BradB

AC. My absolute favorite.

Foxman

The HF 2 Ton Low Profile/Long Reach costs $140 and weighs 93.3 lbs. The HF 2.5 Ton Low Profile (no Long Reach) costs just $95 and weighs just 71.7 lbs. Is the long reach necessary/helpful?

mpruden

Looks like the main difference is the reach and max height.

I'm just guessing here, but I think you'd struggle to get the jack under the engine without the extra ~8" of length. Also, it maxes out ~3" below the 68050. That's a big gap to make up if you want to max the height on the Esco jack stands.

P-daddy

My 2.5 ton reaches under the engine case no problem. As for height, I've never had the need to extend the stands to max height so I haven't tried that.

rlme36

Second that. I've had it for 14yrs, I bring to track events and enjoy the fact its built like a brick $hit house.

Quadcammer

2.5 ton low profile HF works like a champ. paid like $80

vincer77

I have the Arcan from Costco, and at $100 it is an amazing value. Been very happy with it going on about 4 years.

jdistefa

AC +993

Just spend the money and buy a jack... once.

flyingchappy

+1

Vandit

I have the Omega Magic Lift low profile jack. I got it at Northern Tools several years ago. It is super low profile. It's long and heavy tho, so it can be challenging in tight garage confines.







Northern Tool, cheaper price.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...9613_200329613

jpoint

To OP - there are several viable options listed here. The HFT jacks are the cheapest in the market - but not the worst. The Brunnhoelzl is the most expensive, most unique, and the only US made jack in this thread thus far. It's worth noting among the jacks in the thread only the AC and the Brunnhoelzl are NOT made in China. Some Chinese jacks are quite good - some not so much so. The HFT jacks are generally not bad but probably won't last forever. That said - my first HFT jack is 10 years old and still works (but my first Craftman jack is working after 30 years - though I wouldn't promise that from the current batch). Nobody mentioned the OTC aluminum jack which is quite nice and has a strong reputation. Also the Omega jack in the thread is the same jack SFA (Omega's parent company) made for MAC tools. The Arcan jacks discussed above from Costco are sourced from Sunex - and are among the few ANSI rated jacks in the picture. Hein Werner jacks are still made in the US but they don't have much in the "low profile" group. Which you buy is a matter of taste, budget, and expected use. Be careful about getting a cheap, small jack if you plan to use it anywhere OTHER than a smooth garage floor. I've used the NOS 1.5 ton aluminum (from Sunex) on paddock roads and others. The others had a tendency to twist or lean more than the NOS. In aluminum 2 ton the OTC, the Arcan (Jegs and Sunex sell the same jack), and the Omega are nice. HFT has several aluminum jacks that are pretty good (I'd go 2 ton or better). The Brunnhoelzl Pro Series Flat is the lowest minimum pick up height of anything on the market and made by the company that invented the light weight floor jack. It is also a true racing jack (popular in NASCAR pit crews) and priced accordingly. In steel - the Sunex/Arcan product is nice, the AC is as indicated in this thread, the Omega is also a professional grade rebuild-able jack - but huge and heavy (though quite low at 2.5" minimum pick up). If low profile is your aim - the lowest will be the Brunnhoelzl - 2", the Omega 2.5", the AC, the Sunex 6602LP (and Arcan equivalents) all at about 2.75", and the HFT 61253 2.87" - all coming in at under 3" minimum. Most of the rest are industry standard 3.5" minimum.

phoneyman

I buckled down and bought an AC after repeatedly buying cheap ones. I have loved it so far. Someone who will remain unnamed used it to jack up the front of a 4 ton tractor and the thing just keeps on truckin'. It's incredibly stable and the lowest profile one I've seen in person. Also the caster wheels track really well and it rolls straight.

AOW162435

jpoint,
Fantastic reply - thank you.



Andreas

NYC993

I just picked up HF 3 ton low profile on sale for 94 bux (weighs 70lbs).

I also have light weight aluminum one (weights 30lbs) which I have used for year. I love the lightness, but it doesn't lift high enough to get jack stands in and it's very hard to lower the car smoothly. It's great for quick/small jobs.

skxf430

How much does that jack weigh?