180 to spend on a jack... ideas?

[gotta240]

I had the all alluminum craftsman racing jack... It crapped out after a few months and needless to say i wasn't very happy with it... Can anyone suggest a badass jack for under 180 bucks(or around there)... Low profile for lowered cars is prefered, and the lighter better...

I DONT want to cheap out and buy a harbor freight jack... I will have this for MANY MANY(last craftsman jack i was using lasted around 20 years) years, and want to do it right the first time....

[the bee guy]

How did the craftsman aluminum jack crap out? did it blow seals or something? Ive had mine for over 3 years now and its never crapped out once...

[BLITZZZ]

i have the harbor freight rapid pump jack, its the SHIT and only $150... you can pay $10 per year and get warranty, 3-year $30.00

[Dousan_PG]

sigh
i always use my friend's jacks
ive yet to own on (that wasnt free or total crap) in the past 5 years of car life
haha
im such a leach
at the track im the guy asking 'yo buddy, can i borrow your jack to change my wheels?'

haha..
if i do buy a jack it will prbably cost like 400 bucks because i HATE shit jacks.
ive used enough harbor frieght 'racing jacks' to know they are total shit.

[jonathans15]

my friend sell's good aluminum jack, call her office for more info 626 856 8886 if u r still look for a jack

[eastcoastS14]

larin jack from autozone lol been workin good havent had any problems yet

[BustedS13]

where are you guys jacking up your 240's without crushing something? i can't fit my floor jack under the front of the car anyway... for me it's only good for jacking up the rear via the diff... i'm probably just retarded. i use a nissan scissor jack with a lugnut welded onto the end, and jack it up with an impact wrench.

sidenote, harbor freight sells an electric scissor jack. it's DC only though.

[brokeAs240sx]

I had the all alluminum craftsman racing jack... It crapped out after a few months
...
(last craftsman jack i was using lasted around 20 years)

HMMMMMMMMMMM...

why not get another craftsman like the one that lasted 20 years?

How did you crap out the racing jack after a few months? You aren't using it in place of a jack stand are you?

All the track guys recommend this one if you have money - industrial strength baby: AC 2 ton Garage Jack (http://www.alltiresupply.com/p-DK20Q.html)

[carlova78]

where are you guys jacking up your 240's without crushing something? i can't fit my floor jack under the front of the car anyway... for me it's only good for jacking up the rear via the diff... i'm probably just retarded. i use a nissan scissor jack with a lugnut welded onto the end, and jack it up with an impact wrench.

sidenote, harbor freight sells an electric scissor jack. it's DC only though.


wow.. thats like not cool and nsafe man. To get to the front you jack up by the cross member and drive up some ramps or somehting or if your fram rails arnrt too bad i guess thatll work too which it did for me. Man i had a larin jack and big red and there puny with the little handles. I use a 3 1/2 ton michelin jack from sams for $65. Its awsome gets the car off the ground in like less than 2 pumps!

[C. Senor]

damn that sucks, yeah we've had a craftsman jack for like 8-9 years now, and it still works fine, but why not spend 40 bucks more, i know the matco jack "the beast" costs 216.43...and its a matco...lifetime warrenty...yay!

[sean350z]

where are you guys jacking up your 240's without crushing something? i can't fit my floor jack under the front of the car anyway... for me it's only good for jacking up the rear via the diff... i'm probably just retarded. i use a nissan scissor jack with a lugnut welded onto the end, and jack it up with an impact wrench.

sidenote, harbor freight sells an electric scissor jack. it's DC only though.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/images/us//local/products/detail/p2406.jpg

Eastwood will save your pinches on the frames....greatest invention in the world.

[derek_s13]

http://www.eastwoodco.com/images/us//local/products/detail/p2406.jpg

....greatest invention in the world.

they finally invented!!...... whatever that thing is.

a couple blocks of wood work fine.

- soft
- compact
- many models
- VIP woodgrain
- no warrantee downtime
- it's free

[BustedS13]

http://www.eastwoodco.com/images/us//local/products/detail/p2406.jpg

Eastwood will save your pinches on the frames....greatest invention in the world.
...holy shit. i want that, right now. where can i buy one?

