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I have seen few other reviews and top two brands are Harbor Freight and Craftsman. Both have good reputation on the market. However, I am thinking HF will be a better choice to buy. Under 100 bucks I have found few models, but I am thinking about 3 ton Low Profile Steel floor jack model. Any Idea?
I personally have three jacks and I would recommend every one of them.
My general go-to jack is the Arcan hybrid you can get from Costco for under $100. I like everything about this jack except the height is a little on the taller side so it cannot get under my extra low cars unless I drive onto some wooden planks. But it is a very study and well built jack and has performed flawlessly for the 3 years I have had it.
My second jack is the 2 ton low profile from Harbor Freight which runs around $120 with coupon. This jack is very very heavy and hard to maneuver but very low profile and has a high maximum lift.
My last jack is the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton racing jack. This jack is a very study little jack and is the one I bring with me if I need a jack somewhere. Even though the capacity is "1.5 tons" in reality jacks are rated for several times this load, so it can easily lift half of a car by itself. It is also the jack I use if I need to provide some lifting force somewhere while working on a car (like raising suspension parts or an axle up) because it is very maneuverable. There is an identical jack sold at Home Depot under the Husky brand. You can get these jacks on sale for under $60.
I personally have three jacks and I would recommend every one of them.
My general go-to jack is the Arcan hybrid you can get from Costco for under $100. I like everything about this jack except the height is a little on the taller side so it cannot get under my extra low cars unless I drive onto some wooden planks. But it is a very study and well built jack and has performed flawlessly for the 3 years I have had it.
My second jack is the 2 ton low profile from Harbor Freight which runs around $120 with coupon. This jack is very very heavy and hard to maneuver but very low profile and has a high maximum lift.
My last jack is the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton racing jack. This jack is a very study little jack and is the one I bring with me if I need a jack somewhere. Even though the capacity is "1.5 tons" in reality jacks are rated for several times this load, so it can easily lift half of a car by itself. It is also the jack I use if I need to provide some lifting force somewhere while working on a car (like raising suspension parts or an axle up) because it is very maneuverable. There is an identical jack sold at Home Depot under the Husky brand. You can get these jacks on sale for under $60.
Yes, I have checked Arcan on Amazon. Arcan ALJ3T price is 250 bucks and that will cross my budget. I have selected two model from Harbor Freight. One price is 84 and other is 94. I just want to ask you what is the difference between Aluminum and Steel jacks?
+1 on the Arcan. There used to be a shorter one (similar to the HF low profile that wackjum posted) but then Costco changed up their inventory for some reason. I love my older Arcan XLR35
Yes, I have checked Arcan on Amazon. Arcan ALJ3T price is 250 bucks and that will cross my budget. I have selected two model from Harbor Freight. One price is 84 and other is 94. I just want to ask you what is the difference between Aluminum and Steel jacks?
The Arcan at Costco is under $100. If you have friends with a Costco membership, either use theirs or ask them to get you a Costco gift card. The gift card will get you into Costco to get the jack.
Originally Posted by kiamoikra
I just want to ask you what is the difference between Aluminum and Steel jacks?
I don't think there are any pure aluminum floor jacks (at least not affordable ones). They are typically either all steel or hybrid aluminum/steel. Since steel is a stronger material, the designs can be lower profile. However, the jack itself will weigh significantly more than a hybrid design.
Jack weight is not to be taken lightly. If you spend any significant time working with jacks, you will appreciate getting the lightest possible jack for the job. Jacks have small metal wheels with no springs or give. Rolling them across concrete is annoying, especially if you have to travel a distance (like down a driveway). If I gotta take my jack down the length of the driveway, I rather pick it up and carry it than drag it down the driveway and shake all of my teeth loose doing it. The hybrid Costco jack weighs about 50 lbs. The harbor freight 2-ton low profile jack is at least 100 lbs. For me, picking up 100 lbs is no easy feat.
Also a lot of jack use involves moving the thing back and forth to get it into the right place to jack up. Unless you want to mess up your floors, you typically can't drag it sideways. So even moving it an inch to the left or right means dragging it backwards at an angle and pushing it forward into position, maybe several times.
I am thinking about 3 ton Low Profile Steel floor jack model. Any Idea?
I don't think you need a 3-ton. It will be a humongous jack and for the reasons I listed above, it is going to be annoying to use.
A floor jack will lift at most half the weight of the vehicle. Most passenger vehicles are between 2 to 3 tons. 2 tons for a passenger car, 3 tons for SUVs and trucks. You won't be putting the entire vehicle on the jack at the same time. You'll be lifting a corner or at most one end at a time. A 2 ton should be fine. Even my 1.5 ton would be perfectly fine except the lift height is a little low.
