Transmission Jacks

[scca240z]

According to the forum, I’ve never posted before. I’ve been here since 2008 so I’m surprised. My name is Tom, and I guess I’ve lurked here for 12 years or so.

So I apologize for my reticence and hello.

I’m getting to the age where benching a transmission into a car is ill advised. So I’m looking at transmission jacks. For the past 40 years I’ve used my craftsman floor jack to get a transmission into place and then just lifted it up from there.

I’ve hit a snag trying to wrestle a 944 transaxle into place. That dang thing is heavy or I’m getting old or both.

I’ve seen the threads on transmission lifts, about harbor freight and such. But I haven’t found a thread on just transmission jacks. It looks like most are made flat bottomed for automatics, and are either cheap and weak or uber expensive.

What’s a good choice? It doesn’t have to be the best, but I’d like to see what the thoughts are here.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

 

[American Locomotive]

I've used the HF transmission jacks to do a couple of old-school manual truck transmissions. Never had much of an issue. Just make sure you attach it using chains or straps to the jack plate to keep it in place. Being able to adjust the angle/tilt makes it a lot easier to line up input shafts and stuff.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I have one I bought from Summit Racing that is okay I guess. My biggest gripe with it is that its lowest height is higher than I would prefer. I would also an air over hydraulic jack because it takes quite a while to jack it up from its lowest height to its highest. Rated at 1,000 lbs is big enough to do anything I am going to do. It is flat and worked best for the automatic transmission I put in my nephew's Silverado, but was also quite useful for the transmission in my Civic and has been used on a couple of 944s as well.

If it was something I needed to do a lot with I would have spent more and gotten a better one, but for no more than I use it I will live with the downsides.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-917050

 

[scca240z]

I've used the HF transmission jacks to do a couple of old-school manual truck transmissions. Never had much of an issue. Just make sure you attach it using chains or straps to the jack plate to keep it in place. Being able to adjust the angle/tilt makes it a lot easier to line up input shafts and stuff.

Adjusting the angle is the issue with a board on a jack approach. The transaxle wants to find a way to roll off.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I made an adjustable plate to go on one of my existing jacks

 

[scca240z]

I have one I bought from Summit Racing that is okay I guess. My biggest gripe with it is that its lowest height is higher than I would prefer. I would also an air over hydraulic jack because it takes quite a while to jack it up from its lowest height to its highest. Rated at 1,000 lbs is big enough to do anything I am going to do. It is flat and worked best for the automatic transmission I put in my nephew's Silverado, but was also quite useful for the transmission in my Civic and has been used on a couple of 944s as well.

If it was something I needed to do a lot with I would have spent more and gotten a better one, but for no more than I use it I will live with the downsides.

I’ve been working under jackstands, I wish that would work. It looks like you could even use that at half height by removing the bottom extension. But that’s still too high. I need to invest in a low rise lift too. I’ve been following those threads for years.

 

[scca240z]

I made an adjustable plate to go on one of my existing jacks

That might be my best approach. Something that bolts to the jack and supports the transaxle by the axle shaft flanges. And a chain or ratchet strap to hold it in place. I thought about doing a prototype in wood, like a wooden engine stand on wheels. I have some 2x6 stands to support an engine so it can rest on the floor but not be supported by the oil pan. If I made one shorter, and set it up so a jack could roll under it, I could roll the transaxle under the car and lift it.

 

[Gunfixr]

After pulling the trans on my 4x4 one weekend at the parents house of my then girlfriend after blowing the main seal driving her dad around on the beach, I drilled and tapped a hole in my floor jack, made a plate that screwed into it to give me a better platform. It would be simple to add holes so that straps or chains could hold a ****** to the plate.
Btw, her dad was impressed that I pulled the ****** (c6) from my truck and replaced the main seal by myself with hand tools that I had in the truck in an afternoon.
It was an f250 on 44" tires, so I could pretty much sit under it.

 

[DTE]

I do not remember the brand , but this style works good. From the 50's early 60,s maybe.

 

[65ranchero]

Just a suggestion , have you looked into rental places?
It may be a cost solution

Now that I reread your original post rental may not work for your continual use

 

[scca240z]

After pulling the trans on my 4x4 one weekend at the parents house of my then girlfriend after blowing the main seal driving her dad around on the beach, I drilled and tapped a hole in my floor jack, made a plate that screwed into it to give me a better platform. It would be simple to add holes so that straps or chains could hold a ****** to the plate.
Btw, her dad was impressed that I pulled the ****** (c6) from my truck and replaced the main seal by myself with hand tools that I had in the truck in an afternoon.
It was an f250 on 44" tires, so I could pretty much sit under it.

I have a piece of 12x12 plate. I might try that.

 

[scca240z]

I do not remember the brand , but this style works good. From the 50's early 60,s maybe.

I like it.

