Floor Jacks - any good ones out there??

gstdi

Active member
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Location
WI
TDI
06.5 TDI Diesel Edition
I'm on what has to be my 9th or 10th floor jack, and am about ready to pull out my hair. They all seem to fail (won't lift) after about 2 years of light-duty use.

I've bought floor jacks from:

- Snap-On (had it when I was a full-time tech)
- Crafstman (had 2 of them)
- Nordic (had 2)
- AC Delco (had at least 2)
- Harbor Freight

My current floor jack, a 4-ton "heavy duty" Craftsman just died on me, and I'm so sick of buying new floor jacks. It's absolutely maddening. Anyone know of a good floor jack that'll last for more than a year or 2?

I'm only lifting small cars (Jetta, Cooper, BMW 3 series), and I only use the floor jacks maybe 4-5 times per year. They don't run low on hydraulic oil - they just quit working... ugh!
 

lawallac

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Location
Stratford WI
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI
I agree with you there are some really bad ones. I was looking for one to keep in the car. Really I was looking for something with a case. I looked at Harbor and the only one they had with a case was the 12v scissor jack. I've seen the same one rebranded in Northern Hydrolics and a couple other places.
The part that makes contact with the car is made entirely of plastic. I found this out when I was lifting the car to mount snow tires and it broke in two.
I'm sure there are good ones but they are undoubtedly expensive. Then again SnapOn isn't cheap.
 

BrianCT

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2006
Location
USA
TDI
TDI
gstdi said:
I'm on what has to be my 9th or 10th floor jack,
The Craftsmen jacks are 100% returnable. Even if Sears states otherwise [note: not a K-Mart], speak to a store manager on the issue. In these economic times no one wants bad press [unhappy customers]. If that doesn't work, find out who the District Mgr is for that area and call or e-mail him your complaint.

I've had a 2 ton floor jack for 10 years and never an issue using it several times a month. At times the jack held up a side of a car for an entire afternoon.:eek: It was a cheap unit from Autozone $40.00

When I store the jack, I compress the stand pad bottoming out the pneumatic while tightening the release valve shut. Maybe you're storing the jacks with the release valve open allowing moisture or air to damage the seals or leak oil?


Month or so ago I went to Harbor Freight and bought this unit. I needed some urgent work and needed a second back up jack.:(
 

VW Vet

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2000
Location
Maine
TDI
Golf GL TDI, 2001
I bought a Sears 2 ton floor jack in 1978. Have used it frequently over the years (as recently as last week) with zero problems. As mentioned above, I store it completely retracted with the valve closed. Perhaps that is the secret.
 

hevster1

Vendor
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Location
Columbia NJ
TDI
98 NB
Stop buying junk. Hein-Werner 2 ton-USA made, about 350.00.

If you want a high lift I recommend A/C hydraulics Model DQ13 or DQ20. They range between 700.00 and 1000.00. Made in Denmark with a 2 year warranty.

American forge and Foundry is another good brand.
Be prepared to spend at least 300.00 on a quality jack.

I have owned Craftsman, ATD and a few others. All were crap.
 
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otm646

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Location
Metro Detroit
TDI
1998 AHU Jetta.
Did you ever open of the reservoir and add more fluid?

I have brought my craftsman back from the dead a few times with just a little more fluid.
 

Variant TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2002
Location
SS, MD.
TDI
2002 Golf Variant, Reflex Silver
I've had a $40 craftsman (2.25 or 2.5 ton, I forget) since 1993. I bought it when I went to college, and couldn't bring my dad's craftsman (bought in the early 80s) with me.

He still has that one.

Like others have said... they do need to be topped up with oil every once in a while, but otherwise... they're pretty bulletproof.
 

diesel-dave

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
Location
earth
TDI
2003 wagon TDI, 2003 wagon Tdi, 2013 Q7 Tdi
Hein-Werner Service Jack – 2-Ton, Model# HW93642



northern tool 319 bucks made in the USA!!!!!
 

