The Dude Abides Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Tired of fu*****g with this. I cant change the tire on guido because my floor jack isnt tall enough. It doenst help ive added probally 5 inches to the cars heigth but its time. Now dont get me wrong, the old 1 1/2 ton floor jack has done me great throughout the years but it isnt high enough for what i need now. Was look for recomendations on a good 2 ton maybe more floor jack for bout 150 or less. Prefferbely less. Ill buy used if i half to just want a good one. One with a large lift plate. Any help would be appreciated. ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 4x4 block of wood on the jack plate between it and the frame...cost is free if you live close to a construction site ask them for a spare block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Abides Posted April 30, 2010 Author Share Posted April 30, 2010 I know man and i could do that but to many times this jack hasnt had enough heigth or oomph to get the job done. Its time to just get something bigger and better. Im still keeping the old jack for smaller vehicles but now its time to step up. To many times has mick jacked up the car with his floor jack with ease while it takes me forever to work on mine. Just not gonna mess with it anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) i had to get the long reach low profile with foot pump 2.5ton jack from harbor freight, since my cars weigh 4200 pounds and one is really low to the ground. It has a nice support platform and i just put a block on it for my BRAT. It was like 150 bucks, this one is long enough to reach the center diff or the front crossmember without a lot of work to get it there. Jacks are pricey, maybe check out sears or Napa they have decent ones you can try out on the floor. http://www.harborfreight.com/2-1-2-half-ton-low-profile-floor-jack-67045.html its cheaper now than when i bought mine, but you have no need for low profile now.....so you have choices more than i had Edited April 30, 2010 by bheinen74 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 I have an old Sears floor jack that I got at a yard sale for $25. I think it's 2 ton model. As mentioned I use a 4x4 to get some extra height on things like my lifted wagon, and big trucks, etc. Jack stands are a must of course - you don't want the ambulance to show up and laugh at your stupidity for crawling under a car lifted with a floor jack and a wooden block . I will often use the jack only if I'm only doing a brake job, etc. Just make darn sure you don't put any limbs *under* the car and that the vehicle is chocked or the brake set. And I probably wouldn't do it with a chinese jack either. My sears jack is probably from the 70's or 80's and is American made. It doesn't have the rapid rise feature like the newer stuff but it's been a very reliable tool. You won't really find much in the way of inexpensive floor jacks that lift farther than about 25" to 27" or so. If you need to go higher than you need a Hi-Lift jack - which is a great investment as well. Though you will need bumpers to accomidate it. The Hi-Lift's are cheaper than a floor jack and can be used as a come-along and can lift to rediculous heights - 36" no problem with the 48" version and they also make a 60" version . GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 If you need to go higher than you need a Hi-Lift jack - which is a great investment as well. Though you will need bumpers to accomidate it. The Hi-Lift's are cheaper than a floor jack and can be used as a come-along and can lift to rediculous heights - 36" no problem with the 48" version and they also make a 60" version . GD +whatever on the wooden blocks. I've been using the same craptastic floorjack with a miraculous 7" of lift since high schoo supplemented with endless junkyard bottle jacks and more firewoodl. Needless to say I'm not a pro auto guy so it really hasn't been important, but wood can get you far. That being said, I can totally understand the desire to not have to make sure that special piece (or pieces) of wood are within easy reach. Hi-Lifts are great, but if you pick up a used one, MAKE SURE to clean the lift/lower mechanism. These jacks work by stepping pins up or down, one pin goes in to hold while the other lowers or raises to the next step. If the mechanism is dirty, the lowering or raising pin can jam and when you lift the handle the rig goes crashing to the ground. Maybe they've fixed this since the early 90's when I bought the last one I owned new, but just in case check it out. I'm not saying this is true of Hi-Lifts jacks across the board of makes, just those that I've encountered. Will- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic/se Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 You can try at costco . i bought a 3 ton at costco for less then a $100 if i can recall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Both the 2 1/2 ton and 3 ton versions they sell at harbor frieght have proven to be amazingly durable and versatile for me, we have 2 of each, and both sizes have enough lift to get the Beast off the ground jacking from the rear diff, and I have 31" tires plus an extra 2" suspension lift in the back I dont recall what we paid for them, but it couldnt have been much, they arent the fancy quick-lift aluminum ones, just the orange heavy steel ones... -Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 I know man and i could do that but to many times this jack hasnt had enough heigth or oomph to get the job done. Its time to just get something bigger and better. Im still keeping the old jack for smaller vehicles but now its time to step up. To many times has mick jacked up the car with his floor jack with ease while it takes me forever to work on mine. Just not gonna mess with it anymore. I have 3 different wood stacks I use with my floor jack... I gave $45 for mine at an auction. it was new.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 You can try at costco . i bought a 3 ton at costco for less then a $100 if i can recall I just did this for $95 and it goes WAY high like almost dangerously. I need new jack stands as the standard ones max out below what the jack is capable of too! Love it. I can get a trans under the car now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coylethebarbarian Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 Both the 2 1/2 ton and 3 ton versions they sell at harbor frieght have proven to be amazingly durable and versatile for me, we have 2 of each, and both sizes have enough lift to get the Beast off the ground jacking from the rear diff, and I have 31" tires plus an extra 2" suspension lift in the back I dont recall what we paid for them, but it couldnt have been much, they arent the fancy quick-lift aluminum ones, just the orange heavy steel ones... -Bill I saw the 2 1/2 ton is on sale this week here. It's listed between $60-70, can't remember exactly. Going to pick that one up. I notice their larger size jack stands, the big steel orange ones are on sale at times too. I've a set of those, very durable and elevate a good distance. For some things, you can't go wrong at harbor Freight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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