Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

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djrogers1
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by djrogers1 »

Miata22 wrote:I love the harbor freight aluminum jack. Super light. Breaks down easy for hauling in trunk. 1.5 ton capacity. Mine is 3 years old and works great. Get the light weight matching jack stands. It goes on sale all the time. Got it for like 49.00.
Is the 1.5-ton stout enough for a 3800-pound car? I know it's not lifting the full weight, but just want to be sure. It's certainly cheaper than the 2-ton, but both are on sale.
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by Miata22 »

I've used mine on a variety of cars and trucks. I usually pick up one side to do two tires at a time. I chose the 1.5 because so small and light to pack around. I understand bigger is usually better. Lol.


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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by disneyd »

1.5 tons is 3000 pounds and since you're only picking up one side/end of the car at a time, you should be good. The 1.5 ton is great for travel due to its small size and weight. If I were buying something that would stay in the shop all the time, I'd go with the bigger models.
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

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disneyd wrote:1.5 tons is 3000 pounds and since you're only picking up one side/end of the car at a time, you should be good. The 1.5 ton is great for travel due to its small size and weight. If I were buying something that would stay in the shop all the time, I'd go with the bigger models.
How about max lift height? 1.5-ton is 14.125 inches and 2-ton is 16.375 inches. Any issue?
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by disneyd »

If you're just changing tires, it shouldn't matter.


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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by steverife »

Where do you have to lift the Mustang?

When I had my SN95 and would lift under the K-member, the 1.5 would struggle.
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by jcox07 »

I lift off of the K-Member and have a 1.5 ton with no problems and that is where I think a good to better jack does perform better than the cheaper ones that say 1.5 ton lift ability.
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

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disneyd wrote:If you're just changing tires, it shouldn't matter.


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I will probably want to use it at home as well to make changes to the exhaust and suspension later on down the road.
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by disneyd »

Well, in that case, higher is better in my opinion. Might want to look at the 2 or 3 ton models. I also have a 3 ton model for my "shop" jack and it is considerably heavier (even being aluminum) and more awkward to move around (its longer) than the smaller one. I'm not sure if my smaller one is a 1.5 or a 2, but it is shorter and considerably lighter and easier to throw into a trunk/hatch/trailer box than the big one.
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by thrdeye »

Meh, still not lifting more than one half of the car, so I'd just stick with the 1.5 if it were me since you'll be using jackstands when working under the car. I've had two of them in 15 years. The first one eventually died, but the latest one is still going strong. I think I got #1 in 2004 and #2 in 2011.
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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by MARKP »

On the Mustang, I would go with something a little larger than a 1.5. Technically, you are lifting more than half the car. Even more so if we are lifting the front.

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Re: Recommendation for lightweight floor jack?

Post by djrogers1 »

Thanks for all the advice. I think I will compromise and go with the 2-ton.
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