Does anyone have any suggestions for a solid Floor Jack under $150? Advanced Auto Parts has an Autocraft 2 ton on sale for $89.00, and there is a Craftsman 3 ton Service Jack for $109.00. I'm just looking for a solid jack to lift the Oldsmobile enough to put on Jack stands. The last piece of crap from kmart I had would lift and then quickly sink. Wouldn't even hold long enough to put jack stand under the car.

Thanks for the help

 

I have had a craftsman for about 25 years, still works like a champ. Not sure if they are still as good, that brand has taken a turn for the worse as of late.

 

I got one from Harbor Freight about a 2 years ago for $80, originally it was $170. I bought it when it went on sale. So far so good.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-l...ump-61253.html

 

I have the Arcan 3.5 ton jack and I love it. It comes and goes at Costco (and the load rating varies from 3.25 to 3.5, depending on the phase of the moon). If you can't find it at Costco, Northern Tool has it also. I paid $79 many years ago and have had no issues, even when I lift my crewcab dually. The latest price at Costco was a little over $100. No complaints, it's a solid jack. Never even had to add oil, and I use it a lot.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have heard the Harbor Freight and the Arcan Jacks are both pretty good. I may look into those.

 

When looking at trolley jacks ... it's worth paying the extra for the aluminium models. I had to buy an all steel 2.5T to get the extra height I needed .. and I hate the damn thing.

 

If you go with Harbor Freight look for coupons. They have them all the time. I bought a low profile 3 ton jack from them just a few months ago for well under $100. I have an old Allied 2.5 ton that I have had for years with no problems. I have no idea where I bought it but I am sure I have had it for at least 20 years.

 

They have some at harbor that lift the whole front end up

 

Look at the lifting height and minimum height as well to be sure it fits your needs, I have a couple jacks and the smaller one doesn't go high enough to lift my truck tire off the ground and just barely goes high enough to put the 6 ton jack stand under the Olds. I'm much more comfortable being in the middle of the jacks travel range than when it is at/ near the end of its travel

Mine are craftsmen jacks but they are at least 20 years olds

 

"If you go with Harbor Freight look for coupons. They have them all the time. I bought a low profile 3 ton jack from them just a few months ago for well under $100. I have an old Allied 2.5 ton that I have had for years with no problems. I have no idea where I bought it but I am sure I have had it for at least 20 years."

X2

I got my 3 ton aluminum low profile with a coupon, on top of a sale, for $89 last Sep or Oct. And it lifts to 22". Watch for coupons in magazines/papers and pay attention to the details of the product. There are several versions of their jacks, in each lift-capacity range. Their sale cycle runs about every 90 days or so, depending on product. You can usually watch their sales and time your purchase just right.

 

Yeah they currently have a 3 ton low profile on sale right now for 89.99. I didn't see a coupon for it though, so I'm hoping that is just the sale price and I don't need a coupon. There is a coupon for a regular 3 ton for 79.99 but it lifts to a height of an inch less than the low profile.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-l...ump-61282.html

 

I would have to agree with the above comment, just about everything brand new these days is utter junk. I have been buying older tools from ebay and craigslist for about five years now. I have two jacks, both from the thirties and they work great. I am looking for something a little newer to use everyday so I can retire the older jacks and use them for garage art. I would love to find a good name brand jack made say, thirty years ago. But they are harder to find these days.

I stay away from "Made in China". I've seen too many accidents due to faulty, cheaply made equipment. Just my two cents.

 

I bought one from advance auto parts and it has worked great. Like HF, if you shop at advance auto parts, ALWAYS google coupon codes for them. There is always one for 30% off. You have to order online but just select the "pick up in store" option. Current 30% off code is TRT30.

 

I have been happy with the AL jack from Shipwreck Tools [HFT].

The AL type is a bonus, you appreciate it every time you lift or move it. I would not go back to steel.
I sold the old steel one that was maybe 10-15 yrs old and still worked, got $20 out of it.

 

"I would have to agree with the above comment, just about everything brand new these days is utter junk. I have been buying older tools from ebay and craigslist for about five years now. I have two jacks, both from the thirties and they work great. I am looking for something a little newer to use everyday so I can retire the older jacks and use them for garage art. I would love to find a good name brand jack made say, thirty years ago. But they are harder to find these days".

The most unusual floor jack I ever saw was a guy that I sold an old ratty 75 Cutlass with a good engine in it. He used it to convert his wifes 78 Cadillac Seville diesel to gas. He also collected and maintained several older Rolls Royces. The jack was a Scott Atwater. I may be the only one on here who remembers Scott Atwater outboard motors. It was a big jack and I have no idea of the rating. The guy had put some o-rings in it and it worked great. How any of us would like to find something like that one.

 

I already have 1, but I'm looking at a coupon from hf, 1.5 ton, alum "racing" jack for $59.99, good until 6/21/14.