[gotta240]

Matco huh? Thanks for the suggestion...thats def. in the price range i want... How heavy is it? I like the lightweight idea for as much as i move this...

The 20 year old crafstman jack STILL works!!! The wheel just fell off and i've been too lazy to find another nut to hold it on... I actually JUST replaced it and it only cost 30 bucks for the entire jack on sale!!! Its just not practical for as much work as i do on cars though... It takes like 10 or 15 pumps to get the car up...

The craftsman "racing jack" was the ALL ALLUMINUM one. sometimes it wouldn't lift at all when pumping... Other times it would lift perfect, and other times it would lift on every other pump... ALSO, there was no lowering "control"... Turning the valve just a little made the car fall very quickly... As a old school circle track friend said... "Damn man...theres nothing nice about that jack!!"

On a side note, i just returned it, got a refund(within one year warranty) and got another one.. This one, although the EXACT same model, is MUCH smoother and i think i'll be happy with it... Although i will look into the matco. IF IT IS LIGHT and LIFETIME WARRANTY i'll brop. scoop it up and return the craftsman...

[jy116]

wuts the bushing for? attaches to the lift plate and rotates?

Back to topic, I just bought an ARCAN jack from Costco for 99.99. Only used it once so far, so not sure on reliability, but it seemed solid. The handle is harder to rotate when lowering than the behemoth shop jack I usually use, but this one is aluminum, im guessing ~40lbs or so, ANDDDDDD it can reach the front crossmember w/o rolling up ramps/boards of wood!!!! I'm not super slammed, but I have 215/45/17s up front and almost no wheel gap for height reference...

[MAGILLA]

i have the harbor freight rapid pump jack, its the SHIT and only $150... you can pay $10 per year and get warranty, 3-year $30.00


I have the same one. It is the best jack I have ever used that was less than $500. I got mine on sale with a coupon for $ 125.

[240sx2jz]

i too use the scissor jack with the impact wrench and its friggin great when ur car is dumped to get it to a jackable height. but other then that i have a blue point aluminum jack and its absolutely awesome i dont remeber how much i payed but im allways usin it on lowere peoples cars when i do work on em.

[nrg]

I'd buy an Omega low profile jack: http://www.amazon.com/Omega-OME29023-Heavy-Profile-Service/dp/B000GTO72C
this is the lowest i've ever seen out of any jack.

[kensreliableb18b]

yea i wanted this one too. but shits pretty heavy; i think like over 100lbs delivered via truck freight


I'd buy an Omega low profile jack: http://www.amazon.com/Omega-OME29023-Heavy-Profile-Service/dp/B000GTO72C
this is the lowest i've ever seen out of any jack.

[C. Senor]

yeah i just did some research man, sorry those matco jacks are ridiculously fuckin heavy...the shipping wieght for the beast is 115 pounds...damn...they have another one called the demon, i dont know how heavy it is cuz it doesnt tell me, it says it 170 bucks and on average lifts a car in 2 pumps....that what it says. http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2261&select=&page=2

[gotta240]

yeah, i looked up the matcos...although great shop jacks, not ideal for my use due to the weight....thank you for the suggestion though.


To the guys using sissor jacks.... I SERIOSLY HOPE you guys are NEVER EVER doing ANYTHING to the car with JUST a sissor jack supporting it... ALWAYS use a jack stand or two. Those jacks are notorious for collapsing...

[delphis]

I thought all craftsman have a lifetime warranty?

[sean350z]

...holy shit. i want that, right now. where can i buy one?

Eastwood.com, but if you have the materials and bending skills you could make one yourself pretty easy I'd imagine.

The bushing is used if the hole on your jack top is too large, it helps fill the gap. I have a craftsman (smaller model) and I don't need to use the bushing, it just plops right in.

[Jung918]

I just ordered the omega one. It was $6 for shipping. muahahaha

[sTalnOut]

i was just wondering if your craftman jack is blown out cant you get a new one replace from them since supposly their warranty is lifetime i believe

[Neejay]

I just ordered the omega one. It was $6 for shipping. muahahahaLet us know how good/bad it is! Im keeping my eye on it.

