Do you even lift Oppo?

"PowderHound" (PowderHound)
03/12/2015 at 17:44 • Filed to: None

Let's keep it short. I need a floor jack so I'm not using the scissor jack to get one side at a time up on car jacks. I'm not trying to be crazy cheap with this or go all out and spend $800 on a gold plated diamond encrusted floor jack. Anything to stay away from? Minimum load rating? Other necessary do-dads to look for? I would prefer to not order online, luckily there is just about any shop I could ever want within a half hour.

DISCUSSION (24)

WiscoProud > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 17:46

I'm in the same boat. After not having a dedicated garage for the last decade, I'm in the process of prepping one.

My concern is it needs to be a relatively high lift as my truck isn't exactly low to the ground. I don't know if a normal lift could get my tires off the ground.

wunderwagen wants a longer roof > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 17:47

I've got a Husky brand floor jack rated for 2.5 tons and came with two jack stands rated for 2 tons each. It's worked pretty well for me.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 17:53

I would say keep it to minimum 2.5 ton, make sure there's no crab in the lifting head, and go nuts.
(What I mean by crab is whether the jack's lifting head can be moved crossways and/or is poorly braced when lifting. If you lift something off-center and the jack warps enough to go off-balance or for the head's little pins to pop out, you're boned.)

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 17:56

I have your standard Big Red 2 ton jack from Pep Boys. Worked fine yesterday when I swapped out my wheels. I would recommend it for use on small cars, and mostly lifting from pinch welds or the factory lift spots. The contact part on it is not nearly as broad as the one in the photo you posted, and it does not seem overly robust, so I definitively don't think I would used it to lift an entire rear end from the diff like in the photo.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > wunderwagen wants a longer roof
03/12/2015 at 17:56

that sounds like a hell of a deal. people like to knock husky but I've used their tools plenty and never had any issues. Coincidentally I've actually broken more craftsman than any other brand.

PowderHound > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
03/12/2015 at 18:00

I've used a fairly cheap, maybe big red, to lift the rear of my suby before and didn't really have any issues but wouldn't hurt to go bigger!

PowderHound > WiscoProud
03/12/2015 at 18:01

Luckily(?) I don't have a truck so lift height isn't too big of a worry for me

vicali > wunderwagen wants a longer roof
03/12/2015 at 18:12

Picked up this 3 ton from the local tool place when my last cheap one died; I liked the rapid lift, 4 5/8" - 20" height, and rebuildable seals. The fact that most of the local tire shops use the same ones doesn't hurt either.

Kinja'd!!!

wunderwagen wants a longer roof > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
03/12/2015 at 18:29

Same exact experience. Mine was on sale for like $25 last summer.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 18:47

just found this.. 3 ton, 2 stand and a roller

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-Ton-…

Brian, The Life of > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 18:57

just go to Harbor Freight. I've had mine for 10 years and 0 problems.

McLarry > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 19:07

If your car has the ground clearance, I'd recommend going for a 3-ton jack...they aren't much more. Sears does sales pretty commonly on their 3-ton Craftsman jack plus 2 jackstands and a rolly-thingy for like $100-$110. I bought it 6-9 months ago, no complaints so far (except that it's too tall to fit far enough under the front of my wife's car to reach the center jacking point :P)

Killing-Machine > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 19:24

I have a 3.5 ton from Napa, I have had no problems with it.

PowderHound > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
03/12/2015 at 19:54

damn 60 bucks! Plus I would have 4 jack stands...

PowderHound > Brian, The Life of
03/12/2015 at 19:55

May have to make a trip this weekend. I know there is a harbor freight somewhere around here

Brian, The Life of > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 20:04

They're just so cheap ... and they usually have a jack plus two jack stand deal going on. Also, the smell of the place ... That intoxicating smell of machine oil mixed with godknowswhat ... Smells like victory!

PowderHound > Brian, The Life of
03/12/2015 at 20:10

I also need a torque wrench and probably so many other things.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 21:33

sold out online but my local store has plenty. Even says what aisle it's in. I'm impressed home depot

shop-teacher > PowderHound
03/12/2015 at 22:46

NAPA has excellent jacks. A little more expensive than say a Craftsman, but a lot higher quality. They even hold up to the abuse that the kids in my buddy's auto shop class.

orcim > PowderHound
03/13/2015 at 01:51

I have a beast of a floor jack where everything is cast steel, and it does fine though moving it from place to place requires core strength (someday will replace with a nice alum. one.) If I set it to hold a motor up, it's there in the next morning in the same position. I have a cheapy Sears one that came with jack stands which won't hold a position over an hour's time. Hate it for that. Good for lifting onto a jack stand, bad for non permanent repairs. Wait for the sales, get a "good" quality one. But in the end, they all work to one level or another so "deal" is the 1st rule.

MM54 > PowderHound
03/13/2015 at 15:15

I have a 3-ton harbor freight floor jack. Not only does it lift 3 tons, it also weighs about 3 tons. That said, it's always done its job, and the removable handle makes a good 5-foot cheater bar.

MM54 > PowderHound
03/13/2015 at 15:16

I would not trust a torque wrench from harbor freight. I used my friend's once (I don't have a small one for the inch-lbs I needed) and it felt really, really sketchy. Sure, it'll get you close, but that extra 4 ft-lbs can be the difference between driving home and stripping out your head with the new spark plug.

PowderHound > MM54
03/13/2015 at 15:45

good to know. I should just buy a good one but everything I see is about $100 which just seems insane.

MM54 > PowderHound
03/13/2015 at 15:58

I have an ATD Model 101, which I got from the estate of a deceased family friend. It's a pretty nice wrench, but is so big I have trouble using it in a lot of scenarios.