A Good Floor Jack

[rfield54]

I was hoping for some suggestions regarding a decent floor jack, to be used mainly with my trailers...and maybe my F150 on the rare occasion that I might actually attempt to perform something mechanical on it. I'm not near any of my trailers, so I can only guess at how much lift I might need to get the rubber on one side slightly off the ground. I'm thinking that 14" max might not be enough, and that maybe closer to 20" of lift would be a wiser choice...but I'm just guessing. The F150 has 17" wheels. I'm also assuming that a 2 1/2 ton capacity will be sufficient. I would prefer a unit that's somewhat portable and not too heavy (I consider 45-50lbs heavy). Also, as far as wear and tear is concerned, it won't get used all that often...I hope.

[slowmover]

I find that a jack from SEARS or NAPA usually fits the bill. I wear mine out about every 5-7 years even with annual fluid changes. 3-ton is the minimum for me nowadays.

[overlander63]

We have a Craftsman Professional 8 ton bottle jack I got from Sears for both the trailer and truck. I made a bracket that fits on top of the jack so the trailer won't slip off the small round top. It takes up much less room than a floor jack, especially a floor jack big enough to be useful for the truck and trailer.

[wlj1943]

Hi Rfield54,
I too use a bottle jack for travelling, and take 3/4" plywood 10X10 squares to use for a base on soft ground. I use a 10 ton professional Blackhawk that is over 30 years old and has been rebuilt once. I also fabricated an adaptor probably similiar to the one Overland made to prevent slippage out of a pipe stub welded to a 4X4 X1/4" steel plate.
A good floor jack is ideal for shop work, but I recommend at least a four or better 5 ton professional jack for Airstreams; very spendy but will last a long, long time. Good brands available from the major franchise auto parts stores (NAPA, Etc), and the tool trucks (Mac, Snap-on) and professional tool and shop suppliers. Stay away from most of the mail order, big box and imported tool "chrap" stuff. My jacks in our shop are all major brand professional units (including an older Craftsman professional unit) very heavy but very stable and ecomomically repaired. Hope this helps!
WLJ1943

[bookman]

you mean my $13 3 ton RV jack wasn't a good buy???? I've had it for two years and it works fine!

[ROBERT CROSS]

2-Ton Floor Jack - Jacks & Stands - In Your Garage - Griot's Garage

3-Ton Wide-Saddle Bottle Jack - Jacks & Stands - In Your Garage - Griot's Garage

Already have a floor jack left over from my knuckle busting days.

Have purchased some very nice stuff here, these look interesting.

[SafariSS]

you mean my $13 3 ton RV jack wasn't a good buy???? I've had it for two years and it works fine![/quote]

Well, you're the one laying under it!!

[Mexray]

Sorry...couldn't resist...

When I 'use' too much 'Jack', I usually end up laying on the 'Floor'.....