Floor jack question?

[Roadking]

Speaking of floor jacks…do you think a 1.5 ton floor jack be sufficient for doing oil changes and tire rotations on the 4Runner? What tonnage floor jacks do most of you have? I found a sweet deal on a 1.5 ton aluminum jack, that I think would do the job. I figure I’m only lifting 25% of the vehicle at a time or I’m I missing something?

 

[zimdba]

Speaking of floor jacks…do you think a 1.5 ton floor jack be sufficient for doing oil changes and tire rotations on the 4Runner? What tonnage floor jacks do most of you have? I found a sweet deal on a 1.5 ton aluminum jack, that I think would do the job. I figure I’m only lifting 25% of the vehicle at a time or I’m I missing something?

Don't be selfish. Share the deal you found!

 

[Roadking]

It's the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton Aluminum on sale for $89 and $59 with coupon that is in the back of almost every magazine I read.

Aluminum Floor Jack - 1.5 Ton Aluminum Racing Jack

I want to replace the bottle jack I’ve been using for 25 years. Nothing wrong with bottle jacks, I just want wheels and maneuverability.

 

[jimithing]

It's the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton Aluminum on sale for $89 and $59 with coupon that is in the back of almost every magazine I read.

Aluminum Floor Jack - 1.5 Ton Aluminum Racing Jack

I want to replace the bottle jack I’ve been using for 25 years. Nothing wrong with bottle jacks, I just want wheels and maneuverability.

A 1.5 ton should get the job done. The problem I have with that one is the max height of 14 3/4". That may not be high enough to get it on your jack stands. Also, the problem I have with Harbor Freight and other cheap jacks is that lowering the vehicle is hard to control. They tend to drop the cars faster than I'd like.

I've been looking for a new jack myself and there's one at Costco I've been eyeing. It's the same as this jack:

Arcan Quick Lift Professional Service Jack — 3 1/2-Ton, Model# XL35 | Floor Jacks| Northern Tool + Equipment

But at Costco it's $104.99. The only downside to it that I see is that it's heavy unlike that aluminum jack. The jack itself weighs about 100 pounds whereas that aluminum one weighs 27.

 

[superman3043]

I went over to my buddies house and he had one of these 1.5 ton aluminum race jacks. I thought it was pretty nifty because of the weight and how quick it pumped up.

It picked the truck up... but it was very sketchy. It moaned and creaked a lot. So much so that I wasn't comfortable using it. He had a 2 ton that I swapped out for and it set me a little more at ease. I usually use 2.5 ton jacks at my pops' shop. Anyway, my truck might weigh a little more than a stock one with the sliders and tires and wheels. He uses it on a G35 and has no problem since it's a small car and he needs the low clearance that the jack affords him.

All that being said, I wouldn't buy one to use on my 4Runner even at that price. I'm about to order a high lift. I've seen them as low as $40 on Amazon. Hope that helps.

 

[nevada]

here at work, i regularly use a 1 1/4 ton jack.
it works great.
there are very few rigs i cant lift, or that i have to only lift 1 corner at a time.
a 1.5t would be plenty for the 4runner.
altho, my jack is very expensive, and im sure its a lot more accurate as to its capacity, than a cheaper model might be.

also, as mentioned lift height may be an issue.

 

[Roadking]

Wow, great timing…I’m stopping at Costco on my way home tonight, I’ll take a look. The last time I saw a floor jack at Costco I think it was a Snap-On branded model.
I looked at the max. height of the aluminum model and wondered the same thing, but it sure beats the 4 or 5 in stroke of the bottle jack. My new thinking...if in doubt, buy it stout.

 

[jimithing]

Wow, great timing…I’m stopping at Costco on my way home tonight, I’ll take a look. The last time I saw a floor jack at Costco I think it was a Snap-On branded model.
I looked at the max. height of the aluminum model and wondered the same thing, but it sure beats the 4 or 5 in stroke of the bottle jack. My new thinking...if in doubt, buy it stout.

The one at my Costco is Arcan just like the Northern Tool link I posted. But it's red instead of black. If you end up getting it let me know how you like it.

 

[ridefast]

Get one of these and you don't need a jack for oil changes, and you won't get a drop of oil on your fingers! I have near 100k miles of use on my drain valve!
QuickOilDrainValve.com
As for the jack it will work fine for what you want to do but there are better jacks out there that you can control how fast the hydraulics lower your truck. But don't forget my dads only rule! Use Jack Stands!!!

 

[sr5hi]

I have a NORCO 2.5 ton. I have had it for some 27 years and had it overhauled 5 years ago. Whatever you buy, spend the money and buy a quality jack and not some cheap jack made in China. Likewise invest in good quality jack stands. Safety first!

