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Trans adapter for floor jack

junkyardjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
141
Location
Dayton Ohio
I remember seeing them but do not remember who makes or sells them,I figured Harbor Freight would have one but no so anyone know where I can get one if they are still made.
 
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WILD-BILL

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 10, 2011
Messages
873
Location
Brook Park Oh
I have one and it has been all nut useless. It would only tilt in one axis and you had to get the vehicle pretty high on jackstands to even get it under there. After removing the trans from the engine, I would have to slide the trans off the jack and slide it out from under the car on the floor. And the opposite to install.

I finally bought the HF trans jack and only wish I had done it sooner.
 

devoncoolman

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
2,096
Location
quakertown pa
I have one. Believe its from harbor freight. The two issues pointed out are its down fall. Its so high once on the jack. And its only got a one axis tilt.
 

justme-

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2014
Messages
787
Location
Boston suburbs
I have one as well - got at a car show in PA several years back. Height was never an issue for me - always worked on trucks anyway. Single axis never really bothered me either - it only needs to tils up/dn in the front to align the input shaft to the engine, unless I missed something all the times I used it.
Only issue I can complain about is the floor jack has to have the correct size hole when the pad is removed as not all have the same size... and the pad has to actually be removable, which again not all are.

Beats what I did before - using my body as the intermediate step between the ground and the vehicle.
 
OP
J

junkyardjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
141
Location
Dayton Ohio
I think the jack I want to put it on does not have a removable pad so I might have to invest in a trans jack,I took a cheap made in China floor jack and made a somewhat trans jack out of it to remove a trans from a U pull yard but it will not go high enough.
 

Sam'sAutoParts

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
2,075
Location
Northeast PA
I got one of the pan style adapters from summit can't recall the brand but it's ok for autos. I have used it several times and it has more then paid for itself. It's not all that great for manuals and transfer cases. I use it with my c-man pro jack.
 

fourjeepin

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2011
Messages
3,653
Location
Atlanta, GA
+1 on the height issues mentioned above and getting an actual transmission jack. I will also add one other issue - it wobbles like crazy on the jack as only gravity holds it in place. The last time I used one if these, I was sorely tempted to weld it to the jack. I would have except the adapter belongs to a buddy of mine.
 

justme-

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2014
Messages
787
Location
Boston suburbs
+1 on the height issues mentioned above and getting an actual transmission jack. I will also add one other issue - it wobbles like crazy on the jack as only gravity holds it in place. The last time I used one if these, I was sorely tempted to weld it to the jack. I would have except the adapter belongs to a buddy of mine.

if the hole in the jack is much larger I would shim it piece of pipe as a bushing. My trans adapter has a threaded hole in the end of the pin so when you put it in the floor jack you bolt through a fender washer of sorts and not much wobble. Guess I got lucky in my choice of adapter.
 

850csi

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2019
Messages
9
Location
IL
Hey all -- does anyone know of any adapters that work with all of these newer floor jacks with threaded saddle mounts?

I need something that will get up to somewhere between 24-30" to drop the transmission. (I have a kwik lift)

I cannot find anything under like $500 other than the HF low profile 2000 lb transmission jack ($300ish).

But even that is way more than I want to spend for something I'm going to use hopefully once only... Weight is not an issue (it's a manual and weighs probably less than 200lbs), but height is.

My floor jack goes high enough that an adapter would probably work... but they all seem to be designed for a different saddle type.
 
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rsanter

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
18,495
Location
visalia ca
Dim you don't want to buy a trans jack, for the longest time I used a plate I welded to a piece of round stock and put that on my floor jack.
Always worked ok but not as well as the trans jack I have now.

If the jack pad is not removable, there is generally a ring or clip that can be removed to then remove the pad
 

Den69rs96

Well-known member
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,512
Location
Central MA
I have the HF one and as others said it’s useless. I just pulled the 4 spd from my Camaro to replace the throw out bearing and I only used the flat plate. It actually made it harder to reinstall the trans because mine is so wobbly and the angle adjustment is pretty much useless.
 

NYBODYMAN

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2013
Messages
4,839
Location
NY
I have an old Milwaukee Jacks Model 3000 trans jack. This thing is a beast! I used it a few times but now I trip over it. I'll be listing it in the classifieds.
 

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850csi

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2019
Messages
9
Location
IL
Dim you don't want to buy a trans jack, for the longest time I used a plate I welded to a piece of round stock and put that on my floor jack.
Always worked ok but not as well as the trans jack I have now.

If the jack pad is not removable, there is generally a ring or clip that can be removed to then remove the pad


It’s removable, but it’s held in by a threaded bolt as opposed to other jacks where the saddle is mounted on a shaft and just sits in place. My issue is that the jack adapters seem to be designed exclusively for the latter.
 
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finn

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Messages
16,204
Location
The UP, God's country
I have one of the adapters. No recollection of where I bought it but it’s probably at least thirty years old. You still see them at swap meets, brand new, at the imported tool vendor tents.

I thought it was pretty useless at first, but it must have become smarter after the first half dozen clutch jobs or automatic transmission swaps.

It sits under the bench now, since I bought a lift and transmission jack.

I don’t miss lying on my back wrestling a balky transmission onto that thing, but it was better than bench pressing a Ford toploader.
 

2mJps

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
1,797
Location
north central Mo
If i was going to need a trans jack i would borrow one or sell a kidney and get one it makes the job alot easier. I Have R and R hundreds of trans in my 40 plus years wrenching but never used one until a few years ago i have 3 now.
 

justanengineer

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Messages
7,722
Location
Motor City
On the ground I just use a block of wood . On smaller transmissions I hold the tailshaft with one hand while lowering the Jack with the other. On larger transmissions I have a helper steady it while lowering.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

tre873

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
607
Location
NE TX
I built one similar to this. The center hole is large enough for the original bolt to attach it to the jack. It has the same pitfalls mentioned earlier; it doesn't tilt. The movable arms are 3/8 flat stock with rebar welded in. The rebar sits on the edge of the transmission pan.ab0394fea062f6fd9813348025d45f1a.jpg
 

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jeepnut24

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 23, 2006
Messages
797
Location
Morrison CO
Mine is a HF job... tilts and all that junk. I hate it because it ends up being EXTRA tall and makes it hard to remove the trans from under the vehicle. I would like to build the equivalent to what is above. Though I might add holes to the tabs, and reuse the chains from the HF tool. Though I mainly use it for transfer cases, and that would work perfect for them... Why do they always leak for me... :(
 
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