Which Harbor Freight Jacks do you guys have?

[NZO]

I really need a new jack and I want to get one of these but cant decide which one as they all have advantages and disadvantages. Which one are most of you guys using?

\/ These are links
#1 (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91039) 15" max height, 3" min height, $80

#2 (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47246) 17.5" max height, 3.5" min height, $130

#3 (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=2672) 19" max height, 4" min height, $200

[Var]

i have #1. i havent used it but i let my friend use it on his S14. He says it works fine and he wants to buy one. It takes way more strokes to get it up(LOL NO PUN INTENDED) than #2 but it sits lower. Also the dimensions are a lot smaller which makes it easier to put in my car for trackdays. #2 has WAY better action cause like 3 pumps and it's there. YAAMEAN?

[240Stilo]

I have both 1 and 2. #2 broke and I need a new bleeder valve for it but #1 is really nice; especially for those who would like a floor jack to take on the road that isn't heavy has hell.

[autobahNESSA]

I got #2 works fine so far. i got it on sale for like $89

[stillmatic]

I got the cheapest one. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=4172

[s14xman]

hey man you could jus barrow the one i got from kregan!! haha

[phrozen]

#2...............

[S14DB]

I got #2 in blue. I looked at 1 but I wanted a bigger jack pad. #1 is really narrow.

[NZO]

hey man you could jus barrow the one i got from kregan!! haha

Hah X, thats what I have right now and its starting to leak slowly which is a little disturbing when you have your head under the car. :\

Cool I'll probably go with #2, 3 stroke full height, 35lb and probably low enough for my needs since I'll never be superdumped. Thanks guys.

[nightwalker]

WHOA! I wouldn't get under a car with just a jack. Use jackstands! Never just a jack. My friend almost lost his leg that way. I have jack #2. Have had it for awhile. Harbor freight jacks are just a little better than Kragen jacks in my opinion. Eventually they start leaking too. They require much more maintanence then they should.

My friend bought a really nice jack from Costco. (of all places) Really low, and only takes a couple strokes to full height. I've had a chance to inspect it and use it, and it is really nice quality. Not too expensive either.

[TurDz]

Hey Christian,

I had #1. It didn't go low enough to jack from the front crossmember from the front bumper side (stock height) and it didn't go as high as I would like. BTW...I compared 1 and 2....1 is lower than 2 by a little bit.

[jspecusa]

I really need a new jack and I want to get one of these but cant decide which one as they all have advantages and disadvantages. Which one are most of you guys using?

\/ These are links
#1 (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91039) 15" max height, 3" min height, $80

#2 (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47246) 17.5" max height, 3.5" min height, $130

#3 (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=2672) 19" max height, 4" min height, $200

Go to Costco, they have this black/blue jack for $80 it's super low and heavy duty use.
It's the best Jack I've ever bought.
Cheers,

Sam

[idlafie]

Go to Costco, they have this black/blue jack for $80 it's super low and heavy duty use.
It's the best Jack I've ever bought.
Cheers,

Sam

Sam's sure is right about the Costco jack. It's pretty low & is good for heavy duty use. I bought one a while back. The only problem I had with it was the damn thing weighed a friggin TON!!...It's HEAVY as hell!! So I ended up giving it to my brother so he can use it in his garage.

I ended up buying A Torin Aluminum Jack from Pepboys for $99 bucks. It's a two stage jack thats prettry low and can lift up to 2 1/2 tons. It's jack height are minimum 4 inches to 18 1/2 inches. It looks almost exactly like the Harbor Freight Jack #3 in the link you attached...the only difference is, instead of the polyurethane wheels, it uses steel wheels instead. It's pretty light and is easy to move around. The thing I like the most is, it weighs less than 1/2 of what the heavy Costco jack does!! If you plan on carrying your floor jack in the trunk of your car for drift events & working on a buddy's car, unless you want a hernia, I strongly recommend the Torin jack....it's lighter to lift!!! I've attached a photo so you can see what it looks like.
Anyhow, hope this helps...
ID
'95 SE

[alkemyst]

I got a huge (heavy too, maybe 100lbs) Sears 3.5 ton with a big cradle and a 2.5 ton in a plastic suitcase that's easy to cart around (not a huge lift height though).

I'd love to have the air powered one my bodyshop has that can literally almost lift a car vertical. It's really not to huge either, about the footprint of a table saw and the 'arms' are really low profile.

When I buy a house next year I am going to build a 'pit' driveway on the side for just auto stuff and perhaps a lift as I have been seeing some for a few thousand as shops upgrade (south florida has a ton of shops)....I'd love a four tower lift.

[S14DB]

I got a huge (heavy too, maybe 100lbs) Sears 3.5 ton with a big cradle and a 2.5 ton in a plastic suitcase that's easy to cart around (not a huge lift height though).

I'd love to have the air powered one my bodyshop has that can literally almost lift a car vertical. It's really not to huge either, about the footprint of a table saw and the 'arms' are really low profile.

When I buy a house next year I am going to build a 'pit' driveway on the side for just auto stuff and perhaps a lift as I have been seeing some for a few thousand as shops upgrade (south florida has a ton of shops)....I'd love a four tower lift.
Do you know what a pain it is to dig a pit in FL?

[chrispy]

Edit: Opps.. wrong thread

[alkemyst]

I'd have to make it on a hill to be just dirt, but if I concrete it it's no different than a swimming pool.

[S14DB]

I'd have to make it on a hill to be just dirt, but if I concrete it it's no different than a swimming pool.
Um, a pool has water in it to hold back the hydralic pressure of the water table. If you plan to do it you will have to be on a hill and have a water table survey done. What's wrong with a lift?