[BustedS13]

i was just wondering if your craftman jack is blown out cant you get a new one replace from them since supposly their warranty is lifetime i believe

pretty sure the lifetime warranty only applies to hand tools. screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, and so on. a lot of my tools are brand new, because i bought old craftsman tools at garage sales and estate sales, and returned them.

[koukikat180sx]

I have a craftsman jack. it took a crap on me after using it twice. thank god for warranty. :P

I heard with the harbor freight jacks you can turn them in for warranty before the warranty is up, and they'll give you the option to buy another warranty for the replacement.

[boozels]

I thought all craftsman have a lifetime warranty?

Yea, take the jack to sears and tell them you got it as a gift within a year. They should give you a new one. They have done that before for my friend.

[5t341tH]

how r the harbor fright ones at lowering the car down? im reading it at the site and it says it drops the car down quick.
should i buy the jack or should i buy the ramps instead.

[sblack13]

yeah just go to sears, i've replaced all my broken craftsman tool there for free. The harbor freight is an all right jack, its light and has a decent lifting capacity, great for what I need. Although it fell apart, but i don't complain that jack has helped me with probably 20 swaps, perfect for leveling the tranny out on dropping engines in. I also have this jack from walmart (yeah i know) only bought it because it could lift the car crazy high (higher car is a happier me) it was supposed to max the jack out in like 5 pumps. Now its more like 50, what a pos haha. What do i exspect i got it from walmart.

[DP_Michelle G]

yea just take it to sears they will give you a new. My bf takes all he's old tools and gets news even if the old ones are still good. they never ask for anything.

[S14DB]

Craftsman jacks are only like 90 days. I have one that looks new but the cyl. is blown. sitting in a corner of my garage.

Ideally it would be nice to find a cheap jack that you can replace or rebuild the cylinder. I know the auto parts store sells jack oil and many expensive jacks sell replacement cylinders. I wouldn't mind rebuilding my jack every 6 months instead of buying a new one.

[markyboi]

buy some cost co 2 ton jacks...its low and you can return it whenever..lol

[gotta240]

thanks for the replies guys. CRAFSTMAN JACKS ARE NOT lifetime warranty. This one had a one year warranty, and i had to prove it was less than a year. They are GREAT with taking back hand tools though.

To the guy with the blown crafstman- take it back and TRY to get it returned..if that doesn't work, take it to the repair center...

[Sir]

or talk to the manager
tell them you own their tools, compressor, toolchests, etc etc and they'll just do it cuz they don't want a hassle.

[chrispy]

My Craftsman Al jack shitted out on me within a year and a half. It seems to be a common problem if you read the reviews on sears.com.

I've been borrowing a American Forge and Foundry 200T, http://www.mile-x.com/Lift%20Equipment/FloorJacks/200t.htm , that's around your budget that's awsome, I plan on buying the Aluminum version that's $100 more, http://www.mile-x.com/Lift%20Equipment/FloorJacks/200SS.htm
All their jacks are serviceable ....

[otterball21]

I got this low profile jack from Advanced auto parts. 35 bucks. Helped me with this mustang I had to do with a body kit etc etc.

I haven't seen it fail yet. the seals and everything are decently good.

I have to post a picture of my car sometime... My whole body frame is ruined... and one under part of the car is caved in because they put it up on a jack there... argh!!! going to get a side skirt to get it all hidden.

[Jung918]

I picked up the omega jack. It is huge, heavy, and super slow. It takes acouple of pumps but it better then using the stock jack and them my other floor jack to get the car up.

http://www.kang.tv/james_files/misc/jack1.JPG

http://www.kang.tv/james_files/misc/jack2.JPG

http://www.kang.tv/james_files/misc/jack3.JPG

[Healtoeae86]

That omega jack is awesome. I have the matco one (MJF15) and im 99% sure its the same as the Omega one.

i can get under slammed 240's w/o any problems. No getting out the baby scissor jack to get the job started. Its worth the money.

The only down side is moving it around, its a tad heavy and its pretty freaking low..my jack scrapes its frames going up and down my driveway.

