2 Ton Aluminum hydraulic floor jacks. Which are the best?

[YY1]

I have the 2.5 ton "low profile" steel HF jack.

It has been a good jack since 2012, although about 3 years ago, it started leaking down internally over night.

The worst thing about it, was the screw that held the 2 handle sections together.
I replaced that with a half round removeable hitch pin.

The low profile version easily rolls right under our LCA's unlike most of the "standard" height jacks I've been around.

 

[toolmanmike]

After only about three years of light usage, my Pittsburg two ton is calling it quits on me. I mean, my car doesn't even weigh two tons and this crap is taking one on me.
Which ones are the best?
Do people now need to buy a new one every three years or less?

I bought an aluminum jack from Harbor Freight a few months ago. I wanted something light weight that I could put in a box in the trunk when going out of town for car shows. I hope it lasts.

Hydraulics are just o rings and packing material to seal them. All can be rebuilt.

 

[mmissile]

I have the 2.5 ton "low profile" steel HF jack.

It has been a good jack since 2012, although about 3 years ago, it started leaking down internally over night.

The worst thing about it, was the screw that held the 2 handle sections together.
I replaced that with a half round removeable hitch pin.

The low profile version easily rolls right under our LCA's unlike most of the "standard" height jacks I've been around.

I bought one about ten years ago. It was required to reach under a couple of my cars. It's very heavy, but seems okay.
I never leave a load on a jack. That's what stands and stuff are for. When I was young, I killed a couple jacks that way.

 

[YY1]

If I don't need the jack to lift something else, I sometimes leave it next to the stand as additional, failsafe support.

That's when I noticed it had gone down about halfway when I returned in the morning.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

If I don't need the jack to lift something else, I sometimes leave it next to the stand as additional, failsafe support.

That's when I noticed it had gone down about halfway when I returned in the morning.

Yes, besides using 6 floor jack stands, I leave my jack up at a central point, but just barely touching the underneath as a fail safe peace of mind practice.
I remember years back at Carlisle, looking at a relic of a horrible accident. A young guy bought a brand new A990 Dodge and was switching the factory headers over to Doug Thorley headers, no jack stands underneath. Well, the rest of the gory story can easily be horrifically imagined.

 

[Budnicks]

sort of old from 2021 IIRC

USA made Jacks
Hein-Werner
Arcan
Blackhawk
Vevor

https://www.winchcentral.com/jacks/usa-made/

 

[YY1]

Vevor?

I thought that was a Chinese company that makes "everything".

 

[440 PHIXX]

I purchased a cast in Snap-On branded Lincoln in 1992. 2 1/2 ton. A big heavy son of a bitch. I’ve never had to do any maintenance to it other than keep it clean. The reason I got it is I was in auto body in the late 80’s, and we used these things to dolly the cars around the shop. Lift up either end and you essentially had a hand truck.

 

[gtxdana]

sort of old from 2021 IIRC

USA made Jacks
Hein-Werner
Arcan
Blackhawk
Vevor

http://[URL]https://www.winchcentral.com/jacks/usa-made/

[/URL]

I don't think you'll find any of those are actually made in USA. Even the Hein-Werner is "assembled in USA", which means they just bolted the wheels onto an offshore jack. All will have, at best, a Shinn Fu pump.

 

[33 IMP]

I have had my aluminum hf jack for about fifteen years, works great, but I only use it for racetrack work, big heavy steel ones in both Cali and AZ garages. If I have to throw a jack in the truck to go anywhere, it's aluminum 100% of the time.

I will say, my craftsman aluminum jack was complete garbage, and my High dollar Warner jack didn't last as long as I thought it should.

Next jack I buy will be a hf on sale, again.