Just wondering if the Aluminum Jacks offered any advantages, besides their lighter weight?

In their ad in my sunday paper, Kragens has been offering a 3000lb Aluminum Jack for $79.99, while the heaver, non-aluminum jacks are normally in the $29.99 range.

Your thoughts?



previous thread by jonwatts about a computer surplus store selling them:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?act...726&hl=aluminum

the $29 jacks are usually the ones with a smaller footprint and are less stable.

the larger aluminum jacks I have seen have fewer strokes at the expense of more effort per stroke. They also have a very low pad height which is great for our low cars.

the aluminum jack I have seen below $100 are usually aluminum and steel. I paid around $150 for and all aluminum 7 stroke jack.

The weight is also good if you take it to the track or auto-x.

dr

it's a -big- advantage...

my experience with the $30 jacks has been that they are toys. the aluminum jack is big and substantial enough that it is a serious jack. i have a big (4000 lb) steel one too, but nowadays i almost never use it - the aluminum one gets all the use. the wide front roller is nice. the quick-disconnect 2-piece handle is v-e-r-y nice for packing along on AX weekends.

it also lowers FAST, which could be an advantage for the racer types, i suppose, but it takes some getting used to if you're used to big steel jack lowering rates ...

no other real advantage IMHO, in fact, sometimes they are a PITA....
they advertise that it'll go to it's full height of 17.5'' in only 6 pumps..fine with no real weight on it.....in order to achieve full height so fast, the force you need to excert on the handle per pump is extremly high.

you can completly forget about reaching the handle with an extended arm or leg to get the pump to go up...normally, the more strokes it takes to raise the jack, the easier it is to jack up the car, motor or whatever.

The prices of the aluminum jacks keep coming down it seems. First they were $400, then $300, $200, now $79.95. I still see them listed at the high end, though.

I have one. They are fairly light. They also lift with fewer strokes, sort of like the NASCAR jacks. Some places advertise them as "racing jacks", but I can't lift my car with two strokes!

Mike

there are still jacks that are $500 to $750.

I think they are even lighter and probably better made,etc.

These new alu jacks below$300 seem to be a new generation of jacks for enthusiasts, etc.

dr

Sears has an aluminum jack out now, I think its about $150

Plus you get the "craftsman" warranty!

I also was looking for a decent floor jack after I realized that the smaller 1.5 ton was too unstable for anything over 10". I decided against the "aluminum" or "racing" jacks as the advertised super fast lowering rates and for a father/son project tool that just seemed too dangerous. After buying a 59.99 at H.F. I realized the "gears" that control the pump are much too sloppy (kinda what I was trying to avoid). After a search on the web, I read about the Michelin floor jack. It's a licensed product, made in China and sells for 60.00 at Sam's Club. IMHO it's superior in all aspects to the others in the 120.00 and under. What sold me on it was the U-Joint (instead of gears) so the lowering is controlled and super smooth. Another little detail is the handle is longer (also two piece) and rests at about 110 degrees. Well built and even looks like an american built Lincoln but $550.00 cheaper.

Long story but I hope it helps someone.

Thanks, that does help, but....


Sam's Club? Is that like a Wal-Mart here in N Calif, one wonders?

Sam's Club is WalMart's version of CostCo -- a membership warehouse. CostCo carries aluminum jacks but they must be some kinda upscale version 'cause they were a lot more than the one i got at Harbor Freight.

We had on in the Pits last year from harbor frieght. It was ok, but the hex bolts that it was assembled from kept working loose. I would Lock-tite them (after cleaning!) then the car would go out and some one would say "Hey, what does this go to?" The first couple of time really freaked me out... See, we started last season with some "off roading" in the #66 911rsa!!
any way, decent jack, but you get what you pay for...

Just got my "Grassroots Motorsports" mag in the mail.
There is an article about jacks. They talk about the aluminum ones. I haven't read the article yet. But it is in the bathroom awaiting me.

Paul

still trying to be the lightest 914 driver????

Now tha tis funny! Potty room humor from a man with a self proclaimed ANGRY itch!!

