ESCO jack stands - with both types of tops

The special letter is K.

http://www.mile-x.com/esco-10498k-3-ton-jack-stand-kit-sold-individually/

That will get you both the flat top and a saddle top, for just a few dollars more ($75 each). I only found three vendors who sell this part #. I think Northern Tool and Pelican Parts are selling a lot of the rubber flat tops.

While my goal was getting the rubber flat tops for my eurofoofoo moments, two other cars in the fleet are Detroit monsters with real frames, so I couldn't pass up the saddle tops.

CMan 3 ton in the middle for reference.

Merry Christmas to me!

Now, the day I ordered the two-tops jack stands, it was just a few dollars more, a sensibly priced feature. I go to the Mile-X website today, and WHAT THE H? Their price on rubber flat tops today is notably lower. ($52.99/$106/pr) If you've been hesistating on these, this may be the day or week.

In action on a W124 Mercedes. Flat top going under the rubbery jack pad. I'm using the trunk jack in the jacking hole because my 3/4" bolt bent when I used the floor jack. (Need to shop for higher quality bolt than no quality at all.)

Lowest height on these isn't very low (low 13" range) but it worked out just fine for this brake job and the trunk jack has a lot of range.

Now, they used to be made in England, right? Not anymore.

I have some pictures involving a small square (seen in background) that made this look horriffic, but I later figured out the bottoms of the tops are concave and that threw off my attempts at measuring, as did the weld bead being in the way. My best attempts say they're 6 degrees off 90, or maybe only 4, but either way, I'm going to be haggling with the retailer. The other flat top looked a tiny bit off but not worth measuring. At some point, you can say, hey, there's a rubber pad on top of it, it all averages out. But not this one. You take things too far, Gus!

Shows $75 for me. They are nice, but I don't think they were ever made outside of China. They are a copy of the AC hydraulics flat top stands which were made in Europe (Denmark IIRC).

zkling said:

Shows $75 for me. They are nice, but I don't think they were ever made outside of China. They are a copy of the AC hydraulics flat top stands which were made in Europe (Denmark IIRC).

Click to expand...

Ah. Thank you, that sounds like the history I had forgotten.

Speaking of AC Hydraulic jacks, they have returned.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/TOOL/POR_TOOL_ACHyd1-detail.htm

Price:

An update on the jack stands and the welding boo boo. I called the retailer, they gave me the # to call the importer, I talked to them, they sent me a new piece, and gave me no guff. Everybody involved was very pleasant.

Here is the new post and the old one. See if you can... spot the loony.

Did you know these jack stands were so safe that their pins have pins and those pins have keepers?

When I first got the jackstands, one of these pins' circular keepers was funky. The holes in the pin that the circle's ends live in are offset and make the circle spring-loaded, so that the circle wants to close against the pin.

Except one of mine, the holes in the pin that the circle ends live in, one hole wasn't doing a good job of it. Kinda low quality work in that part of the metal. I spent 10 minutes with pliers fiddling with it all, trying to find a way to get the circle in place, operable, and staying in its holes. I eventually decided to drill the hole just a little deeper, see if that would give the wire end a better place to seat. Well, before ya know it, the drill bit had punched through the soft metal and that was that, it was never gonig to work right.

So I took a peek at McMaster-Carr, and yep, their website showed a replacement. I put it on my McMaster list and eventually ordered one.

90170A210 Pin with locking ring, 18-8 stainless, 1/4" dia., 1 3/8" length, $3.48/ea

And unsurprisingly, the pin I got from McMaster-Carr was of high quality. All is well in the dark ESCO corner of my underground lair.

So now that you've had these a while, would you recommend them? Or would you recommend to save up a little more for something not Chinese made?

Currently beginning to shop new jackstands to replace an old set of cheapo ones that are nearing retirement. Just curious what your impression is on the ESCOs now almost a year later.

I've been looking at US Jacks, Norco, or Gray, but they get up there in price. However I'm thinking I'd never have to have this frustration ever again if I bought any one of those sets.

Thanks.

I use Hein Werner 3 and 6 ton stands depending on the height I need. They are US made and I trust them.