 

[MidwestT4R]

All this talk about jacks got me thinking about how I got mine. I was driving around town in the early 80's with my buddies and on the side of the road was a jack. It was a Sears 2 1/2 ton floor jack with the long handle. Back then, this was a heavy duty expensive jack. It was early on a Sunday morning with literally nobody on the road so we grabbed it.

Turns out it was left on the side of the road for a reason. The main cylinder was blown. But I convinced my dad to take it to Sears for repair as it cost something like 170 bucks back then. This was also when Sears would pretty much try to fix any of their products. Needless to say, they had it for something like three months and it cost 72 bucks to fix.

I still use it today. It's really heavy duty and has no problem lifting my 4runner. And that is the key here. I've looked at new jacks and unless you spend some money they all look pretty flimsy next to my jack. That doesn't inspire confidence reaching under the truck to set up the jack stands.

So spend the extra money and get a good solid jack just like sr5hi says. Safety first.

 

[zimm]

It's the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton Aluminum on sale for $89 and $59 with coupon that is in the back of almost every magazine I read.

Aluminum Floor Jack - 1.5 Ton Aluminum Racing Jack

I want to replace the bottle jack I’ve been using for 25 years. Nothing wrong with bottle jacks, I just want wheels and maneuverability.

Oh DON'T DO IT! I bought that same POS. It looks nice and you can pick it up with one hand. It won't lift the rear axle off the ground of my truck without hitting the limiter. Also the height it raises is so short it's useless. I'm back to using my piece of crap Sears 2.5 ton that's 15 years old. But at least it holds the load. That 1.5 ton might be good to swap wheels on a lightweight sports car, but that's about it.

The rating is the max, but I think they're greatly inflated. Go for a 3+ ton jack for work with a truck. Also look at max lift height. Very important on lifted trucks.

 

[SGTfencekutter]

Oh DON"T DO IT! I bought that same POS. It looks nice and you can pick it up with one hand. It won't lift the rear axle off the ground of my truck without hitting the limiter. Also the height it raises is so short it's useless. I'm back to using my piece of crap Sears 2.5 ton that's 15 years old. But at least it holds the load. That 1.5 ton might be good to swap wheels on a lightweight sports car, but that's about it.

The rating is the max, but I think they're greatly inflated. Go for a 3+ ton jack for work with a truck. Also look at max lift height. Very important on lifted trucks.

I also had the 1.5 ton jack to use at the race track and it lasted about a year before failing. I apprehensively bought their 3 ton aluminum low profile jack but purchased the warranty this time. It is still working 4+ years later and is much better controlling lowering speed and raises higher.

 

[Adumb]

I just bought a 3 ton at sears that lifts to 19". Works great! It was on a website sale for 67.99

 

[450exc115]

Please tell me all of you use a jack stand along with your jack to work on your vehicle. No matter what I'm doing I use the jack to get it in the air and a stand to hold it there. NEVER EVER trust the jack to hold the car up for prolong periods of time.

 

[H1_VLTG]

I just bought a 3 ton at sears that lifts to 19". Works great! It was on a website sale for 67.99

I have a Sears 3 ton model as well. Bought it as part of a combo deal with the creeper and Jack Stands. It lifts the truck up nicely but jack just flat out drops my truck when I try and lower it. Had it for less than 1 1/2 years, used it a handful of times and noticed this last time it was leaking hydraulic fluid.

It's time to go buy quality.

 

[RedDragonATL]

I have the same jack and it has worked fine for me for over a year. Yes, it is kinda short, so I have a piece of 4x4 fence post that I use to boost the height. With that extra 4", I have no problem lifting front & rear. That's what we call redneck engineerin' right there! Will hold for DAYS without dropping an inch. And, yes, always use jack stands.

 

[Adumb]

I have a Sears 3 ton model as well. Bought it as part of a combo deal with the creeper and Jack Stands. It lifts the truck up nicely but jack just flat out drops my truck when I try and lower it. Had it for less than 1 1/2 years, used it a handful of times and noticed this last time it was leaking hydraulic fluid.

It's time to go buy quality.

same issue wit the drop most of the time. Im going to drill a hole so i can stick a bar through the handle to help control the release more.

 

[xxaarraa]

Get one of these and you don't need a jack for oil changes, and you won't get a drop of oil on your fingers! I have near 100k miles of use on my drain valve!
QuickOilDrainValve.com
As for the jack it will work fine for what you want to do but there are better jacks out there that you can control how fast the hydraulics lower your truck. But don't forget my dads only rule! Use Jack Stands!!!

Good suggestion.I have had a fumoto on motorcycles before. Can you post up the exact model/spec for our 4runners? A v6 specifically, if there is a difference.

 

[zimm]

Good suggestion.I have had a fumoto on motorcycles before. Can you post up the exact model/spec for our 4runners? A v6 specifically, if there is a difference.

You still have to pull the skid plate to get the filter off. The drain plug is the easy part.