I'm in the market for a new hydraulic floor jack. I rotated the tires a couple weeks ago on my Liberty and my floor jack would no longer lift. So I had to do the whole rotation with just the factory scissor jack and a couple jack stands. Not fun! I did some troubleshooting on my floor jack. It's a 2 1/2 ton MVP brand from Wal Mart and it's about 5 years old. I added some hydraulic fluid to it and bled out the air as the instruction sheet indicated. It didn't help. I also replaced the o-ring on the plunger and bled the air again. That didn't help. I'm pretty sure this jack is done. So now I am shopping for a new jack. I have looked at bottle jacks, but they just don't seem as stable to me, plus most don't have the height I am looking for, I rather have a floor jack. I would prefer something with about 20 inches of max height. What I am trying to figure out is if it is worth the money to spend more money and get an expensive jack, or if I should just buy another $60 jack and use it until it dies. Most all of the floor jacks look very similar, I would suspect they may even all come from the same manufacturer and are just painted different colors with different decals and distributed to the various stores. I read the reviews on the Craftsman website and apparently those jacks are total junk. I would expect better from Craftsman. My dad is using a 3 ton from Harbor Freight and he said it does pretty good, but it will leak down over time. I looked at Wal-Mart's offerings today and they still sell the MVP brand, but the models they had were not even as good as what I have... $20 jacks rated at 2 tons and 13 inches of height. As much as I hate scissor jacks, I must say the factory one in my Jeep worked pretty well. At least I know if I ever get a flat, it will get the job done on the side of the road. I did throw a small piece of 2X6 scrap wood in my toolbox to give me a little more height and more stable base with it. So what do you guys use? What are you happy with? What brands should I stay away from?
I bought a 2.5 ton floor jack from Checker auto parts about 1-1/2 years ago and it's held up very well. No leakdown...yet. And I've used it ALOT with several car restorations since then. Can't see the need to spend more.
I have a huge 4 foot long floor jack (it's a total beast, i love it) that used to be my dad's. He bought it back in the late 60s. Several months ago it began to leak down...now i can't evne jack it up :-( I guess i'll need to replace the hydraulic on it...hopefully i can as with the handle all the way down the thing is literally 7 feet long. I can jack up a transmission from the front of a car with it. On the other hand, i have a little sears 2.5 ton $20 job. I've been using it as well for about 3 years and it's been rock solid so far. It's just doesn't have the 2 foot jacking height the big blue beast does.
I have the 2ton aluminum jack from sears and love it! I can actually pick it up and carry it without getting hurt. Its got handles on the side and back also.. Its $200 new though..
I've got a 2 floor jacks in the garage. One is a Sears and the other a Rallye I think. Both about $20 or so I think, and I've had them for a long time. They are 2 1/2 ton. Both work and do not leak that I know of since I havn't used them in a year or so since I did a brake job on a GMC Truck. The tire place rotates my tires free since I bought them there.. Dave
I still haven't decided what I am going to buy. I have talked with friends and family(all gearheads) and we have pretty much all decided that they just don't build jacks like they used to. I'd love to have one of those 4 foot long floor jacks, but I don't have enough space in the garage to store a beast like that. And I really can't justify spending several hundred dollars on a jack. Thanks for the feedback. It's much more useful to hear what people are actually seeing than to just buy into advertising and marketing hype.
I just have a question, your jeep came with a scissor jack? did they change to those over time? because my 02 has a bottle jack from the factory.
Michelin 2 1/2-Ton Jack Funny I was just researching the same thing today. Found this one at Canadian Tire here in Toronto... don't know if it is available in the US. 6-21" lift, seems like a good size for the KJ. Moderately priced. Michelin 2½-Ton Jack $89.99 (CDN) Hydraulic Speedy Lift is a patented design - the fastest way to reach car chassis 6" - 21" maximum height is ideal for SUVs Wider jack stance increases overall stability of the jack Unique design combines aesthetics and strength in the overall jack design Universal joint ensures smooth release and secure valve operation from any pumping angle Storage tray is ideal for keeping track of small parts or hardware Saddle pad helps prevent damage to vehicle during lifting Dave
Yes, they changed them. I crushed the scissor jack that came with my 04 and found a bottle jack on Ebay from an 02.. I think the 02 and MAYBE 03's came with the bottle jacks.
I would suggest you go to Hydraulic jacks, load moving skates, hoist rings, wind turbine assembly and more by HTS Direct Limited and sign up. This will give you access to the factory shop manual, TSBs, recalls, etc. Once acessed, go to 'Shop', enter the data for you vehicle, and you will find what you are looking for under General Information (with diagrams). Good luck!
