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Hydraulic floor jack

atokadatokad Member Posts: 30
in General
Im looking for a good 2 ton floor jack for personal use at home. I dont need the most expensive one out there but rather a good middle-of-the road one. Any reccomendations??

atokaD
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Comments

  • lwittorflwittorf Member Posts: 96
    If you have a costco where you are at get their 2.5 ton pro floor jack for 69.00 [in Spokane] seems like a good jack for the money best I have seen anyway.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I can't believe how cheap these are now. Back in the seventies a good Hein Warner 1/2 ton floor jack was close to 400.00.

    Remember, these may be cheap imports. I sure wouldn't crawl under the car without a good set of jack stands.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    They're cheap because they're cheaply built...but for occasional use, they'd be okay. GOOD POINT...always, always use floor jacks.

    If you plan lots of use or are lifting a heavy vehicle, I'd sure spend more than $69 bucks however.

    I bought one of the costco jacks, and it's been fine...but I don't think it would last long in a commercial garage.
  • atokadatokad Member Posts: 30
    I agree about the jack stands. I just want one for home use like oil changes and tire rotations and some minor repair work.. nothing heavy duty..

    atokaD
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I spent a LOT of years in the tool business and saw a lot of things change.

    In the late seventies, all floor jacks were made be Hein Werner, Lincoln or Walker. They were U.S. made, lasted forever and cost a lot.

    Same thing with vises, cherry pickers and a few other pieces of shop equipment.

    Heck, a quality 6 inch vise was 200.00 or more.

    Today, Costco sells a chinese built vise that is even larger for something like 60.00!

    But, we used to actually REPAIR shop equipment and vises in those days. Now these are just throwaway itmes like so many other things.

    Oh well...!
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    One of the heavy duty 2 ton models. I don't know whats out there now adays but buy the most massive one within your price range. Don't touch the small, compact, light duty models. They don't have the lift height, the wide base for stability, or the ruggedness to last.

    I saw those Chinese made vises and the threads on the shaft look horrible.
  • rs_pettyrs_petty Member Posts: 423
    I got a 3.5 ton at BJ's (wholesale place like Costco/Sam's) for 39 bucks. Kept waiting for it to be reduced and got one of the last 3. It's good enough for my uses.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Chinese tools LOOK good but I'm not impressed...I've cracked more than a few sockets and the open end wrenches spread so much under pressure you can get hurt when they slip. My Snap On wrenches, as absurdly expensive as they were, look and work great after 15 years.

    Oh, on the subject of Jack Stands...don't buy those cheap ones with funky little strips welded in a triangle. If you can lift it with one finger, it's not a good jack stand. I've seen the cheap ones give way (they collapse sideways, or the locater pins break)
  • fritz1224fritz1224 Member Posts: 398
    I've been shopping for a good Amrican jack and can't find one in the traditional auto stores(pep boys), NAPA, sears, etc. Even the sears craftsman was made in China. Would like to buy it locally to avoid shipping and handling, but nobody around here has them. I did find a Lincoln 2 1/2 ton for @$249, but I read somewhere that they use foreign parts. Any ideas?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think you need to go to a store that doesn't just cater to consumers...do you have something like a Post Tool store in your area?

    Or you could ask for the Northern Tool Catalog 1-800-468-8298....they have got some SERIOUS looking jacks in there from Wel-Bilt, Arcan, Go Jak which I believe are American products. Lincoln is also....this catalog list a 2-ton Lincoln for $199....and if you own a Ford Expedition, you can get the 20 ton model for $899 :)
  • rkpattrkpatt Member Posts: 23
    I was told by a jack repair shop that the current line of Lincoln jacks are imports. A while back they bough the Walker name but started importing the jacks.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I've out of the tool business for six years now, but I do think that most if not all of the americian jack manufactures may have caved in and are selling imports...too bad.

    I still own one of the very first imported two ton floor jacks. It's an Astro. I knew the owner of the company well. It's had little use and it still works fine. These went on the market for 129.95 in 1979. They KILLED the traditional jack sales.

    Maybe Blackhawk still builds US jacks?
  • fritz1224fritz1224 Member Posts: 398
    On the box that the Lincoln was in it said "made in USA" but that could just mean assembled in USA using imported parts. I'll get one of those catalogs and see what they have. Thanks
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