Any Strong Opinions on Aluminum Floor Jacks?

[Dans 68]

I found this thread http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,69694.0.html but would appreciate any other opinions, liking or disliking, on any particular aluminum floor jack. After the twin rear tire tread separation trip home from MATS http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,80067.msg900322.html#msg900322, with the original jack "non-functional", I've come to the conclusion I need to take a lightweight floor jack with me on extended trips.

Dan

[ChgrSteve67]

The only problem I have is the price and I don't care for the NASCAR one pump jacks.
Look for a sale or see if Costco has any

[Aero426]

Why not go with a nice bottle jack?   Would save a LOT of space.  We carry one in the trailer, but it would do fine in the trunk.

[440]

For on the road I agree with Aero426. A nice bottle jack is all you need.

[bobs66440]

For on the road I agree with Aero426. A nice bottle jack is all you need.

I agree, though they are not very stable. You need to find a very level spot to change the tire...though that goes with any jack. I adapted a Toyota scissor jack for mine and it works well...and takes up very little room. In any case, make sure you choose a jack that's up to the job.

Personally, I don't trust the aluminum jacks...I used to sell the cheap Chinese ones years ago at a speed shop I worked at. They looked really nice but a large percentage of them came back with blown seals.    They would drop the car suddenly...fortunately no-one got killed! We stopped selling them. Avoid the cheap crap if you do get one. Go online and look up reviews for them.

[Silver R/T]

If you have low car a bottle jack won't do

[A383Wing]

I got the $100 aluminum floor jack from Costco...been very happy with it...easy to move around...had it for 5 years now...no issues

[Todd Wilson]

I got a very small floor jack that I carry with me in the Chargers when I go on trips. Fits right under and it lightweight yet its sturdy. You can sometimes find them in their own plastic case to help you carry it with you.


Todd

[Troy]

As I said before, a bottle jack would be fine. A manual scissor jack would be easier to store, weigh less, and will fit under low clearance areas. When a tire (or two!) goes flat you don't want a jack that only fits under the car in "normal" situations (ie. tires inflated). The surface has to be about as flat as you'd need for the factory jack.

A floor jack is a bit better but it's heavier and much more bulky! I haven't had any experience with aluminum ones but, as mentioned, the seals can be leaky on any of the cheap brands. We had a small Craftsman jack that lasted about 20 years before slowly leaking down. My big Harbor Freight jack lasted a bit over 3.

Troy

[41husk]

I got a small light weight 2ton aluminum floor lack from harbor frieght about two years ago.  I have used it many times and it fits nicely under the back seat of the truck.

[bull]

I would go the scissor jack route myself for something you're just going to tuck away in the trunk. Go to a wrecking yard and find one in a Crown Vic, Escalade or Town Car or something you know weighs more than a 68 Charger and they'll probably charge you less than $10 for it. You really don't need to mess with a big floor jack if it's just for emergencies.

If you insist on using a floor jack though I would definitely get an aluminum one because it'll be much easier to get in and out of the trunk. You saw my review on that US General jack and my mind hasn't changed. One of the best $90 I've ever spent. I guess I've owned it probably four years now and used it to install the drivetrain just the other day...

[71green go]

I got the $100 aluminum floor jack from Costco...been very happy with it...easy to move around...had it for 5 years now...no issues

Agreed my costco Aluminum jack is great!

[Paul G]

I have an aluminum floor jack with the flintstone wheel in front. It is a Craftsman and a real POS. It is the second one, the first one blew the seal. Took it back and got this one and the seal leaks a bit. It is a full size racing jack, too big to go in the trunk, but just to say, I would not get another Craftsman. 

[bull]

It is the second one, the first one blew the seal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUabDrfjATY

[TexasStroker]

I had a quick lift 3 ton Craftsman jack blow a seal as well...not very impressed.  I've had a small $20 jack that has been going about 10 years now.  Lifts the Duster with no effort, the Charger takes some time, but it gets the job done.

Scissor jack might be the way to go...I'd hate to have a very big floor jack riding around with me...although if it was in a case it might not be a bad set-up.

[bill440rt]

A buddy of mine had an aluminum Craftsman one. The housing that the handle slips into broke while he was trying to lift a car. Scary stuff.

[elacruze]

For travel, definitely a scissor jack. No weight, no fluid to leak.

At home, I have a cheap Chinese steel floor jack that I bought in about 1985, that lives in the carport and doesn't leak a drop...too bad they just make junk now to export. 25 years ago it wasn't so bad.

[bill440rt]

I don't even have a jack in my '69, & I wouldn't even dream of using the original style bumper jack on my cars.

For home use I have a Craftsman steel floor jack. Probably at least 8-9 years old now. It'll lose pressure gradually if left up over a few days. This is my second Craftsman jack I've owned over the last few decades. Not sure if I would buy another one again, there are probably better ones out there.

[bull]

AAA has jacks, and they'll bring them right to your car, jack it up for you and even change the spare. They probably even have a way to tow your car to the nearest service station if you blow two tires. http://www.aaaorid.com/?zip=97007

Actually, don't you use Hagerty insurance anyway? They have a roadside assistance add-on. I can understand how you'd want to be ready for one flat/blowout but it's pretty rare to get two. If it were me I would have some sort of roadside program in place anyway in case you really get into a bind.

[Dans 68]

Except for the inoperative jack, I had it pretty well covered. AAA did come out and change out the first tire, but who can plan on having a 2nd tire crap out within 90 minutes, especially in the middle of the desert on a Sunday evening? The only "making sense" option, short of having AAA tow us 30 miles to a closed service station, finding a motel room and getting the tire fixed the next day, would be to get the mobile tire service. Only carrying a 2nd spare tire would have spared me a much thinner wallet.

After reading the above threads a scissor jack seems to be the way to go. Along with another spare tire on long trips, especially in the desert.

Dan

[bobs66440]

That's like a guy I saw on the side of the road this morning on the way to a job...he had a space-saver spare on the front...and it was flat!    You know you're having a bad day when your spare goes flat too!

[Paul G]

I think tires are something that gets easily overlooked on old cars. The tread can look great even though the tires can be very old. They say, any tire past 6 years old is not reliable. Cant say where I have read that? Thats why I put on a new set of BFG's before the trip. My old tires looked great, just 10 years old. I wanted Stones, they could not find a 275 they could sell me. Firestone wont sell a tire thats been on the shelf past 3 years. So, I had to go with BFG's again. or Big O brand. Got the BFG's, I hope that's not a mistake. 

[bull]

After reading the above threads a scissor jack seems to be the way to go. Along with another spare tire on long trips, especially in the desert.

Dan

Your second spare could just be a rinky-dink space-saver.

[A383Wing]

I fergot I had an extra one of these when we put the Daytona together....I tried it out on the Charger..works well...

[Dans 68]

Actually I like that. In it's own container, small, and probably affordable. 

Dan