Technical > Automotive > [Help] Purchasing Car Jack

[Help] Purchasing Car Jack

Looks like a pretty good price even if it only works two or three times. Or give the family a membership to AAA. That will get you towing, jump starts, door unlocks and tire changes while you wait sitting in the warm/cool car.
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What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?

reply to Vathral
That didn't really help. Do you have experience with electric car jacks? Or lever type jacks? Have you experienced those kind of jacks to only last 2-3 times?

Basically I'd just like recommendations for car jacks, if nothing beats the cranking car jack, then so be it.

No need for AAA memberships. Don't want to come off as annoyed but it didn't explain/answer much towards what I'm looking for.

reply to Vathral
I've never used one of these so I can't comment on it. I keep a hydraulic jack in my trunk. It's compact as well as fast and easy to use. I can have the car jacked up in less than 30 seconds with it.
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The Mogambo Guru economic newsletter, an avocational exercise to heap disrespect on those who desperately deserve it.

reply to Vathral
Do you want an emergency jack to keep in the trunk or a jack to keep in the garage for maintenance?

I like this style »www.amazon.com/Pro-Lift-F-2330-M···6&sr=8-3

I don't know anything about that specific jack, but that's the style I use in the garage.
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tight lines and screaming reels

reply to Vathral
Personally I would prefer a small, portable floor jack like this

»www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260···erID=tgi

reply to Vathral
It's to be kept in the trunk, he barely had any tire incidents in his 20+ years of driving but I was with him the other day when he had a flat and I used the jack instead of him. I found it a bit annoying especially when it was such a humid and wet day.

Those lever/floor jacks are nice, I guess I'll go into Sears if I'm near one to check them out. I think there's an AutoZone too I can check out nearby.

reply to Vathral
The electric jack does work, but so so. Usually slow and labored on heavy cars. I haven't heard of one breaking, but its certainly feasible. The design is just like a factory jack for most cars, so mechanically its sound.

It is important what car you have though. Some cars require special jacks. If you have an average Japaneses or American car though, this should work.

A floor jack is great for at home, but they are heavy and sizable, even the smaller ones. Also , the small ones tend to not lift very high.

Any cheap hydraulic jack is a bad idea as they often leak and eventually fail. However you can get decent compact vertical hydraulic jacks. Their major weakness poor horizontal support and contact patch as well as usually not being very tall.

My advice is to have a simple (preferably stock) manual jack in the car as a back up at least, and then something like that electric one as well if you need the convenience.

reply to Vathral
Don't forget these when jacking.

»www.amazon.com/Blitz-11930-Hugge···_auto_12

PS: Don't underestimate the true value of AAA when you lock your fathers keys in the 40 Miles from home or come out to find you left the head lights on while you were inside visiting someone a 100 Miles away who doesn't have jumper cables.

I agree, chocks are 100% necessary when jacking, but in a pinch, a brick will do.
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It is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

reply to robbin

reply to 61999674

They don't use jack stands either, and you almost always see them with missing toes and or fingers.

I had a neighbor die from changing the blades on his tractor mower, by not using jack stands.

The danger is very real!

Sorry to hear that. I won't touch a vehicle that isn't on stands. It is not worth the little time savings to not stop and properly support the vehicle instead of using the jack as a support which is not what it was designed for.
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What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?

Is it safe to put a vehicle on 4 jackstands? or is the max you should use is only 2?

That partly depends on a few things like what type of jack, how high, is it on a completely level and stable surface, etc.

Personally, I have a cache of cinderblocks and 2 - 3 ft long pieces of treated 4 by 8s that can be used to support most anything I can lift. (I have a 20 and 12 ton bottle jacks, and 2 car jacks {only one good of the latter ATM })
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And the winner is:

reply to NS4683