US Jack, Jack Stands review

[alan camby]

I just received my order for the US Jack brand jack stands in both the 3 ton and 6 ton versions. Bought them for the USA construction, double pawl locks, and a rating that is higher then the typical stand. These stands (6 ton for example) are rated for 6 tons per stand not 6 tons for the pair like most on the market.

Plan to add details to this thread that go beyond the specs on the US Jacks site to give everyone a better idea of the build construction of these stands.

First thing I want to say is that I am very pleased with the 3 ton stands. Paint is decent and the welds look good with good heat and penetration. Not race car or NASA welds, but look like good welds.

Now the 6 tons, that I received, have the same design with the obviously larger steel parts that make up a 6 ton stand over a 3 ton. The problem is the welds, they look very cold with very little penetration.

I will add more detail. For now i just wanted to get some pictures up to hear some opinions on the welds. Hope this thread will help others get a better idea of what they are purchasing because I know I was really wanting to see more pictures and specs before I ordered mine.

3 ton stand with good welds IMO. Notice how the weld has penetrated into the metal and melted away at the metal around the weld.

3 ton stand

6 ton stand with the questionable welds

6 ton stand

6 ton stand

6 ton stand

Here is the unique toothed load bar setup. Most manufacturers have a ratchet bar (US jack calls it a load bar) that has hooked teeth. These US jack units are more of a flat tooth. The handle that controls the locking of the teeth into the bar is made of a cast material. The stands have ductile iron load bars and I assume that the handle is of the same material going off of the appearance


here is the load bar

Here is a closer look at the release handle. Notice the 2 welded pins near the handle. These pins work with the handle. The handle has slots cast in them that run at an angle. These slots ride on the welded in pins and force the handle againt the load bar as weight is applied to the top of the stand load bar.

Here are the specs from US Jack http://www.usjack.com/products/Jack Stands.pdf
which is where i bought them from.

much more to follow in time

thanks for stopping by

 

[alan camby]

I am one of those weird people that like to know all of the details on a product.
I put this information up in case someone whats to compare the construction with a stand that they want or already own.


Here is a previously posted picture that I am using as a reference. See below the picture

Quoted section goes with above picture

The round bar that wraps around the stands at the base
-3 ton stand .250" diameter
-6 ton stand .315" diameter

The angle steel legs are not the typical angle iron that is bought at a metal supply house.
It was formed in some kind of brake since the bend in the angle is rounded.
-3 ton stand is about 1"x1"x .095" thick
-6 ton stand is about 1.5"x1.5"x .095" thick

The formed metal top with the US Jack sticker is what contains the handle. It acts as a guide and side support for the load bar.
-3 ton stand is .175" thick
-6 ton stand is .205" thick

The load bar is the main cast bar that has all the teeth on the side.
US Jack specs say the load bar is Ductile iron.
The load bar is a square shaped structure.
-3 ton stands the square is about 1.15" x 1.15"
-6 ton stands the square is about 1.4" x 1.4"

The rest of the specs can be seen at the US jack link I put in the first post.
If someone whats some other measurement, just ask.

Thanks for looking

 

[t100]

6 ton stand with the questionable welds

6 ton stand

6 ton stand

6 ton stand

these kids in India can do much better.

 

[browntown]

Mine are in the mail. I was going to order a pair of 6 tons direct but shipping was killer to the west coast. The nice folks at US jack told me to order from http://www.jackxchange.com since they're closer to me.

Sub'd and I'll report on my welds when they arrive.

 

[TheGrooveking]

I was contemplating a sets of the 6 ton stands but after seeing these no way will I be ordering them. Jack stands are something I want to have any doubts about and those welds do not instill confidence.

TheGrooveking

 

[acdc73]

those welds don't look good at all.

 

[1967lemans]

3 ton stand with good welds IMO. Notice how the weld has penetrated into the metal and melted away at the metal around the weld.

That looks to be undercut which would deem those improper welds also.

 

[alan camby]

That looks to be undercut which would deem those improper welds also.

