• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Floor Jack Recommendations

Share this page

J

JDstr4a

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
Looking to upgrade my floor jack from the auto parts store special I bought to put in the toolbox of my F150 (it came with a bottle jack). Spent the morning on the net and am leaning towards a Arcan 3.5T low profile(xl35).It will be a garage jack only. Your thoughts and experiences are valued and appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
JD
 
Nothing better than a quality floor jack; your life could depend on it. I've used a 3T Sears floor jack successfuly for about 8 years now. Looking at the web, there are some horror stories out there. Mine is not the low profile; the saddle just barely fits under the Triumphs, so probably a good idea for the low profile version. Good luck!
 
I have a couple and always use the aluminum low profile. It was under $100, low profile, light weight, portable and durable. I've had it for about 10 years. Something similar can probably be found at Harbor Freight.

My other one, a Craftmans, works well but doesn't fit well under the car and is very heavy to work with.

If you don't have them already, pick up a good set of floor stands while you're at it.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I looked at the Harbor Freight 3T also. The trucks a 4x4 so I need the extra lift height yet the low profile for the Triumph, and not use the bumper jack for the 59. I think the Harbor Freight 2T is 5" at the low point which is cutting it close for the Triumph. The low profiles there are about the same as the Arcan, which I would need to drive up to Milwaukee to pick up (about an hour). Decisions, decisions. :confuse:
JD
 
I've had trouble with the HF aluminum jacks.I returned two of them. They come down too fast without control. They have a huge very low profile, HEAVY one that I love. It is very long so it goes under the exhaust on my BJ8. I can let the car down gently.
TH
 
tahoe healey said:
I've had trouble with the HF aluminum jacks.I returned two of them. They come down too fast without control. They have a huge very low profile, HEAVY one that I love. It is very long so it goes under the exhaust on my BJ8. I can let the car down gently.
TH
Click to expand...
Can you give us the Model #?
Thanks,
 
Harbor Freight #68050, 2 ton. It has a large plate but I still use a 2 x 4 (I use a piece of synthetic decking)to get more weight distribution and no paint scratching.
 
I paid extra money about 4 years for a low profile jack, professional level. It just stopped working and the rebuild kit is more than half what I paid for it and much more than any at Harbor Freight. I took it down to our Hydraulic company and they will not rebuild them anymore, too much liability. So I too went to Harbor Freight. I bought the 2.5 ton steel one that is low profile. It fits under both the front and back of the Healey.

Jerry
BN4
BJ8
 
AC Hydraulic Jacks

I have the DK13HLQ and it is a well-made piece of shop equipment. A lot of people balk at the price (I did, too), but until I get a lift, I wanted the best (read this as safest) jack I could find.

An alternative would be the Omega:

Omega v. AC Hydraulic

Hein-Warner makes a well-reviewed jack as well, but check the measurements.

I really like these jack stands, too.

US Jack
 
I would recommend the Costco jack. It easily fits under the TR3 and has the height capacity. The only drawback is it's weight.
 
Thanks, I checked the costco online site and couldn't find anything. Still shopping around.
JD
 
elrey said:
Napa NLE 791-6402. Get it when it is on sale. :cheers:
Click to expand...

Just checked it out online. Ad says "Prices good through March 31, 2006"

Still/back on sale?
 
Perhaps I'm living in the past. Nice low profile jack has given good service and fits under most ANY auto.
 
Back
Top