"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
04/17/2018 at 19:50 • Filed to: None
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"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
04/17/2018 at 19:50 • Filed to: None | 0
| 24 |
I have had my cheapo harbor freight floor jack for far too long and abused it way too much to rely on it much anymore. Sure, the only purpose of the floor jack is to get the car up to put it on jack stands. But it would just be nice to have one that will probably not fall down and ruin my brake rotor or cause some other calamity before a stand gets in there. The Harbor freight $30 special has served me well but recently one of the jack wheels fell off and the jack toppled over. Surprisingly nothing went wrong and the wheel went back on but obviously I dont trust the thing anymore. It was scary as hell but a typical lesson in always use a jack stand if you are going under the car.
Anyways, my requirements are that the jack cost sub $100, be able to fit in the trunk of my Miata (preferably in the spare tire well) and not weigh a fuckton. I have had trouble finding “lightweight” floor jacks that werent also cheap pieces of junk. Being light/small and well-built do not need to be independent but usually are. I’d definitely be willing to expand my budget for a low profile one since the Miata is a bit low for the taller jacks, even at roughly an inch less than stock height. The only cars being worked on will be my ‘06 Sti, ‘01 Miata, and my girlfriend’s ‘05 Civic so nothing is heavy enough to warrant anything “heavy duty”.
I’d be willing to purchase two jacks, one to keep in the car and one to use solely at home if its really impossible to get a small decent one, but that would just be a pain.
This will probably be my go-to solution if nothing better comes up:
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/17/2018 at 20:15 |
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Most of the aluminum low profile jacks are all made in the same place, then anodized different colors depending on what vendor they go to. The HF jack isn’t really any worse than the Craftsman or Big Red equivalent. As long as you’re using jackstands properly you should be fine. If you feel that this one is worn out, why not use this here coupon and get another one for $60?
facw
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/17/2018 at 20:17 |
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I had the aluminum racing jack you link to. Seemed pretty good to me. Didn’t have room for it when I left Texas, so I had to abandon it (also I no longer had any cars under 1.5 tons, so seemed better to get a new one later). My only real complaint is that I wish it lifted higher. Could barely get my jack stands under at maximum extension.
It does seem like pretty much the perfect fit for you though, fairly light, fairly cheap, and seems plenty sturdy.
ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/17/2018 at 20:24 |
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That jack you linked to will serve you well. Most of the racers I know have the same jack for at the track.
atfsgeoff
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/17/2018 at 20:24 |
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Hate to break it to ya, but for less than a hundred, you’re not gonna get a very well-built floor jack.
Best sub-$200 one is the HF Daytona:
https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-daytona-professional-steel-service-jack-super-duty-63183.html
She’s a heavy girl though (~104 lbs), so you probably won’t want to lug it around in your trunk. Get the 1.5 ton aluminum jack to stow in the trunk and keep the Daytona at home for garage/driveway duty.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/17/2018 at 21:48 |
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Seems safe: https://www.harborfreight.com/6000-lb-capacity-scissor-lift-91315.html
His Stigness
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/17/2018 at 22:18 |
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I’ve had the two-ton aluminum HF jack for years and have never had a problem with it. I’ve never even seen another name brand selling an aluminum jack.
And sub-$100 doesn’t get you much. I have been looking at low profile jacks from the likes of Sunnex, and they all are about $200-$300, plus they’re super heavy, but I need a low profile long reach for my cars.
Kailand09
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/17/2018 at 22:20 |
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If not the harbor freight daytona, let’s just dream:
https://www.quickjack.com/car-lift-systems/bl-5000slx-portable-car-lift.html
Wagon Guy drives a Boostang
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/17/2018 at 23:41 |
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I have the 2-ton version of the HF aluminum jack. I carry it to autocross and track days and have had no issues with it so far. I’ve talked to guys who have used these for years without problems...
