Aluminum Jacks

[mobiledynamics]

Have AC Hydraulics DK20 and 13HLQ. Want to add a portable aluminum to the family...
Are they all the same in quality - Daytona , Arcan, Sunex, etc

 

[pbon]

How much does it have to lift? I love the little, light HF aluminum 1.5 ton jacks. Easy to put in the trunk to take to the track to swap wheels. And cheap at $59 on sale or at least they used to be.

 

[nadogail]

I will not consider the purchase of an Aluminum Jack.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I will not consider the purchase of an Aluminum Jack.

Do you know something that every professional race team does not?

 

[John McA]

I will not consider the purchase of an Aluminum Jack.

I would cross out cheap. I have one and, it works good. I have been gentle with it. I use aluminum jack stands with it. Am considering the PVC air jack and stands when they are marketed. Especially if wrapped in fake Carbon Fiber. And painted red.

 

[nadogail]

Do you know something that every professional race team does not?

Professional Race Teams know exactly what they are dealing with; I might find myself working on a heavily loaded van.

 

[Walkers]

I had a HF aluminum jack fold off to the side once. I replaced the 1.5 ton HF with a 3 ton Arcan. It is okay, but seems to leak oil.

 

[kbeefy]

I have one of the HF ones, use it for ATV/sxs. Way better than lugging a 100# 3k around. Would probably work fine on the compact tractor as well.
I've never tried picking up a car with it, I'm sure it would do fine once or twice. I wouldn't think of putting it under any of my diesels.

 

[John McA]

Frankly. I will be asking boys who wish to date my daughter this question. Seems like a good ice breaker.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I have two of the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton units. One is dead but I haven't shitcanned it yet. They are consumable. Use it for a while until it quits working then replace it.

 

[Chumly]

The 2.5-Ton HB Pittsburg model is used around here and if it's anything like the 1.5's they just need attention constantly. The bolts at the lift-lever hinge constantly come lose (Red LocTite) and the C-clips for the rest are cheap so they just disappear. You'll find them later when you roll over them with the same lift. As they fall off, I replaced them with seemingly better clips because they stay on. The 2.5 Ton is $200 though which is the same as the old Craftsman steel one was long ago at 3 tons.

No, I don't trust any lift with my life and just crawl under there. I use jack stands and back them up with shoring blocks...I don't have a fancy lift.

Worth noting for others without a garage or working mobile that Jeg's sells some jacks with dirt skids. Not everything makes it to the shop and was shown these by dirt racers with dirt pits.

 

[Xcursion88]

The 1.5 HF jack is a disposable light....I mean ULTRA LIGHT duty jack.

If you're on the slightest of angle that thing just screams I will flop over.

If it's completely flat and car is light enough it will lift it....
How long will it work? 6 months? 2 years?

Jacks aren't something you should go cheap with

 

[pbon]

I have one that is about 10 years old. But yes, it is not for diesel trucks and you do have to watch it to make sure it can move as you lift the car and if the ground surface is not smooth, it won’t adjust to compensate for the lift. But it is small and light and low profile and cheap - very handy. Have used them hundreds of times. Jack stands are a good idea with any Jack.

 

[finn]

My son destroyed a 2 or 2.5 ton HF aluminum jack lifting his ~74 Toyota. It was a land Cruiser, not a Corolla, though. It was probably overloaded, but the way it folded up makes one think twice.

I have used a 2.5 ton HF aluminum jack for several years, but pull out a steel jack for anything heavy. Also have a 1,5 ton $59 HF for light things like the riding mower or emergency use (rides in the trunk of the Roadrunner since the bumper jack is long gone). The 1.5 ton needs a fluid fill and bleeding now, after maybe five years of service. My old Sears (Japan built) steel jack went forty years before I had to refill and bleed, and I have another (probably China) steel jack still going strong without service that’s probably twenty five years old. The 2.5 ton HF also needed fluid after five years and seems to be leaking again.

The Arcan Three ton aluminum jack from Costco is a little more expensive than the 2.5 ton HF jacks, and seems better built. I don’t fret using it to lift a full sized half ton pickup truck but would still seek out a steel jack to lift the larger F350 or F450.

Bottom line is that the HF aluminum jack primary appeal is low buy in cost, but don’t expect a long life without fiddling with fluid and bleeding. They do function, at least for a while.

 

[M635_Guy]

No, I don't trust any lift with my life and just crawl under there.