 

You can sign up for their coupons while in store at Harbor Freight. They will send them in the mail and send it to your Email address. So if you have an I phone and get your email on it then you carry their coupons all the time. You can find the coupon on your phone, zoom it and they can scan it off your phone. You can also use the 25% coupons to get the sale items that much cheaper. Alot of their junk is junk, but some of its not bad.
Most everything at Sears is Chineseum these days but 3-4X the cost of Harbor Freight.

Steve

 

I have 2 H.F. aluminum racing jacks. One of them I keep in my work van & have literally beat the crap out of it & it still works just fine. I keep my nicer one in my garage. It has the twin cylinders for faster lifting. They are good for lifting cars, but not so much for trucks, vans, etc...
I always have 20-25% off coupons in my wallet & have gotten many free flashlights, digital volt meters, & screwdrivers from there. I once had about 60 of the small black led flash lights & give them away at my customer appreciation days.

 

If I remember right, I paid right around $150 for my big (service-station size) floor jack from NAPA a couple years ago. Sold under the NAPA name. Sorry, I can't remember the stock number or specs, but I'm sure you'll find it on their website. Made in the USA. And if it ever needs service you know there's always a NAPA right around the corner.

The saddle has a rubber pad (essential, in my opinion). There's a foam sleeve on the handle which protects your bumpers as you crank. It gives great control over the descent rate. It's fairly low profile (certainly low enough for our Oldses), and it has one of the highest reaches of all the models I considered. I'm a happy camper.

 

I just got a HF 1.5T compact aluminum. It leaked oil on my driveway 4th time I used it. Goes to show you you can get a good one or a bad one.

 

I've had a Harbor Freight 2 ton jack for 10-15 years and it still works perfect.

 

My Craftsman trolly jack from 2007 finally did the slow creep-down of death this year.
I can pump fast enough just to get the car on stands but that is it.
The receipt from the jack said it cost 30 bucks so i guess I got all I could from it. At least the plastic case might be usable for something.... Stupid cheap crap. It was a gift so it was free even.

 

Same thing happened to my circa 1990 Craftsman floor jack, I couldn't find a decent replacement and then someone directed me to a jack repair shop. For $40 they repaired my jack and it now works as good as new. Check around your area to see if there are any hydraulic jack repair businesses. Even if you don't want to repair your jack they may have some older, sturdier built jacks that have been refurbished for sale.

 

That's an excellent idea. I believe I'll check around Birmingham and see if that is a viable option. Right now I am just checking Craigslist and I haven't found anything yet.

 

Check local auction houses, too. Big, used floor jacks are a pretty common item. Of course, you'll have no idea if they're any good.

I'm afraid I might have been looking through rose-colored glasses when remembering the puchase of my NAPA jack. Looking at their offerings now, if I paid only $150, I must have gotten it on sale. And it might not have been made in the USA. Otherwise my description was accurate.

 

Stay away from the Larin jacks sold at Tractor Supply. Mine stopped working the second time I used it and I was too stupid to take it back. Eventually I contacted them and they sent me a rebuild kit for free. I rebuilt it and it worked fine for a year or so but now it's back to half assed working again. There's obviously something wrong with the casting or machining because when I rebuilt it there was a cut seal.

 

Any idea if the later crapsman jacks have rebuild kits available? I searched with no good results. Hate to trash it, but it does seem disposable.

 

I don't know about rebuild kits for a specific model jack, but after I had mine rebuilt a fella who had the same jack told me he located a cup seal (piston seal) for about $5 and got his jack back to functional status. He took it apart, measured the seal/piston diameter, and located a replacement online.

 

I have a Heavy Duty 3 ton Performance Tools jack from HF that I paid under $100 for for. It is a quick lift that jacks to 20". It's not something you pick up and put in your trunk. I find it adequate for my 3/4 ton and it lifts the whole front at once with a Duramax. I have the urethane pad for it ($5). Whatever you decide. make certain the jack is low enough to get under and long enough that you can still pump the handle and lifts high enough to suit your needs. Nothing more inconvenient than having to re-position your jack all the time. I also use the higher 6 ton stands and have to trouble getting my big belly under the car when up on the stands. JMO.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I ended up going with the HF 3ton low profile floor jack. They had it on sale for 89 and it works really well.

 

I searched craigslist for my first floor jack and got a 4 ton floor jack and a pair of jack stands for 20 dollars a lot of people sell their jacks. Mine was in perfect condition minus paint.

 

After many heavy duty floor jacks failing over the last 25 or so years I found this jack 4 years ago and bought 3 of them and use (beat the hell out of) them regularly without fail or leaks. I would highly recommend this jack if your looking to buy it once and be done with it. I waited and got them on sale for 99 bucks each.


here is a link


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5429_200345429

 

I have a "super coupon" for HF's 1.5 ton aluminum racing jack $59.99. If anybody is interested I could scan it in and post it on the thread.