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Kailand09
04/17/2018 at 23:41 |
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I mean I’d like to have something like that but I don’t have anywhere to put it. While I can do all the work I want and I have two parking spaces with nobody around me either, I still don’t have any storage space outside of the vehicles. My apartment is 6 floors away from the car which is not close lol.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> atfsgeoff
04/17/2018 at 23:43 |
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See I have a bigger issue with the weight than the cost. I don’t need something to lift a truck with, just something put together properly. I’d gladly spend more if I have to, I care more about the weight and construction quality than anything else.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/17/2018 at 23:47 |
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Well the bigger problem is I bought the cheapest one there lol. I do like to be able to rely on the floor jack at least. I don’t use jack stands for swapping wheels on the car. But yeah I saw that coupon and will probably get that. Figured I’d ask around what my options were though. Makes sense that there aren’t a whole lot of unique vendors for those.
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MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/18/2018 at 07:37 |
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Always, always, always use jack stands. Even if you’re just swapping wheels, by all means keep the car supported with the jack, but just throw a stand under there for safety. I lost a good friend a few years back when he got lazy and didn’t use stands. His Miata fell on him and killed him. Don’t be that guy. Use jack stands every time.
Mustafaluigi
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/18/2018 at 08:45 |
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HF 2 ton steel long reach low profile. The only way to get a jack to my center jacking point in my WRX and still be able to pump the handle.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
04/18/2018 at 11:19 |
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Oh I would never put myself at risk without a jack stand. If I am under the car in any way, jack stand 100% of the time no matter how quick it will be. I was saying more so at an autocross or something where I am just swapping wheels. The real issue is in order to get a jack stand under the car, I need to lift the car WAY higher. Changing wheels is only raise the car a couple inches just to get the wheel off. As soon as the wheel comes off, I put it under the car anyways as a makeshift jackstand just in case.
Meatcoma
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/18/2018 at 12:08 |
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I’ve had the same floor jack for 20 years. It’s steel and heavy, but it lifts my wife’s juke, my camaro, my buddies boat, both of my lawnmowers, my mothers house and my F250 without worry. No, not all at the same time, I seen you comin....
RacingShark
> facw
04/18/2018 at 12:17 |
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I have the 1.5 aluminum HF and the 3 ton steel HF. The steel one is a beast and works great, but at 100+lbs it’s not portable at all.
My 1.5 stopped working. The piston is stuck, so it won’t lift any weight anymore. I decided to pick up the 2.5 aluminum as a replacement. Costs a bit more, but it has an extra 4+ inches of lift.
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RacingShark
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/18/2018 at 12:21 |
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Just get a new one? The 2.5 Al HF jack is a bit more beefy and has a higher lift. The 3Ton steel is awesome, but weights 100+lbs.
sadly, the jack market, for less than $300, seems to all be the HF stuff.
Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
> facw
04/18/2018 at 12:58 |
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last time i was in a harbor freight i noticed that do sell an aluminium high lift jack. not sure what the lifting hight was but i thinking of going to look again cause the little trolly jack i have doesnt lift the explorer up high enough to get jackstands under it in a safe manner
MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/18/2018 at 13:12 |
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If you are willing to spend a few more bucks this jack from HF is actually really good. And like others have said most jacks are made in the same place and just painted different colors. Snap-On actually sued HF over this jack.
Schaef_Camaero Z/28
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/18/2018 at 14:00 |
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The one you linked to looks like an updated version of what I have. It squeaks when I pump it, but aside from that has worked very well for the past ~10 years.
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His Stigness
> MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
04/18/2018 at 14:36 |
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That lawsuit was such great advertisement for HF lol. Without I wouldn’t have even looked at. Nice job Snap-On.
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MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
> His Stigness
04/18/2018 at 15:32 |
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Lol, same here. Would never have even been on my radar without that lawsuit
SmugAardvark
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/18/2018 at 16:38 |
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I’ve had a Craftsman model for a number of years. It isn’t flashy, but it has never let me down.
And like someone else said, carry at least a pair of jackstands along with it.
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Kailand09
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
04/18/2018 at 20:35 |
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Yeah. I have the room but not the $$ right now. some day...