Floor Jack Choices

[mikester]

Yesterday my aging Hein Warner 2 ton jack lost pressure while I was jacking up the left front of my Yukon. Wasnt a big deal but Ive had this jack for many years. My first thought was to rebuild it. Then after thinking about it I decided to treat myself to a new jack.
I have a 2 ton aluminum Arcan that I bought at the local Costco in the mid-late 90s thats usually my go to jack since its so lightweight. No store in my area sells Arcan these days. I can order one from the local Home Depot but I'd like to see what Im buying first.
Tractor Supply sells a wide selection of Torin jacks and the majority are in stock. Theres a HF in the same town as the Tractor Supply. I just went there an hour ago and looked at the Daytonas. Again, pretty big selection. The local tire shop stopped using big money jacks and went with the Daytonas and the owner told me they have held up pretty well.
Im just not sure if I want another heavy steel jack or should I pick up another aluminum one since theyre half the weight.
What do you guys like as far as DIY home use jacks ?

 

[Ralf11]

I have 2 - a Norco (pretty heavy) and the Al jack that Sears sold about 20 years ago.

Ship your old H-W to me and I'll rebuild it.

 

[redragoon]

I have a 3-ton Torin Steel and Aluminum one that I bought 10 years ago. It has held up well and does all of my needs. Similar to this one.
TSC Torin 3-ton Jack

The K-tool model is on sale on Amazon, similar design.
Amazon K-Tool 3Ton Floor Jack

The biggest features I look for are rapid/quick rise or dual pistons, and a large handle with a twist release built in. Daytona has several good options, but they are heavy.

 

[ajchien]

I‘d love to see a pic of your old Hein Werner.

For a new jack, I like the current day SFA Hein Werner. If I want low profile, I’d look at AC Hydraulic. For something aluminum, I would look at Norco or Omega. If budget was not a concern, it would be Weaver or Milwaukee Hydraulics. I’m of the opinion that all jacks will eventually leak/be in need of repair. I’m not the type that likes throwing things out. Therefore, I look for jacks/jack brands that have components that I think will last longer between repairs, as well as having a source for repair parts and seal kits.

 

[texasprd]

Norco 2-ton. One of the things I really like about it is the control I have when lowering.

 

[Showkey]

I was in the exact same position 40 year old Hein Warner getting weak.
Arcan from Costco was the go to Jack for several years.
Wanted another Arcan .....in store seemed no Availability ?

Checked on line...........

Costco 3 ton Arcan shipped to your home for $180

 

[mikester]

I was in the exact same position 40 year old Hein Warner getting weak.
Arcan from Costco was the go to Jack for several years.
Wanted another Arcan .....in store seemed no Availability ?

Checked on line...........

Costco 3 ton Arcan shipped to your home for $180

So did you order one ? If you did how long did it take to get and how do you like it ?

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Daytona and Pittsburgh jacks aren’t bad actually. That’s all we use at work and it’s what I use at home. I trust it very much. I know many shops that exclusively use Daytona and Pittsburgh. I purchased the black one so it would not show all the grease and everything. When I was in school we had the heavy duty yellow Daytona jack. It was great and you know if it survived with those people who tore everything up that it was good. Before that we had the old orange Harbor Freight jacks Pittsburgh that were also amazing.

 

[Showkey]

So did you order one ? If you did how long did it take to get and how do you like it ?
[/QUOTE

Yes........couple of days. Per the current cart Estimated Delivery Date if ordered now: Friday, June 4

Works great just like the other Arcan.
Two ARCANs in front rockers, one Hein in the rear and work better than quick Jack.

 

[mikester]

Now Im on the fence. Looked at the Costco website and looked the jack up on youtube and saw this. Check yours out to see if this happens.

 

[Kscardsfan]

Daytona 4 ton for my truck. Older craftsman 3.5 ton for a backup. And the HF 1.5 or 2 ton aluminum one that goes on sale constantly to work on her pain in the *** Prius with.

