Pittsburgh Automotive jacks. Any Good?

[77thor]

It looks like Harbor Freight mostly carries Pittsburgh Automotive floor jacks.
Are these things any good?
I'm seeing some bad product reviews on their website.
Any personal experiences??

 

[sselander]

In short, they hold up. I have the older orange one that works well after 5 years.

There was actually a civilized discussion on this recently:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=191098

 

[77thor]

Hmmmmm... its sounds like they are Chinese-made, too

 

[Chris_PT]

I have the low profile one and I love it. Has worked flawlessly for years.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

 

[fivespdcat]

I bought the 2 1/2 ton low profile for a stop gap. Used it once, worked as advertised, so no complaints. I can't vouch for the durability, but the $70 I spent on it was worth it.

 

[Rezeppa]

I can not express this enough. When it comes to jacks Do Not buy cheap. Would you buy a two post hoist at HF? I understand you might not get under a jack without jack stands but the next guy might so please buy quality. For your sake and someone else's. There are safety standards (AMSE/ANSI) for most items such as jacks and HF does not meet those specs on a lot of there products. You would be surprised at what isn't covered by AMSE/ANSI at Harbor Freight. Just My Opinion!

 

[oldtools]

I can not express this enough. When it comes to jacks Do Not buy cheap. Would you buy a two post hoist at HF? I understand you might not get under a jack without jack stands but the next guy might so please buy quality. For your sake and someone else's. There are safety standards (AMSE/ANSI) for most items such as jacks and HF does not meet those specs on a lot of there products. You would be surprised at what isn't covered by AMSE/ANSI at Harbor Freight. Just My Opinion!

Their manual said it meet the AMSE/ANSI standard. Can you prove that it is not?

 

[FlatBrim Franny]

Their manual said it meet the AMSE/ANSI standard. Can you prove that it is not?

No, he cannot.

 

[Airframer]

Did two oil changes today with mine (and jack stands) - worked great. Don't have US made jack cash in the budget at the moment and needed to get under some cars. If you need a jack, it'll get'er done just fine.

 

[kythri]

No, he cannot.

Won't stop him from making unsubstantiated claims, though...

But on the note of jacks - if you've got a Costco near you, get the Arcan they sell. Only a few bucks more.

 

[shampoop]

I have the older orange low profile 2 ton one and love it. Only complaint is that the release mechanism is not progressive at all. Especially when I first got it. As it has broken in it's gotten better, and it's not a big deal when you're used to it and expect it. Definitely manageable though. Love how it clears really low cars yet lifts very high.

 

[NWphotog]

I have one of the aluminum low profile jacks from HF. Absolutely love it. I wouldn't get under any car without jack stands or the equivalent.

 

[BTC]

I just bought the HF 68050 2 ton low profile jack. It seems like a decent jack for the money. I considered the Arcan, but the closest Costco is over an hour away and I think the membership fee was 55 bucks. The HF jack has a greater lifting range, but it looks like Arcan just released a 2 ton jack with nearly the same specs as the HF jack. I believe I have read speculation that the Arcan and HF jacks are the same jack.

I would like to know whether the HF Pittsburgh Automotive jack stands are any good.

 

[bad12jr]

I have the 6 ton ones. Are built well. Hold my eclb f250 stroke no problem. And very sturdy.

Sent from my x2 chillin in the middle of no where

 

[Airframer]

I just bought the HF 68050 2 ton low profile jack. It seems like a decent jack for the money. I considered the Arcan, but the closest Costco is over an hour away and I think the membership fee was 55 bucks. The HF jack has a greater lifting range, but it looks like Arcan just released a 2 ton jack with nearly the same specs as the HF jack. I believe I have read speculation that the Arcan and HF jacks are the same jack.

I would like to know whether the HF Pittsburgh Automotive jack stands are any good.

Used them for years and never had one let me down.

 

[Rezeppa]

Won't stop him from making unsubstantiated claims, though...

But on the note of jacks - if you've got a Costco near you, get the Arcan they sell. Only a few bucks more.

If the product says it meets the specifications than I apologize but many Harbor Freight products do not. I never said specifically that the jack didn't meet the safety standards I said certain products and assumed the jacks might be one of them. Many people need to be aware that not everything from harbor freight meets the standard safety specifications. The shop that I work at now has made it policy to not let anything in the doors from HF because we have had abrasives blow apart and injure employees. After watching an Impact extension fly apart and hit a coworker in the nose I won't buy from Harbor Freight. I am sure the jacks are made to a higher quality for safety reasons though.

