What Floor Jack to Get?

[mgold]

I know there are a lot of threads on this, but I'm still unsure of what floor jack to get. Ideally I'd like to get a 3-ton capacity jack for around $100. I saw that people really like the Arcan XL35R from Costco, but it's not available anymore. I was going to go Sears, since I have gift cards there, but read those jacks fail quickly. I'm considering going to HF, but I can't seem to bring myself to go there. I just can't seem to believe they would make a quality jack.

What are my options? I just want a good jack for home use that won't break quickly. Are there any good 3-ton floor jacks out there for $100?

 

[Case IH]

Welcome to GJ

I have a 3ton HF heavy duty jack and it serves me well

 

[theoldwizard1]

I just want a good jack for home use that won't break quickly. Are there any good 3-ton floor jacks out there for $100?

You should also add "any can be rebuilt with readily available parts".

If you looking for a new one, the answer is "Not for $100", even without my qualifier.

The Costco Arcan and Sam's Club Michelin were cheap for a reason. They don't last. Getting repair parts is not impossible with guys like Hiball on this forum. You still have to ask why a seal failed in less than 5 years (Bad metal ? Bad machining ?)

Shop CL. Look for an old American made jack or possibly Japanese (not Chinese). A good 2 ton will easily pick up the front or back half of a 1 ton pickup (unless it is loaded with gravel).

Some of the old Sears/Craftsman jacks are made by Blackhawk.


P.S. My 25 year old, 1.5 ton, Japanese Sears jack picks up the front corner or the back half of my E150 with no problem.

 

[impulse922]

if you have a northern tool locally, they have an arcan 3 ton for about 150 bones.

Personally, i've been trying to save/justify buying a new hein-werner 93642

 

[str8axle55]

I have a black Craftsman one that is about 10 yrs old, and came w/2 jackstands. It does everything I`ve ever asked, w/ no problems.

 

[mgold]

If you looking for a new one, the answer is "Not for $100"

What jack would you suggest? Let's say I was going to spend $150.

If you have a northern tool locally, they have an arcan 3 ton for about 150 bones.

Northern is out of the Arcan models. At least they aren't listed on the website anymore. I sure wish Costco still had them!

 

[Pukeballs]

I'm in the same boat. I've been scouring CL and even Ebay to find a decent 3 ton jack for the past year. Dont want to drop huge $$$ on something that I'll realistically use a couple times a year. And I want something that wont unexpectedly fail.

I've been looking at the 3.5 ton from NAPA. The local shop has had them on sale for awhile now for $249. Just cant pull the trigger though. Anyone else had any experience with them?

 

[impulse922]

the Torin at northern looks very similar in pics to the Arcan.

Blackhawk also has some affordable jacks at northern

 

[JohnFreeman]

I picked up a nice used SnapOn USA made jack for $150 on CL. They're not too hard to find there.

 

[plinker]

I've been looking at the 3.5 ton from NAPA. The local shop has had them on sale for awhile now for $249. Just cant pull the trigger though. Anyone else had any experience with them?

My Dad bought one 7-8 years ago, have had no problems with it.
I just bought one myself a week ago. It's a really good jack for 250$, IMO.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The Blackhawk BH6025 (2.5 ton) and BH6034 (3 ton) look like nice jacks, and are reasonably priced, but I can guarantee they are imported.

Worse, the Operating Instructions & Parts Manual lists the entire "hydraulic unit" is listed as one assembly meaning that no seals, o-rings, etc. are available from the company.

Unless you can find some one who has owned one of these for a few years, I would not buy one.

 

[dragonle87]

What about the one from NAPA?
http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Detail.aspx?R=NLE7916425_0006396327

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

At least they aren't listed on the website anymore. I sure wish Costco still had them!

I got one from Costco two weeks ago.

