Another floor jack thread

JamesShort · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:04 am

I think my blue/silver HF jack is on it's way out. It's very lightly weeping hydraulic fluid from the piston/cylinder interface.

Question is, do I just replace it with another one at $75 (usually you can always find a coupon to get the price down to around $75) and just know I'll be replacing it every 2-3 years or are there any other lighter weight aluminum floor jacks (say under 50lb) that may be much more expensive, but significantly better and longer lasting? I'd be willing to drop $200 on one if I know it'd last me 6+ years without issue.

This one looks decent:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200345428

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:12 am

http://www.harborfreight.com/rapid-pump ... 92782.html

this is the one Courtney and I are looking at. I have 3 of the smaller ones and they are all pos', 2 are hf and 1 is an older pep boys. I want to get somthing a little bigger than the hf ones cause we also use them at rallyx's. Hopefully my miata wont need board to get this jack under it.

JamesShort · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:24 am

jeremy gast wrote:

http://www.harborfreight.com/rapid-pump-4000-lb-capacity-lightweight-low-profile-aluminum-racing-jack-92782.html

this is the one Courtney and I are looking at. I have 3 of the smaller ones and they are all pos', 2 are hf and 1 is an older pep boys. I want to get somthing a little bigger than the hf ones cause we also use them at rallyx's. Hopefully my miata wont need board to get this jack under it.

So you think the HF 4000lb rapid pump one will be better/longer lasting than the 3000lb model that everyone has?

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:29 am

that is my hope. looking at the two of them side by side it is a heavier built jack. It looks to be alot stronger

Aaron Buckley · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:33 am

My HF jack is 9 years old and still going. I just replace the fluid yearly and it keeps working. That said, when it dies, I am not going to screw around. I think I will just buy a Brunnhoelzl Warrior and be done with it. - AB

JamesShort · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:38 am

Aaron Buckley wrote:

My HF jack is 9 years old and still going. I just replace the fluid yearly and it keeps working. That said, when it dies, I am not going to screw around. I think I will just buy a Brunnhoelzl Warrior and be done with it. - AB

Which model do you have?

Aaron Buckley · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:43 am

JamesShort wrote:

Which model do you have?

I'll need to look when I get home. - AB

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:55 am

JamesShort wrote:

I think my blue/silver HF jack is on it's way out. It's very lightly weeping hydraulic fluid from the piston/cylinder interface.

Question is, do I just replace it with another one at $75 (usually you can always find a coupon to get the price down to around $75) and just know I'll be replacing it every 2-3 years or are there any other lighter weight aluminum floor jacks (say under 50lb) that may be much more expensive, but significantly better and longer lasting? I'd be willing to drop $200 on one if I know it'd last me 6+ years without issue.

This one looks decent:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200345428

FWIW, You can get the cheap 3000lb models at HF with coupon for $59 any day of the week. I liked my first one enough that I bought a second. My first one is at least 6 years old and still going strong. I'll admit that quality may be hit or miss, though - as experiences with them seem to vary. Maybe just get the service plan and trade it in yearly?

JamesShort · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:01 am

Dustin Fredrickson wrote:

JamesShort wrote:

I think my blue/silver HF jack is on it's way out. It's very lightly weeping hydraulic fluid from the piston/cylinder interface.

Question is, do I just replace it with another one at $75 (usually you can always find a coupon to get the price down to around $75) and just know I'll be replacing it every 2-3 years or are there any other lighter weight aluminum floor jacks (say under 50lb) that may be much more expensive, but significantly better and longer lasting? I'd be willing to drop $200 on one if I know it'd last me 6+ years without issue.

This one looks decent:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200345428

FWIW, You can get the cheap 3000lb models at HF with coupon for $59 any day of the week. I liked my first one enough that I bought a second. My first one is at least 6 years old and still going strong. I'll admit that quality may be hit or miss, though - as experiences with them seem to vary. Maybe just get the service plan and trade it in yearly?

Ah, $60? Well at $60, it might be worth buying new ones every 2-3 years

. Let me know if you see that $60 coupon. I generally see it at $75-80. But I might also look into the 4000 lb version that Jeremy linked.

In my 3000lb version, the bearings in that big roller in the front seized, so I had to loosen the nuts on each side a bit and loctite them in place so the whole shaft spins, not just the inner race of the bearings. Small issue, but lame nonetheless.

EDIT:

So I did some digging and the $60 jack in the back of car mags is Item number 91039 and that one doesn't exist anymore and has been replaced with 68053 which is the same thing but rapid rise and I found a coupon for it for $80.

However, HF is so slack with coupons, if I brought the $60 coupon in for 91039 and tell them they don't have it and this is the new version of that jack, they'd probably give me 68053 for $60....probably just try that.

Stephen Westerfield · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:21 pm

Dustin Fredrickson wrote:

Maybe just get the service plan and trade it in yearly?

That is what I've been doing. I can't remember the cost exactly, but it's like $10 give or take a few bucks for the service plan. Every year (roughly) I just go in and tell them....yeah, it doesn't work anymore, show them my service plan receipt, walk out with a new jack. Rinse, repeat. In this process, somehow I ended up with 2 of them and now have one "in stock" ready to go if one ever craps out. The newest one I got (last December) is actually a little different than all the other ones I've had. It seems to be just a little better quality wise. Wheels roll much easier and such.

JamesShort · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:24 pm

Sounds like a good plan. That's what I'll probably do.

JamesShort · **Posted:** Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:54 pm

So the 3000lb #91039 jack that everyone has is discontinued (yet millions of car magazines have a $59.99 coupon for it even currently

. I got the 3000lb version of it that is rapid rise #68053. It was $120 but I found a $80 coupon and got a service plan for 2 years. We'll see how it goes. Only goes up 15" though, but I always put a 2x4 on top so I get to 16.5".

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:16 pm

Just found this past weekend at COSTCO was a 2 ton double piston aluminum floor jack, 3 1/4 raises to 18 1/2. It was there for $99. I picked it up and will test it out for the first time at the rallyx this weekend.

noahfleming · **Posted:** Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:16 am

James, I just bought the 68053 too and it's surprisingly nicer than the old model. The old one bit the dust when the spring and washers came off the cylinder and flew halfway across my front yard. It can be fixed, but the new one has 2 springs with a larger area of contact and i guess still one cylinder. It's also the rapid rise version. Can't beat it for $80 bucks IMO

JamesShort · **Posted:** Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:20 am

noahfleming wrote:

James, I just bought the 68053 too and it's surprisingly nicer than the old model. The old one bit the dust when the spring and washers came off the cylinder and flew halfway across my front yard. It can be fixed, but the new one has 2 springs with a larger area of contact and i guess still one cylinder. It's also the rapid rise version. Can't beat it for $80 bucks IMO

Yep, I paid for the 2 year replacement plan too.

It has 2 input cylinders and 1 output hence the rapid rise (the 91039 was 1/1).

And yes, it does seem to be a lot better though the max height leaves a bit to be desired granted the Civic has a lot more droop (and bump) travel than the WRX so that might be why.

The 68054 is the same thing but with 3" more max height. But it is almost double the price. This one plus some chunks of 2x4 are all I need

.

THSCC Forums

Another floor jack thread

Who is online