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I like doing my own maintenance. Do you have a car jack that you like to use for working on your GX460? I've got stock tires and suspension, what height do I need to get the tires off the ground?
Buy quality ... not the "no name" Chinese Harbor Freight crap ... not worth dying or getting crippled saving money. NAPA sells Carlyle products ... that actually have safety certification. Also, the Carlyle floor jacks have rebuild parts available ... unlike the "throw away" Harbor Freight garbage.
I'm using a Pro Eagle 2-ton, and it really annoys me that it does not have any mechanism to raise quicker with no load, if I was buying again I'd make sure it had that feature. The wheels do roll over pretty well anything though.
No one said "Snap-on" is the gold standard in this space ... agree, no guarantee at any price point ... but at lease certification and a solid company name that stands behind their products does provide a level of measure. A floor jack should only be used long enough to set the vehicle on (certified) jack-stands. Not to bust on Harbor Freight ... great value for the money ... but for me, for lifting equipment ... Harbor Freight is a no-go given their "no name Chinese" product sourcing.
My gripe with your comment is it's designed to get us to think past the sale, the discussion is regarding floor jacks yet your example of "no name Chinese" is about jack stands. I'd like to see examples of harbor freight floor jacks, not jack stands being dangerous. If people were being injured by Harbor Freight floor jacks it would seem examples would be everywhere.
To think a company applies different quality standards and controls across different products is an incredibly naive assumption. One would think jack-stands would be their highest order along these lines. Apparently not ... a huge measure as to their corporate integrity. That is the bigger point of my comment(s). Getting crushed under a vehicle sucks.
... makes a passing statement on "Checking Weld Quality" in the last 20-seconds of the video ... as if casual visual inspection of welds by a non expert is any measure ... Hmmmmm ... takes certification testing to understand the failure strength.
Obligatory safety note -- jacks lift cars, jackstands hold them up. Don't work under something that is not sufficiently supported by jack stands alone or you might die. That happened to a friend's son that was a forklift mechanic :x. His jack wasn't cheap, but he cut a corner and paid for it with his life.
I use esco jack stands, although they are more expensive that harbor freight ones, they have a good height range, have been tested to way over their 3 ton each load limit and the pin design is pretty idiot resistant.
I have a fairly cheap low profile, long reach floor jack, works well enough on the GX, though I got it for my spouse's Bmw. Otherwise I would've gotten s slightly cheaper harbor freight jack.
Floor jacks are incredibly dangerous. The footprint is way too narrow they are a tip hazard on anything but perfectly level ground. And that's if they don't fold like a cheap tent. Toyota scissor jacks are far better raise the car support with jack stands leave the Toyota jack in place as a backup. I've done this hundreds of times without issue, plus scissor jacks are far more forgiving on uneven ground they will move a fair bit before they tip.
Price point and features are great ... but from a safety standpoint, structural integrity at the "rated" capacity is paramount ... with the welds being critical ... so for me, ANSI Test Certification is an overriding consideration. "Pretty Welds" are no measure as to integrity and ultimate (advertised) strength.
Harbor Freight Jack-Stands below ... that were replacements to an original Jack-Stand recall ... that were then ALSO recalled ... I guess "Third Time's a Charm" when it comes to quality control at Harbor Freight ... no this is not a Floor Jack per this discussion ... but IS what provides lifted safety when working under a vehicle to avert death or major injury. This represents Harbor Freight manufacturing controls and corporate governance ... so make a purchase decision accordingly ... and maybe update your life insurance policy at the same time.
07-11-23 | 11:47 AM
Best jack for GX460
... no this is not a Floor Jack per this discussion ... but IS what provides lifted safety when working under a vehicle to avert death or major injury. This represents Harbor Freight manufacturing controls and corporate governance ... so make a purchase decision accordingly ... and maybe update your life insurance policy at the same time.
