WWGRMD?: Car jacks

Ok guys.... My beloved craftsmen jack took a E36 M3 after 8 years of hard abuse.

I've got around $250 to spend. What's the best option in this price range. I need something low profile to get under the ST car.

Thanks!

same thing, watch for X-mass pricing/coupons on purchases over XXX amount, and more off if bought on a new sears card opened up at time of purchase.

What's wrong with the jack? If it's a leaky seal or something like that it can probably be repaired.

There's a guy over on the Garage Journal forum who repairs jacks and can sell you repair kits with all the seals, etc. He has a pictorial thread there on how to take them apart and rebuild them: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51105

It will not help you spend the full $250 but I have been happy with my low profile Aluminum from Harbor Feight.

jrw1621 wrote: It will not help you spend the full $250 but I have been happy with my low profile Aluminum from Harbor Feight.

I have been real tempted to get one of these, but I've been a little sketchy on relying on HF for something as dangerous as a jack (yes, I use jackstands religiously, but still). Good to hear it hasn't been an issue. How long have you had it?

I've had some ok luck with the HF stuff, but Scott loves his Craftsman.

Lots of good jacks at Pelican's site too: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/ShopCart/TOOL/POR_TOOL_CAT015-detail.htm

hydraulics shop - replacement cylinder for a drop in fix?

Matt B wrote:

jrw1621 wrote: It will not help you spend the full $250 but I have been happy with my low profile Aluminum from Harbor Feight.

I have been real tempted to get one of these, but I've been a little sketchy on relying on HF for something as dangerous as a jack (yes, I use jackstands religiously, but still). Good to hear it hasn't been an issue. How long have you had it?

I have easily had it 5 years or more. Used for "hobby", not "professional" use. When I bought it, HF only sold one aluminum jack. I think now they sell a few models. Check them out in person at a store and use your best judgement. The quality may have changed over the years.

Actually, it has easily been 8 years. This picture was taken in '03 or '04

I'll post a picture later tonight after work.

The little u-joint that connects the handle to the piston assembly snapped in half. I'm going to attempt to just weld up something but I need another jack that I know works.

If it's for tag-along stuff: I used to use an aluminum HF jack until i got tired of lugging it around. Now I just use the OEM scissors jack. It works fairly quickly and requires less fudging around than the floorjack does.

But then, I've been blessed with a vehicle that still has pinch rails strong enough to support the car's weight.

I've had a low profile aluminum harbor freight style jack(I think it actually came from Rural King, before we got a Harbor Freight) for about 10 years, and used it exclusively until about a month ago the seal blew out. I'd say it held up pretty well.

I thought that Craftsman had a lifetime warranty

1slowcrx wrote: I'll post a picture later tonight after work. The little u-joint that connects the handle to the piston assembly snapped in half. I'm going to attempt to just weld up something but I need another jack that I know works.

You could trying going to http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/ to see if they sell a replacement part - enter the model number of the jack and a parts list should pop up.

I've had good luck with my Costco 2-ton aluminum jack. I figure when it goes, I'll take it back to Costco and get a new one (great return policy).

DJ

1slowcrx wrote: Ok guys.... My beloved craftsmen jack took a E36 M3 after 8 years of hard abuse. I've got around $250 to spend. What's the best option in this price range. I need something low profile to get under the ST car. Thanks!

Have you tried taking it to a hydraulic place to see if $20 in labor an .25 in o-rings will save the beloved thing?

I have also had good luck with a Harbor Freight aluminum jack. It's gotten regular use for at least five years now. Early on, it did not have enough fluid and would begin to drop slowly; I added some and have had no problems since.

All that said, if I had a "beloved" jack that failed, I'd rebuild it, or have someone fix it...

I've rebuilt my HF jack twice in the last few years. I just used O-rings that I sourced from the local Ace Hardware store. They're pretty straight forward devices and that tutorial on the Garage Journal is really good if you've never taken one apart before.

I got some sorta 3 ton pig from Walmart that seems to work ok- and gets under both my Mini and my ms3 without an issue. Weighs about as much as both cars put together though. I believe NH sells the same jack- it's a Torin model of some sort. Currently being used as sandbags in my winter beater.

the HF low pro works well. I have used it several times on my supras, and it actually lifted my dad's 2010 F150 without any problems at all.

My $0.02...

Craftsman, HF, and all the others are all made in the same Chinese factory, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Were I in your position, I'd watch Craigslist for a used, high quality, American-made jack from a garage going out of business. A nice Lincoln, perhaps. Even if it doesn't work, something of high quality is worth the time and effort to rebuild.

If for home use only, check out the Ranger jacks. Very low profile, long reach and the jack the cars up extremely high.

If you need to carry it around, the 2 ton HF aluminum jack works well.

pilotbraden wrote: I thought that Craftsman had a lifetime warranty

Nothing with moving parts, anymore.

I have to say, I have a HF aluminum jack too. When I go to the autocrosses here in Denver, the paddock area is a sea of blue HF jacks. I've used mine for, jeez, I think three full seasons now. Still working great. I have a full size steel floor jack in the garage that I use, well, in the garage, but I was surprised by the HF. I figured I'd get a summer out of it and have to find something else.

Hmmm, all good news. Thanks for the feedback. I was actually poking around them this afternoon at yee 'ol HF when I went to go get an electric impact. The low-pro doesn't look bad at all.

NAPA has a really nice jack on sale right now. Think it's 2 3/4" when low part # NLE 7916402 for $219. sale price not on website but it's in the sale flyer. Save about 150 bucks.