I've seen two aluminum jacks at Harbor Freight. One was the cheapie you see everywhere but the other was much better made. It cost around $200.

Unless you really have a need for the jack to be portable I think I'd go with a heavier duty steel jack.

I don't know Anthony. I bought one of the jacks like we all piched in for Brad's birthday. I have a really nice 3 ton steel unit. The aluminum is so much easier to maneuver. It's my jack of choice.

Mike,
I take a dump before every race.

Paul

Type O Negitive song......sorta related, or it's in the same region, LOL

My Harbor Freight jack broke after about a year of moderate use. Now I have a Craftsman one, which appears to be better built, and so-far, so-good.

If you really don't need the portability factor, though, I would definitely get a GOOD quality steel shop floor jack. The AC ones that Pelican and others sell are primo. Nobody ever got fired for buying Snap-On, either.

Since I load/unload my jack into the tow vehicle every couple weeks, the alloy ones are the way to go for me.

I had hoped that the reconditioned Lincoln jack I got a few years ago would be the last jack I ever had to buy. It was rated at 1 1/2 tons and weighed almost that much. Last weeked it pumped it's last. I took it to the repair shop and the guy said it would cost $100 to rebuild it. He offered me $100 for it as is. I took the cash. Now I am looking to buy a new one. I like the idea of an aluminum jack. Something that is lighter than my old Lincoln will make track days more enjoyable.

Does anybody have anything to add to the previous comments on this thread? What has your experience been? I looked at Harbor Freight. Their $130 aluminum jack seemend to be only so-so for quality. They had a better one for $200. The $200 aluminum jack at Sears was also made in China, but it was much better quality. Are there any others I should consider? What would you buy if you had to do it over again?

I bought the $200 Harbor Freight aluminum jack and like Chris mine lasted one season. I now have the cheaper Harbor Freight one but I don't like the feel of the handle action and wish I didn't buy it.

You know I was under the impression that the Aluminum Jack weighed 35lbs, but
I think that was the jack from the computer-surplus store that watts found.

Looked at the aluminum jack at Kragen's a little closer over the w/e, that sucker only weighs 16.5lbs which means I'd be able to carry the darn thing with me, something I certainly wouldn't do with one of the steel jacks.

Also the contact patch was flat, unlike some of the other jacks they had, that had a four raised 'nubs'.

I have not used it a whole lot yet, but am still happy with the Craftsman alloy jack I got a few months back. I'm hoping it will last me 2-3 years; I do not expect a "lifetime" product at this price point. If it does better than that, then great. If it breaks in a year like the HF one, then I'll be pissed

Campbell,
does the Craftsman alloy jack come with the famous Lifetime Warranty like the tools do?

I noticed the jack at Kragen's only has a one year warranty.

I doubt it. That warranty is on hand tools.

But, everything at Sear's comes with a "satisfaction guarantee" so if you bitch loud enough a manager will give you your money back on pretty much anything.

I found a really nice billet aluminum one at a high-preformance speed shop.
Before I had the chance to convince myself that I needed an $800 jack,
I went and bought the $200 aluminum one at Sears.

what happened after one season? did something break?

the company that makes it is Torin I think. They should be able to help. Talked to them about a valve on mine.

dr

Has any one tried the high lift jack from the bird? Its not a light weight aluminum jack but it has cool features. Like not having to roll the car onto a block of wood to get the jack under it, and goes way up.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopca..._ACHyd1_pg1.htm

The AC Hydraulics jack and stands are "the bomb". If you can justify a $600, 100lb floor jack, that is... I don't have the jack at this point but do have their jackstands.

Re. my HF jack that broke; something "popped" inside the hydraulic cylinder and all the fluid leaked out. I did not spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to disassemble or repair it, if it even was repairable, before tossing it in the dumpster...

Re. the Sears flavor - IIRC it has a 1-yr warranty. As mentioned above I think only the Craftsman hand tools have a "lifetime" warranty. It did come with a parts list and ordering info, though.