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Harbor Freight 3 Ton Daytona Jack Versus Snap On FJ300 Jack

Showkey

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Recently I read an article that many of the high tech companies are leaving China due to many reason, one of which was rising labor costs. It seems the labor quality is not as competitive based on the higher wages being demanded.

I seem to remember the following companies as having left or leaving China -Sony, Panasonic, Apple, Seagate or another drive maker, etc.



Same as when they left Mexico 10-15 years back..........always looking for lower costs.
 
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123Go

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Oct 7, 2012
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Right on. Most Chinese aren't wealthy enough to be on the "Latest Tech" treadmill so there are more repair & fabricate folks there than here in the USA.

lol.. I seriously doubt there are more there than here!!
True' many there can't afford to buy everything new on their wages but most of what they make is made for other countries not their own so they can't repair what they don't own. They are not the main consumers we are..
We have more products in our sheds than they have in their home.
Most chinese do like us though and do without it or end up buying or making enough used items to make something work until they can buy it new.
It's not because repair parts are being offered by the maker of the product which was my main point being made but as you say, fabricating **** together and making it work awhile, oh yes they do that a lot.

Most are forced to do it just like Cuba done for 50yrs just slap a boat engine in a car to get the job done. lol...This is not how they prefer to be and goes against what they really believe in, it's born from necessity unlike us.
We just really like tinkering & restoring for fun and that's how many fabrication shops are in business today. They have never restored their cars/trucks like we've done for decades or do you really think they do that? Do you really think there are more people who love to restore old vises & floor jacks etc.. in China?

fwiw- China was the first country to ever mass produce on a grand scale so you would think they'd got it right by now....lol It was crossbows for their emperor's military in 220-210BC and surely they restrung those instead of tossing for new ones too. :lol_hitti
 

123Go

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How it works is Snap-On probably spec'd their jack out by picking one from the catalog and specifying the paint job and markings. THEN the Salesman for Shi Quang Dong, (People's Factory Number 14) said, "This is the one that Snap-On bought" so Harbor Freight said Give us 150 Containers of this model and mark it as such... similar to the Knock Off Honda Engines And the new brand of electric tools that look like Milwaukee, Red with White markings.

Grizzly Specs out quite a few things in their "Premium" lines, which bearings, what color and so forth.


Correct just like this, but verdicts still out if SO has ram cup seals as far as I know?

I have one Hongda (Lifan) engine on my pressure washer and Kohler sells them now...Runs great, for now...lol

*
 

TracField

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Sep 20, 2016
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http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200674207_200674207
Not to late to the party.Northern tools-Yellow Jacket counterpart.Seems in the past there were so many Yasui varients,sold by Napa,Sears,most any chain store.Some had different build details,or were virtual twins.Same supply strategy now.Note the 10,000 life cycle advertised,equivelent to about 10 years use once a day.The shorter use rates are about 2.75 years. Manufacturing anywhere is a funny thing.Turn early Ford Falcons into the first Mustangs.Early Mustangs and cougars were the same car underneath.If all else fails,turn you're Ford Pinto into a Mustang II,literally.
 

RivennHewn

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I think I love my Daytona. Best Jack I've ever used.

Low enough to get under a MR2, high enough to lift my F350. Not many jacks can say that.
 

ozziegn

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Jul 4, 2017
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I just picked up a Daytona jack at my local HF and they even gave me 20% off the $199 price. I used it to change the oil on my zero turn mower's trannys today and it works great! Tomorrow I will be doing an oil change on my F150. This jack will be a very handy addition to my tool collection.
 

jonb2

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Jul 10, 2017
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Just picked up this jack on sale at Harbor Freight. Works great so far just a quick question on checking the hydraulic fluid level. Initial setup was to check that oil level should be at top of piston after removing oil fill plug with saddle all the way down.

Do you know if you check with the handle in the up vertical position or down horizontal position? With the handle in vertical position oil level is below the piston, but with handle in horizontal position oil level is just slightly above the piston when viewing down into the cylinder.

thank you!
 

jonb2

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Yeah. Thanks for the replies. I looked all over the internet, website, videos and none clearly stated whether jack handle should be up or down position. For me it definitely changed the level of the hydraulic fluid depending on handle position.
 

EOC_Jason

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If the oil level is too low, then the jack won't raise completely, and will probably feel 'spongy' raised all the way. If there is too much oil and no air space then it probably won't function.

