Harbor Freight jack and jack stands?

[ChevyVince1969]

Im in need of a good jack and a good pair of jack stands to work on my 2002 Pontiac Grand Am Gt and I noticed that harbor freight had really good prices. the models are, Pittsburgh Automotive 3 Ton Steel Jack Stands and the Pittsburgh Automotive 3 Ton Low Profile Rapid Pump Floor Jack, the jack looks sturdy and safe and has great reviews, but I'm a bit more skeptical about the jack stands because they have more bad reviews (but not much) and if they fail they could obviously kill me. What are your guy's thoughts on this?

 

[ChrisLS8]

If you even spent like 3 seconds searching either here or their website you'd find out they are immensely popular and work well.

I've had both for years, if you want more security get the 6 ton stands as they are plenty beefy

 

[619DioFan]

I have two HF rapid pump jacks ( 3 and 4 ton ) plus 4 sets of the 6 ton stands and 4 sets of the 3 ton. use these with everything from a honda civic up to a 454 powered suburban and my 95 dodge ram and 95 4runner. zero issues . well worth the investment.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

I have a pair of the HF 6 ton stands. They're stable and I have confidence in them. I don't think they're much different than all the Asian import stands but they're a good value with the coupon. As with anything from HF, do your own quality inspection before use. Especially with anything safety related!

 

[Prospecter]

I've got the 3 T and 6 T. I had the same concerns, but when I put the HF 3 T next to my old faithfuls, the HF were beefier and welds looked better, so I bought more 3s and some 6s. I also have the older gray jacks. 1 Regular and 1 low profile. I don't worry about these as much, because I am not under the vehicle unless I am using stands. Again, these looked much better than what went before. No complaints about any of these.

I do use the heaviest stand I can get under the vehicle.

 

[zendriver]

If you even spent like 3 seconds searching either here or their website you'd find out they are immensely popular and work well.

With a month-old membership and two posts, I'm guessing this member is new.

You should be the head of the welcome-wagon.

 

[zendriver]

What are your guy's thoughts on this?

I use both and am still alive.

IMO, just splurge the extra $20 pair and get the six ton.

Wider for better stability and sit higher giving a little more underneath room.

 

[consti2tion]

I've had the low profile rapid pump 3 ton jack and both sizes of the jack stands for 6+ years and never doubted their stability or strength.

I use them pretty damned often, the jack still works as well as it did when it was new and jack stands don't really have any wear parts so they work flawlessly as well.

You won't regret it, very little money well spent!

 

[willbird]

I have an old school jack that died. Needed a jack, bought the HF and it has served me well so far. Someday I will get around to repairing my old faithful jack.

Bill

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Amongst My jackstands, I have two pair of HF 12 ton, and a pair of the HF 6 ton. I do allot of work on semi trucks, as well as cars, and use these regularly. For an added safety margin; I only use them at 50% or less of their rated capacity, use the largest jack stand that room will allow under a vehicle, and use wheel chocks

 

[ChrisLS8]

With a month-old membership and two posts, I'm guessing this member is new.

You should be the head of the welcome-wagon.

Pretty sure that research is pretty standard part of ANY forum I've been a member of from car forums to gun forums to this forum.

 

[DFB]

Honestly can HF ever shake off the mantle of shameless Chinese junk

I had a set of the 3 ton on my tool table this summer they do look very well made.

I have the 6 ton 2 sets but they're SpeedWay series bought long ago,

Floor jack is too

 

[ouimetnick]

I have a 3 ton low profile HF jack and the 1.5 ton aluminum one. I use the 3 ton for oil changes and the aluminum one when I’m working on brakes and jack up each corner. I have Duralast 2 ton stands from autozone. The 3 ton HF ones are pretty tall and I don’t like jacking up my RX-8 and other sedan and sport cars we have higher than needed. If you have a big SUV or truck, go with the 3 or 6 ton.

 

[BukitCase]

I have several pairs of HF's 6 ton stands and a (CL find) pair of 12's - only problem I ever had was when I accidentally backed over one with my Case backhoe - I can confirm that they don't do well with 6 tons on 'em SIDEWAYS

Also, something I don't see stated very often - "When looking for jack stands, their weight rating is the most important factor to consider. Typically, you'll see jack stands rated at 3 tons up through 20+ tons. Unless stated otherwise, jack stands are sold in pairs and given a weight rating based on what the pair of them can support together"

another good reason for BDT/NWMN's comment about using them at half rating or less... Steve

 

[bpjr]

I have a pair of the 3 ton stands and a 2.5 ton low profile jack (not sold anymore). They are probably 6-7 yrs old and get used a couple times a month lifting family cars. No issues so far and I would buy again. The only negative about the HF stands I can say is the legs don't have pads to spread the load on soft ground. My Husky stands have the pads but otherwise look and work the same.

 

[lolaetype]

I also have the 3,000# aluminum jack and the 3 ton jack stands. I'm quite satisfied with their quality and utility. They are more than adequate for the vehicles I currently own or am likely to own in the future.

 

[Nineeightyone]

I'm a fan of both, for the price point. I had the grey Pittsburgh low profile jack, and roughly a year ago bought the orange Daytona long-reach, low-profile. Also have three sets of the steel jackstands, the aluminum ones make me nervous.

I did get the extended warranty on the Daytona jack, but haven't had to use it.

 

[finn]

I have the 6 ton from Menards, but they look the same a the HF stand.

Also have some of the 3 ton , but they are too short so they mostly sit unused.

 

[toyotadriver]

I have the 3 ton jack stands and the 6 ton jack stands. Both have worked fine and have had no issues with them. I'd recommend them.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

My father purchased a HF jack about 20 years ago. The handle u-joint finally failed, so I replaced it and it's been fine ever since. The jack stands he got around the same time work fine.

I purchased a quad/atv jack from HF. I have since sold the POS quad, but have kept the jack. It lifts my 4cyl japanese cars just fine, and is nice for moving rear axles around or swinging them down when replacing springs on torsion beam axles. I purchased a set of HF stands much like my fathers 20yo pair. They worked fine for a timing belt/water pump job on a family members car, and removing a fender on one of mine.



I would recommend getting an aluminum jack if it's in the budget; they're so much lighter.

 

[jgme]

I've been happy with the Hein Werner 3 ton jack which I acquired in 2009. The jack stands are Harbor Freight 6 ton units from the mid 1980s (M/N 757, 16"-25" h & 11"x11" base).