Jetta SS

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2006
Location
Grand Bay, AL
TDI
'98 Jetta
I had a Sears jack that lasted me 14 years. When it quit I went to Harbor and got the $50 special. It's junk. wish I would have paid a little more and got something better.
 

ruking

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Location
San Jose area, CA
TDI
2003 VW Jetta, 5 M, Reflex Silver: 09 Jetta, 6 Sp DSG, Candy White: 12 VW Touareg, 8 Sp A/T, Flint Gray
My Dad (who was a mechanic) had a Lincoln for literally over a generation & a half (45 years). It was literally bullet proof. I actually would have kept it, but I needed an ultra low clearance model to go under a Z06 Corvette. I have had a AC Hydraulics DK 20 since early 2001. I understand it is considered one of the current better hydraulic 2 ton jacks around.

http://www.asedeals.com/hydraulicjacks2.html

I looked at a few web sites for Hein-Werner and they look remarkably like my Dad's old Lincoln, his was fire engine red.

Here is another link for Omega Lift Model 29023

http://www.asedeals.com/service-jacks-omega.html
 
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Kiwi_ME

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 3, 1999
Location
New Zealand
TDI
'18 Kona EV, ex '03 Golf TDI, '82 Rabbit Diesel
Just two comments regarding my experience with cheap trolley jacks:

-be sure you close the valve after you lower the jack to keep fluid from leaking past the valve stem.

-the check valve sometimes sticks and the jack won't lift. Need to bang it with a hammer to loosen.
 

roadhard1960

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2004
Location
Covington, Ga.
TDI
2003 Jetta wagon GLS 5 speed
My Craftsman jack is probably 25 years old. My Dad has a Craftsman that is probably 35 years and has lifted plenty of full size Mopars and Chevys over its life. They do get dropped to fully collapsed when done. They are always stored in garages subject to condensation with no issues. There really is not a lot in a jack to fail if the cylinder does not suffer excessive pitting.
 

J double R

Fail Train Conductor
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Location
Wilmington, North Carolina
TDI
'00 Golf 4 door
roadhard1960 said:
My Craftsman jack is probably 25 years old. My Dad has a Craftsman that is probably 35 years and has lifted plenty of full size Mopars and Chevys over its life. They do get dropped to fully collapsed when done. They are always stored in garages subject to condensation with no issues. There really is not a lot in a jack to fail if the cylinder does not suffer excessive pitting.
yeah... my dad has had the same craftsman jack for as long as i can remember (around 20 years or so back)
 

TDI_Convert

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2004
Location
N. Central Indiana, USA
TDI
Jetta Wagon 5 sp., 2003, Silver/Grey Int.
VW Vet said:
I bought a Sears 2 ton floor jack in 1978. Have used it frequently over the years (as recently as last week) with zero problems. As mentioned above, I store it completely retracted with the valve closed. Perhaps that is the secret.
It must have been a good year, I have one from the same year as well and it's still working fine. Maybe because we store it the same way?
 

BolaB4V

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2007
Location
Northern NY
TDI
1996 passat tdi wagon, 97 F-150 XLT 4x4, 99.5 Mk4 Jetta VR6/5M

I got this baby at Advanced Auto.
2.5 ton, 5 1/2" to 19 1/2" lift range. Twist lock handle.
The plate is beefy and is 5 1/2" in diameter.
Its hard to believe its only rated for 5000lbs as there is a lot of mass
to this one. It is heavy!
#G-2489
Around 95.00 w/tax
Had it for a few months and if stored properly it should last.
 

