Garage jack for me truck

[AntleredRuin]

I got the jack stands, Pittsburgh 3T jack, breaker bar and socket. I need to get chuks to be safe.

I've tried to get the jack to work but can't seem to figure out the issue. I put the handle in, tighten nut, bleed it (I think), pump and it won't move the arm.
there has to be something really dumb that I'm not doing right.

I'm at work right now or I'd throw up a video/pics. What am I doing wrong or is there a little trick?

HF sells solid rubber wheel chocks too for like $7 each. They are EXTEMELY stinky though. You know how all HFs smell like a rubber factory? Yeah, it's those chocks.
I have to keep mine in the shed outside because they stank my garage up.

I've never had an issue with HF jack stands. Of course, if I take a wheel off, I always put it under the frame near where I'll be laying, but that's with any stands, not just HF. Just make sure to shake the truck real good before climbing under.
Of course, I'm making no promises (disclaimers for earthquake and 300mph tornado winds).

BTW, I hope you're using coupons on all these HF shopping trips. I use 2 coupons each time: 20% off, and 1 free gift

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[TrexRunnerGirl]

Shouldn't need to bleed a new floor jack. Turn the handle clockwise until it stops, that closes the valve and you are ready to jack up the vehicle. You carefully crack the handle loose going counter clockwise to open the valve to lower the vehicle. I'm sure that you already know this

I’ll give this another shot today and see if I can’t FFIO. It’s really ticking me off.

Thanks for all the help. I second wood blocks if I’m going under it eventually. I prefer to be over safe there.

 

[TheDurk]

I got the jack stands, Pittsburgh 3T jack, breaker bar and socket. I need to get chuks to be safe.

I've tried to get the jack to work but can't seem to figure out the issue. I put the handle in, tighten nut, bleed it (I think), pump and it won't move the arm.
there has to be something really dumb that I'm not doing right.

I'm at work right now or I'd throw up a video/pics. What am I doing wrong or is there a little trick?

I had the jack part of my HF engine crane act the same way out of the box. I bled it, added oil, all the tricks, and nada. I took it back and they didn't blink. I think it's a common defect with their hydraulics. The second one works great. They were nice enough to exchange just the part; they took the new jack out of another crane box and threw mine in there. I "assume" they then returned that.

Just return it and get another one. Get a 1/2" torque wrench while you are there. Only $20, and torquing your lugs is important on these rigs (83 ft-lbs.). Helps keep the brake rotors from "warping" which they love to do. I wouldn't use that cheapo HF wrench for a head install, but it's good enough for lugs; the main thing is to get them all the same and not badly overtighten.

My chocks don't stink and I have four of them.

 

[AntleredRuin]

My chocks don't stink and I have four of them.

Your mileage may vary then, haha. I got nauseous on my way home with them even with the windows down, and my wife wouldn't ride in my 4runner for a few days afterwards until I had sufficiently aired it out.

Eh, still worth it. Loads better than the hollow plastic ones at Wally-World for the same price.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

well 2ndhandyotaman's trick worked. I just didn't get it cranked clockwise enough to close the valve. did that and now it works like it should.

I'll look for that torque wrench. the only one I think I saw there was like $40 but maybe the wrong thing. That's what I'm afraid of is over tightening the lugs. Already have one that is f#$ked because of that by Wally-world I think. grrrr.

Now, if it stops raining I can get a tire off eventually and get the rims finished up. I already like the black center caps.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

Get the Arcan one from Costco or Northern Tool and some jack stands and wheel chocs from Northern Tool (of you have one in town).

Tekton torque wrenches from Amazon seem to be the best deal. But get some breaker bars for untightening. Again from Northern Tool [emoji3]

For suture searching- X2.
I have the steel 3.25T Arcan from Costco. I'm happy with it. I'd say it's a good "budget" floor jack. I've beat it up for a good 6 years or so.
I hate HF. I hate how everything seems/feels/is super cheap. My own opinion; not here to argue about anything. The HF tools will often get the job done just fine.
I feel the same about my black Husky combo wrenches, so don't think I'm just a HF hater!