 

[scca240z]

Just a suggestion , have you looked into rental places?
It may be a cost solution

No, I haven’t. And I should. I would be smart if every project wasn’t an excuse for a new tool.

 

[DTE]

I like it.

It is pretty hard to beat, I have built frames to fit the pan of what I work on and chain it down and it is there to stay. I haven't looked lately but they are out there.

 

[scca240z]

I do not remember the brand , but this style works good. From the 50's early 60,s maybe.

I found out what it is. Looks like it might be a Walker no. 44 transmission jack.

 

[American Locomotive]

Adjusting the angle is the issue with a board on a jack approach. The transaxle wants to find a way to roll off.

That's what's great about the HF transmission jack. It has hook points for you to tie straps/chains to, so you can securely anchor the transmission.

HF has two different transmission jacks, though, so keep that in mind. They have one kind that's just like a flat plate that goes straight up/down on a scissors mechanism, and they another one that looks more like a standard floor jack, but it has a fancy attachment plate with knobs and levers that let's you change the angle.

It's the second one I'm talking about.

 

[gnpenning]

I do not remember the brand , but this style works good. From the 50's early 60,s maybe.

I have this exact jack. I didn't think it was that old???

It works very well with the screw drive for fine adjustments. It will rotate side to side making one side higher if needed as well as raise or lower the forward and back ends. Pretty heavy and well built.

Had a screw issue when I got it years ago. Easy fix that has held up through the years. I did have some one I lent it to weld a bar on the plate for their application and bring it back that way... That ended their option to use again.

You are right about it working well.

 

[latebreak]

That's what's great about the HF transmission jack. It has hook points for you to tie straps/chains to, so you can securely anchor the transmission.



HF has two different transmission jacks, though, so keep that in mind. They have one kind that's just like a flat plate that goes straight up/down on a scissors mechanism, and they another one that looks more like a standard floor jack, but it has a fancy attachment plate with knobs and levers that let's you change the angle.



It's the second one I'm talking about.

I have the first style HF scissor transmission jack. I paid about $60 after coupons. It works really well. I use my M18 impact to run it up/down.

It’s been used on a Jeep transaxle, a C4 Corvette rear differential/batwing/rear axles, and a Mopar A833. I’ve more than gotten my money from it.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[pbon]

I have the HF scissor trans jack and like it within it’s maybe 2’ range. Had it at least a decade and used it many times on my back or sitting on the floor under the car. A couple of years ago, I bought a Weaver 3 stage jack with a 6’ range and like it for working under the lift, though I would just lower the lift down when using the scissor jack. The Weaver is more stable, has more capacity and a bigger platform that you could attach a jig to for a subframe lowering.

 

[bwringer]

I've rented transmission jacks and such before, but honestly you're money way ahead if you buy the Harbor Freight version (which works very well) then sell it on CrackList when you're done. Plus, you don't get in a hurry because the thing is costing you $25/day.

I've done this a few times with bulky seldom-needed stuff. The last was an engine hoist that was gone in less than two hours for $40 less than what it cost new. The whole project took me about a week, and a rental was $25/day ($120 for a week, IIRC) for a beat-up filthy leaking POS.

 

[yelchevelle]

Don’t know about your application, but I bought the 2000lb capacity transmission jack to swap the clutch in a 2002 Dodge 3500. It was a nv5600 transmission, which weighs between 300-400 lbs and is super tight to fit in those trucks. I felt like that jack easily handled the transmission. I would definitely recommend it.

 

[Stephenw]

A long time ago, I had a transmission adapter for a floor jack. They do no work very well.

The base of a transmission jack is much wider and more stable than the base of a floor jack. The tilt features are a big help for getting a heavy transmission lined up to the engine block. I picked up a transmission jack from Harbor Freight many years ago.

 

[enrare]

Thought I'd share this with you guys. This guy also offers a base plate so you can use the 4 point adapter on your transmission jack

www.911motorsports.net/4-point-Jack-Adapter--for-Floor-and-Transmission-Jacks_p_34.html

 

[finn]

I have the floor jack adapter. It’s better than a board, but that’s the greatest endorsement I can give it.

Haven’t used it since I bought a two post lift.

I have a Sunex single stage transmission jack to go with the lift. Wouldn’t recommend that either, for you guys with lifts. Two stage is better, by far.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I’ve been working under jackstands, I wish that would work. It looks like you could even use that at half height by removing the bottom extension. But that’s still too high. I need to invest in a low rise lift too. I’ve been following those threads for years.

Oh you poor man. You have a 944 and don't have a lift. With a 944 you really need a lift.

 

[csp]

I have rented a few times and have also used a conversion deal for a floor jack. The actual trans jacks win hands down with the adjustability, much easier to roll casters and the fact that all four casters are swivel.

I recently bought a trans jack from an online auction house and am done with the rentals and having to hurry. IIRC it was less than $60 and it's a Walker jack.