[5t341tH]

hey James, wat brand jack is that silver one next to the omega?

[4thHorse]

looks like a u.s. general sold at harbor freight

[inertiaticism]

These things rock, but they cost a million dollars.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/tools/AC-Hydraulic1.htm

[Jung918]

looks like a u.s. general sold at harbor freight


you are correct sir... worked like a champ for a while. it's just time to move on to bigger and better things.

[bcrume]

My craftsman aluminum jack just broke today, a little after 1 year. Craftsman seems to be going downhill because I break the hand tools all the time, they replace them no problem though. I'm really disapointed in craftsman quality and I doubt I'll buy anything from them again.

[Ninjabread]

I have the craftsman one, but only bought it cos it was on sale for like 75$ with the stands too. Otherwise wouldn't have bought it because its too high for my car. Even just being on sportlines, I have to drive up on wood blocks wich is a pita.

Next jack will be quality for sure.

[the bee guy]

All you guys that are having the aluminum one "crap out on you", what exactly is happening? You know every once in a while you have to release the air that gets into the hydraulic fluid right? Its one of the bigger flat head screws on top of the pump. You just take off that cap and release the air in there or else the jack wont lift shit (I forget if the handle has to be up or down, i think they tell you this in the manual though). I figured it out myself after I had it for about 4 months and thought it "crapped out" on me. I have to do it probably once every 3 months or so...

[gotta240]

Interesting... I'll look into that... However, if you go on the sears website and look at the reviews it is because of leaky/faulty seals.

[donkayroo]

how r the harbor fright ones at lowering the car down? im reading it at the site and it says it drops the car down quick.
should i buy the jack or should i buy the ramps instead.


The harbor freight jacks are awesome and drop as smooth as butter when releasing the valve. Much smoother than any other jack I've used including the craftsmen versions.

How so? Simple...dowse all moving/rotating parts with lithium grease, especially where the handle inserts into the jack. I have the silver behemoth and the smooth release valve allows a very soft and controlled initial drop. Fast or slow it can do it all.

I can loosen the valve so minutely that it can take 15 minutes to drop the car from being topped out...yeah, I timed it. The grease helps reduce handle friction allowing minimal effort when rotating the handle to release pressure and helps prevent the nasty scratchy gritty feeling apparent in older abused jacks.

These are a great bang for your buck and better than investing in a "life timer" if you plan to take the jack around town. Use the harbor freight jack for taking around to track events or letting your friends borrow. Keep the super expensive jack in mint condition as a back-up.

Another member had already mentioned a vital practice that'll help insure the longevity of these jacks, just bleed the jack and grease periodically and you'll be good to go for a long time.

Additionally, I know car prep guys who put more use and abuse than anyone here on the forums combined...harbor freight and costco is all they use. Plus, they use these jacks to lift more than the recommended weight rating...full size SUV's and trucks.

The only downfall is the inability to use the fancy tranny holder attachments. You can rig a pinch attachment or have a shop weld one up to rest on the pad.

You don't want to be heart broken when your expensive jack gets jacked!

For those who have a super hammered S-chassis...roll up on a pair of 2x4's or old junk brake rotors up front so you can get the jack under your car. Quicker and more simple than bustin out a scissor jack. If 2x4's are still too low, $15 will get you some mini aluminum "ramps" (12''Lx6''Wx3''H) at Pep Boys that even come in a nifty black cloth carrying bag w/drawstring. I keep them in my trunk.

If 2x4's are too thick and hit your front bumper as you roll your car up to them, just set the wood behind the front wheels and back up onto the wood.

If you have the money buy two jacks. An expensive one and an affordable one. Keep in mind they won't last forever. Just like a car they're prone to wear and tear no matter how much you pay.

[jy116]

Follow up on my previous post, ARCAN is the brand Costco had. 99.99, aluminum, dual piston pump, estimated 30lbs, AND it can reach the front crossmember from the front of the car without having to roll onto pieces of wood/ramp!!! Good so far after a few uses front and rear... hope it lasts... but seems solid so far. The handle is a little stiff when releasing compared to my 20yr old metal shop jack, but nothng major.