 

[demarpaint]

Now Im on the fence. Looked at the Costco website and looked the jack up on youtube and saw this. Check yours out to see if this happens.

Wow. I can honestly say in 45+ years of jacking up cars I never saw that happen. I've seen jacks fail to lift the vehicle, and jacks lower the vehicle, unintentionally, when they failed. On level ground I never saw a wheel come off the ground. IMO there has to be some kind of defect or design flaw in that jack. I wouldn't use it.

 

[Showkey]

If the Jack

Wow. I can honestly say in 45+ years of jacking up cars I never saw that happen. I've seen jacks fail to lift the vehicle, and jacks lower the vehicle, unintentionally, when they failed. On level ground I never saw a wheel come off the ground. IMO there has to be some kind of defect or design flaw in that jack. I wouldn't use it.

The Jack is not defective or broken.............

If the Jack is perpendicular to the car frame vs some what more parallel to the frame the .........as the car goes up the car moves back putting a twist on the Jack frame. This is a normal condition...........not a good condition but normal.
If the Jack is angled back or forward the twist is reduced as the Jack can move back on its wheels as the car is raised.

Quote from prior GJ post on Jack frame twist:
“Could be the angle at which he is loading them. Any bit of side load would induce a twist about the Jack chassis”......the same twist that added to the vehicle chassis as the it raised is transmitted to the Jack. Use another Jack to the lift the other side of the vehicle the twist in the car and Jack chassis will relax.

This same phenomena can be seen when lifted from center front cross member. Raise the vehicle and the Jack rolls back on its wheels as the cars up. If the Jack can’t roll the Jack pad will want to slip on the frame or twist the Jack frame front to back.
If the vehicle can roll ( not in park, no parking brake) then the Jack does not have to roll when the the vehicle goes up.

This is why floor jacks and gravel surface is bad idea. And the the Jack is often placed on plywood or other smooth surface so it can move on its wheels.

 

[mikester]

If the Jack


The Jack is not defective or broken.............

If the Jack is perpendicular to the car frame vs some what more parallel to the frame the .........as the car goes up the car moves back putting a twist on the Jack frame. This is a normal condition...........not a good condition but normal.
If the Jack is angled back or forward the twist is reduced.

Quote from prior GJ post on Jack frame twist:
“Could be the angle at which he is loading them. Any bit of side load would induce a twist about the Jack chassis”......the same twist that added to the vehicle chassis as the it raised is transmitted to the Jack. Use another Jack to the lift the other side of the vehicle the twist in the car and Jack chassis will relax.

Strange. Ive never had that happen with either one of the jacks I have now. I would notice that right away.

 

[drtyler]

Rebuild your H-W. Treat yourself to fixing a good quality jack and not buying chinese junk.

 

[Qualitytools]

Have a look at AC Hydraulic jacks

 

[demarpaint]

If the Jack


The Jack is not defective or broken.............

If the Jack is perpendicular to the car frame vs some what more parallel to the frame the .........as the car goes up the car moves back putting a twist on the Jack frame. This is a normal condition...........not a good condition but normal.
If the Jack is angled back or forward the twist is reduced as the Jack can move back on its wheels as the car is raised.

Quote from prior GJ post on Jack frame twist:
“Could be the angle at which he is loading them. Any bit of side load would induce a twist about the Jack chassis”......the same twist that added to the vehicle chassis as the it raised is transmitted to the Jack. Use another Jack to the lift the other side of the vehicle the twist in the car and Jack chassis will relax.

This same phenomena can be seen when lifted from center front cross member. Raise the vehicle and the Jack rolls back on its wheels as the cars up. If the Jack can’t roll the Jack pad will want to slip on the frame or twist the Jack frame front to back.
If the vehicle can roll ( not in park, no parking brake) then the Jack does not have to roll when the the vehicle goes up.

This is why floor jacks and gravel surface is bad idea. And the the Jack is often placed on plywood or other smooth surface so it can move on its wheels.

