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I’m a do it yourself type of guy and I have recently decided to buy a big floor jack. I can’t decide whether to get a 3 ton floor jack that has the max. lift height of 18 1/4 inches or a 2.5 ton Low Profile jack which has a max. lift height of 20 inches. I bought the 3 ton floor jack but I’m considering returning it and getting the 2.5 ton floor jack because it has a higher lift height. My dad has a big SUV so I figured it would be beneficial for him to have that higher lift range. But I would like your opinions please on which jack I should get/keep. Thanks!
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Went out to jack up my car and jack gears wont turn! can’t turn handle at all. 3 ton Craftsman, 2 yrs old. Really hoping it’s just rust and some PB blast will fix it up. Checked the oil level on that and on my 2 ton Torin and both look empty, my bad.
OK well I figured out what the problem was – bad design, not rust. Basically, the two gears don’t mesh well enough, there is too much of a gap between the teeth. This has caused, over the course of 2 short years – one of the gears to slowly dig into the teeth of the other gear. Buying a different brand now, cuz I need a jack….poor me, literally.
EDIT:
well the craftsman lived to fight another day, thought it was toast. Hope the gears don’t completely strip out while it’s in an elevated position, cuz that would suck. Will be looking into extended warranties on any new jacks I buy because ALL THE JACKS ARE MASS PRODUCED! I’m not sure if one brand is better than another, guess I will find out the hard way, trial and error.Went out to jack up my car and jack gears wont turn! can’t turn handle at all. 3 ton Craftsman, 2 yrs old. Really hoping it’s just rust and some PB blast will fix it up. Checked the oil level on that and on my 2 ton Torin and both look empty, my bad.
OK well I figured out what the problem was – bad design, not rust. Basically, the two gears don’t mesh well enough, there is too much of a gap between the teeth. This has caused, over the course of 2 short years – one of the gears to slowly dig into the teeth of the other gear. Buying a different brand now, cuz I need a jack….poor me, literally.
EDIT:
well the craftsman lived to fight another day, thought it was toast. Hope the gears don’t completely strip out while it’s in an elevated position, cuz that would suck. Will be looking into extended warranties on any new jacks I buy because ALL THE JACKS ARE MASS PRODUCED! I’m not sure if one brand is better than another, guess I will find out the hard way, trial and error.I just bought a used truck and am looking for something beefier than my current 2.25 ton jack/stands. I understand that bigger is better here. Safety is of course paramount. That said, it’s really hard for the DIYer to justify dropping several hundred dollars or more on this equipment. Couple hundred? Sure.
Any recommendation on brands? I don’t mind paying for some quality, but can’t afford top of the line stuff. What kind of weight rating is still “enough” while having a margin of safety for a truck with a three ton curb weight?
I just bought a used truck and am looking for something beefier than my current 2.25 ton jack/stands. I understand that bigger is better here. Safety is of course paramount. That said, it’s really hard for the DIYer to justify dropping several hundred dollars or more on this equipment. Couple hundred? Sure.
Any recommendation on brands? I don’t mind paying for some quality, but can’t afford top of the line stuff. What kind of weight rating is still “enough” while having a margin of safety for a truck with a three ton curb weight?
For cars with low clearance use two 2×4 boards or similar and drive the front tires on top of them. Then you should be able to get a steel 3 ton jack under the car. Works on corvettes.
For cars with low clearance use two 2×4 boards or similar and drive the front tires on top of them. Then you should be able to get a steel 3 ton jack under the car. Works on corvettes.
I have to do that a fair amount of the time too. I made some tire steps cutting some 2x10s up so I had 2 nailed together with a bit of a lip so it was easy to drive up onto it, but not off the end. Kinda like the old steel car ramps you used to get at Sears back in the say, only these are 4″ high at most.
Very handy for low cars, or cars with a very low front valance.
I have to do that a fair amount of the time too. I made some tire steps cutting some 2x10s up so I had 2 nailed together with a bit of a lip so it was easy to drive up onto it, but not off the end. Kinda like the old steel car ramps you used to get at Sears back in the say, only these are 4″ high at most.
Very handy for low cars, or cars with a very low front valance.
Yeah, you need a long handled roll around floor jack for the main lifting. But once the project is underway, having the floor jack share real-estate with you under the car is problematic. For that you need one or more bottle jacks.
BTW, the last time I checked, the heavy duty, 5 ton or more, car stands were hardly more expensive than the small ones. After using big, small looks scary.
Yeah, you need a long handled roll around floor jack for the main lifting. But once the project is underway, having the floor jack share real-estate with you under the car is problematic. For that you need one or more bottle jacks.
BTW, the last time I checked, the heavy duty, 5 ton or more, car stands were hardly more expensive than the small ones. After using big, small looks scary.
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