My 25+ yo Alltrade floor jack is obsolete (no parts available) but still works great. My wife has been after to me buy a new jack as I have brainwashed her into thinking my Alltrade is a death trap. I always read the Daytona floor jack threads and even though not as good as the old made in USA brands, I suspect it will be much nicer to operate than my old rig. Plus the $20 coupon is burning a hole in my pocket. My question has to do with probability of catastrophic failure. I don’t use my jack that often and the only reason I would spring for a new Daytona is concern my old jack would fail catastrophically during the brief moment it takes to position jack stands. But maybe the new Daytona will have a manufacturing defect which causes it to fail catastrophically. IOW, is it a safe bet to say the new Daytona will be fundamentally safer just because it is new?
Floor Jack Reliabilty
- Thread starter artbuc
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Ole Slewfoot
Well-known member
Not a good bet on anything HF
usual failure modes are leaking fluid or bleeding down.
most of them are generic o rings if you take it apart.
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Wamsutta
Well-known member
I have a Daytona and I can tell you the thing is built like a military tank. They reverse engineered a Snap-on FJ300 to build the Daytona; with that being said, the usual Harbor Freight quality doesn't really apply here. I have no long term review of it, but what I can tell you is the build quality of the frame is pretty stout with thick heavy steel and generous welds.
My NAPA 3.5 ton jack has been really good.
vavet
Well-known member
I have the cheapy 1.5 ton HF aluminum jack that I've had for about 10 years. I don't use it often, but it's always been good.
I'd expect the Daytonas to be even better.
For the record, I also have a ~25 year old Craftsman 2-1/2 ton jack that still works and does not leak.
I'd expect the Daytonas to be even better.
For the record, I also have a ~25 year old Craftsman 2-1/2 ton jack that still works and does not leak.
rlitman
Well-known member
If it failed in that short time while you're putting jackstands under it, the vehicle will land on it's tires and you will have not put any part of your body in a critical position under the vehicle...all is well
You'll just need a change of shorts.
Oh, and keep your fingers out of pinch points when positioning the stands.
It took me three tries to get a good one. First one leaked on the main piston seal. Second one, something broke internally and started spitting oil out the overflow. Third one I returned when I saw my neighbors Arcan floor jack.
I now own an Arcan XL35, zero problems.
Thanks, that’s enough for me.
texasprd
Well-known member
Norco 2-ton
Wamsutta
Well-known member
Looks like all those problems were attributed to the hydraulic unit. You probably don't care now, but how would you rate the build quality of the frame?
Maybe the Cheap HF jacks are the real winners.
I have one of the old orange monsters (over 10 years) and the gray low profile (5 years)
They seem to raise and lower what's over them, which is about all I expect them to do.
I have one of the old orange monsters (over 10 years) and the gray low profile (5 years)
They seem to raise and lower what's over them, which is about all I expect them to do.
Ole Slewfoot
Well-known member
Mine is gog on about 25 I think, 10 in my dirt yard parked under a bench. it still is ugly, heavy, and works. the back wheels were never much good though.
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theoldwizard1
Well-known member
My 40+ year old Sear 1-1/2 ton jack (green and white) is still my "go to". I cleaned it and lubed the pivot point and top off the hydraulic oil a couple of years ago. It will outlast me.
WWheeler
Well-known member
My experience with the yellow Daytona couldn't be more different than yours. Straight out of the box it's been a beast and our go-to. In the last year or so it's seen more cars, suvs and pickups up off the ground than I can count, and gets used to put a wheel in the air on our lift and dump trucks whenever need be. It's a heavy jack but it glides across a smooth garage floor easier than even my aluminum jack does. It's been nothing but impressive all around so far.
Arcan floor jacks, like nearly all import jacks these days, use Orings all around for sealing surfaces. The Daytona being an exception at least uses Ucups on both the pump Pistons, plus magnets for filtration, and that's why HF is betting on it's 3yr warranty on their Daytona vs your Arcan's 1yr.
I do really wish the Daytona had ucups on the main ram too instead of orings like every other import jack. Only time will tell how good of a value or not the Daytona winds up being, but so far so good.
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Wamsutta
Well-known member
WWheeler,
Do you think I should put a large piece of cardboard under my new Daytona so as not to scratch the wheels and then raise the car up overnight to see if it maintains the lift height? If it holds the car up for 8 hours without dropping a single millimeter, would that be a good sign that the hydraulic unit will be OK?