WVU TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Location
Beckley, WV
TDI
2013 Passat SE 6m
My dad's craftsman jack had been around longer than I have (23 years). He has to add fluid to it now and again, and sometimes you have to fully collapse it an extra time to get it to jack up but hey, it works :)
 

supton

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 25, 2004
Location
Central NH (USA)
TDI
'04 Jetta Wagon GLS
I've been making by with my cheapo Harbor Freight one, the one that comes with jack stands. Nothing fancy, should have gotten two to make tire rotation easier. Friend of mine has an old something-or-another, rated for 1.5 tons, which must weigh 'bout that much. That works too. The point being, if it's something only used every couple months, it'll probably last a couple of decades. Or long enough that one doesn't worry about replacing it every 5-10 years.
 

myvwkg

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2008
Location
Trumbull, CT
TDI
2003 Golf GL TDI
I agree with Hevster. The Hein Werner is a great jack. No point going cheap on jacks. Had this jack almost 5 years. It was my wedding present from my wife
 

Ryan Rogen

New member
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Location
canada
TDI
GOLF
I have OTC Aluminum Racing Jack Kit . This is a really nice high end all aluminum floor jack. You tend to get what you pay for here. It is very easy to move around and you can get it up to full height in just 5 or 6 quick pumps. What a really nice design here by OTC products on this two-ton floor jack.The best thing about this jack was how incredibly lightweight it is. It is made of mostly heavy duty aluminum construction
 

RabbitGTI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 20, 1997
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
B4 Passat Sedan
Have had a big, heavy Craftsman for decades. Works fine. Also have a couple aluminum Harbor Freight racing jacks from China. I don't use the Craftsman (AKA Big *****) that much because the lightweight jacks (AKA Little Guys) are just so nice to sling around.
 

liahriz

New member
Joined
May 24, 2017
Location
MN
TDI
2001 NB
I'm on what has to be my 9th or 10th floor jack, and am about ready to pull out my hair. They all seem to fail (won't lift) after about 2 years of light-duty use.

I've bought floor jacks from:

- Snap-On (had it when I was a full-time tech)
- Crafstman (had 2 of them)
- Nordic (had 2)
- AC Delco (had at least 2)
- Harbor Freight

My current floor jack, a 4-ton "heavy duty" Craftsman just died on me, and I'm so sick of buying new floor jacks. It's absolutely maddening. Anyone know of a good floor jack that'll last for more than a year or 2?

I'm only lifting small cars (Jetta, Cooper, BMW 3 series), and I only use the floor jacks maybe 4-5 times per year. They don't run low on hydraulic oil - they just quit working... ugh!
I am willing to buy Craftsman 3 Ton Floor Jack. What do you think about this floor jack? Although I have found a few other best floor jack lists here. But don't understanding which one should buy. I am seeing this thread lots of people are happy with their Craftsman.
So, should I go with that model or Any other opinion?
 
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tadawson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Location
Lewisville, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL, 2015 Passat TDI SEL
I've had a 3 ton Craftsman for 20+ years. Other than blowing a main seal (under $5 to replace from a local hydraulic shop - standard size) it's been great. I was China build, which likely explains all the machining swarf I flushed out when the seal was changed (and which likely caused the failure) but all in all, the machine work was fine, if not the cleanup.
 

Xuelis

New member
Joined
Sep 25, 2018
Location
Wilmington
TDI
haven;t yet
When I bought our S4, I decided to upgrade my floor jack from an aluminum "racing" racing jack I had used on my VWs. It was pretty lightweight, but didn't seem very rugged. I don't recall it's lifting capacity, but I didn't want to chance using it for lifting the S4's weight without using jack stands, even to just change wheel/tires. I ended up buying a DK20Q AC hydraulic floor jack https://wheelstips.com/best-floor-jacks from Pelican Parts. It's well-made, made in Denmark, and has a 4400lb capacity. The wheels have polyurethane O-rings that make it smooth and quiet to roll around. It's got a low profile minimum height of 3.15" and a lift height of 19.7". AC also has a high lift model with a 29" lift. The only regret I have about this jack is that I store it in my basement and when I need to use it, I have to enlist my wife's help to carry it up the stairs (it's 68lbs of frikken heavy!).
 
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