Anyone who does is making an incredibly stupid decision.

 

[danski0224]

Do you know something that every professional race team does not?

The professional "race team" aluminum jacks are $2k, when I looked not too long ago.

Apparently USA made, to boot.

 

[Bubba Fett]

HF jack stands are probably safer than this:

 

[engineer2]

The professional "race team" aluminum jacks are $2k, when I looked not too long ago.
Apparently USA made, to boot.

Brunnhoelzl Racing Jacks out of Mooresville NC seem to be popular in NASCAR.

 

[APEowner]

I have one of these 1.5 Ton American Forge Jack in my race trailer. I bought it because it's low enough to fit under the race cars but I've used it to jack an end of an axle on the trailer to change a flat tire. I've been happy with it and I bought this one to replace the exact same one that had been stolen with my old trailer.

 

[M635_Guy]

HF jack stands are probably safer than this:

 

[Lucid Moments]

HF jack stands are probably safer than this:

I didn't think anybody saw me when I did that. Where were you hiding?

 

[Xcursion88]

HF jack stands are probably safer than this:

I thought yhat was a HF jack stand.....

 

[ATC]

My son destroyed a 2 or 2.5 ton HF aluminum jack lifting his ~74 Toyota. It was a land Cruiser, not a Corolla, though. It was probably overloaded, but the way it folded up makes one think twice.

Your son was trying to destroy it then, or the jack had previous damage or issues. A '74 LC is not a heavy vehicle (~4,000#).

 

[ATC]

I've been eyeballing a cheap aluminum jack to throw in the back of my truck for emergencies (flat tires). It's gotta be better than the damn OEM screw jack. But, it would be used on a F350 and a 10k equipment trailer...so weight capacity is a concern.

 

[Debcrow]

Bought a HF 1.5 ton because I was tired of lugging the heavy one around. Always use good jack stands so I am not worried about it collapsing. That said, it started to slowly leak down after 6 or so months. Took it apart but cannot stop the slow deterioration. Not a big problem, still gets it up in the air long enough to get jack stand under.

 

[finn]

Your son was trying to destroy it then, or the jack had previous damage or issues. A '74 LC is not a heavy vehicle (~4,000#).

That’s the heaviest vehicle he owns, and he’s a cautious adult. One of the pieces broke and it collapsed.

Not sure why you would accuse him of trying to destroy his jack, without evidence to support that accusation. Talk is cheap, I guess.

 

[uratool]

HF jack stands are probably safer than this:

Not only stupid but what a terrible way to die, crushed and folded over....likely take a minute or so to pass out.

 

[danski0224]

Not a big problem, still gets it up in the air long enough to get jack stand under.

It isn't a problem, until it is...

 

[tarbellb]

Not only stupid but what a terrible way to die, crushed and folded over....likely take a minute or so to pass out.

Yeah but hes the cheapest mechanic in town!

 

[silkman]

The 1.5 HF jack is a disposable light....I mean ULTRA LIGHT duty jack.

If you're on the slightest of angle that thing just screams I will flop over.

Exactly what happened when I used the Audi spare jack to raise and lower the car from jack stands. Lowering the last corner, I had forgot to put it in gear (or put blocks in front wheels) and the thing slowly dropped and disintegrated.

 

[APEowner]

I've been eyeballing a cheap aluminum jack to throw in the back of my truck for emergencies (flat tires). It's gotta be better than the damn OEM screw jack. But, it would be used on a F350 and a 10k equipment trailer...so weight capacity is a concern.

I don't think your needs are compatible with the cheap aluminum jack concept.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I've been eyeballing a cheap aluminum jack to throw in the back of my truck for emergencies (flat tires). It's gotta be better than the damn OEM screw jack. But, it would be used on a F350 and a 10k equipment trailer...so weight capacity is a concern.

Your needs definitely are not in line with a cheap aluminum jack. I think this is one of those pick two situations. Lightweight, cheap, safe.

 

[scooby074]

PitBoss Jacks? https://www.pitbossjacks.com/

 

[vjquan]

Do you know something that every professional race team does not?

Race teams are all about speed and every second or millisecond counts. The lighter it is, the faster they can move it. For home use, safety trumps everything else. When aluminum fails, it fails catastrophically without warning. The fact that aluminum jack stands exists just boggles my mind; would you trust a lift with aluminum safety locks?