My jack looked a little low initially from the factory. I eventually bought some oil but haven't added any yet as I don't use it much. It has performed fine though the couple times I did use it.
 

jonb2

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Ok Thanks. Here's another dumb question. Per instructions I added hydraulic fluid until the level is just barely above the cylinder inside. Then I follow the air bleeding instructions by pumping the handle up and down a few times with the fill port open.

When I do this, a bunch of fluid pumps back out of the hole. Checking the level again shows the fluid is now too low and below the cylinder. I assume if I added more fluid and then bled the system, the additional fluid would just come out the fill hole again.

Am I doing something wrong here? Seems like it should be pretty simple.

thanks!
 

EOC_Jason

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You have to pump real slow or it can bubble out. You want the oil to just barely cover the piston. If it's a little over or under it's not a big deal.

How many people have used a jack for a decade and never bothered to check the oil level?
 

jonb2

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You have to pump real slow or it can bubble out. You want the oil to just barely cover the piston. If it's a little over or under it's not a big deal.

How many people have used a jack for a decade and never bothered to check the oil level?

Got it thanks. Just didn't want to screw up a brand new floor jack!
 

Hiball

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Got it thanks. Just didn't want to screw up a brand new floor jack!

Don't overthink it.... it's not a combustion engine, if the level is a little low, the only issue would be reduced lift height and required bleeding due to the introduction of air. If you notice any symptoms, add a little oil.
 

MikeF2316

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EOC_Jason

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Dunno if it's been posted anywhere else, but it appears that Snap-on has dropped it's lawsuit against Harbor Freight over the Daytona jack stuffs:

https://www.biztimes.com/2017/industries/law/snap-on-harbor-freight-settle-floor-jack-case/

There is no way SO would have won, or at the very least they would have had to include Northern Tool with their Yellow Jacket model due to its similarities... It would have been too costly, dragged on for years, and probably still ended up with both parties settling.

It's a floor jack, it's not like it's some super secret proprietary design.
 
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kythri

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It has been, but you wouldn't know it from the thread title.

That would be why it didn't show up in my pre-post search. :D

There is no way SO would have won, or at the very least they would have had to include Northern Tool with their Yellow Jacket model due to its similarities... It would have been too costly, dragged on for years, and probably still ended up with both parties settling.

It's a floor jack, it's not like it's some super secret proprietary design.

Yeah, I thought the whole lawsuit was a joke when it first came out. I look at the Snap-on jack, and I see virtually every other jack out there.

A jack is a jack. They all look alike.
 

72-C10

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Aug 26, 2017
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Not sure if anyone is still interested in the Daytona jack, but I bought what looks to be the same jack (minus some cosmetic changes) from Northern Tools today. It was on sale for $169 (even though online says $199) in the store and comes with a 4 year warranty.


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200674207_200674207?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Automotive%20%3E%20Jacks&utm_campaign=Yellow%20Jacket&utm_content=56647&gclid=Cj0KCQjw24nNBRChARIsALldLD02q-9MUZxcxWLfgCQVZNqwGWOLL8NUp_kYRurRrRvfSCZI6omQPJgaAn3_EALw_wcB
 

pstemari

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Did anyone ever do a tear down of the Snap-On Jack to compare the seals, etc? Hiball did a great analysis of the HF jack, but I haven't seen anyone open up the Snap-On Jack to check out the internals for o-rings vs cup seals, etc.

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1982fxr

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Phoenix
Just picked up this jack on sale at Harbor Freight. Works great so far just a quick question on checking the hydraulic fluid level. Initial setup was to check that oil level should be at top of piston after removing oil fill plug with saddle all the way down.

Do you know if you check with the handle in the up vertical position or down horizontal position? With the handle in vertical position oil level is below the piston, but with handle in horizontal position oil level is just slightly above the piston when viewing down into the cylinder.

thank you!

So it worked one time so far?

Obviously a great product.