That's interesting. Like I said in 45+ years I never experienced it. I only jack my vehicles on concrete, if I have to raise one on blacktop I use a nice scrap of 3/4 plywood which is big enough to allow the jack to move. I've never considered lifting a vehicle on gravel, if I did I'd use plywood.

 

[ajchien]

Strange. Ive never had that happen with either one of the jacks I have now. I would notice that right away.

I’m only guessing here since we don’t know if the user in the video has wheel chocks/parking brake. I’ve got the same basic opinion as showkey. Something has to move as a floor jack lifts the saddle up in an arc. Preferably, the jack gets pulled in and rolls under the car without the car moving at all. Without wheel chocks/parking brake set, and one front wheel lifted on a FWD car, it’s possible that the car is rolling slightly backwards causing the lifted wheel.

Here is am extreme Darwin award version of it - no wheel chocks, sloped driveway, lifting one front wheel, small trolley jack. We can still learn things from people that are doing things absolutely wrong. See 1:39-2:45. As the car is lifted you can see the jack rear casters move first as it’s pulling in the jack. But when the weight gets off the front wheel, without wheel chocks, the vehicle starts to roll and the jack starts to tip. Then the guy does it again at 7:00-7:30.

IMHO, the concept of the jack needling to roll under the vehicle while the vehicle should be stationary is also the same problem that exists when people complain about floor jacks bending their pinch welds, or having vehicles fall off a jacks with a small saddle/block of wood/hockey puck. I think the heavy steel jacks with stout frames, well lubricated wheels, and large sized saddles are less prone to the tipping.

 

[Bacon!]

If the Jack


The Jack is not defective or broken.............

If the Jack is perpendicular to the car frame vs some what more parallel to the frame the .........as the car goes up the car moves back putting a twist on the Jack frame. This is a normal condition...........not a good condition but normal.
If the Jack is angled back or forward the twist is reduced as the Jack can move back on its wheels as the car is raised.

Quote from prior GJ post on Jack frame twist:
“Could be the angle at which he is loading them. Any bit of side load would induce a twist about the Jack chassis”......the same twist that added to the vehicle chassis as the it raised is transmitted to the Jack. Use another Jack to the lift the other side of the vehicle the twist in the car and Jack chassis will relax.

This same phenomena can be seen when lifted from center front cross member. Raise the vehicle and the Jack rolls back on its wheels as the cars up. If the Jack can’t roll the Jack pad will want to slip on the frame or twist the Jack frame front to back.
If the vehicle can roll ( not in park, no parking brake) then the Jack does not have to roll when the the vehicle goes up.

This is why floor jacks and gravel surface is bad idea. And the the Jack is often placed on plywood or other smooth surface so it can move on its wheels.

Except that is not a gravel surface, though it does have what looks like surface irregularities so such a small wheeled jack is not ideal, but even so, the irregularities aren't nearly large enough to account for this.

Perpendicular, as the vehicle rises it pulls the jack in under the vehicle slightly which it does by rolling on the wheels. Any stress that would twist the frame, as long as the jack is not undersized for the application, and the floor is not unlevel in that spot, will roll the jack in the direction of this stress, without lifting the wheel, unless there is some defect.

Angling the jack puts MORE uneven stress on it, requiring more to move it in the appropriate direction on the wheels.

If the jack cannot perform this basic task and the floor is not to blame, this only leaves the jack. It is not just abnormal but a defect. However the defect might be as slight as an assembly problem that can be owner corrected, but why bother if it is new and can be returned. I would not return for same thing from same store at the least, as next box on the stack probably came off same assembly line right after it, more likely than average to have same issue.

I never have this happen on a proper jacking surface.

 

[Showkey]

Yes......I realize there’s no gravel in your example.

As the vehicle is raised one or more things happens:

1. The Jack more on its wheels
2. The vehicle moves on its wheels
3. The vehicle moves on the Jack
4. The Jack moves on the vehicle.
5. The Jack leans or lifts.