 

[M635_Guy]

Race teams are all about speed and every second or millisecond counts. The lighter it is, the faster they can move it. For home use, safety trumps everything else. When aluminum fails, it fails catastrophically without warning. The fact that aluminum jack stands exists just boggles my mind; would you trust a lift with aluminum safety locks?

The vastly most-dangerous thing about any jack or jack stand is the user, not the material.

Your last sentence points to the biggest mistake with aluminum in this kind of application - there's absolutely zero reason to have aluminum safety locks for a lift since it isn't mobile (and thus they don't exist AFAIK). If you're buying aluminum jacks or jack stands for medium to heavy-duty and/or regular use, you're not really using them for that they're designed for. They're light so you can take them somewhere - a race track, a car show, etc. where the need for lightness is higher and occasional use is the norm.

 

[ybnormal]

That’s the heaviest vehicle he owns, and he’s a cautious adult. One of the pieces broke and it collapsed.

Not sure why you would accuse him of trying to destroy his jack, without evidence to support that accusation. Talk is cheap, I guess.

based on your own words, I assumed the same thing the first respondent probably did (young kid, no sense or experience). here you say he is a cautious adult, but originally you said "It was probably overloaded, but the way it folded up makes one think twice." I understood that to mean at the time that the LC was overloaded. to me that's not something a cautious adult does.

I don't think ATC said anything with malicious intent

 

[vjquan]

The vastly most-dangerous thing about any jack or jack stand is the user, not the material.

Your last sentence points to the biggest mistake with aluminum in this kind of application - there's absolutely zero reason to have aluminum safety locks for a lift since it isn't mobile (and thus they don't exist AFAIK). If you're buying aluminum jacks or jack stands for medium to heavy-duty and/or regular use, you're not really using them for that they're designed for. They're light so you can take them somewhere - a race track, a car show, etc. where the need for lightness is higher and occasional use is the norm.

Marketing is about selling and making products attractive. Nobody advertises aluminum jacks or stands that say for racing only, not for home use, etc. These are on the front page of virtually every HF/auto parts store ad and people buy them because they look cool and if the pros use them, then they're good for me to use. My argument is simply to point out that steel wins hands down from a strength perspective and the aluminum safety lock analogy was a purely a rhetorical question.

 

[ATC]

That’s the heaviest vehicle he owns, and he’s a cautious adult. One of the pieces broke and it collapsed.

Not sure why you would accuse him of trying to destroy his jack, without evidence to support that accusation. Talk is cheap, I guess.

I wasn't trying to accuse him of anything. There was no evidence pointing either way. But as a stranger to your son, reading your post, it WAS a possibility at the time. Maybe not directly trying to destroy it, but negligence could have played a part....such as trying to jack up the whole front of the vehicle on a uneven surface.

Now that you have come back with supporting details that was left out of the original post, we can adjust our predictions.

Cheap talk comes with cheap conversation....I guess.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Race teams are all about speed and every second or millisecond counts. The lighter it is, the faster they can move it. For home use, safety trumps everything else. When aluminum fails, it fails catastrophically without warning. The fact that aluminum jack stands exists just boggles my mind; would you trust a lift with aluminum safety locks?

Fun fact: we build and race Trophy Trucks and 6100 trucks; MCC TT & 6100, The Juggernaut, and even some 1450s. All aluminum jacks.

 

[M635_Guy]

Marketing is about selling and making products attractive. Nobody advertises aluminum jacks or stands that say for racing only, not for home use, etc. These are on the front page of virtually every HF/auto parts store ad and people buy them because they look cool and if the pros use them, then they're good for me to use. My argument is simply to point out that steel wins hands down from a strength perspective and the aluminum safety lock analogy was a purely a rhetorical question.

lol - are you a marketing guy for the steel industry?

Your post made it sound like aluminum jack stands are a constant lurking threat and that anyone who uses them is an idiot, and the fact is they aren't. Equivalent steel stands are going to be ~30% heavier but aluminum is going to be at least that much more expensive. It's a price thing. It's definitely not a safety thing.

That said, I don't see the value in the savings of three or four pounds for the extra $$. Generically I prefer steel vs. aluminum in a jack stand. As far as aluminum vs. steel for jacks, there's real weight savings there. If I were buying a jack to take on the road, it would totally be an Al one, but for anything with routine use I go with a big, beefy steel one because the weight just doesn't matter and I'm going to use the money for quality vs. weight.