 

[cookefab]

+1 on the Arcan from Costco...it might even be worth the $35 membership, if you don't already have one...

It's also an exception to the "you get what you pay for" rule...HF must have one hell of an insurance program in place...

Ever seen the episode of "1,001 ways to die" w/ the guy who trusted his Chinese chain to hold the engine in place while he was under it? Needless to say, it didn't end well for him...Anyone care to guess where he got the "hoist" chain?

I guess I have add this disclaimer: don't trust any shop crane/chain/hook w/ your currently intact melon...That said, we do live in the real world, right? Btw, I've got some HF jackstands, free for the taking...they don't sit level, out of the box and one of the vertical legs has a 10 degree bend, again, right out of the box...but YOU can trust them to hold up your 7.3L crew cab Super Duty...Right?

 

[Mustang1167]

I purchased a 3 ton steel craftsman jack 2 months ago and it was junk. Used it, packaged it back up an returned. I knew I should have just went to hf but I have had junk stuff in the past. The 3 ton steel jack I got for 64.99 from them and it works great. Release is a lil touchy but that is because it's a different jack then I'm used too. Wish I would have got the aluminum jack but I'm supposed to be saving money...if I could only stay away from this site.

 

[I van putski]

Hmmmmm... its sounds like they are Chinese-made, too

Lol.
I had the old orange jack, I used it for many years when I was younger. I retired it while it still worked. I have upgraded to a 2 and 3 ton hein werners.
I would not recommend an aluminum jack as I seem them fail. As with anything buy the best you can afford and be careful.

 

[jdawgl]

... Wish I would have got the aluminum jack but I'm supposed to be saving money...if I could only stay away from this site.

Apart from the obvious-- the aluminum is lighter-- what are the pros/cons to the aluminum jack versus steel jack? Other than the aluminum is usually 'low profile' as well.

 

[I van putski]

Here you go cheap aluminum jack owners. Saw this happen at the drag strip one day. No thanks.

 

[kythri]

If the product says it meets the specifications than I apologize but many Harbor Freight products do not. I never said specifically that the jack didn't meet the safety standards I said certain products and assumed the jacks might be one of them. Many people need to be aware that not everything from harbor freight meets the standard safety specifications. The shop that I work at now has made it policy to not let anything in the doors from HF because we have had abrasives blow apart and injure employees. After watching an Impact extension fly apart and hit a coworker in the nose I won't buy from Harbor Freight. I am sure the jacks are made to a higher quality for safety reasons though.

No, not specifically, you just insinuated as much.

Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT implying that HF products are some bastion of the highest quality and unyielding safety standards, and, as always, buy what you like/makes you feel good, but, fact of the matter is:

Our society is highly litigious. Seems you can't go a day without hearing of a new class-action lawsuit because someone felt slighted by some minor issue.

If HF products, in general, were truly as unsafe as some people try to make out, HF would have lawsuits galore against it.

It doesn't.

Like almost any other company, HF has issued recalls on some of its products. Some products are going to have flaws.

But systemic or endemic product issues? You'll not be able to prove them, you'll only be able to make specious claims that aren't backed up by anything more than anecdotal evidence.

You say:

Many people need to be aware that not everything from harbor freight meets the standard safety specifications.

Cite an real example, instead of anecdotal claims.

Here's one:

http://images.harborfreight.com/cpi/recalls/fuse_sets.html

HF recalled the fuse sets, because they didn't meet specs or requirements, and caused issues.

 

[Quaraxkad]

Here you go cheap aluminum jack owners. Saw this happen at the drag strip one day. No thanks.

I wouldn't blame the jack for that failure, it was quite obviously misused and abused in its lifetime.

 

[I van putski]

I wouldn't blame the jack for that failure, it was quite obviously misused and abused in its lifetime.

Lol.

 

[kythri]

Ever seen the episode of "1,001 ways to die" w/ the guy who trusted his Chinese chain to hold the engine in place while he was under it? Needless to say, it didn't end well for him...Anyone care to guess where he got the "hoist" chain?

You mean, the overly dramatized show with episodes based on questionable claims of odd/extreme deaths, and the episode with the guy and the chop shop?

Yeah, it amazes me that the producers of such a high-brow series operating on an unlimited budget cheaped out on a prop.

Edited to add:

Here's a link to watch the idiotic video:

http://www.spike.com/video-clips/t2g23g/1000-ways-to-die-chop-shop-of-horrors

Sure enough, it appears they used an HF (or other orange) chain hoist.

