Anybody know anything about floorjacks?

[SpatiallyAware]

not e-bullying...people like you are why they changed their policy on electronics.

Buying something today knowing you are going to simply return it for a better model tomorrow is fraud and not in the spirit of the warranty.

nuff said.

Not, not "nuff said"...

The people that ruined it for electronics are the ones "upgrading" computers/tvs every few years. Very different from what I'm proposing.

I had to buy a mattress about 6 months ago, all they had was memory foam. I bought it and returned it for a regular mattress last week - telling them why. They had absolutely 0 issue with it.


The fact is, Costco doesn't carry much variety particularly due to how they cycle through products over a year. Sometimes you have to buy a "lesser model" knowing they will eventually get a "better model" in.


Edit:

Ok Alky; I called my local Costco and asked if it was ok to buy their current floorjack today and return it for a low profile one later this year - even if there's nothing physically wrong with it. She said that's absolutely fine.



So....?

 

[Throckmorton]

Harbor Freight sells a highly regarded aluminum floor jack that costs the same as steel ones usually do.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I dunno, they're fairly simple machines. Not very complicated, and relatively easy to fix if you have a problem with one. It's just a fluid pump with a couple of valves.

It seems like they're all made in China and probably all at the same couple of factories. I bought a Craftsman set with 2 jackstands, a 3-ton floor jack, and a creeper for $130 a few weeks ago. The jackstands are exactly like a pair that I bought from Harbor Freight but painted in different colors. I bet the jacks are the same way. I am happy with the purchase, but the jack is damn heavy.

One thing that I think people go overboard with is the weight rating. Nobody ever lifts up the entire vehicle into the air with one jack. You've always got the wheels and/or jackstands supporting the majority of the vehicle's weight. I got mine because the set was on sale, but I think a 2-ton jack would meet my needs just as well (although the lifting height is an important issue, and the lighter jacks might not go as high).

 

[halik]

Harbor Freight sells a highly regarded aluminum floor jack that costs the same as steel ones usually do.

Word of caution, the newer revision of the racing jacks are just painted as opposed to anodized and feel cheaper. I just returned the one i got last week to grab the older revision.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I dunno, they're fairly simple machines. Not very complicated, and relatively easy to fix if you have a problem with one. It's just a fluid pump with a couple of valves.

It seems like they're all made in China and probably all at the same couple of factories. I bought a Craftsman set with 2 jackstands, a 3-ton floor jack, and a creeper for $130 a few weeks ago. The jackstands are exactly like a pair that I bought from Harbor Freight but painted in different colors. I bet the jacks are the same way. I am happy with the purchase, but the jack is damn heavy.

One thing that I think people go overboard with is the weight rating. Nobody ever lifts up the entire vehicle into the air with one jack. You've always got the wheels and/or jackstands supporting the majority of the vehicle's weight. I got mine because the set was on sale, but I think a 2-ton jack would meet my needs just as well (although the lifting height is an important issue, and the lighter jacks might not go as high).

Personally I've found a huge difference between the 'cheap' floor jacks (usually red, stamped steel, etc) and the nice ones. The most useful part is the ability to lower a heavy vehicle very easily, where on the cheap jacks you have you be careful not to 'drop' it..

If you have a small car and aren't doing anything other than changing/rotating tires then they're fine. But if you're pulling engines and etc or if you have a low/heavy vehicle then it's definitely worth it to shell out the cash for a decent jack that you can trust.

Now jack stands - mine are cheapies from harbor freight.

 

[iamwiz82]

I bought a Craftsman floorjack, jackstands, oil pad, and creeper about 7 or 8 years ago. It's lifted up cars many, many times and it's still in great shape. The wheels are starting to rust though. It has lifted sports cars and jacked up lifted Jeeps. love it.

 

[thomsbrain]

I have the $200 Harbor Freight aluminum low-profile "racing" jack. Seems to work pretty well, and it's light enough to carry around. It reaches all the important jacking points on my cars without needing to pre-jack a corner to slide it under.

I never trust any floor jack with the weight of the car. I jack it and immediately put it on the stands. Once up, I will gently bring the jack into contact with a jack point as fail-safe for the stands (not the other way around).

 

[alkemyst]

Not, not "nuff said"...

The people that ruined it for electronics are the ones "upgrading" computers/tvs every few years. Very different from what I'm proposing.

I had to buy a mattress about 6 months ago, all they had was memory foam. I bought it and returned it for a regular mattress last week - telling them why. They had absolutely 0 issue with it.


The fact is, Costco doesn't carry much variety particularly due to how they cycle through products over a year. Sometimes you have to buy a "lesser model" knowing they will eventually get a "better model" in.


Edit:

Ok Alky; I called my local Costco and asked if it was ok to buy their current floorjack today and return it for a low profile one later this year - even if there's nothing physically wrong with it. She said that's absolutely fine.



So....?

"She" is probably someone that isn't directly affected by this and I can guarantee the management of Costco would not agree to that at all.

What you are suggesting is the same thing many did with TV's and laptops. Once they stopped carrying the 'cheaper' model they went back and got the one they wanted.

Not to many did this repeatedly, but many did it at least once or twice.

 

[exdeath]

Some advice I can offer from personal experience:

1) Screw the little tiny jacks that come with jack stands. Get a full size floor jack the first time, one that is long enough to fit where you need it such that the handle still clears the skirts/panels.

2) Get a large flat saddle, not a teeny tiny one with posts on the edges that will dig into your jacking point and leave dents/marks. Stress = force/area.

 

[Meghan54]

"She" is probably someone that isn't directly affected by this and I can guarantee the management of Costco would not agree to that at all.

So, what you're saying is corporate has neglected to inform the stores of this displeasure/policy, eh? Seems like corporate would have long ago made it an enforced policy if Costco's management really didn't want this happening.

 

[Homer Simpson]

Costco's 'low profile' jack is only a few inches tall when completely lowered.

yeah, its not so much the saddle being low enough as it is the entire jack. my little 1.5 racing jack just barely clears the front of my G8 but because its so small, once its under the engine cradle, i cant jack the handle because its too far under the car. the 3.5 craftsman has a saddle thats low enough as well, but the backend is too tall so with a little help of the small jack on the side or a couple 2x4's under the wheels i will reach the cradle and i have just enough room to pump the handle. i will say that for simple oil changes, ive found that raceramps are the best for low vehicles. finally gave in and bought the kinda pricey ramps last fall and it made oil changes a breeze. no dealing with 2 jacks to get my cars in the air.

 

[alkemyst]

So, what you're saying is corporate has neglected to inform the stores of this displeasure/policy, eh? Seems like corporate would have long ago made it an enforced policy if Costco's management really didn't want this happening.

Do you ever leave your massive amounts of property you have acquired? lolz.

There is a big reason places like Costco have to send regional managers on tours all over creation to check up on stores.

People don't like to work nor follow directions.

Ahh, but you probably know that and are just crapping on my post.

 

[lurk3r]

Do you ever leave your massive amounts of property you have acquired? lolz.

There is a big reason places like Costco have to send regional managers on tours all over creation to check up on stores.

People don't like to work nor follow directions.

Ahh, but you probably know that and are just crapping on my post.

I'm actually with Alky on this one, I love Costco and have only ever returned anything there when it was unusable junk (kawasaki tools, I actually insisted on a manager and told him they should not be stocking this junk), or broken. People that abuse their liberal return policy are just driving the prices up for the people out there that actually have some personal ethics.