Do you think I should put a large piece of cardboard under my new Daytona so as not to scratch the wheels and then raise the car up overnight to see if it maintains the lift height? If it holds the car up for 8 hours without dropping a single millimeter, would that be a good sign that the hydraulic unit will be OK?
WWheeler
Well-known member
You're asking the wrong person. Perhaps Hiball would take a crack at it.
I personally have no idea what, if anything, useful could be gleaned from a 8hr stress test. I just use a jack whenever I need it, and only then to get whatever I'm working on up onto stands. I got 20 years out of my last 'Northern Tool 3 ton' before she leaked a drop and sent me shopping for a replacement when I settled on the Daytona. Only time will tell but I do really like it so far.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
Hiball is no help. He says the Daytona and the NAPA 791-6420 both have their plusses and minuses, so basically flip a coin. Something about the tank nut on the Daytona crumbling like a cookie and the NAPA jack having no U-cups.
WWheeler
Well-known member
I'll add this much, if you reeeeally want 'Reliability' out of your jack, then you probably want a jack with ucups on the piston and ram seals, something that AFAIK none of the current import jacks (arcan, torin, craftsman, pittsburgh, powerbuilt, liftmaster, blackhawk, etc) have.
Get yourself a Hein Werner or a Milwaukee or get yourself on older Weaver or Walker or the like and rebuild it or have it rebuilt if/when needed. These are jacks designed to last a decade or more and worth rebuilding for another decade or so and repeat. The imports (incl the Daytona or the NAPA) are built to last long enough before you toss it and buy another.
Get yourself a Hein Werner or a Milwaukee or get yourself on older Weaver or Walker or the like and rebuild it or have it rebuilt if/when needed. These are jacks designed to last a decade or more and worth rebuilding for another decade or so and repeat. The imports (incl the Daytona or the NAPA) are built to last long enough before you toss it and buy another.
jonesg
Well-known member
Get a 4 post lift whilst she's brainwashed.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
I appreciate your advice, thank you.
If money were no object, I'd get a Milwaukee Model 20.
James-W
Well-known member
It's a floor jack. Use it to lift the vehicle. Put your jack stands under the vehicle in the proper places. Do what you need to do to the vehicle. I don't see an issue.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
Buyers remorse over something that costs $194 out the door is the issue I'm trying to avoid. Everybody praises the NAPA 791-6420, but very little GJ reviews on the Daytona.
laddy
Active member
I bought a Daytona a little over a year ago when the first came out (some time last fall/winter 2016/17). I don't have much of anything bad to say about it it gets used frequently in a restoration of my 1952 power wagon(think f450). It has lifted whatever I asked and even held a few 1000 pounds(4k) overnight without lowering. I would recommend it to anyone and at least at my hf I can return stuff no questions asked besides mode of failure.
Thanks to teftyz and his hfqdb
Thanks to teftyz and his hfqdb
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WittHay
Well-known member
Never seen a floor jack or bottle jack fail in use. Either the jack wont lift at all or you gotta pump it a hundred times to get jack to move up a few inches.
The Sunex or Napa type 3 1/2 ton jacks are reliable, have one that is 10 years old lifting all types of stupid heavy stuff. Only 1 or 2 year warranty but the jacks are rated for commercial use with parts and service available everywhere.
The Daytona are a newer style jack with a 3 year warranty. They are worth a shot if you are close to a HF store for possible returns
The Sunex or Napa type 3 1/2 ton jacks are reliable, have one that is 10 years old lifting all types of stupid heavy stuff. Only 1 or 2 year warranty but the jacks are rated for commercial use with parts and service available everywhere.
The Daytona are a newer style jack with a 3 year warranty. They are worth a shot if you are close to a HF store for possible returns
If I were 30 younger that would have happened already. Came very close when I bought my house 28 years ago. Wish I would have done it then but too late now.
Yes, a matter of probability and risk management. I have read reports of hydraulic jacks “letting go” which is why I asked the question. The probability of it happening is very low but the consequences can be extremely high, ie life threatening. Just wondering if the probability of “letting go” is materially different for a 25 yo jack with no history of failure vs a brand new Daytona. Heck, maybe I have a greater risk of getting killed in a car accident driving to the dentist this morning than getting maimed by my old jack.