 

[tkcaudill]

i like the ones on http://asedeals.com/jacks2.html

 

[Hiball]

Listen... We have been thru this many times. Trust me when i say i completely understand, Everyone wants the best product for the least amount of money when it comes to Hydraulic Jacks. Unfortunately the 2 dont go Hand in Hand when considering New Jacks. Now.. Im not saying that every jack under $150 is Junk, Thats just not the case but they are prone to cheap seals and Poor Quality control. When looking for a jack, Actually Look... If you look into the Blackhawk jacks you will see many of the same similarities with Harbor Freight, Torin, Sears etc..... Most of the time the higher priced jacks carry a better warranty and thats the only difference. Next.. I dont care if you have a $5000 dollar jack or a $30 dollar HF jack, Soft Parts can be source for any jack. I put Import Jack seals together daily for customers and have for many years, It just takes a little effort and some Know-how. My Experience tells me that if you cant justify a Quality American Jack, Make sure you keep your receipt and possibly invest in a Extended Warranty, Most Poor QC products show there weakness early in there Life. The Imports from the 70-90's are Not on the same level as todays Bargain Box stores, There are some Great imports out there, Norco comes to mind.

 

[stricht8]

Yes. The older imports seem to be ok. I have a couple of mid-late nineties Larin ( bought at BJs) jacks and they have not leaked yet. I kept one car jacked up for about ten days (no Jack stands) and the jack didn't leak even a bit.

 

[dragonle87]

Dragonle, that Napa jack you are suggesting lists at $546. Is that the one on sale for $250? I think that price is out of reach for most diy mechanics.

Haha if u can fool ppl at napa saying u work for a shop they will give u a cheaper price. Less than $300

 

[dragonle87]

My coworker says NAPA jacks were made by hein-werner.
I doubt it, then again what do I know

 

[mikebramel]

I have the 3t "low profile" from hf. paid $60 i think. I have left it outside and its had snow and ice on it. also had slag on it from sandblasting. still works good. no complaints here.

 

[stricht8]

My coworker says NAPA jacks were made by hein-werner.
I doubt it, then again what do I know

NAPA=China, Hein Werner=USA

 

[Hiball]

My coworker says NAPA jacks were made by hein-werner.
I doubt it, then again what do I know

NO.. But Shinn Fu owns Hein Werner along with Blackhawk, Omega and Numerous other companies and there is a possibility that Shinn Fu Provides Napa with there jack. Its nearly impossible to keep up with who makes what etc... Shinn fu will make you any color combination jack you want. Where People get confused is that Napa used to sell Lincoln jacks and when Lincoln sold out to HW, Napa didnt offer there Line. Instead, They chose to sell a copy cat Import version that looked identical for a similar price.

 

[GrantM2Gar]

I am very satisfied with this jack, AFF 350SS.

http://www.autoliftsandparts.com/servlet/the-116/350SS-AFF-American-Forge/Detail

 

[bentwrench54]

i have a 3 ton rapid lift from performance tool, and have used it for almost 10 years now. works great, no leaks!

 

[theoldwizard1]

Shinn Fu owns Hein Werner along with Blackhawk, Omega and Numerous other companies and there is a possibility that Shinn Fu Provides Napa with there jack. Its nearly impossible to keep up with who makes what etc...

Amen to that ! And only a real pro, like Hiball, knows where to get seals, O-rings, etc to fix them !

Slightly off topic. What is the most common failure you see (aside from folks disassembling working valves or overload valves and not properly reassembling them).

In your opinion, is it poor quality metal/machining, poor quality seals, or poor design?

 

[Shipfittin]

I've got a 3 1/2 Ton from Craftsman that I have used the **** out of and never had one problem with it.

 

[thesilverone]

I've been happy with my AFF 200T

 

[baucom]

If you truly want to spend less than 100-150 for a new jack, then pick a size and style jack that you need/want and start shopping by price and reputation of the retailer, because at that price they're all about the same, except color & stickers, with a relatively high number of duds mixed in with the fair-good units. The reputation of the retailer is important if you get a dud...

I have a 3T Craftsman that I bought on sale a couple yrs ago for $49.** & I've been very satisfied with it. It lifts my Nissan Titan just fine, hasn't leaked...yet, & was a good value at that price. I think for infrequent use, such as maintaining your personal vehicles, a jack like this is fine, you just have to understand & accept that a $100 jack is going to have shortcomings compared to a $3-400+ jack. All it really has to do is lift a load occassionally and not leak down before you can place the jack stands. I wouldn't use the finest Hein Werner to support a load I was working under (without jack stands).

