How can I identify a quality US made Floor Jack?

[jacked_72]

I'll cruise through pawn shops and resale shops from time to time and I always take a look at their floor jacks. Most are Harbor Freight junk priced higher than retail, but on occasion there will be older jacks that have long since lost their manufacturer's label. Some I can identify as being off shore production and some I can't. Is there anyway to identify an older good quality US made jack like a Hein Warner that might be worth dragging home for use and a possible rebuild?

 

[kc-steve]

I used to think only U.S. made were physically heavy, but I was wrong. I bought an older import at a garage sale that looked very much like Walker or Hein-Warner. The major difference in that one was that it had a sprocket-like gear at the bottom of the handle. Even though it said Western Auto, it was an import. It didn't take long before it started leaking internally and now it doesn't hold anything in the air.

Steve

 

[zkling]

Try familiarizing yourself with common models via a google image search. Casters, pivot points and fill ports are good places to pay extra attention to detail to.