Which jack should I get?

[slyphen]

Hello!

I'm a newbie when it comes to working on cars. but I want to finally change my own oil. I got my BRZ last May and so far it only has 4000 miles on it. I know i'm overdue on the 6 month period but i am still under the 7400 miles that was recommended. I got my fumoto valve and royal purple filter/0W20 ready.

I wanted to change my oil 2 months ago, but it was too cold and I didn't have a proper jack. I went to a shop but their jack was too high, and the only other place was jiffylube which had a pit. but I don't trust them to work on my car...

Now i have 2 options... which jack should I get?

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-l...ump-62326.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-60678.html

THANKS GUYS!

[DAEMANO]

At Harbor Freight,

The 2 ton low profile with long neck jack is awesome but HEAVY - 90-100 lbs. This is great for a garage but horrible to take anyplace. http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-60678.html

There's a 2 ton 'racing" jack made of aluminum that isn't as low profile or as long as the one above that weighs about 45lbs and is better if you have to take the jack to the track or someplace else. http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-a...ump-61406.html

The 3 ton is just overkill for our cars.

[swarb]

^exactly what he said. I've used both, the aluminum one is much easier to move while the steel is easier to use and feels more secure. Since the length is shorter on the aluminum one, it doesn't go as high and it moves/rolls a little towards the top of the range. The 3 ton ones sit higher and are harder to get under the car if you are lowered much.

[Cockatoo]

I have the 2 ton low profile one and it works great!

[EAGLE5]

Get the low profile for the track, the full-sized one for the home, and a couple of ramps for getting the car high enough to use the full sized-one. I made mine out of 2x12 pieces. When you're doing real work, you absolutely want as much lift as you can to max out the jackstands. A low-profile jack won't do the job as well. Even as it is, I need to jack the front, put up stands, jack the back, put up rear stands, then rejack the front to get the stands maxed out.

[Kimsey47]

Not aimed at OP... Just posting where my mind went with the topic...

[slyphen]

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

At Harbor Freight,

The 2 ton low profile with long neck jack is awesome but HEAVY - 90-100 lbs. This is great for a garage but horrible to take anyplace. http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-60678.html

There's a 2 ton 'racing" jack made of aluminum that isn't as low profile or as long as the one above that weighs about 45lbs and is better if you have to take the jack to the track or someplace else. http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-a...ump-61406.html

The 3 ton is just overkill for our cars.

the 2 ton aluminum jack, do you have clearance issues with it?

[wheelhaus]

I'd recommend the 68050 (or 60678 @DAEMANO mentioned above, they seem identical) because it's nice and low and extremely long. It's a 2-ton steel jack, but unless you're hauling it around everywhere it's a non issue. It can rarely be found on sale for $99-109, but its typical "on sale" price is 129-139. Still a great jack.

I prefer to jack the front of the car first at the front crossmember. Raise the front, set jack stands in place behind front wheels, set her down. Go behind the car and jack the rear end up at the diff housing, set jack stands in place in front of rear wheels, set her down. Up in the air in less than 2 minutes.

Doing this method, the jack is just low and long enough to reach under the rear bumper to the diff, the handle will still hit the bumper when it's straight up, so I couldn't imagine doing this with any other jack that might be shorter or taller, especially with a lowered car (mine is at stock height). The problem is that the front end being high teeters the rear bumper down to the ground, so muffler and bumper clearance are substantially less. Doing the rear end first would place the front bumper way too close to the ground. The 68050/60678 jack works perfectly.

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

Get the low profile for the track, the full-sized one for the home, and a couple of ramps for getting the car high enough to use the full sized-one. I made mine out of 2x12 pieces. When you're doing real work, you absolutely want as much lift as you can to max out the jackstands. A low-profile jack won't do the job as well. Even as it is, I need to jack the front, put up stands, jack the back, put up rear stands, then rejack the front to get the stands maxed out.

even if the low profile jack mentioned above has a 24" jacking height?

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

The 68050/60678 jack works perfectly.

Agreed.


Op,


The 62326 jack has a lift height of 19.5 inches. Plus it's pretty short front to back; I'd be worried about hitting my bumper with it. Also, you don't need 3 ton capacity.


The 60678 goes higher (23.5 in), but the overall length of the jack is only 34.5 inches, which may prove to be an issue with clearing your bumpers while reaching for the jack point.


I have a 68050. It's effectively the same as the 60678 except that it's 39.5 inches long instead of 34.5. I don't have to worry about touching the bumpers at all; the entire front bumper is located above the low profile portion of the jack.


Combine one of the 2 ton jacks with Harbor Freight's 23.5" jack stands, and you've got plenty of room to crawl around under the car.


My car is on RCE Yellows, for reference.

[wheelhaus]

ahh good catch, I didn't realize the 60678 was a bit shorter.

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

ahh good catch, I didn't realize the 60678 was a bit shorter.

Yep. When I get home I can take a picture of the 68050 under the front bumper so everyone here can see the clearance those extra 5 inches gives you. (that's what she said.)

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

Yep. When I get home I can take a picture of the 68050 under the front bumper so everyone here can see the clearance those extra 5 inches gives you. (that's what she said.)

I made a black mark on mine where to stop at the leading edge of the front bumper. Give a quick visual check and pop it up. At the rear end the jack is about as deep as it can go just to reach the diff. I'd be a little doubtful the 60678 would be able to reach the diff...

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

I made a black mark on mine where to stop at the leading edge of the front bumper. Give a quick visual check and pop it up.

That is an excellent idea and I will be doing that shortly. I feel kind of dumb that I never thought of it.