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View Full Version : Advice on Floor Jack (2 tons)



George Farra
08-05-2008, 12:22 PM
Hi Everyone

My 12 year old craftsman finally took a dump. based on customer reviews at sears.com, thier jacks are not what they used to be.

I'm interested in the newer aluminum race jacks simply due to weight. I need 2 tons with a lift capacity of 4 to 18 inches. Budget is $200.

Any recommendations? Any brands still made in the USA?

Thanks in advance

George

Jason Roehl
08-05-2008, 8:28 PM
George, several years ago, when I bought my '93 Ford F250, I found that my little floor jack couldn't get the truck high enough to even remove a wheel, let alone give me extra room underneath to work on the vehicle (not that it's tight under there now...). Anyway, I went down to PepBoys or AutoZone and got a 2.5 ton floor jack, basically the most lift for the money ($75-100, I think it was). I've used it a fair amount, and it's still going strong. The only issue I had with it was that the pin that held the two halves of the handle together fell out easily and was eventually lost, so I replaced it with a clevis pin (had to drill the hole out a bit), and now all is right in the universe again.

I'm sure it was made in China, but good luck finding any different these days. Mine is not aluminum, so it is heavy, but since my driveway is now concrete (previous house was gravel, used it there many times), I just roll/drag it everywhere.

Randal Stevenson
08-05-2008, 11:36 PM
To the best of my knowledge, NO aluminum jacks are made in the US. I know Hein Warner has a steel jack made here, and I believe OTC has one line (steel) that are still made here ($400 price range).

Mike Henderson
08-06-2008, 12:25 AM
Whatever one you think of buying, try jacking it with minimum movement of the handle before you buy it. Some of the less expensive one require the handle to come up pretty high to get a pump. And when you have a car with a flat and you slide the jack under the car, you don't get much motion with the handle. It can be a real pain sitting there trying to jack the vehicle when you can only get maybe one foot of up and down movement with the end of the handle.

The better jacks are designed to work with that minimum movement.

Mike