Jet vs. HF Jacks Stand Comparison

[biscuit141]

OK, so it's been a bit since I posted originally (see link below) and I picked up a set of the HF jack stands. I used a $29.99 coupon so out the door the were just over $32. Below is a side-by-side comparison of a HF stand and a Jet stand. The Jet stands are made in Taiwan, the HF I assume are made in China.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148789

side-by-side

steel looks & feels a bit heavier on the Jet, tried to get a side-by-side profile

Jet is a tad higher in the down position

inside shot

necks extended, both 6 ton

sloppy interior HF bead weld

much cleaner exterior Jet weld

this is what has me concerned, these pits in the HF casting, makes me nervous

 

[twincam00]

thanks for the comparison!

My HF stands have the same pitting and theyve held up so far, I dont fully trust them

 

[biscuit141]

That is the issue I have. I,m not sure that I want to be under a car being held by jack stands I don't fully trust. That Jet stand has been around for a long time and shows no sign of failure. Even though its made in Taiwan, I trust is a hell of a lot more than the HF. In fact, I was working on my truck today and did not even use the HF stands. I just can't get myself to do it. Which pretty much defeats the purpose of buying them.

 

[Regnar]

You could take them over to a 10 ton shop press and test them out. Drap a heavy cloth over the top to catch any flying debree. It would allow you to test the welds and the casting and maybe make you feel better for purchasing them. If they fail count yourself lucky and return for a refund.

 

[bad_idea]

I have had a set of the HF 6 ton stands for 5 years or so. I have used them on vehicles ranging from ~5500 to ~3500lbs. I trust them just fine.

Consider this: They are rated for 12000 lbs per pair. Four stands under one vehicle is rated for 24000 lbs. That is 6 times the average weight of a passenger car. We all know HF makes some inferior products at times but I don't believe they could get away with people getting crushed due to faulty stands. These stands aren't a new product, so if they were faulty it would've come out by now. If you are still concerned, test a pair to the point of failure. Do you know anyone with heavy equipment?

Regnar makes a good point. A shop press with a pressure gauge would allow you to calculate the force needed to crush one.

 

[amolaver]

1) use a micrometer to measure the wall thickness of the steel.

2) all the steel jack stands i've seen in the last few years have the same porosity in the cradles - makes me nervous. but...i've had my 12 ton omega stands supporting my trailer (about 14K lb) and driven my car in and out of the trailer with no issues. its 'ratcheting leg' shows the same type of porosity. obviously, still a big safety factor there, but it gave me a lot of confidence when working underneath the trailer.

my small HF stands also show that porosity, and they've supported my 8K+ lb dually and lots of lighter vehicles. it concerns me, but they seem to be engineered with that weakness accounted for.

3) what are the dimensions of the 'ratcheting leg' if you will? same width and 'length' (x & y, not z) or is one bigger than the other?

4) i've seen lots of pretty looking welds fail spectacularly, and many ugly looking ones be significantly stronger than the rest of the metal - shape doesn't taste pretty != strong.

ahm

 

[WVBrady]

I notice that the cut in the support of the Jet is much deeper, which would make it better for jacking at the pinch weld of my Probe and similar cars. This allows the weight to be on the flat part of the rocker, rather that on the thin pinch part.

 

[Unearthed]

Its always good to see HF stuff compared to something else.
I've used HF 6 ton stands for years, and don't trust them any less than any other stand I have.

 

[biscuit141]

I don't know. I just try and be thrifty and save money on tools where I can, so I can spend more on other tools that are worth the higher price. I know the feedback on here has been positive for the HF stands, but if I listen to my gut I don't care for them. I think I will give US Jack a call tomorrow. They are not too far from where I live, and I have a friend who lives in St. Joseph, MI which is the next town over from Benton Harbor where US Jack is located.

This jack stand is also my dads, wonder if it is a precursor to US Jack, as the style is the same and it is made in St. Joseph, MI. It's labeled A.S.M. Company, 3 ton rated.

 

[B17E1943]

I won't trust my life to ChiCom junk, but that's just me.

 

[Perryk]

Can someone post a link to US made jackstands?

Scratch that... Hein and US jacks are American made

 

[amolaver]

I won't trust my life to ChiCom junk, but that's just me.

yeah, i mean, you hear every day about 'chicom junk' jack stands failing and killing people.

oh wait, thats the exact opposite of reality - i've NEVER heard of one failing.

<sigh> another troglodyte. wake up, just because it is made in china does not mean it is of poor quality, unsafe, or cheap - neither in the sense that it is inexpensive or poorly made.

ahm

 

[B17E1943]

Whatever, dude.

Troglodyte? I think I may be offended.

 

[bad_idea]

I think I will have to google Troglodyte now. Damn the bad luck.

 

[rmsg0040]

here's one of the guys on another forum that I am part of:

 

[RangerDaleXp]

I have 8 of the HF 3 ton and 2 of the HF 6 ton models that are about 10 years old and none have bad welds or casting issues at all.....

 

[Monte]

here's one of the guys on another forum that I am part of:

3 stands ? or is there one hidden ?
Looks scary anyway, no matter how many or where they are made....

 

[rmsg0040]

probably hidden by the passenger side steering knuckle and brake assembly.

I have a trailblazer which is the twin of the envoy posted above, its been the vehicle where I have learned pretty much everything up to now.

Too many guys worried about small things, IMO if you take the neccessary precautions and are confident in what you are doing I would have no fear.

 

[chewy7]

i just bought 2 more pairs of harbor freight 6 ton jack stands and plan to weld the outside of them up better. i could d oa much better job than those chinese guys did on them with my panasonic gunslinger 261 mig welder