Yes, I agree. I thought they were good or acceptable. Whoever or whatever welded the metal did not keep the MiG gun in the center of the joint. Hard to see in the picture, but the majority of the weld went into the legs.

thanks for commenting.

 

[alan camby]

Thanks for all the comments on the welds.

I am a very picky person and wanted to make sure that i was not being to critical of the weld. Monday I plan to call US Jack and see if I can return or exchange the 6 ton set.

What really stinks is the shipping. If they say i have to return them on my dime, that will cost me another ~ $30.

I hope they help me out and agree with the welds. I can see the company saying that they check every stand in a press before it leaves the factory.
I think these would pass the stress test because the metal on top (portion with the stickers) sits on top of the legs. The welds are not in shear but compression. What scares me are the side loads that will be placed on the stands in the real world.

 

[alan camby]

Mine are in the mail. I was going to order a pair of 6 tons direct but shipping was killer to the west coast. The nice folks at US jack told me to order from http://www.jackxchange.com since they're closer to me.

Sub'd and I'll report on my welds when they arrive.

Mr. Browntown,
thanks and please report back.
I had mine in the cart from Jackxchange. The shipping was quite a bit more even thought the cost of the stands were cheaper. Think in total I paid around a extra $10 bucks to go with the factory in Michigan. Thought i would get better support from the factory if i ordered from them.

My total price was $220.64

Shipping was $35.70
3 ton stands $87.50
6 ton stands $97.44

 

[cgv69]

I just received my order for the US Jack brand jack stands ...and a rating that is higher then the typical stand. These stands (6 ton for example) are rated for 6 tons per stand not 6 tons for the pair like most on the market.

Every time a thread comes up about these stands, somebody states something like that about how they are rated so much higher then other 3-ton stands. That's kind of misleading IMO, really they are just mislabeled.

For whatever reason, US Jack doesn't follow the industry standard rating. If you look at the specs of the US Jack "3 ton" stands (weight, max height, etc.) they basically have the same capacity as what other companies would refer to as "6 ton" stands. Every jack stand manufacturer (including US jack) will tell you not to use one stand by itself as they are designed to be used in pairs. That's why you can't buy them individually. Because of that, everybody else in the industry rates their stands as a pair. Why US Jack decided to refer to their stands by what they are rated at individually is beyond me?

It would be like Ford or Chevy selling a V8 and claiming it's only a 4 cylinder because they decided to only rate it based off of one bank of cylinders and then turning around and claiming how much better that motor is compared to other true 4 cylinder motors because of all the extra power it has.

 

[justanengineer]

First thing I want to say is that I am very pleased with the 3 ton stands. Paint is decent and the welds look good with good heat and penetration. Not race car or NASA welds, but look like good welds.

I am a very picky person and wanted to make sure that i was not being to critical of the weld. Monday I plan to call US Jack and see if I can return or exchange the 6 ton set.

Return both sets as the welds are **** plain and simple. As 1967lemans pointed out, the welds on the 3 ton set are undercut, and also blown through the material at the end in several places.

 

[browntown]

Alan, here's the contact info of the fella I was in contact with about a good local distributor. I'd call/email bradley and link to these pics and see what he says:
Bradley Houseworth
Project Manager
U.S. Jack Company
1125 Industrial Court
Benton Harbor, MI 49022

Phone: (269) 925-7777; 1-800-535-2257
Fax: (269) 925-6656
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.usjack.com

 

[alan camby]

Alan, here's the contact info of the fella I was in contact with about a good local distributor. I'd call/email bradley and link to these pics and see what he says:
Bradley Houseworth
Project Manager
U.S. Jack Company
1125 Industrial Court
Benton Harbor, MI 49022

Phone: (269) 925-7777; 1-800-535-2257
Fax: (269) 925-6656
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.usjack.com

Browntown,
Thank you, I will email him.



Everyone,
I added all my specs in post #2
If anyone has any questions please ask

 

[lotsoftools]

Return both sets as the welds are **** plain and simple. As 1967lemans pointed out, the welds on the 3 ton set are undercut, and also blown through the material at the end in several places.

