924Board.org

[rg-series]

I'm in the market for a floor jack but I don't want to spend more than $100. I want something that will last a decent amount of time as well. I want something that has around a 3 1/2" saddle height at the low position. The two I am considering are; a steel "torin" 3.5 ton at pep boys for $90 or I can get a "larin" 2 ton aluminum jack(51 lbs) from costco for $100(it's not the same design as the really cheap ones you can buy from harbor frieght, it actually looks pretty solid). Anyone have any experience with any of these brands before, or know of any good jacks in that price range? Thanks in advance

[CBass]

I have a basic cheapo $20 jack. I replaced the little "cup" that meets the body with a 2x2x8" piece of high quality oak. This gives it a bottomed out height of around 4 1/2" and a lift reach of 16". Total cost? $20, a piece of wood and a nut and bolt. I have been using this jack for 8 years now I think?

If I was to spend real money, I would buy Michelin's SUV jack. It's all steel, so it's no lightweight. It has all of the features you'd expect from a fancy jack like hte quick lift and so on, but it is about $55 USD and has a lift capability of 22", which is by far the best I have seen. Comes with a warranty and a part number list for spare parts.
_________________
'81 931 in various states of assembly

[Smoothie]

I use this one - http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=4172
It goes down to 5", but I still have to lift the car by hand a bit while sliding it under to get it past my stabilizer bar for jacking front-center from under the cross member. So as you know, watch the minimum height spec. I used to use an el'cheapo Kmart ~$30 rolling floor jack which was fine (still works, ~25 years old) - only upgraded when I had a van to work on also, but the larger jack (~15 years) gets used on everything now.
For wheel chocks I use some big nasty ones cut from 6x6 post. -And my jack stand collection consists of 3 different sized pairs from too small to almost too large. The medium and almost too large get used on the 924.

[ my old and newer jacks - http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/smoothies931pics/detail?.dir=341f&.dnm=af81re2.jpg&.src=ph ]
_________________
"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."


'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox

[924RACR]

I used a heavy steel one from Sam's Club for quite a while; still have it, but it stays home and doesn't get used much - too heavy.

Now I used, almost exclusively, my $140 Harbor Freight Aluminum Racing Jack... and it's so light, it's not only great for the track, it's used nearly 100% at home; the only exceptions are when jacking up a full-size truck or as a second jack. Only complaint is bolts coming loose; one day I'll get off my butt and Loctite everything.
_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

[gohim]

Buying or using a $10 floor jack is like buying/using a $10 helmet. How much is your head worth?

Buying a used, good quality (was once an more expensive unit) floor jack is better than buying a new, inexpensive floor jack. Have you looked in the newspaper or online for a good, used, American or Japanese made floor jack? It takes a lot to wear out a good one, and they can be rebuilt.

I paid $100 for my floor jack over 25 years ago at Sears. It was made in Japan (how much stuff is made there anymore?). Now you can get a new floor jack from Sears with jack stands and wheel clocks for less than $100. To compete with the discount guys, Sears has gone to selling some pretty crummy quality stuff in some cases. But I would trust them more than some of the off brand tool companies.

I do buy some stuff from Harbor Freight now. Some of the stuff they sell is real good, some is good for the price, and lots are crappy no matter what price it is sold for.

I have heard that the newer floor jacks from Sears do not last as long as the older ones. How could they? What does? The materials are inferior, and they are designed to use as little of the cheapest materials available, as possible, and the labor to assemble is being done by people getting paid $.25 a day (if that much).

I say before you buy any jack, use some common sense, or grab a friend with some common sense if you don't have any, and look at the jack you are considering buying. What is it made out of? Is there enough of the material to make it reliable, and study enough to last forever (seems like you always keep things longer than you thought you were going to), and things ALWAYS BREAK at the worst time (Murphy's Law). Is it a good strong design, and how is the workmanship?

I don't always buy the most expensive or the least expensive, the heaviest or the lightest, the one with the longest or the shortest warranty. I buy the best product available that fits my needs regardless of the price, as long as a can pay for it. That means that sometimes I delay a purchase, because I can;t find an item that I like, that fits my needs that I can afford.

Regardless of the brand, I find poorly made products everywhere. And inspite of the price, I find some well made stuff everywhere.

When you look at a floor jack, look at the quality of the welds. I would not buy most floor jacks that are bolted together, and I would not buy most aluminum floor jacks. Look at the grade and weight of the materials. I have seen many with stamped steel frames that are bolted together with very few bolts. How much weight do you think they are going to take and long long will they last before the nuts fall off or the bolts break? I have seen some with hard plastic wheels, and no bearings of any sort. I have seen some with stamped steel gears, how much force do you think they will take before bending? I have seen some jacks with hydraulic rams that stick, and valves that do not open and close progressively. How safe do you think a jack like that is, and how long do you think they are going to last?

All floor jacks get abused at times (in some cases all the time). Don't buy one that is poorly or lightly made, saying to yourself, I'll take good care of it, never abuse it, or overload it. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

I would not own an all-bolted, all stamped, plastic wheeled floor jack, regardless of the price, whose name was on it, how much it was priced, or how long the warranty was, even if I could not pay for a better one at the time.

I only use my floor jack at home, in the driveway and the garage. Some people take theirs to the track, and weight is a concern for them. In a floor jack used at home, or in a shop, weight is your friend (unless you need to pick it up and carry it around with you). A poor finish is an indication that the product it covers is a piece of junk. A good finish does not guarantee that a superior product is laying below. As I wrote before, you need to take a good look at anything you are considering buying.

Buy a product, Not a price...

[gohim]

Buying or using a $10 floor jack is like buying/using a $10 helmet. How much is your head worth?

Buying a used, good quality (was once an more expensive unit) floor jack is better than buying a new, inexpensive floor jack.

I paid $100 for my floor jack over 25 years ago at Sears. It was made in Japan (how much stuff is made there anymore?). Now you can get a new floor jack from Sears with jack stands and wheel clocks for less than $100.

I have heard that these newer ones from Sears do not last as long as the older ones. How could they? The materials are inferior, and they are designed to use as little of the cheapest materials available, as possible, and the labor to assemble is being done by people getting paid $.25 a day (if that much).

I say before you buy any jack, use some common sense, or grab a friend with some common sense if you don't have any, and look at the jack you are considering buying. What is it made out of? Is there enough of the material to make it reliable, and study enough to last forever (seems like you always keep things longer than you thought you were going to), and things ALWAYS BREAK at the worst time (Murphy's Law). Is it a good strong design, and how is the workmanship?

I don't always buy the most expensive or the least expensive, the heaviest or the lightest, the one with the longest or the shortest warranty. I buy the best product available that fits my needs regardless of the price, as long as a can pay for it. That means that sometimes I delay a purchase, because I can;t find an item that I like, that fits my needs that I can afford.

Regardless of the brand, I find poorly made products everywhere. And inspite of the price, I find some well made stuff everywhere.

When you look at a floor jack, look at the quality of the welds. Look at the grade and weight of the materials. I have seen some many with stamped steel frames that are boled together with very few bolts. How much weight do you think they are going to take? I have seen some with hard plastic wheels, and no bearings of any sort. I have seen some with stamped steel gears, how much force do you think they will take before bending? I have seend some jacks with hydralic rams that stick, and valves that do not open and close progressively. How safe do you think a jack like that is, and how long do you think they are going to last?

I would not own an all-bolted, all stamped, plastic wheeled floor jack, regardless of the price, whose name was on it, how much it was priced, or how long the warranty was, even if I could not pay for a better one at the time.