As side “a” increases up
The distance on side “c” gets longer
As “c” gets longer those 1-5 things can happen.

If items 1-4 can occur the Jack will not stress or lean or lift a corner.

 

[Bacon!]

^ In no case does a properly working floor jack on the proper surface, raise a wheel.

It's not "one or more", it's never raising a wheel. Yes distance, is why all floor jacks that raise on an arc, necessarily have wheels, and if not always used at a 90' angle to the lift arc, the pair of wheels on at least one end must swivel.

Your #1 case is the only acceptable and correct use and function of a standard floor jack. There's nothing normal about the other 4 cases, though not blocking the vehicle wheels from moving, or picking a stable jack point could be user negligence, but this should not raise the jack wheel, should still roll unless it causes a sudden large drop in height, not while still successfully raising the vehicle.

 

[Showkey]

Raise the car body 5” the Jack moves over 2” inward.
If the Jack can’t move or the vehicle can’t move something has to give.


Sorry I am done.........

 

[Kaline74]

I’m in the market for a low-profile jack as 2 of my cars sit too low for my 30-year old Sears Jack and I recently had an “incident“ with driving the cars in wood before jacking. My friend bought this Schwaben jack and really likes it:

Schwaben Long Low Profile - High Lift Floor Jack

Ultra-low profile 2 ton jack is perfect for lowered cars.

www.ecstuning.com

which appears to be a re-branded Arcan A20016:

2 Ton Steel Low Profile Floor Jack — Arcan Professional Tools

A20016 Provides the lowest low height (2.75 in.) and the highest high height (24 in.) compared to the average jack. Low profile frame allows for easy access under low ground clearance vehicles. Dual pump pistons quickly raises the floor jack saddle to load. Steel construction allows for

arcantools.com

This is at the top of my list. Any experience with this Jack is appreciated.

 

[BillDaCat8]

Hey @Kaline74

Any feedback on the Schwaben/Arcan jack? I’m considering the Schwaben version. Primarily because I have a valid discount code for ECS.

What did you end up buying and how do you like it?

 

[jives]

I've had no issues with my 4 year old Daytona 3 ton low profile long reach. Don't use it a great deal, but has given no surprises. I have dragged it out into the back 40 to jack my zero turn out of the mud on several occasions. Have used it to help flatten steel plate. With coupon cost cannot be beat.

 

[pl_silverado]

I have 4…

2 - Snap-on YA700’s, one has been laying on a pallet outside, needs a rebuild. Other still going strong, all original as far as I know and can tell. Eventually I’ll restore and rebuild both to new condition

1 - Snap-on FJ300

1 - Snap-on FJ400

I’ll buy a lift before I ever buy another floor jack.

 

[MrPink]

I have the Daytona 3 ton. I have had no issue with it. I wish I would have waited though I got the bright neon green, 2-3 mo later they released a candy red.

 

[M635_Guy]

Also have the Daytona yellow 3-ton. It's a pretty great floor jack, though these days I'm mainly using my QuickJack, which I love.

 

[Kaline74]

Hey @Kaline74

Any feedback on the Schwaben/Arcan jack? I’m considering the Schwaben version. Primarily because I have a valid discount code for ECS.

What did you end up buying and how do you like it?

I bought the Arcan A20016 jack. My delayed response is because I did not do much wrenching until recently. Overall, I like it. It is very stable, very low and pumps up quickly. The rubber jack pad is a nice feature. My only complaint is that it is touchy when being released. You have to release very gradually to lower your car slowly.

 

[anndel]

Rebuild your H-W. Treat yourself to fixing a good quality jack and not buying chinese junk.

Ditto, rebuild the HW. They don't make things like they used to.

 

[saltwater4life]

I will be replacing my old hand me down Jack this year with a new Daytona. I like the candy red one that’s painted like a bass boat at harbor freight lol.

 

[Crow Horse]

HF 2T with Pro Eagle wheels & axles....