Yep, I agree.

 

[Higgins]

Just a thought! - Does anyone know if they sell them thru distributors? That way we would have the opportunity to look at them before purchasing them!

 

[alan camby]

Just a thought! - Does anyone know if they sell them thru distributors? That way we would have the opportunity to look at them before purchasing them!

I don't know.

I have never seen a US Jack stand around here.
I have read on the forum before that a lot of there business is with government accounts. Don't know if that is true.

It would be nice to save on the shipping costs.

 

[alan camby]

Return both sets as the welds are **** plain and simple. As 1967lemans pointed out, the welds on the 3 ton set are undercut, and also blown through the material at the end in several places.

Yep, I agree.

I plan to return both.
Thanks for your input

 

[browntown]

Mine came yesterday from Jack-X-change. One's welds look better than the other, but I'm no expert. Pics 3 and 5 are on the same stand and appear to me as not so great welds. Any welders that can tell me if it is anything to worry about?

 

[DragonKnight]

Mine came yesterday from Jack-X-change. One's welds look better than the other, but I'm no expert. Pics 3 and 5 are on the same stand and appear to me as not so great welds. Any welders that can tell me if it is anything to worry about?

Subscribed. Very curious on the quality of the current welds on this set of US Jack stands as I was thinking of ordering them myself.

Rich

 

[Ign]

Huh, saw this come up in Hot Deals regarding different brand of jackstands. Any resolution on this? Seems to have just faded away. Now I'm curious

 

[Farmall450]

I agree the welds aren't the greatest, but I'm gonna say they are MORE than sufficient to hold up what they are rated for, which is why US Jack has put out many of them, with no issue.

Yeah, they were shaky on the 3 tons, and could've burned in the 6 ton's more, but I think you'll find both welds to be good, either way.

 

[browntown]

I'm not an authority on welds. You can see pics of my pair on the previous page, same feedback. A little ugly welding, but solid as a rock. Had the wife's suv up in the air last week and remarked to myself how sturdy and high they were.

 

[allinon72]

I would have liked to see cleaner welds as well, but I don't think a company would let unsafe welds go out the door. 1 incident could put them out of business.

 

[Ign]

I agree the welds are ugly but adequate, just wondering what the company's response was. And I will say if I were selling jackstands professionally I'd never let those welds out the door, I'd just be embarrassed. So yeah, I think it's an aesthetic issue, not safety, kinda like selling wrenches with peeling chrome.......they look bad but work fine (granted much less safety at stake w wrenches, not a perfect analogy).

 

[wmartin]

I'm kind of surprised that jackstands look sort of sloppy. I would think that they'd either have a design with very few joins, or use some of automation in the welding. It just seems too simple a gizmo to have the labor content that they must have.

 

[Skin]

I thought I had posted pictures before but i cant find them. Anyway here is my set purchased in 2011. Draw your own conclusions. As far as im concerned they're great and, speaking for myself, were a pretty good deal. I think the 4 ran me about $160 shipped. I've used them half a dozen times and will continue to use them. Good product in my opinion.

 

[bill wallace]

Those are typical wire production welds & are ok for the application. Everything is in compression & if you are side loading jack stands then you are not using them properly. There are some here that will question everything until it meets some personal standard & then ***** about the cost.

 

[tonyciambrone]

Those welds look cold to me, like fusion with the base metal was not achieved. like the kind my instructor would peel off with 2 second with a chipping hammer....my HF 6 tons look much better.

 

[anndel]

Mr. Browntown,
thanks and please report back.
I had mine in the cart from Jackxchange. The shipping was quite a bit more even thought the cost of the stands were cheaper. Think in total I paid around a extra $10 bucks to go with the factory in Michigan. Thought i would get better support from the factory if i ordered from them.

My total price was $220.64

Shipping was $35.70
3 ton stands $87.50
6 ton stands $97.44

That's cheap shipping. It'll cost at least $150 shipping for the 3 ton stands.

 

[wazzabie]

I think they test each jack stand before they ship. So the weld should hold per rating.