When I buy a tool I expect it to last for the rest of my life. You dont have to buy Matco or Snap-On to find quality stuff. The few things I've bought at HF were either one use items, or just plain didn't work.
I understand there's a market for disposable crap. That's why Wal-Mart is still in business. Thats why people here still buy Moog parts when we tell them to buy OEM etc....

100% agree. Nailed it.

Glad it was just operator error on the new floor jack [emoji12][emoji1360]

 

[Scramble]

News to me . I've spent probably 4 grand at HF and have realistically seen about an 85% success rate as far as "this met or exceeded my needs."

That's fine for you. When I buy a tool I expect it to last for the rest of my life. You dont have to buy Matco or Snap-On to find quality stuff. The few things I've bought at HF were either one use items (bolt extractors that barely worked & couldn't be used a second time because the metal is too soft) or an electric impact that couldn't even remove a 80ft lb lug nut. I ended up buying a DeWalt impact that works like a charm on everything I throw at it. So I didnt save any money by buying that cheap piece of junk.

I have a friend who had a HF engine stand collapse on his front end removing a motor.....

Kobalt from Lowes & Tekton from Amazon are only a few dollars more & the quality is ten fold. The quality from Taiwan is much higher than the Chinese mainland.

I understand there's a market for disposable crap. That's why Wal-Mart is still in business. Thats why people here still buy Moog parts when we tell them to buy OEM etc....

 

[thegipper]

I have a bunch of Tekton stuff. Excellent tools for the money, I haven't had a single issue with any of my stuff (impact sockets, extensions, ratchets, torque wrenches, specialty tools etc).

I would definitely spend the extra few bucks and get Tekton stuff over HF. I have a few HF things, they are ok....

 

[TheDurk]

That's fine for you. When I buy a tool I expect it to last for the rest of my life. You dont have to buy Matco or Snap-On to find quality stuff. The few things I've bought at HF were either one use items (bolt extractors that barely worked & couldn't be used a second time because the metal is too soft) or an electric impact that couldn't even remove a 80ft lb lug nut. I ended up buying a DeWalt impact that works like a charm on everything I throw at it. So I didnt save any money by buying that cheap piece of junk.

I have a friend who had a HF engine stand collapse on his front end removing a motor.....

Kobalt from Lowes & Tekton from Amazon are only a few dollars more & the quality is ten fold. The quality from Taiwan is much higher than the Chinese mainland.

I understand there's a market for disposable crap. That's why Wal-Mart is still in business. Thats why people here still buy Moog parts when we tell them to buy OEM etc....

I think you can take good advantage of HF for some things, mainly expensive rarely used stuff like my engine crane or really basic hard to mess up stuff like chocks.

I get top line for things I use everyday and want to last. I have three Snap-On torque wrenches, all S-K sockets, flat wrenches, and most screwdrivers and pliers--some 50 years old, and DeWalt electric saws and drills.

HF stuff I have, besides the engine crane: six 6-ton stands, chocks, Earthquake impact (so far so good, not used that often), 7kW generator (always starts), cheapo grinder, rad pressure tester, fuel pressure tester, blind hole puller for clutch pilot bearing, A/C 2-stage vacuum pump (used maybe six times), a couple of pullers. I'm happy with all of it, although the grinder got beat almost to death on my frame swap. It gave value for price paid. It still runs, just makes a death noise.

They probably would die if used every day, but I maintain six cars and a tractor and they make it economically feasible to do stuff i would probably have to have a mechanic do otherwise. I don't do enough A/C work, for example, to justify an expensive pump. This one does the job and saves me lots of money.

I also have some Amazon/Tekton stuff and some Sears stuff and both are pretty good.

It's really a case of matching the use/need to the tool quality/price.

EDIT: I forgot the HF 3/8" air ratchet. That sucks. Started out weak and got weaker.

 

[octanejunkie]

I don't like Harbor Freight hand Tools like wrenches sockets and pliers, I find them cheap and the tolerances and finishes are not quite up to par. That being said there are certain things I will buy from Harbor Freight, like all the tools that I take to junk yards, and or engine stands and hoists things that all use once or twice in a lifetime.

