Is there an effective substitute for a trans jack?

[TomB19]

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum. I thought about putting it into General Discussion. Mods: please move, as appropriate.

I have to swap clutches in a manual trans in a mid 90s Ford 7.3. Suffice to say, I expect the trans to be pretty heavy.

I don't have a trans jack and don't really want to buy one. I've seen adapters that turn a regular jack into a trans jack but reviews seem to vary between bad and dangerous.

Is there any tool that can do the job without costing me $750? Any recommendations? I expect this will be the last trans work I will ever do. I don't think I can rent one locally or I would do so.

 

[pbon]

HF sells a scissor type that goes up about 24”. Maybe you could use a coupon and resell it after. I have one and have used it many times over the years. I recently bought a real 2 stage from Derek Weaver for $339, I think. I like it. I can go up 6’ and work standing up under my lift rather than having to sit on the floor with the car down low.’

 

[ItsNemo]

Motorcycle jack can work in a pinch with a few 2x4's cut/placed/screwed strategically.

 

[ransil]

I have the HF scissor jack its just one step above a piced of ****.

I have a lift and purchased a used trans jack, just changed a transfer case last week, it was too easy.

Past 30 years i have wrestled many times under a vehicle with various jacks / straps
Getin too old for that ****.


Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Wrench97]

A floor jack will work ok as long as you only have to go straight back and straight forward to reinstall. cut a plate to attach to the jack and fab some plate to fit the bottom of the trans wrap a strap over to the top of the trans to hold it in the cradle you make.

 

[Gogo300]

I have the kind that converts a floor jack to a transmission jack. I have used it when I replaced the transmission on my explorer and later when I replaced the engine in the explorer. I had to buy some extra chain and eye bolts so I could secure the front and back of the transmission otherwise it kinda slid around with only one chain. It made the job a lot easier than trying to do it with a block of wood on top of the jack. I had the vehicle on ramps and jack stands but that was just tall enough to slide the transmission in and out. No way to move the transmission and the jack together under the truck. You will still have to lift the transmission onto the jack while flat on your back under the vehicle.

 

[Sticky Grips]

I did not like the scissor style jack. I just bit the bullet and bought a HF trans jack. The ability to tilt and rotate the transmission was important.

I'm not in my 20s anymore, nor do i have friends that can push a trans back into place.

 

[finn]

I have the floor jack adapter. It sort of works if you can get the car high enough. F series may have the opposite problem, in that the jack may be too short. I only used mine on light cars: 55 Chevy, Ranger automatic, and Fox Mustang 5 speeds.

Look into renting a real transmission jack.

 

[pbon]

I did not like the scissor style jack. I just bit the bullet and bought a HF trans jack. The ability to tilt and rotate the transmission was important.

The scissor jack works great when powered by a 1/2 drive impact to run it up or down. With a ratchet, it does ****. I have done 6 trans with mine.

The only problem with the HF hydraulic trans jack is that it is single stage so you have to get the trans up to about 4’ to start with. A 2 stage trans jack is the ultimate since it starts out lower but it is twice the money.

 

[fourjeepin]

A buddy bought the one that goes in your floor jack and I borrowed it once. It is a very frustrating experience that I do not recommend.

 

[seanb02]

When I did the 6 speed clutch in my Dodge diesel truck I purchased the HF transmission jack. They had two different ones at that time, I bought the more expensive higher capacity one, and it did the job just fine. It was either $199 or $299 at the time, can't remember which but I remember it being about double what the slightly lower capacity one cost. That was probably 7 years ago or so. Figured it payed for itself in that one use.

Ended up using it last year to pull the transmission on my GMC Duramax/Allison in order to replace the flex plate. It has been well worth the cost to have a proper transmission jack versus a sketchy adapted floor jack. The transmission jacks have a much wider footprint for stability and swiveling casters so it can be slid in any direction. Plus a jack handle that can be rotated to nearly any angle for clearance with minimal stroke to pump it for working when the vehicle is still low to the ground.

 

[metaleltr]

I bought a jegs transmission jack. It looks just like the HF except it's yellow. Only real issue is that if you jack up a vehicle high enough to put the trans on the jack and then slide it under the frame the jack will not go high enough to install.

