No more crappy jacks!

[Ray Kane]

I need a floor jack that will not tear up like the half dozen I have tossed away! It has to have enough height for my Tundra without it maxxing out and taking 5000 pumps to get it there.

Any suggestions? I don't want to go money crazy either.

[rambrush]

Sears carries some pretty nice ones mine is a 3.5 ton craftsman Pro.
Works pretty good no leaks

[ctedja]

Yup, thats what I got. Sears will have this on sale from time to time. I saw a demo model for $27 and almost bought it :-)

Sears carries some pretty nice ones mine is a 3.5 ton craftsman Pro.
Works pretty good no leaks

[Mr. Creosote]

I can crawl under my 4x4 and do just about everything without lifting it. Even installing the TRD duals didn't need any lift. Too bad they didn't do any good.:cry:

I wanted one of the aluminum jacks, but I can't find those bigger than about 2 - 2.5 ton.

[cupidstoy]

what's wrong with using a 2 ton jack? that's 4,000 pounds and the most you'll be lifting is half the truck at one time. just make sure you have good jack stands to support the load once it's up.

[JustBNme]

I need a floor jack that will not tear up like the half dozen I have tossed away! It has to have enough height for my Tundra without it maxxing out and taking 5000 pumps to get it there.

Any suggestions? I don't want to go money crazy either.

Where have you been buying your previous ones? Have you just been purchasing according to who had the cheapest price? Since they're typically used somewhat infrequently, what has their storage environment been like?

There's plenty of places to find imports made to compete on price rather than quality (of machining of moving parts, material used for seals, etc.) Shipping's probably too prohibitive to buy via the web, but you should be able to find some decent American made jacks by searching the Internet and then contacting local distributors who sell to professional mechanics in your area. You'll probably be more likely to get what you pay for.

Not sure what you can do about all the handle pumping. It's strictly a matter of physics and hydraulics. I'd be more interested in having good control for lowering. Mine's held up for years, been stored in a humid garage, has never leaked or failed when I needed it, but has nowhere near the initial control when lowering that I remember my granddad's did in the 50's and 60's. My floor jack may have come from Sam's, but it was so long ago I can't be certain. I do remember taking its predecessor, a bottle jack , back to Sears because it didn't work once you put a load bigger than a couple hundred pounds on it.

[tazzboo]

Go to Costco and find you a 3 ton jack. I paid 69 bucks for mine and love it. Plenty of strength to lift the truck up nicely.
As far as needing more lifting power its a must. The more it can lift the easier it is to jack the truck up.

[Mr. Creosote]

Isn't there an "unloaded fast raising" feature on some jacks in which it moves up quickly with just a pump or two, then once it feels the load, it needs lots of pumps to actually lift the load?

[Ray Kane]

Isn't there an "unloaded fast raising" feature on some jacks in which it moves up quickly with just a pump or two, then once it feels the load, it needs lots of pumps to actually lift the load?

That is the type I got {at a "mart" store} The problem I run into is half of the jack's lifting range is used up getting to the jacking points of the vehicle and the jack is almost maxxed out before the wheels leave the ground

[benbeaux]

Try this for a primer:
HYJACKS.COM/WHICH FLOOR JACK IS BEST FOR ME PAGE?/wichjac.htm

I bought a "Michelin" jack Wal-Sam's & while it was well built & had the quick raise feature, it bled to death on my garage floor after the 6th or 7th time I used it. I gave it to a co-worker & he replaced the seal...works fine now.

I replaced the "Michelin" (now "Rousch") with the Craftsman aluminum floor jack instead of the Harbor Fright one because it was welded vs bolted together. I have to lift from under the wheels instead of the frame. I can frame lift on my wife's Avalon since it sits so low.

FWIW, real jacks cost real money. If you can find a local distributer, maybe you can buy a Norco jack & maybe save some on shipping.

HTH

[ctvarner]

When I need a little more height from my El Cheapo floor jack, I put a chunk of 4x4 between the saddle and the truck. Choose your lifting point carefully, and for the love of God don't get under there until it is supported on good solid stands. I've never had a 4x4 split or crush completely, but the possibility is always there. YMMV.

[Ray Kane]

The first time I jacked up the front end of my {front wheel drive} Honda I didn't set the parking brake. The hond began rolling backwards on the rear wheels and the floor jack!

[xSupaKx]

I wanted one of the aluminum jacks, but I can't find those bigger than about 2 - 2.5 ton.

I have a pair of These that lift our Tacoma fine. Remember, youre only lifting up 1 corner, thats at max 33% the weight of the truck, weather it be a A-Arm or on the rear axle next to the spring pack.

I love these Jacks. I keep one in the trunk of my Subaru, and one at home. Ive had stock jacks fail on me on more than one occasion.

[JustBNme]

I love these Jacks. I keep one in the trunk of my Subaru, and one at home. Ive had stock jacks fail on me on more than one occasion.

How would you compare your long-term experience with these to the problems described by the reviewers on Sears' web site at the link you provided?

[shall36]

I use the hell out of my jacks. I had a Sears 3ton that lasted for about 7 years. I replaced that with the quick-pump 2.5 ton aluminum jack from Costco. While a light-weight jack sure is nice, this unit is a bear to pump and the fast-pump feature doesn't work good in practice. Sure one pump and the pad is up to the frame, but from there, it seems that the handle stroke is only 50% active. I have seen pnuematic units that use air to move the pad up to the frame and you pump from there. I've also seen units with a small, secondary handle to pre-jack the unit.

My belief is that the best bet is to buy a Crafstman 3ton unit. They are around $100 and should last plenty long. Performance should be very good.

I also use 4"x4" PT stock when jacking the truck. I've used entire 4"x4" posts to lift my 'cuda unibody up several feet to bolt it on a rotiserie. When done properly, you can stack several 4"x4" pieces safely.