All of my air tools and hand tools are higher-end consumer like Craftsman and some Husky that I got as gifts. My torque wrenches and all critical tolerance type tools are are Snap-on.

I have a few of the tekton tools from Amazon and find them to be on par with Craftsman and Husky.

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[spartacus]

jHF has its value like others have mentioned. I bought the hydraulic press from them for like 100 bucks with a coupon when I did my rear wheel bearings and it worked great so much so I have let others borrow it. I have bought some stuff there like pipe wrenches and clamps that have a life time warranty so there is some good stuff but power tools I will stick with dewalt, milwaukee or porter cable.

 

[Lastplace]

HF appears to have a bunch of new jacks. This one with 23” jacking height looks nice

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-daytona-professional-steel-floor-jack-super-duty-63183.html

 

[NWFL4Runner]

HF appears to have a bunch of new jacks. This one with 23” jacking height looks nice

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-daytona-professional-steel-floor-jack-super-duty-63183.html

The Daytona jack is legit. Quick lift and very easy to control the drop. I still use it everywhere but the front suspension because of the height...

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

The only electrical tool that I've purchased from HF is a 4 1/2" angle grinder that cost me about $8 when the store was having it's grand opening sale. That was 12 years ago and the little piece of crap still runs. Kind of. In my mind it was a one time use tool for a weekend job, my plan was to use the company account at Grainger and get a good tool later on.

The thumb slide switch only operates as an on/off switch and the pinion gear sounds like it's going to explode in my hand at any minute ( it's ok, I'm wearing Kevlar safety gloves... :twitch so when I finally kill it ( hopefully before it kills me) I will say that I got my $8 worth of use out of it !

I've got some basic cheapie auto test gauges from there, good enough for the cars that I drive. Vac pump was a good buy, I've made some good $$ doing AC repair jobs using that pump and manifold gauge. I mainly go there for disposable rubber gloves and the big bag of red shop rags.

 

[octanejunkie]

The only electrical tool that I've purchased from HF is a 4 1/2" angle grinder that cost me about $8 when the store was having it's grand opening sale. That was 12 years ago and the little piece of crap still runs.

I bought two, i keep one with a grinding disc and one with a cutoff wheel lol still going strong after 10 years of occasional use

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[pluton]

As an alternative to the too-low-priced-to-be-any-good clicker type torque wrenches, there is always the beam type torque wrench. They are cheaper to make and you can calibrate them yourself in 5 seconds. The only lame thing is that when torquing, you have to be able to see the indicator panel, which isn't always easy.
Quoth whoever wrote the wikipedia article about torque wrenches: "This type of wrench is simple, inherently accurate, and inexpensive."
What they look like:Beam Type Torque Wrench, 1/2-in | Canadian Tire

 

[firemanj92]

The Daytona jack is legit. Quick lift and very easy to control the drop. I still use it everywhere but the front suspension because of the height...

I so want one of these Pro Eagle Krato offroad jacks.

 

[spartacus]

I so want one of these Pro Eagle Krato offroad jacks.

Santa please, I'll be a good boy.

 

[Scramble]

On the other hand, I intend to p/u one of those HF 12 or 20 ton presses for my garage. It's hard to beat their prices.

 

[TheDurk]

On the other other hand, don't go for the chain saw:

https://www.fox25boston.com/news/recalls/harbor-freight-tools-recalling-1-million-chainsaws-due-to-injury-hazard/749710851

BOSTON - More than a million chainsaws sold at Harbor Freight Tools across the country have been recalled due to a serious injury hazard.

The company said the power switch can malfunction and allow the chainsaw to continue operating after its moved into the "off" position, posing the serious injury hazard to the operator.

The recall involves two models of 14-inch chainsaws sold under three different brand names.

I rock a Stihl gas chain saw and a Skil electric chain saw from about 1950 carved from solid aircraft aluminum. No plastic except for insulators. A thing of beauty with 1500 watts of power and a ton of torque. The power switch feels like it came out of a B-52. Do NOT cheap out on your chain saws.