
Hey all,
Like my name suggests, I've got an 4x4 '89 F250 with the 460ci
I'm looking at floor jacks and I'm not sure what rating I should get.. 1 ton, 1.5, 2.0, etc. I'm only looking to use it for lifting one corner to put on a jack stand and perhaps use while doing a clutch change
I probably wouldn't have thought twice about this, but I was at the dump the other day and noticed the truck itself weighs nearly 3 tons.
thanks
Like my name suggests, I've got an 4x4 '89 F250 with the 460ci
I'm looking at floor jacks and I'm not sure what rating I should get.. 1 ton, 1.5, 2.0, etc. I'm only looking to use it for lifting one corner to put on a jack stand and perhaps use while doing a clutch change
I probably wouldn't have thought twice about this, but I was at the dump the other day and noticed the truck itself weighs nearly 3 tons.
thanks
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,183
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From: Pennsylvania Wilds
Yeah, the higher the lift the better. Blocking up the jack to get more lift gets old, and probably isn't safe*.
*I do it frequently, and haven't died yet, but I'm still young enough that I'm invincible.
*I do it frequently, and haven't died yet, but I'm still young enough that I'm invincible.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,603
Likes: 1
From: St Louis
FWIW, it is best to buy a jack that could in theory raise the entire vehicle. Reason for that is to have enough safety margin in the jack. Jacks are wonderful but even it is subject to failure, and usually it is one that can be catastrophic if your jack fails at the wrong moment.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 139
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From: okc,oklahoma
i've got a 3ton harbor freight floor jack and it works great. reason i bought it is the shop my grandpa works at they have about 4 of them and use them everyday to lift freightliner coronados and such for wheel seals and brake jobs and haven't had a problem in 3 years. so if it's good enough for a semi it's good enough for my truck.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2008
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From: Pennsylvania Wilds
FWIW, it is best to buy a jack that could in theory raise the entire vehicle. Reason for that is to have enough safety margin in the jack. Jacks are wonderful but even it is subject to failure, and usually it is one that can be catastrophic if your jack fails at the wrong moment.
Anyone who's ever had a trailer, wagon, or truck tire explode with a load on the vehicle that really can't be easily removed to change the tire should know where I'm coming from.
I've ended up having to use the jack I bought for car and truck maintenance to lift a Ford 5000 rear end to change a tractor tire before, too.
Edit: I've also had some of those inopportune times, and have a pile of dead jacks(of varying types) to prove it!
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 364
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From: Southern Delaware
for an 89 f250 4x4 460, no less than a 3ton jack....period. a jack and jackstands are something you cannot skimp on. while a 2 ton jack MAY work, putting under consistant stress will wear it out prematurely and will be more prone to fail...plus, I find that the 2tons may not jack up the vehicle enough to remove the wheels(they only lift usually around 17" or so)...a decent 3ton jack(~$100 USC) AND 6ton jackstands(~$50 USC) are the ticket, and its money well spent...but its just my 2cent...
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,802
Likes: 1
I use a 2.5-ton high-lift Harbor Freight jack, works pretty good at lifting the entire front of my diesel a good foot in the air. 6-ton jackstands tho, unless it's a mid-size car that I'm working on, then I may put the 3-ton stands under it.
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,183
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From: Pennsylvania Wilds
High Lift jacks are beasts of an entirely different nature. No seals to wear out and blow on you. With a High Lift, it either jacks it or it don't. And they're American made, not Chinese garbage.
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