 

[str8axle55]

Re: Sears "Follow Price"

I was at Sears today, 3 ton black C-man, same one I have for $99, been a damn good jack for me.

 

[thesilverone]

Re: Sears "Follow Price"

I was at Sears today, 3 ton black C-man, same one I have for $99, been a damn good jack for me.

That jack sucked for me. It started leaking after a year and lowering the car was "interesting" to say the least. I would twist the handle and once I reached a certain the point the jack would just drop, no gradual decline.

 

[SledgeFix]

My local Costco has 1/2 a pallet of the Arcan jacks on the floor where it fits under the shelving, every time I go it looks exactly the same, untouched. Of course, now that I say that, the purchase I've been putting off will be selling out. That it's gone from the website probably means they've shipped the last bunch of them out of the main warehouse and you have to find one left in a store, but I'm certain you can still find them.

 

[jdv]

Re: Sears "Follow Price"

That jack sucked for me. It started leaking after a year and lowering the car was "interesting" to say the least. I would twist the handle and once I reached a certain the point the jack would just drop, no gradual decline.

I had a 3 ton Craftsman SUV and an older 3 ton service jack. The 3 ton service jack dropped a car while I was getting stands placed under it. Just recently my 3 ton SUV started building up a pool of oil under it while I was jacking up my car, found that to be quite "interesting" as well. I'm a big Cman fan, but those jacks can be scary.

 

[BajaBound]

HF Pittsburgh 3ton jack it's gun metal grey and it picks up the front of cummins up nicely and holds.

 

[23bw]

Call Costco

Best deal is the Arcam from Costco. Before completely giving up on the Arcam, you should go to Costco's front desk (or call) and ask them to check in their computer system for the item in stock at nearby stores. That saves you from driving and calling around.

The Arcam XL-35R jack at Costco is item# 300930

 

[Lump]

To each his own. I have 3 old used USA-made floor jacks. All three bought new by members of my family. I will continue to have them rebuilt when they need it, by someone like HiBall who really knows what they're doing with floor jack hydraulics.

I see jacks like mine at auctions near here from time to time...usually selling for $50 to $150, depending on whether they work or not. For MY money, I would be happier buying one of those, and having HiBall or someone like him to restore the hydraulics on them.

 

[Plump]

the Torin at northern looks very similar in pics to the Arcan.

Blackhawk also has some affordable jacks at northern

I had and have a cheap Torin from Northern Tool. First one crapped out on me and I made it worse by trying to fix it. The one I'm on now is about 5 years old and works great. Qualifier: I don't do a ton of work with it though and do have a feeling that it wouldn't last long if I did.

For the price though, I figured I could replace it a few times before a "good" one made sense for me. Got it in a kit with jack stands for cheap but I have seen that they haven't had this same deal for a while.

 

[impulse922]

I've been happy with my AFF 200T

I just saw this one on ASEdeals.com, how long have you had it?

Hiball, do you have any experience with it?(american forge and foundry 200T)

 

[ilya]

I'd like to join this thread w/. a similar question. I'm also looking for a 2-ton full-size rebuildable floor jack. Do you guys know of any shops around Los Angeles which stock Norco, Hein-Werner, or OTC jacks? It seems like the shipping cost would kill any savings from buying a jack online.

Edit: I've set up a search on craigslist a few months ago but without any success.

 

[Scout Driver]

Look at a 3-ton Torin Big Red from Northern Tool.

Scott

 

[TAftw]

Check craigslist. I almost bought a Hein Warner with a bad seal for $40. Unfortunately the guy sold out from under me.

 

[kpamoikra]

What about Harbor Freight? No one discussing here about this floor jack. I read floor jack reviews here and few other site too. And, I also heard lots of good things and their price also affordable(under $100). Anyone have personal experience about HF floor jack?