If you watch the video, it's the bolt through the shackle that broke (at 1:31), not the chain or the hoist - neither of which part appears to be sold with the HF chain hoist.

And, of course, we all know how accurate this "documentary" is, given that they can't match their story to their re-enactment.

So, my own disclaimer: Don't be an idiot. Don't use cheap fasteners. Don't screw up in rigging your hoist. Don't lay under an engine that you're cutting out with a torch. Don't operate a chop shop. Obey these simple rules, and your death won't be trivialized on a stupid television show.

 

[Coach James]

You mean, the overly dramatized show with episodes based on questionable claims of odd/extreme deaths, and the episode with the guy and the chop shop?

Yeah, it amazes me that the producers of such a high-brow series operating on an unlimited budget cheaped out on a prop.

HAHAHA!! I love sarcasm.

Coach

 

[purplezr2]

Here you go cheap aluminum jack owners. Saw this happen at the drag strip one day. No thanks.

I think I have the same jack, but blue and in better shape. 4 years never had a problem use it alot.

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

Won't stop him from making unsubstantiated claims, though...

But on the note of jacks - if you've got a Costco near you, get the Arcan they sell. Only a few bucks more.

he did not say the jack does not meet those specs,only that some of their merchandise does notthat seems like a pretty straight forward comment,nothing implied,i could say you implied hf IS a bastion of high quality by your statement, just the same,right?

 

[NWphotog]

he did not say the jack does not meet those specs,only that some of their merchandise does not

And insinuated the HF jacks were POSes which are unsafe which they are not.

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

i am not swayed by the jedi mind trick of something implied ,i can read a statement and comprehend it,then make my own decisions ,if you feel he implied the jacks were unsafe ,i cant dispute that,only what he ACTUALLY said,btw, luke sounds like what we have here is a failure to communicate.the man simply said they sell some products that dont meet ansi,(AND SOME OTHER STANDARD),is anyone going to offer undisputed evidence to the contrary?

 

[kythri]

he did not say the jack does not meet those specs,only that some of their merchandise does notthat seems like a pretty straight forward comment,nothing implied,i could say you implied hf IS a bastion of high quality by your statement, just the same,right?

A> He did imply it.

B> If you want to get pesky things like reading get in the way, by all means, say that I implied something that I very clearly stated that I was NOT implying or suggesting.

Good grief.

 

[BTC]

Louisville, Kentucky? Go Cardinals. Bowling Green is my hometown.

I looked at my owner's manual for the 68050 HF jack, and it makes no claims regarding any types of standards that I can see. I don't know if there is more documentation in the box.

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

it seems we disagree on symantics,hehe,yes go cards,kentucky

 

[kythri]

it seems we disagree on symantics

It's semantic, and if you want to get more semantic, it seems we disagree on something far more basic: Comprehension of the written word.

 

[NWphotog]

i am not swayed by the jedi mind trick of something implied ,i can read a statement and comprehend it,then make my own decisions ,if you feel he implied the jacks were unsafe ,i cant dispute that,only what he ACTUALLY said,btw, luke sounds like what we have here is a failure to communicate.the man simply said they sell some products that dont meet ansi,(AND SOME OTHER STANDARD),is anyone going to offer undisputed evidence to the contrary?

Sounds like you are trying to defend an undefendable position with BS. Good luck with that.

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

not at all,nw,and i suspect i can find a mistake in grammar somewhere in your postings kythri,would that invalidate the post in which i find it?

 

[kythri]

the man simply said they sell some products that dont meet ansi,(AND SOME OTHER STANDARD),is anyone going to offer undisputed evidence to the contrary?

And, for what it's worth, if he's going to make such claims, he needs to prove it, considering he brought it up in the first place.

You don't get to try to turn things around and IMPLY that he's right because someone can't disprove his wild claims. That's not how things work.

 

[kythri]

not at all,nw,and i suspect i can find a mistake in grammar somewhere in your postings kythri,would that invalidate the post in which i find it?

It's not your inability to spell words correctly that invalidates your argument. It's your inability to understand what invalidates your argument that, by its very nature, invalidates your argument.

Now, back to the original topic, jacks.

 

[BTC]

it seems we disagree on symantics,hehe,yes go cards,kentucky

I'm a Western graduate, so I need to add Hilltoppers to that mix. If they can win two more games, which probably isn't likely, even though stranger things have happened, they'll get an invite to the dance. Kentucky had a big win over Florida yesterday.

 

[I van putski]

This thread. Lol