maduro

Hey guys. I need to buy a hydraulic jack that will give me enough clearance to do my own break work on the GX460. What do you guys recommend from harbor freight or else where? Thanx.

maduro

ObsidianBl

I think anything 3 ton or more will work. It all depends on if you like the newer Daytona’s with the fancy colors or can do with the regular rapid pump ones. It looks like they are clearing out the 3 ton rapid pump for $75.

Make sure to get jack stands too! You probably know this.... but Don’t work under the vehicle without proper support. The jack by itself isn’t safe!! The jack pads are nice to protect the frame rails.

They had a recall on the 6 ton jack stands recently. I still need to check if mine were part of the recall.

here’s a jack stand coupon for HF
http://www.hfqpdb.com/best_coupon/3+...EL+JACK+STANDS

maduro

Wow so looks like I can get a 3 ton floor jack and a pair of Jack stands for $100. Thanx!

ASE

Yes ... Harbor Freight is cheap to purchase for a reason ... it is cheap ... you get what you pay for ... so when the hydraulic cylinder goes out, you have a boat anchor with no replacement parts available, assuming you do not get crushed in the process.

Seriously ... just do some quick math on the shipping cost for the (heavy) weight of a good hydraulic floor jack ... meaning that the cost to manufacture is probably < 15% the purchase price ... meaning CHEAP design, CHEAP materials and CHEAP construction.

So I strongly suggest that the extra money spent on a quality jack is well worth the price of admission ... from a name brand manufacturer that supports repair parts that will be available in the future. Also, make sure you get some jack-stands ... especially if you go with HF and don't want to get crushed when the cylinder gives way, or the floor jack frame folds under the weight.

Cheap tools **** me off ... especially where safety is involved. Yes, I will buy HF tools ... but only for a specific limited use purpose where I will be abusing the tool to get a difficult job done and view the tool as disposable.

ltsr

so what jack and jack stands do you own? might as well share with the rest of us

msgs350

iTrader: (2)

I have no problem with HF stuff, you should already know what you're getting. As others here have said, make sure you get some good jack stands.
This is my set-up:

• Harbor Freight Daytona 3 ton Hydraulic jack: https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-...ack-64780.html
• Torin Big Red 6 ton jack stands (double lock):
  Amazon
  Amazon

ASE

NAPA ... 3.5 Ton for $199 (on sale from $455). This is a quality professional grade jack with a parts list (something that is not available on cheap throw-away jacks) from a company that is not going away any time soon. If you want to buy real quality ... buy a Hein-Werner floor jack. Most everything else is manufactured in China to a range of (quality) standards based on the branding and price point.

You own a Lexus ... so quality and reliability is obviously something you value. Now if you owned a Yugo or _________ then maybe not, so HF would be a good match.

DallasDave

iTrader: (1)

LOL, this is a good thread! I feel compelled to chime in too. Harbor Freight has been great. I agree that their quality might be little less than some of the brands listed above BUT you guys are missing the real point...in my opinion of course.

You do NOT need the highest quality tools unless you are a professional mechanic and/or work on your vehicle(s) daily. I use my 1.5 ton HF floor jack a few times a year. It has lasted over three years if my memory is correct. For $70 I certainly have gotten my money's worth. If it were to fail, I would throw it away and purchase another one in a minute (something like this). I have had their pneumatic tools for well over ten years without any problems. That's because I only use them 1-2 times per year.

So what we are really talking about here is the usable life of an item (MTBF). It should be measured by the actual use, not how long you own something. Sure the Harbor Freight floorjack's life might be 300 hours (of life) whereas a super high-quality unit might last 1,200 hours of use. But if I only use the damn thing 5-10 hours a year, who cares which one I get?!

BTW, I did purchase a battery powered drill from HF and it only lasted three months. Guess why? I was putting up a new wooden fence around our yard (used the drill almost non-stop for several hours a day).

So my vote is this, invest in quality where it makes sense. If your goal is to be able to do your own brake jobs, purchase a floorjack that has the right capacity and can lift the vehicle to the desired height. Use jackstands too (of course). Purchase whatever your budget allows and/or what you feel good about. In the end, anything you get will suffice for use 1-2 times per year.

bbqsoup

I had the 1.5 ton aluminum jack for 6-7 years lifting all kind of cars until the piston leaked. I’m thinking of getting a 3-ton aluminum again due to its weight. But the current orange Daytona low profile 3-ton for $99 looks nice.
Some of my sockets, crew drivers, wrenches are HF and they all work fine. Their prices are awesome for weekend works.

ASE

HF has a 90-day warranty. At this price point ... a crap shoot ... could last a very long time, or the piston seals could leak sooner than later, with no replacement parts available. Infrequent use does not extend seal life ... in fact typically the opposite. The time wasted, the potential safety hazard ... just not worth the "savings" when a floor jack has so many uses beyond brake service. A good quality floor jack should last a lifetime.

ltsr

I still have that same jack. I did my engine swap on another car with that jack and used it for my 4runners and tacoma. Plenty years of service. I think harbor freight jacks are ok but it's the jack stands that worry me. I would never think there would be a recall on such a simple part.

I ended up buying the HF 3-ton aluminium jack a week after I purchased the GX 2 years ago. It's a heavy beast. I agree with @ASE that for things like jack stands, to buy something with better quality. I don't do heavy mechanical work like I did in my past days so I figure I can get by with HF jacks for tire rotations and brake work. Now, my jack stands are over 10 years old and at this point I don't even remember what brand they are but they have held up on multiple engine swaps and random light work.

FirstGX

Glad I stumbled on this thread!!! I was working on my car last weekend and needed it up on all 4 corners. I used some pro-lift 6-ton Jack stands in the back and the 6 ton harbor freight ones i bought in september in the front. I noticed that when I was installing the HF stands, the support arm just fell in because there was so much slop and so little engagement from the arm. I ended up using the jack as an extra safety measure under the vehicle. It's crazy to think that something as simple as a jackstand could fail like that. I figured that they may be made a little cheaper than others, but if you oversize them for the job they will do just fine. Boy was I wrong. I guess I will attempt to return them to the store and will order a couple more pro-lift stands. They feel solid.

I also use the daytona 3ton professional superduty jack and really like it, maybe it's time to re-think it too.

ObsidianBl

those 6 tons are the ones on recall! Definitely take them back

FirstGX

I googled, but couldn't find any official information on the recall from harbor freight, so I called my store, who were unaware of any recall. Upon a little more research, they were able to confirm the recall and will either issue store credit or will provide a refund to the original form of payment with the original receipt (i have an email copy of the receipt.)

ASE

6-Tons = 12,000 Lbs Capacity ... and was probably only loaded to 1,500 Lbs (one corner of the vehicle) = 12.5% of the rated capacity All alloy steel is not created equal. All welds are not created equal. You get what you pay for ... in the materials used and the labor that is hopefully using the right equipment and has the training to lay down a sound mechanical weld. Failure at 12.5% loading suggests one or both of these factors were sub-standard quality.

Rated capacity guarantees nothing. A "sturdy look" guarantees nothing. Heavy weight guarantees nothing. When purchasing safety ... buy from a reputable brand versus Harbor Freight who is a "reseller" (of bargain basement no-name China products).