 

[WittHay]

The Princess Auto trans jack adapter sort of works if you have a helper and are careful. A Powerstoke or 7.3 ZF ****** is aluminum so they are too bad to handle. The angles are hard to adjust on the cheap adapters when you have weight on

Princess Auto also has a transmission jack for $230. Might be worth a look. Doing the job by yourself there is no real substitute for a good transmission jack

 

[Skin]

There is no substitute for what you're doing. The adapters work fine on a small car transmission but those truck trans are very large and weigh over 200lb. Even if you only need it once i'd just shop a transmission jack. How much is an injury or a broken case worth to you? Princessauto has a low lift one for $230 if you're doing it on the ground and a normal floor unit for $400. As stated just knock $50 off and sell it locally after you're done. Well worth it in my opinion.

 

[speed bump]

I've done a few bigger transmissions with a floor jack and a bigger plate to distribute the load. Its not bad with two people.

 

[Pontiac787]

You can get one from your local rental center. It’s worth the rental fee to not have to mess around with makeshift solution on a heavy transmission.

 

[Handyandy23]

I agree, after doing a clutch the transmission jacks are the way to go. I looked at the adapters at Princess Auto, but they are almost half the price of just buying the whole trans jack, and reviews were mostly negative.

I got lucky and got a "Hot Buy" trans jack at Princess Auto when I needed it for around $150 for one of the high lift ones you use with a car lift. Even at full price the trans floor jack (if not using a car lift) is a good buy and easily pays for itself in one use. If you're lucky you might find one on Kijiji / CL locally.

 

[Jazz1]

Fancy smancy boxes but scaled could be slow until the Alberta economy recovers Looks to be emulating the GRAY tool boxes. I was surprised when lifting my sons 30” GRAY chest, 85lbs. They use heavier including 14 ga where required.

I go like the stryke boxes, thankS. Looks forward to seeing it on my porch

 

[pbon]

This single stage Torin is on sale for $99 and might be 25% off coupon available on top of that. Mixed reviews but for rare use it’s better than nothing. A while ago it was 50% off.

https://www.pepboys.com/big-red-transmission-jack/product/454731

I thought about it but spent the $339 on the Derek Weaver 2 stage, which is a nice jack for the money.

https://www.derekweaver.com/rodders...ries/weaver-w-1200-2-stage-transmission-jack/

 

[joe_padavano]

You do realize that rental stores will RENT you a proper trans jack, right?

 

[dwasifar]

When I was about 18, I tried to lift a transmission into a Plymouth using a floor jack and some makeshift boards and bricks. The trans rolled off and pinned one of my fingers between the concrete and the sharp edge of the pan. I still have the scar where they reattached the dangling fingertip.

I do not recommend this approach.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Like others, I've used a regular floor jack with a piece of plywood, flat pad adapter and a modified one with a larger piece of steel rather than the plywood.

The best thing is to have another set of hand helping you and sometimes a third set running the jack.

 

[TomB19]

I really appreciate the advice and cautionary notes to respect the safety of this procedure. The wisdom of this group is extremely appreciated.

Princess Auto also has a transmission jack for $230. Might be worth a look. Doing the job by yourself there is no real substitute for a good transmission jack

I had no idea PA had a jack for $230. Thank you for the tip. I will pick it up.

BTW, I checked the local rental shops and couldn't find anyone that would rent a trans jack.

I mistakenly thought a trans jack was $750+ in Canada. I'm going to pick up the affordable unit from Princess auto and, hopefully, when I'm done I will be able to play a piano duet with Mr. dwasifar.

 

[Handyandy23]

The problem with tool rentals, even if you could have found one, is that they are usually pretty cost prohibitive. The only positive I take away from tool rentals is that I can show my wife that the tool costs $150 a day to rent, and I can buy it for $250, so makes a good excuse to add to the tool collection.

 

[nelstomlinson]

I just did a clutch on an '89 F350 with the old 7.3 and the zf5. A cheapie NAPA transmission jack made it pretty easy. Nothing else really substitutes.

The aluminum transfer cases and transmissions in these newer trucks are a lot easier to deal with than the old all-steel boxes.

 

[seanb02]

The problem with tool rentals, even if you could have found one, is that they are usually pretty cost prohibitive. The only positive I take away from tool rentals is that I can show my wife that the tool costs $150 a day to rent, and I can buy it for $250, so makes a good excuse to add to the tool collection.

I disagree with this, the one that you rent is going to be a professional grade piece of equipment that is built to handle whatever the rental crowd can throw at it. What you can buy for $100 more is going to be the cheapest made bottom of the barrel thing that will probably still get the job done.