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Aluminum floor jacks help with the choice

lk777

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Hi all,

I am shopping around for a 2 or 3-ton aluminum floor jack. When I look at pictures of 3-ton Arcan, Nos, Sunex, Jegs, the difference that I am able to find is just a color.
Specs of all those jacks are almost the same but have some differences. Are they all manufactured by the same factory/company (rebranded)? Which one of them is a primary choice with the correct specs and some decent customer service?
 
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lk777

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I am shopping online and this information is not provided, but,I believe, all those jacks are "Made in China". Are there any aluminum jacks made in the USA or Taiwan?
 

richfinn

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Unless you need the weight saving or regularly lift it in and out of a vehicle, I wouldn't bother to be honest

Our company tried aluminium jacks, but soon reverted to specialist roadside trolley jacks with a lift kit

They just didn't last long enough!!!
 

m6z

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I've got the HF 1.5 ton version, paid something like $60 on sale a few years ago. It's been problem free so far, but I really haven't used it that much.

I had plans of getting a race car.. Worked fine on my Civic and Fusion daily drivers.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app
 
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lilcraigford

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Portland, ME
I am shopping online and this information is not provided, but,I believe, all those jacks are "Made in China". Are there any aluminum jacks made in the USA or Taiwan?

Yes... but the prices are eye watering! Take a look at Brunnhoelzl (USA) or Zinko (Taiwan). There is also the Snap-On FJ175 (recently introduced IIRC). Full disclaimer, I have no experience with any of these jacks - these are just examples that I've come across.

Here is an older GJ thread that takes a closer look at the Brunnhoelzl and Zinko jacks: Brunnhoelzl Jacks Walkaround
 
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lk777

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What about those "twins" that I mentioned in my initial post? Are they trustful and reliable brands? (Some specs look suspicious to me) It is going to be solely a DIY jack.
 
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WinMod21

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What about those "twins" that I mentioned in my initial post? Are they trustful and reliable brands? (Some specs look suspicious to me) It is going to be solely a DIY jack.
Can't help with the aluminum factor, but I've had a low-profile steel Arcan 325XL (3.25 ton) for approx 8~9 years, that I've only used for DIY use; some years hardly at all, though it has always worked great, and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another.
Purchased @ Costco; foriegn made (Taiwan or China, I don't recall which), and when I recently checked to see what the available of parts for it would be, the hydraulic parts website (linked in a recent floor jack thread in this forum) showed that it was made by Sunex, and that repair parts were extremely limited, which surprised me, but I suppose it shouldn't have.
 
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GTO

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The next set I get are going to be with pins....I just don't trust the ratchets anymore.
 
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ajchien

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Comparing between those brands you have listed in your original post are going to be somewhat difficult, as I doubt many people have been able to compare them against each other. I’ve owned zero aluminum jacks, so this post is probably useless.

We do know that some of them are rebranded versions of each other; however, as has been seen here before, there can be internal differences (such as type of seals used) that can affect long term durability. Unless the manufacturer has shared the information by putting it in a hydraulic parts diagram ... it is difficult to figure out what is actually inside the jack. [EDIT - After a little internet sleuthing, it does look like at least one vendor has a seal kit for some Arcan / Sunex jacks] A lot of the import jacks Brands give you a parts diagram, but they “hide” the hydraulic components in “one hydraulic unit”.

Arcan, NOS, Jegs and Sunex are relatively popular DIY / consumer level Jacks. I wish you all the best in getting one that lasts. I would expect a certain small percentage of jacks that will have an “early demise”, due to one reason or another. Since you can’t get the information of the internal components, about the only thing you can control in this group is price / warranty. I might consider whichever brand gives the longest warranty, and also look to see how you go about getting warranty service. It ***** if you’re in that small percentage that have a broken jack that just out of warranty. This is Not me, but I’ve felt like this a long time ago ...

If you are the type of person that might have an interest repairing an out of warranty jack that no longer works rather than buying a replacement, maybe consider the Norco or Omega brands. They are also imports that have aluminum offerings. They do detail their hydraulic unit components in a parts diagram and there are repair parts available for the hydraulic unit. More expensive than your list, but less expensive than the snap on/aluminum racing jacks. FWIW, I’m not sure the garage jack user would want an aluminum 1 pump racing jack. That just seems unnecessarily difficult to work with when you’re not in a race.
 
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Ralf11

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BTW - anybody know who made the aluminum racing jacks for Craftsman 10 or so years ago?
 
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lk777

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Internet search returns that Arcan is manufactured by PowerStation, but PowerStation lists only Nos on their website. Clicking on Arcan floor jack picture on Powerstation.com returns an error. Some websites list Arcan as Sunex, Sunex floor jacks are on Jegs website ... what a mess ... Their prices are similar and they provide a 1-year warranty.
I have found TCE AT830011LU on amazon (can't post a link yet). They provide 2-year warranty and at least their customer service responded to my email. That is a good sign nowadays. This is a hybrid aluminum/steel jack and not heavy for a 3-ton.
Any experience with Torin TCE stuff?
 

vavet

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I have a ~10 year old HF aluminum jack that’s always worked wonderfully for me. I bought it because of the low lowered height and I had a miata at the time, this allowed me to reach under the front of the car to lift it on the crossmember there. My older craftsman steel jack (~30 years old) still works fine, but it’s so heavy and the lowered height is a bit higher.
 
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lk777

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It looks like the easiest way to find the floor jack manufacturer is to go to alibaba.com. I have found there some very familiar to me floor jacks.
 
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lk777

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I have a ~10 year old HF aluminum jack that’s always worked wonderfully for me.

HF 1.5 Ton Aluminum, has a steel lift arm, just have seen a youtube video that proves that. So, basically, this is a hybrid aluminum/steel floor jack. I do not know about HF 2,2.5,3-ton jacks.
What do they mean by reinforced lift arm?
 

ajchien

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Internet search returns that Arcan is manufactured by PowerStation, but PowerStation lists only Nos on their website. Clicking on Arcan floor jack picture on Powerstation.com returns an error. Some websites list Arcan as Sunex, Sunex floor jacks are on Jegs website ... what a mess ... Their prices are similar and they provide a 1-year warranty.
I have found TCE AT830011LU on amazon (can't post a link yet). They provide 2-year warranty and at least their customer service responded to my email. That is a good sign nowadays. This is a hybrid aluminum/steel jack and not heavy for a 3-ton.
Any experience with Torin TCE stuff?

I’m only currently aware of one jack that carries a 4 year warranty(Northern tools Yellowjacket, not aluminum). A small handful carry 3 year warranties. IMHO, A 2 year warranty is pretty good, and I’m sure you’ve seen a 1 year warranty much more commonly. Less than 1 year is a bit annoying. (I feel that I’ve personally been snake bitten by hydraulics somewhat, having previously owned 4 jacks that have failed to perform/leaked excessively in one way or another each in less than 13 months which leads to pessimism on my part.)
 
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