I got a little fed-up using the MINI provided jack to get her up enough to slide my floor jack under...

So, I just got this from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91039

Delivered, to my door, with tax (in CA), less than 95 bucks. It has a 3" saddle, so I can go even lower if I wish .

AND, for those of you in SoCal, I hear that PepBoys is selling this same jack for 69.98, after a $10 rebate!!!

I used it this morning, and it was great. Dang thing looks sharp also . Just wanted to share as others might be interested...

 

That's a great little jack and very light. A bunch of us have that jack because it's small and lightweight, so it's perfect to throw in the car
and take to the AutoX to change wheels.

 

Glad you like it.

I wouldn't trade my DK20 for ten Harbor Freight jacks though. (the one on the right)


http://www.asedeals.com/hydraulicjacks2.html

 

Wow, that's one serious low-profile jack! It's more heavy duty, and with that, more heavy at about 3x the weight, and 4x the price. It does look very solid though, and with some cool options...

I'll be getting a lift when the garage gets done, but I wanted a floor jack that I can use in the meantime, and something that I can haul with me if the track ever comes calling. For those in the LA area, 70 bucks is a helluva deal!

 

I don't care for most of the tools at HF, but I'll buy that jack — light, cheap, and disposable!

 

My wife bought me that exact harborfreight jack by american general (?) for my b-day last month. Nice jack.

 

If I might suggest something that a bunch of bike folks who bought their bike lifts at HF found out the hard and expensive way: It would be a reasonable precaution to replace all the bolts on that jack with legitimate, no-kidding grade 8 bolts. One of the ways that some offshore manufacturers cut costs is with trash bolts. More than one Harley-Davidson has hit the floor from a couple of feet altitude because the owner assumed that the bolts on his HF lift were tougher than cheese.

Trust me on this, if you've got your MINI on the jack and a pivot bolt shears, it'll ruin your afternoon. Don't believe the bolts that came with the jack, replace them with legitimate Grade 8 bolts from a source you trust. You can tell which bolts are Grade 8 because they have six lines on the bolt head. Once you see them you'll immediately recognize them.

 

I solved that problem with 4 feet of 2x8, cut in half so each is 2 foot long with a 8" piece of 2x4 screwed on one end to act as a stop. I just drive up on them and my trusty Sears 3 ton can be positioned anywhere I like. A lot cheaper since it was all scrap wood.

But I have to admit, I have coveted those aluminum jacks for some time mainly for portability.

 

SpunkytheTuna, that is wonderful advice! I've had experience before with supbar bolts, but never in a jack. I appreciate you letting us know. I see the Grade 8 bolts at The Home Depot often with the 6 dashed lines on the hex head...

norm03s, clever as always! I actually did something like that a couple of times, but those pieces are now serving other purposes strangley enough.

The lightness is really nice. When I came home from work a couple of nights ago I was expecting to see the jack at the doorstep. When I didn't see it there, I assumed that it didn't arrive yet. I entered my home a bit sad . Then, on the coffee table, I saw the box containing the floor jack! My wife had put it there. It's light .

 

I have a similar version of the Harbor Freight jack. It works well for the MINI (I even hauled it with me to the last Dragon Run) and should work with most lowered cars too. I use the jack (as well as my other ones) rather heavily, and while I have yet to experience any sort of sudden failures, I have noticed an ever-so-slight leakdown occuring lately. This does not cause problems for raising and lowering cars, but if I use the jack to support and engine or transmission for a length of time, I will need to give it a partial pump every half hour or so to compensate for the leakdown. Again, this has happened to most of my jacks over the years, it's a function of usage.

I am considering replacing another failing jack of mine with a Sears aluminum jack that is set to go on sale next week.

 

i couldn't resist

go wild, jackaholics

 

with my very first floor jack ( it was old when I got it 25 + years ago) that was leaking down a little more than that. So I said what the heck, if power steering fluid with sealer (basically mineral oil w/additive to swell the seals) will work, what have I lost. I mixed it 50/50 with jack oil.
Well so far so good, it's still working.:smile:
It's nice to have two on hand, they came in handy when I did my pulley.

 

JLM, the proud parents and their firstborn?

 

I’ve been using the Harbor Freight long frame version weekly for two years. No leak down or fluid seepage. It will bend slightly if it gets over extended and cocked sideways, but no permanent deformation. It’s easy to carry in and out of the house and it fits in the boot just right.

I just received the Harbor Freight hydraulic strut spring compressor and man was I surprised. It stands four feet tall and weighs eighty pounds, that’s what I call over engineering. It does the job effortlessly, no more feeling nervous when cranking down the spring.

 

I saw that little guy at a PepBoys, and I was tempted...

I saw it here also, ironically in a thread that made me aware on this good deal:



It's my understanding that if there is a leak-down, it's probably time to bleed it, or possibly add more fluid...

 

The cool thing is that tiny jack is a fully operational scaled down version of the big one. Though it's not sold for lifting, it has no problem at all with a 200+ pound load. Though sold as a 'model', people use them for leveling cabinets and furniture, building stuff, even metal fabrication such as frames.

 

hey, I can get my son into modding cars with that mini-hydraulic. :smile:

 

20 bucks to make your boy happy, and as GB said, it can be practical around the house...

 

I paid $59for the same jack(the full size one..not the mini one) at HF in December. It works fine.:smile:

Off topic, Sears has a motorcycle jack that looks great for work on your Porsche...just a fyi for you 993/996 owners.

 

Check out Walmart, I picked up a 1.5 ton low saddle alumimun jack for my lowered MCS (very racy blue/silver) for only $99. Beats piling up 2x4s......


Cheers,

 

I have this one also. Not the best, but it gets the job done.

 

What is the saddle width on the Harbor Freight jack?

Can you use it on the 4 factory jack points without marring or damaging them?

 

Tony,
Is that a Super 7 ?

 

The HarborFreight jack works very well on the lifting blocks. I've been using one for over a year with my lowered MCS. Between the PSS9s and the 215/45-16 Azenis the car is pretty low. To give you a point of reference, there is 2 1/8" between the ground and the air dam (the flexible one underneath the radiator which is the lowest point on the car.

Depending on what I want to do, I can either jack under the front lifting block to get one side of the car up in the air quickly (front and rear tires), or jack the rear up by lifting where the suspension arms meet the chassis. From that point it is easy to get the car high enough to get jack stands under the rear lifting blocks.

Scott
90STX

 

I bought the jack yesterday at HF. I'm now swapping out the fastners, the original ones are junk. It should be fine for the amount that I'll use it. I'll admit that I'd rather have the Blue-Point, but there's no way I can throw $$$$$ to Snappy unless I have to.