"M.T. Blake" (autohabit)
01/10/2020 at 10:59 • Filed to: Tool review, floor jack, arcan, xl2500, craftsman, 3 ton, 2.5 ton
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"M.T. Blake" (autohabit)
01/10/2020 at 10:59 • Filed to: Tool review, floor jack, arcan, xl2500, craftsman, 3 ton, 2.5 ton | 3
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Okay everyone let’s have a jack off. Ehh, I mean let’s talk about jacking. That’s not right either... I want to show you how jacked I am! Argh! A jacked up review?
It’s easy to lift the M5. Harder to find a solid place for stands. Ramps are an easier method.
The floor jack - the cornerstone of the home mechanic. It can be your best friend if used properly. Or you enemy if placed improperly, even your death bringer if the hydraulics fail (and they do).
This is an Arcan XL2500 (2.5 ton) I purchased at Costco last week for a mere ~$112. I was desperately needing a replacement for my now boat anchor quality Craftsman 3 ton.
Maybe it’s because the Craftsman was left outside too much?
The Craftsman (~$100) wasn’t cutting it anymore. After years of use and abuse it couldn’t get to its full height anymore. After bleeding, and checking the fluid I determined it was best to replace, and mothball it to secondary status.
The Arcan, although rated at 1,000 less capacity, feels nicer, is lighter, and due to my former jacks impotence - it lifts higher.
Enter Braveheart quote here.
Is a 3 ton jack better than a 2.5 ton? If you need the capacity, of course. I’m finding myself working on vehicles not needing high capacity, and more often needing a low profile jack.
The last low profile aluminum racing fancy-schmancy jack blew out its o-rings after two years of light use. Rebuilding it looked like an adventure in emergency room ‘spring impaled into hand’ removal. Obviously it became a 40lb addition to the aluminum scrap heap.
This Arcan has a low 3.3” minimum lift height - perfect for barely clearing a coil over equipped Z32 crimp seam. Whereas the Craftsman at 5-3/8” required me to drive my Camaro into ramps prior to jacking.
The slime green will make it easy to find in the field of grey tones in my shop.
The Craftsman in its prime however, did lift higher (19.5” vs. 18.8”). No longer as you can see depicted, and no amount of reasonable work seemed to fix the issue. The Arcan also weighs less at a scant 67lbs compared to the Craftsman’s 75lbs.
The Arcan is lighter, better looking, lower, and lifts a little less just a little less high, for a little bit more money. I’d say this is a jack worth taking home to do some jacking.
Remember kids: Always use jack stands!
Ash78, voting early and often
> M.T. Blake
01/10/2020 at 11:58 |
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Ohhhh, you’re talking about carjacking! I get it.
I just replaced my 2.5-ton Craftsman jack from circa-2001 with a Harbor Freight low-profile 1.5-ton aluminum jack for $60. Using the old rule of thumb “The jack should handle 1/3 of the vehicle’s total weight” I felt okay about the capacity. I’m not bullish on the longevity, but I always use jack stands — either as primary or redundancy (ie, the jack holds the car but the stands are there as a backup, even if they’re technically unweighted). That’s the route I take for quick work, like tire rotations. I never allow a single point of failure.
If I had known about this Arcan, I might have taken the plunge, but size/weight/storage were concerns, too.
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M.T. Blake
> Ash78, voting early and often
01/10/2020 at 20:04 |
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Yes we are... no!
Pick one up next time they’re on sale. The small aluminum jacks never seem to last that long. No idea why.
aegis_rider
> M.T. Blake
02/12/2020 at 04:14 |
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Th anks for the review. I saw these at Costco but wasn’t sure of the quality level. Would you h appen to know how long they plan on having them at the store?
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M.T. Blake
> aegis_rider
02/12/2020 at 16:20 |
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I don’t, sorry. There were quite a few in stock at the store I visited.