Ferrari Mailing List: Re: LSMFT Floor Jack - no spoiler

[Adam (flatcrank]

I don't know why Harbor Freight compares that jack to "over $600"  
jacks.  I've had one previously and it served me well, but I advise  
against buying it.

1. Are you willing to be injured if it fails or collapses sideways.
2. If you ever overload it, it will start leaking at the seals and  
it's toast.
3. Almost like clockwork, after two years, it starts leaking anyway.

A leaking jack is a nightmare.  Always use jack-stands and release the  
weight of the vehicle onto the stands and test their stability  
(literally give the car a shove or two and be sure.)  I overloaded my  
old one by trying to lift the rear of a 911 at once (probably a dead  
lift of about 2000-2500 lbs, which, for a "rated" 3000lb jack should  
have been no issue and it did lift the car, but it also started to  
leak that day and soon became a messy, useless piece of junk.  I was  
never comfortable with the degree of side deflection.  I've since  
bought a premium brand jack (AC Hydraulics) ... it's heavy and  
cumbersome, but it's also well made, strong and durable (for about  
three years now, lifting anything from race cars to SUVs ... but not  
quite strong enough to lift the trailer, so I bought one of the 25 ton  
air-hydraulic bottle jacks at Harbor Freight, which also makes quick  
work of raising the Excursion (diesel) as if it were a Scuderia ... in  
my dreams ... there's no greater luxury than being able to raise a  
jack just by holding the button on the compressed air line ... : )

Buying one $500 jack is less expensive and a better tool than buying  
one cheap jack every two years.  If someone does want a light and  
cheap solution, I would reinforce the advice below to at least fork  
out the extra $40 and buy the jack with the higher lift rating.




On Sep 14, 2008, at 12:47 PM, Paul Bennett wrote:

> Had to get a new floor jack - read all the reviews and recognize
> reliability is a common problem nowdays.
>
> That said, I am super pleased with the Harbor Freight
> LIGHTWEIGHT 35# aluminum 3000# Racing Jack at $140 store price.
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47246
> Catalog shows an upscale version which store didn't have
> 10# heavier, 4000# lift, $40 more.  Probably the best choice.