Buying Floor Jack from Craigslist?

[Father Of Giants]

I'm looking for an older floor jack, min 3 ton capacity. Modern 3 ton floor vs older style 3 ton floor Jack. Funny thing is, the older ones are three times size and built much stronger with the same capacity.

In short, I don't trust newer floor Jacks ratings, the only floor Jack that seems built to it's actual capacity that I KNOW OF is Hein werner.
However, Hein werner 3 ton floor Jacks are north of $500.


I'm looking for an older used one because they're the best $ per $ and I can save money.
I plan on replacing motor mounts, engine shocks, and engine shock bushings.

I've narrowed it down to two choices.


https://lynchburg.craigslist.org/tls/6096188777.html
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/tls/6134484401.html

I DON'T trust something like this to lift my car, 3 tons? REALLY?
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/tls/6147890174.html

Are those good choices or am I better off buying new? Am I going overkill acquiring such massive Jacks?

[Diesel911]

Pick the one that still has seal/rebuild kits for it.

[Father Of Giants]

Originally Posted by Diesel911

Pick the one that still has seal/rebuild kits for it.

How can I find a list of supported brands?

[lorainfurniture]

I bought a jack from harbor freight about 10 years ago. I don't remember the tonnage, it was just under $100 total. It's lifted every Mercedes I have ever owned.

At best your entire car is 5k lbs. that's about 2.5 tons total. Worst case scenario you are jacking up an entire half of your car, about 2500 lbs. which is a bit over a ton.

Even if the jack was rated at 2 tons, it's still more than you need.

I trust my harbor freight jack. It's been dead nuts reliable. Most importantly, a car jack is for jacking up your car ONLY. If you plan on crawling under your car you should be worried about finding a good set of jack stands.

[dkr]

I looked into this for a while. I would stay away from it unless you really know what you are doing. Some of the old made in America stuff wasn't that good. Some of it may not be rebuildable.

I have a 5-ton HF jack that works fine and have used it on a number of vehicles. I don't really care about the rating. If it lifts my vehicle, I'm happy. I wouldn't risk my life underneath it, but I will use it to backup my jack stands. Mine has also been very reliable as a jack. I've never tried to use it as a jack stand.

Dkr.

[tyl604]

NAPA has one online for $300 and I think I saw a rebuild kit.

[leathermang]

Any local hydraulic shop can reseal the hydraulics .....
Check if you can about how well the can be moved around...
How well the rear wheels pivot and how nice the bearing are....
It is critical that all the wheels move freely when you are jacking up
one end of a car where the other end is already on jacks.... that is one of the
main advantages of one of these long base floor jacks....
edit... you do not crawl under any heavy object without regular jacks underneath it.... another post was worded as if it were a choice between a floor jack and the stationary jacks ... the rolling floor jack is nice to get the car up high enough to put the stationary jacks under the car....
a Rolling jack MUST BE ON CONCRETE if jacks are on the other end of the car.. it will move the car if the wheels are not free to move up under the car when jacking...

[Father Of Giants]

Originally Posted by leathermang

Any local hydraulic shop can reseal the hydraulics .....
Check if you can about how well the can be moved around...
How well the rear wheels pivot and how nice the bearing are....
It is critical that all the wheels move freely when you are jacking up
one end of a car where the other end is already on jacks.... that is one of the
main advantages of one of these long base floor jacks....
edit... you do not crawl under any heavy object without regular jacks underneath it.... another post was worded as if it were a choice between a floor jack and the stationary jacks ... the rolling floor jack is nice to get the car up high enough to put the stationary jacks under the car....
a Rolling jack MUST BE ON CONCRETE if jacks are on the other end of the car.. it will move the car if the wheels are not free to move up under the car when jacking...

Unfortunately all I have is driveway parking space, just pavement. I've taken all posts into account so far everyone. Interesting opinions from all over.

This has me rethinking my approach to this.

[Blazemaster]

I am a big fan of Weaver jacks. I own a model 884, a 4 ton and I love it. You should be able to find rebuild kits for them, I just rebuilt mine about a week ago since it started leaking. Rebuilding it was not hard, just don't loose any springs/balls. I think about all I needed was wrenches, a hammer, and picks to get the seals out.

You are correct that the older jacks were built heavier when steel was cheap. Most of the Weaver jacks are high lift models, including the WA-73b you linked.

[barry12345]

To me there is no real comparison if you use jacks a lot. The older American made units are more awkward to move around but serve the functions much better. Plus the lifting heights are better. The much longer snouts allow you to get a lot further under the car when you need to without having pumping issues as well.

So many smaller garages have closed down over the years there should still be some about. You can test them before buying. As stated you pretty much have to stay on concrete with the older ones as they are even hard to move otherwise. I own a three ton oriental type that has a slow leak down problem now. It really has not seen all that much use.

The old heavy one I have needs a new back seal. It has seen a lot of use over the years even before I purchased it. The shaft still looks good.

[tbomachines]

Honestly my HF jack is built like a tank. It's probably 80lbs and has never given me any doubt that it will lift everything I've thrown at it, like our explorer lifted by the front crossmember which has to be 3k lbs. It also has about a total 1" clearance. I get wanting old school American quality, but I'm super impressed with the HF jack I bought in a bind. Happened to have it sitting in my living room much to the chagrin of my wife...

[ah-kay]

I would not lay underneath any jack, ever. Made in America or otherwise. Jack stand or ramp is your friend.

[Father Of Giants]

Originally Posted by ah-kay

I would not lay underneath any jack, ever. Made in America or otherwise. Jack stand or ramp is your friend.

I forgot to mention i already have jack stands.

[Father Of Giants]

Originally Posted by leathermang

Any local hydraulic shop can reseal the hydraulics .....
Check if you can about how well the can be moved around...
How well the rear wheels pivot and how nice the bearing are....
It is critical that all the wheels move freely when you are jacking up
one end of a car where the other end is already on jacks.... that is one of the
main advantages of one of these long base floor jacks....
edit... you do not crawl under any heavy object without regular jacks underneath it.... another post was worded as if it were a choice between a floor jack and the stationary jacks ... the rolling floor jack is nice to get the car up high enough to put the stationary jacks under the car....
a Rolling jack MUST BE ON CONCRETE if jacks are on the other end of the car.. it will move the car if the wheels are not free to move up under the car when jacking...

Could a plywood surface on top of pavement work so I don't destroy the wheels or risk unwanted movement?

[rocky raccoon]

NO. As others have said over and over, the wheels must be free to roll. Plywood will chock the wheels when weight is applied.