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My old floor jack gave out last Tuesday, right under a Ford F-150.
The seal on the main cylinder just blew, dropping the truck about an inch. I had to scramble to get a backup jack under the frame before it settled. It was a Craftsman unit I bought back in 2008, and it just wore out. Anyone have a recommendation for a good, solid 3-ton jack that won't break the bank?
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emmahayes2mo ago
Man, that's a scary feeling, isn't it? I always thought those old jacks were basically bulletproof and would last forever. Seeing one fail like that, especially under something that heavy, totally changed my mind. I got a Pittsburgh low-profile from Harbor Freight a few years back after a similar scare, and the thing has been solid for my truck. Just make sure you always use jack stands, no matter what new jack you pick.
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spencer9811mo ago
Nah, I gotta push back on that. Old jacks aren't the problem, it's people not maintaining them. I've got a 1960s Walker jack that's outlived three new ones from Autozone. @mia700 probably saw a jack that hadn't been bled or greased in 30 years. New jacks fail too, they just fail faster cause they're built cheaper. A little TLC and those old ones are way tougher than anything you'd buy today.
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mia7002mo ago
Bulletproof" is right, my grandpa's old jack looked like a tank until it dropped my dad's Bronco. I still get nervous even with stands under there.
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