Oh the build quality for the steel is great. It was just the parts that, you know, need make the jack work that failed.
Lifting that beast into the back of my car too many times was also a deciding factor. I don't give a **** if something is warrantied for 60 seconds or a lifetime, I just want the problem solved the first time.
Jlbc212
Well-known member
^^^ I've never had to add any oil to mine, except to lubricate the wheels. There's been plenty of times when I lifted in excess of the 1-1/2 tons. It has never let anything down prematurely.
SteveH-CO
Well-known member
With Chinese jacks, I have had the best luck buying 2x-4x the jack you think you need. If you are lifting an F-350, buy the 3 ton jack, not the 1.5 ton jack. Little Chinese jacks (the $29-59 models) are great for working on a Camry, but not for any kind of truck. I ate a lot of those up before I got a 90 lb. 3 ton HF jack, which has lasted 5+ years of fairly heavy use.
Not letting the vehicle sit on the jack (only) for any length of time is just good common sense should prolong jack life.
Not letting the vehicle sit on the jack (only) for any length of time is just good common sense should prolong jack life.
Nineeightyone
Well-known member
I bought a HF 2.5 ton low profile model back when I was 17. I'm 28 now, and that jack is still kicking, with no issues. I'm about to buy another jack, and was considering either the Daytona (because I'm a sucker for bright colors) or the 3 ton standard jack, as I'm not lowering cars as much as I used to anymore, and I'm not quite as skinny as I used to be
kwschumm
Well-known member
I'm in the opposite camp, I should have gotten a lift decades ago but I'm getting one now because I'm too damn old to crawl around on the floor and scoot around on a creeper.
James-W
Well-known member
I am not trying to start a big argument with you about this, but I don't understand the concern of the floor jack possibly "letting go" with life threatening results. A floor jack is not a lift, it wasn't meant to lift the vehicle and hold it there forever. A floor jack simply lifts the vehicle so you can slide jack stands under it. You don't, or at least you shouldn't, crawl under the vehicle with only the floor jack holding it up. You lift the vehicle with the floor jack, you put jack stands under the vehicle in the right places, then you crawl under the vehicle. How does that equate to a floor jack causing injury or death?
hautpot
Well-known member
I trust my life to AC hydraulic. no corner cutting here.
It takes a few seconds to position the jack stand(s). Most of the time I am in between notches so I have to go back to the jack to give a few more strokes, then raise the jack stand and go back and lower the jack. If the jack were to let go during this set-up, the vehicle could drop and likely kick out the jack stand. Probably higher risk of damaging car than me but as I get older, I get more nervous. No matter how adept you are, there will always be a few moments you are depending on the jack while you position jack stands.
You could try what I sometimes do.
I have a second set of much heavier jack stands, that I'll position in a temporary solid locations, that will catch the vehicle if it drops due to the jack failing, while I positioning the actual ones i'll be using underneath.
Overall I think the chance of a jack just suddenly failing, is pretty slim but a safety back up it's no big deal.
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If it ain't broke don't fix it and certainly don't buy import new assuming it going be better.
No point blowing 180buck on a new import jack while you got one that works fine.
Wait until you really need a new one due to signs of fault or requiring different jack spec .
I got some old large jacks donated to me when friend moved shop, wouldn't junk them unless unrepairable as quality on lot of the old stuff is amazing and even good money can't buy new same these days .
pilotmotor
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2018
- Messages
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Its impossible to answer your question . Anything can fail new or old that's the bottom line. I think you should be more concerned about your jack stands than the jack. The only solution to your problem is to get a jack that has a built in jack stand so you don't have to risk your life putting in the jack stand . Then you can worry about getting struck by lightning while doing said !
yamaha0343
Well-known member
Hiball is no help. He says the Daytona and the NAPA 791-6420 both have their plusses and minuses, so basically flip a coin. Something about the tank nut on the Daytona crumbling like a cookie and the NAPA jack having no U-cups.
I don’t blame him. He was thoroughly lambasted by the HF army last time he pointed out flaws on the Daytona.
I’m sure the Daytona is fine. Northern Tool also has a jack that looks very similar if it’s not the same thing. My 3 ton Craftsman has been great for 10+ years now.