I have seen few other reviews and top two brands are Harbor Freight and Craftsman. Both have good reputation on the market. However, I am thinking HF will be a better choice to buy. Under 100 bucks I have found few models, but I am thinking about 3 ton Low Profile Steel floor jack model. Any Idea?
I was just about to order the Costco one. Good to hear a good review. I wasn't sure about the lift height for my van but I could use a 2x4 or put some plywood under it I guess.
I was just about to order the Costco one. Good to hear a good review. I wasn't sure about the lift height for my van but I could use a 2x4 or put some plywood under it I guess.
For my lifted trucks (Nissan Xterra and Frontier), the Costco jack is generally fine. To lift the rear, I use the differential. From the front, I use a cross-member. There is easily enough height to do anything necessary.
The only time the Costco jack did not have the height I needed was when I was working on the rear suspension and needed the leaf springs to be completely unloaded so I was lifting off a frame point. I had to shim the jack with two blocks of 2x4s to get the vehicle high enough.
Maybe not s specific purpose, but having a jack that will pretty much cover any and all scenarios in the garage?? I have a 3 ton Craftsman that came with two jack stands and it has never let me down.
I have multiple Jacks from Craftsman and from Harbor Freight. Both brands have served me very well. Single biggest thing to look for is the all the way down height and the lift height. Try to find one with the highest lift height that will fit under your vehicle. HF makes some good low profile jacks with larger lift heights.
Timely post with some good responses.
My little Craftsman jack is on its way out, won't hold height with weight on it (jack stands are used for sure). And I don't know if it has enough max height for the F150. Worked great on the TL & Civic.
Get the Costco jack. I'm serious. It is hands down the best jack I have ever used, and even more-so at its price point. It will meet 95% of home floorjack needs.
I got the smaller jack mainly because there were times when I needed a second jack, and I am the family's "mechanic" so sometimes I have to travel. The smaller jack is so much easier to pack and go.
I got the Harbor Freight ultra-low profile one to work on sports cars but really the Costco one is not that high. The HF jack is so heavy and cumbersome I only use it when I need to lift a sports car directly from the front. Especially on my old 370Z, the low front air dam and really recessed cross-member made it very difficult to lift. But that was a specialized situation.
Here is the Costco jack lifting my lifted Nissan Frontier from the front cross-member. As you can see, both tires are off the ground and the jack still has a good ways to go.
Here is a picture of the Costco jack at maximum extension to show you the overhead available.
And here is the Costco jack lifting the NSX. It is easily low enough to go under my lowered NSX directly from the side.
^ can the Costco jack go under the NSX from the front?
I have a 3 ton Craftsman that weighs a metric ton itself. Would like to get a lower profile and lighter weight jack since my old one is on its way out.
^ can the Costco jack go under the NSX from the front?
Technically yes. The Costco jack's front profile is 4" tall and my NSX has almost exactly 4" of ground clearance from the front lip. But the Costco jack starts planing up very quickly and there's nothing to lift with from the front of the NSX. I would have to shove the jack pretty far in to reach a cross-member and so it would not fit. My NSX is also lowered by about an inch. Specifically regarding the NSX, the designated lift points are two places on the side. You're supposed to just lift the car up Front and Rear on one side.
Back when I had my 370Z, I had the Costco jack at the time but again the cross-member was too far back and the Costco jack's incline is fairly rapid. I have two used brake rotors I keep around for this purpose though. I would wedge them under the front tires and drive onto the rotors and that gave all the clearance I needed to use the Costco jack directly from the front.
Technically yes. The Costco jack's front profile is 4" tall and my NSX has almost exactly 4" of ground clearance from the front lip. But the Costco jack starts planing up very quickly and there's nothing to lift with from the front of the NSX. I would have to shove the jack pretty far in to reach a cross-member and so it would not fit. My NSX is also lowered by about an inch. Specifically regarding the NSX, the designated lift points are two places on the side. You're supposed to just lift the car up Front and Rear on one side.
Back when I had my 370Z, I had the Costco jack at the time but again the cross-member was too far back and the Costco jack's incline is fairly rapid. I have two used brake rotors I keep around for this purpose though. I would wedge them under the front tires and drive onto the rotors and that gave all the clearance I needed to use the Costco jack directly from the front.
That should be ok for me, the S2000 is probably higher off the ground than the NSX. Right now, my 3T jack doesn't even wheel underneath, regardless of rake of the housing.
07-22-2017, 09:01 PM