Edit: sorry quoted the wrong post by accident
 

90zcar

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Nov 8, 2013
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Just wanna chime in here and say I'm one of ..if not the first person on here to have the harbor freight jack and I must say it's still goin strong. Just greased it for the hell of it.
3014afa5474b6af3477904a3279f299f.jpg
There isn't as much left of the foam on the handle anymore but that was the only thing that went bad


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Jp267

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Just wanna chime in here and say I'm one of ..if not the first person on here to have the harbor freight jack and I must say it's still goin strong. Just greased it for the hell of it.
3014afa5474b6af3477904a3279f299f.jpg
There isn't as much left of the foam on the handle anymore but that was the only thing that went bad


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I gave in and bought one a few weeks after they came out. Not bad. Though it did drop a foot jacking a 2010 Accord once. Hasn't done it since. Thought it slipped off the jack point but it just dropped. Bled it etc. Seems fine now. Had a Craftsman that was dying. Once I greased the fittings with Red and Tacky it was much better. My younger sister, has an 08 Honda Fit, and she always manages to talk me into changing the oil on it. The jack is low enough profile to just fit under the cowl to get to the front jack point.

I guess I'm happy with it. If it lasts 10 years, like the Craftsman it replaced, I'll have gotten my money's worth.

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Hiball

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I've fielded a few questions/problem solving PMs about the jack, I've rccomended that they exchange the jack since it was under warranty. I had hoped that cartridge valves units had gotten better, but the same issues still plague the jacks that use them. If you find your jack needing bled on a regular basis, missing strokes or any type of handle feedback that doesn't feel right, take it back...
 

Jp267

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I've fielded a few questions/problem solving PMs about the jack, I've rccomended that they exchange the jack since it was under warranty. I had hoped that cartridge valves units had gotten better, but the same issues still plague the jacks that use them. If you find your jack needing bled on a regular basis, missing strokes or any type of handle feedback that doesn't feel right, take it back...
Thanks for the tips! Every once in while it pumps wonky. Like it takes double the pumps it usually takes to get to the same height.

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Kumm3

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Dec 8, 2017
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6
New user here. This thread was pretty eye opening and made me purchase the Daytona to replace an older aluminum/steel hybrid 1.5 ton Craftsman racing jack (214.50240)

While researching jacks, i did stumble upon this version for sale at Tractor Supply made by Torin. Found it pretty interesting that i couldnt find any information about this jack anywhere on the web other than TSC's webpage.
 
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6PTsocket

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Mar 12, 2014
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Snap On does do some final assembly in North Carolina or some other state, I am sure it makes for a much better fit and finish. Also no telling what seals are used from one to the other.

My Snap On driver says that Shinn Fu makes the FJ200, but it is a separate company, not really sure how that is.
Shin Fu sells 12 brands: Hein Werner and Omega are high end, that they are backed with parts support and there are discount store brands with little or no parts support, throw-aways. I am not sure which of their other brands are rebuildable. A look at their web site or a call will answer that one. It is Shin Fu America.

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MaXGTS

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Feb 9, 2018
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I recently bought the Daytona jack. Just curious, but is it normal for the powder coat on the center part of the wheels to peel off? This happened after just a few days of use. Though it doesn’t affect the function of the jack, I was wondering if this was a manufacturing defect.
 

Burgerkong

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Markham, Ontario, Canada
Something that annoyed me the other day, jacking up a car outside yesterday in -10C weather, fluid was super thick. Got it up, set jack stands lowered then left in place. Tried to get the car off of the stands and the jack won't go up. Thinking I may change out the fluid to something that's thinner if possible.
 

kythri

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I recently bought the Daytona jack. Just curious, but is it normal for the powder coat on the center part of the wheels to peel off? This happened after just a few days of use. Though it doesn’t affect the function of the jack, I was wondering if this was a manufacturing defect.

Are you talking where the wheels contact the floor when they roll? Then, yes, this is common on virtually every jack.
 

6PTsocket

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I believe the wheels are just painted black. It doesn't appear to be powder coat.
I think it is true on most jacks. They are painted to look nice and hold off rust until sold. No jack rolling around on concrete is going to keep the paint on the part of the wheel that contacts the floor for very long

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csaws

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Dec 6, 2009
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Indiana
Well I have actual hands on the Daytona jack and can tell you it is a solid piece. We just bought one for my firehouse because the last guy that bought a jack bought a $30 jack and expected it to do whatever was needed. Well after it damn near killed a couple of us changing brakes on a Jeep it’s usefulness was put on notice and we ordered this one. We have a project on Sunday so if we use it I will report. I will say it is stout, rolls very nice and is smooth up and Down
 
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