[alkemyst]

I didn't want to get into an engineering debate about this. There are quite a few florida places with basements as well...it's all about material and design. One of the main disadvantages of a lift is if outside many HOA's prohibit them....if inside you are going to need a custom structure. Another alternative is a concrete hollow ramp, a pit above ground....again there are tons of design choices....disadvantage here is it's harder to jack up a vehicle to place on stands for access to wheel components/suspension. Once I purchase the property/existing structure I will see what works best for me.

I have really nothing more to add, other than I do enough work for myself, family and friends that it'd be a little nicer to have more than a jack or two around. I still don't 'charge', however; now I ask for the tools needed to be left with me (if I can't rent for free/cheaply)...my dad still has me on wood tools, however; on mechanical tools I have him smoked on both the SAE and Metric ends.

[90RS13]

WHOA! I wouldn't get under a car with just a jack. Use jackstands! Never just a jack.

I second that motion. I had a car fall on my head early this year. I working on the front suspension with two jacks holding the front of the car up. I didn't set the jacks (obviously a retard that I shouldn't have trusted did) but for whatever reason, both jacks collapsed. I was rushed to the E.R. but luckily my skull wasn't cracked. The skin on the side of my face/head was all smeared, torn and ripped. Really bloody. The Perimedics and doctors said I was extremely lucky. That taught me what I already knew, that is, to never get under a car with just a jack.

[-E-]

sears has a Craftsman 1.5 ton jack for $120
link (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00950240000)

[nightwalker]

I second that motion. I had a car fall on my head early this year. I working on the front suspension with two jacks holding the front of the car up. I didn't set the jacks (obviously a retard that I shouldn't have trusted did) but for whatever reason, both jacks collapsed. I was rushed to the E.R. but luckily my skull wasn't cracked. The skin on the side of my face/head was all smeared, torn and ripped. Really bloody. The Perimedics and doctors said I was extremely lucky. That taught me what I already knew, that is, to never get under a car with just a jack.

OUCH! wow! glad to see you're still here and able to post. You could have easily been killed. Guess someone was watching out for you.

[chrispy]

sears has a Craftsman 1.5 ton jack for $120
link (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00950240000)

I've got this jack. It's excellent. 2 pumps and the car is almost lifted the maximum 18inches.

[nightwalker]

whoa! that's a nice looking jack

[myleftlung]

I got the cheapest one. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=4172

I have that one too. Gave me a good hard year of weekly abuse, but it gave out on me one day from about a foot high, although it could have been that I didn't tighten it well. That showed me a jack isn't an item you want to lowball on. I bought a Kragen jack about 2 weeks ago, works really well, damn handle is about 5 feet high. Harbor Freight on left, Kragen right. (http://www.pbase.com/myleftlung/image/34942689.jpg) Harbor freight in it's prime (http://www.pbase.com/myleftlung/image/28311433.jpg) and the new Kragen (http://www.pbase.com/myleftlung/image/34820508.jpg) jack getting down and dirty. I remember paying 40 something for the H.F. and the Kragen was 80 bucks.

[idlafie]

I ended up buying A Torin Aluminum Jack from Pepboys for $99 bucks.
ID
'95 SE

FYI...Pepboys is now having a sale on these jacks...$47 bucks....just saw the ad listing it for sale in today's LA Times....check the Pepboy's Sales flyer..
ID
..see previous post for photo...

[-E-]

I've got this jack. It's excellent. 2 pumps and the car is almost lifted the maximum 18inches.
I'm about to go pick one up :D

[bobafett]

i bought the sears $200 aluminum "racing" jack, its pretty nice, but i had to return the 1st one, it would squeal like a mofo under load.

so i had to build a set of low profile ramps (4' long x 3" high) to drive up on, and now i can use my jack on either of my lowered cars! ;)

[2JZGTE]

sears has a Craftsman 1.5 ton jack for $120
link (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00950240000)


I have this jack also. It's great for the money. Goes all the way down to about 3.5" too :bow:

[jspecusa]

Sam's sure is right about the Costco jack. It's pretty low & is good for heavy duty use. I bought one a while back. The only problem I had with it was the damn thing weighed a friggin TON!!...It's HEAVY as hell!! So I ended up giving it to my brother so he can use it in his garage.

I ended up buying A Torin Aluminum Jack from Pepboys for $99 bucks. It's a two stage jack thats prettry low and can lift up to 2 1/2 tons. It's jack height are minimum 4 inches to 18 1/2 inches. It looks almost exactly like the Harbor Freight Jack #3 in the link you attached...the only difference is, instead of the polyurethane wheels, it uses steel wheels instead. It's pretty light and is easy to move around. The thing I like the most is, it weighs less than 1/2 of what the heavy Costco jack does!! If you plan on carrying your floor jack in the trunk of your car for drift events & working on a buddy's car, unless you want a hernia, I strongly recommend the Torin jack....it's lighter to lift!!! I've attached a photo so you can see what it looks like.
Anyhow, hope this helps...
ID
'95 SE

If you use the jack as many time as we do, you'll know what heavy duty means.
We have borken 2 of those aluminum jack already, they are not heavy duty at all just lightweight and easy to carry.
Also the aluminum has this knob that thread the handle to the jack itself, on the cheap ones they hit the back of the car when you try to jack the rear diff(really bad design).
I like thread like this that actually give useful info instead of cry babies asking for free handout(spoon feed).
There should be more thread like this, including ones like what tools to buy that's useful etc...
Cheers,

Sam

[Journer]

i picked up some jack stands last month at walmart for 10 bucks a pair...i thought that was a good deal. I couldnt find the item on their website, but if anyone is looking and lives near a walmart,i would go check it out. the are strong too, had my car up on four em and had no worries :)