Author Topic: Need to replace my aluminum jack (Read 2174 times)

kneedownnate · « **on:** Apr 29, 2009, 07:30:12 PM »

Let my friend borrow it to swap wheels/tires on his blazer and it got severely tweaked. He forgot to chock the front tires, jacked from an awkward angle and it rolled up on it's side. Didn't fall, just got tweaked to the point where it wasn't usable any longer. Sweet!

I paid $120-125 for it about 5 years ago on sale, but it seems they no longer carry the same model, and the one that looks identical to it is now $100 more. He took it back in and they said it was no longer under warranty, but the guy was pretty cool with him and talked his supervisor into giving him $100 and a deal on a 3 ton jack/stand/creeper combo. He offered me the set, but I bought the aluminum jack because it was a

ton easier to lift than my old 90 pound steel jack, not to mention it would hit the bottom of the frame on the 4by in nearly 1 pump, so I passed and just took the cash.

Anyway, I now need a replacement and am short on options. I've tried the supposed comparable aluminum jack from harbor freight and it does NOT compare. I'm willing to spend a little more than the $100 I have to buy a new one but want a light and wide quick pump like the one I had. Any suggestions?

BLACKDOG · « **Reply #1 on:** Apr 29, 2009, 10:01:53 PM »

ebay is your best bet I guess

All the aluminum jacks I have seen besides harbor freight are pricey.

Have you checked out summit? Sometimes they've got surprisingly good prices.

kneedownnate · « **Reply #2 on:** Apr 29, 2009, 11:14:31 PM »

I've been looking on ebay mostly, but the pages come up blank for me most the time since they forced the switch to the *new* ebay. Also checked home depot and northern tools and came up with some Torin jacks that look ok. I'll try summit too.

peacesells · « **Reply #3 on:** Apr 30, 2009, 12:20:54 AM »

my only advice is dont buy a torin or larin. my neighbor bought me a torin $330 aluminum jack and it was a piece of garbage! would pump up but not let down, so he took it back and orderd a larin jack, same garbage with a different name. This one randomly leaks FAST. its hard to get stands under the truck before its too low. and its pretty much fallin apart. definately china quality. I rebuilt my 20 some year old craftsman jack and will never go to anything other than a michelin or craftsman jack. steel all the way!

best jack ever
http://www.hugediscountmall.com/Michelin-Hydraulic-Floor-Jack-p-568.html

kneedownnate · « **Reply #4 on:** Apr 30, 2009, 05:19:01 PM »

Thanks for the advice! I've found mixed reviews on the torin jacks so far. If I don't find anything before tuesday I'll be seeing what kinda deal I can get form the Matco truck

I can't stress enough, I absolutely loved that jack and it frickin kills me that he just turned it in without calling me $I\'m Down$

kneedownnate · « **Reply #5 on:** Apr 30, 2009, 07:12:41 PM »

I checked out that michelin jack, and while it looks very sturdy, it's also super heavy, which is one of the reasons I got the aluminum jack.

peacesells · « **Reply #6 on:** Apr 30, 2009, 08:47:59 PM »

No problem man, anything to save someone from makin the same mistake I did...

It is quite heavy(not as heavy as my craftsman) but its drop dead reliable. 4 friends of mine have that jack and it works absolutely great, good release, rolls good with weight on it, and its only 1 pump to the chassis! one of my friends has 2 of them, thats the one I borrow when I need a second jack. has 5 stars from me.

To the other side, my craftsman only weighs 22 more pounds than my shatty torin/larin jack.. much worth it...

kneedownnate · « **Reply #7 on:** Apr 30, 2009, 09:50:00 PM »

I had a 90 pound jack before that one and it torqued my back every time I had to pick it up. Big, heavy, awkward jacks don't mix well with little guys with bad backs.

peacesells · « **Reply #8 on:** Apr 30, 2009, 10:11:49 PM »

yeah, Im a big guy with a bad back and any jack sucks nut to lift.. If you find a good aluminum jack let me know, id like a lighter piece as my neighbor can still take back the pos he bought me

kneedownnate · « **Reply #9 on:** May 02, 2009, 10:05:05 PM »

Just got a wild hair up my butt and checked jeg's and found they had their 1 1/2 ton jack on sale. It looks to be the same as most jacks I've found in the same range, so I'm willing to bet most of them are made by the same manufacturer. Anybody have one?

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/752655/10002/-1

kneedownnate · « **Reply #10 on:** May 02, 2009, 11:59:25 PM »

Did a little more digging and found out shinn fu makes the jacks for craftsman, then found ace hardware carries basically the same jack I had before, but it's $203.45. Still a little digging to do, but ace also has either 10% or 15% off on sunday, so if it comes to buying it there I can get it a little cheaper anyway.

kneedownnate · « **Reply #11 on:** May 03, 2009, 01:16:23 PM »

Anybody in the santa cruz area wanna help a brother out? http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/tls/1152457700.html

This is basically the same jack I had, just 1/2 ton more capacity.

1980 swap Under Construction · « **Reply #12 on:** May 03, 2009, 02:12:07 PM »

im in santa cruz ca ben lomond is where my house is, but yeah i help you
that jack looks like it will do the job ....... but u should make sure thats would it retails for
hit me back

kneedownnate · « **Reply #13 on:** May 03, 2009, 03:19:50 PM »

He's actually off on his price, it retails for $230

I'm still waiting to hear back from him on whether or not he'll ship it

kneedownnate · « **Reply #14 on:** May 05, 2009, 06:07:15 PM »

I just saw that sears has the 2 ton jack on sale for $180, I had a $10 off coupon in my pocket, so I broke down and bought myself a new jack tonight. I didn't want to put any more on my card cause I'm trying to pay it down, but I couldn't go without a jack any longer.

Stocker · « **Reply #15 on:** May 05, 2009, 06:53:29 PM »

Looks good, hope it works well for you!

PS Do not loan it out....

kneedownnate · « **Reply #16 on:** May 05, 2009, 07:29:26 PM »

Oh, I'll loan it out, but I'll be taking a $240 deposit

Absolutely, under no circumstances, will I allow anybody to come over and use it in the driveway again.

Stocker · « **Reply #17 on:** Jul 08, 2009, 03:51:38 PM »

*bump* I know this is old, and the damaged jack has been replaced...

If anyone is interested, I just found a coupon in a magazine ad for this aluminum HF jack #91039 -- $59.99, reg. price $99.99.

kneedownnate · « **Reply #18 on:** Jul 08, 2009, 09:01:38 PM »

Holy crap that's cheap!

Stocker · « **Reply #19 on:** Jul 08, 2009, 10:04:41 PM »

And things are often cheap for a reason...

but ya never know, it could possibly be a good deal.

kneedownnate · « **Reply #20 on:** Jul 08, 2009, 11:50:06 PM »

Never did post up pics of the new floor jack, but here it is aiding in the lifting of the bike to change the tires. Gotta love an ill-designed front lift that doesn't have enough leverage to lift the front end by itself

Could be a little bit my fault, but it should have a bar coming at least 6" or more off the front for leverage.