Looking for suggestions on purchasing a 3 ton floor jack. I don’t want to buy one that’s gonna work once or twice then start puking oil or something. Also not trying to break the bank as it’ll get used mainly for tire rotations and brake jobs on our two vehicles.

Thanks in advance,
CT

I hesitate to recommend harbor freight, but we’ve been using their floor jack for years (at least fifteen). It finally had an issue with the teeth that translate the rotation of the handle to turning the valve to open or close not engaging correctly. A quick look showed things had loosened up. It was probably fifteen minutes to diagnose and fix and it wouldn’t surprise me to get another fifteen years out of it.

Other than that, I’ve had good luck ordering from Northern Tool and they seem to be a step up from Harbor Freight. (Full disclosure, I have no experience with their jacks.)

What kind of budget do you have? Almost all floor jacks even those “made in the USA” are made of foreign components. We just purchased two more for work from Napa after about 4 years on two Hein Werner floor jacks. I received a call from Gray Manufacturing that same morning and I asked about floor jacks. They are reintroducing theirs and you can purchase now for $1,100 and she even said they are rebuildabe. I politely declined her offer. I think we paid around $250 for the ones from Napa.

I have one of these

Don't use it much anymore.
Here is is in use in the late 50s

I have a Harbor Freight 3 ton low profile, high lift jack and it is now my go to floor jack. With a coupon it was 59 bucks.

You can spend more...but why?

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
I have a Harbor Freight 3 ton low profile, high lift jack and it is now my go to floor jack. With a coupon it was 59 bucks.

You can spend more...but why?

RANT ON: Because if you buy something decent, it will be around as long as you are, work well during that time and keep jobs/money here in America. People (not necessarily you) bitch about the lack of quality tools that are available to the retail consumer, yet support that decline by purchasing cheap Chinese crap. :RANT OFF

Beyond that, a quality jack may prevent an accident that could damage your vehicle or squish some body part you'd rather keep intact.

Yup. That Walker Jack has been in my family for over 60 years. And it was used when dad got it.

“Beyond that, a quality jack may prevent an accident that could damage your vehicle or squish some body part you'd rather keep intact.“

Jack stands are your friends.

Reading on the Net, I came across an article listing the 30 best deals at Costco. One deal was a 3 ton floor jack made of steel and aluminum. Price was $99. Sorry I don't remember the brand, if I see the article again I'll add to this post.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
Jack stands are your friends.

Indeed.

Still: His point stands. We bitch about how nothing is made in the U.S. any more, and about how everything is cheap (Chinese) crap, but turn around in the next moment and buy more Cheap Chinese Crap.

Maybe if more people bought on quality, instead of how cheaply they can acquire stuff, we'd have higher-quality products and more products made here?

As for the jack... I bought a small, low-profile jack from a local tool supply store. I needed small jack stands to go with it. They didn't have them, but HF did. I'm pretty sure HF had the same small, low-profile jack I'd just bought at the tool store. Only mine was red and theirs was blue.

*shrug*

Find an older used American made jack that doesn't leak. It will probably last much longer, even with the head start on age, than an "import". We all know what that means.
While you're at it, get some quality jack stands too. Years ago I bought something that came with a free pair of Chinese jack stands as a bonus.
The first time I lowered the car onto the stands, one failed. Under that thick shiny paint was a weld that was poorly done onto rusty metal covered up by all that paint. Lesson learned. They looked great from the outside.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
“Beyond that, a quality jack may prevent an accident that could damage your vehicle or squish some body part you'd rather keep intact.“

Jack stands are your friends.

Of course, those would also be Harbor Freight specials.

I seriously don’t understand guys (generic) who will agonize over the chance that their P365 striker might break in a gunfight, but will gladly crawl under a 2-3 ton vehicle supported by Chinese jack stands of unknown quality.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
“Beyond that, a quality jack may prevent an accident that could damage your vehicle or squish some body part you'd rather keep intact.“

Jack stands are your friends.

Of course, those would also be Harbor Freight specials.

I seriously don’t understand guys (generic) who will agonize over the chance that their P365 striker might break in a gunfight, but will gladly crawl under a 2-3 ton vehicle supported by Chinese jack stands of unknown quality.

Dude, calm down!

I get it, I hate it we no longer make anything in the USA. But it doesn't make sense for a guy to buy a high quality jack when they only use it once or twice a year.

Using a HF one too. Normal cars. Don’t try to push the max load and use stands. So far I’ve had several good years use. Pittsburg 3 ton.

Long ago Dad had a pair of stands mad of rear axle housings cut off at the outer end. The inner end was the kind that flange bolted to the differential.

Another time Dad was working on ball joints of a 67 Mustang FB with HiPo 289. Somehow the stands it was on slipped partway down. Dad was trapped crouched down with the wheel opening on his back. My cousin and I lifted on the bumper raising the car for Dad to slip out. Dad had compression fractures in the spine. He recovered ok.

BTW the 1940 Continental pictured earlier went on to win car club prizes as restored. My favorite was the Best Engine Conversion from V12 to a 1955 Chrysler 300 engine.

I like to put the tires under the vehicle when they are off, in addition to using stands and wheel chocks. My thinking is if a stand fails maybe the tire and wheel will be a backup.

They're part of your tools, spend the money for a good U.S. made jack. And stands. The sinking gut wrenching feeling in your stomach when a tool fails causing at least a delay in the task at hand up to possible serious injury or death is not worth the extra $$$.

No recommendations, just subscribed to see. I’m in the market for a decent low profile extended length jack. I did some brake work and had trouble putting my car on stands. My current jack is too short and too tall to get under the front or rear bumper to lift the car so I can place my jackstands. I ended up lifting one side at a time and placing the stands and could only work on one side at a time.
I’d rather get a proper jack and lift from the front or rear jackpoints to place my stands.

100% Harbor Freight at our tire store. They last as long as the higher dollar jacks.

If you're a do-it-yourselfer, Harbor Freight all day for the win. No need to pour money into something that won't be used all that often.