Sue Esponte

I recently noticed that my current floor jack is starting to weep small amounts of hydraulic fluid every now and then. I'd never get under a car without jack stands but, I know, it's still not a good thing. I'm not interested in hurting myself or anyone else just to change the oil.

My Saab rest at about the same height as my Porsche so I've gotten accustomed to finding ways to prop up my cars a bit just to get the jack underneath far enough to hit the jacking points. I'd love to avoid that step and have to imagine that a low profile jack would do the trick. Does anyone have any recommendations on a good low profile floor jack?

-Eric

frisbee91

Don't know if it's "good", but at least it 's cheap and functional. I use the 2.5 ton steel jack #68049 from Harbor Freight. I, too, won't get under a car without jackstands, and this one serves my purposes. It's about 3 years old and working fine.

Here was a comparison I did of the jacks available at Harbor Freight. I ended up choosing heavier steel one with the greater range.

Ahsai

There are threads with this topic before. I use an OTC aluminum jack You can get one with a similar spec but cheaper at harborfreight. I like it because it's low enough for a non-lowered car and light enough to carry and move around easily @43lb. The other best bang for the buck is the Arcan XL35R jack from Costco (~$99). Good even for lowered car, very sturdy but heavier @100lb.

pfbz

I have a ten year old aluminum HF jack that is starting to weep a bit, but otherwise served me very well.

Also recently purchased the same HF steel jack mentioned above and it works great. If you don't need a lightweight jack and have room to keep a floor jack in a corner rather than tucking it away on a shelf, I definitely recommend one of the steel ones. Better lifting range, capacity, and reach for less $$.

I cut some pieces of adhesive carpet tiles to pad the lifting surface and its working great as a 996 jack.

chsu74

Costco 2.5 ton jack for less than $100. Not fancy but solid. I have a 2.5 ton Harbor freight and just bought the Costo one. Costco one is a better value buy.

LostSouth

I have the Costco jack. It's fine for a non-lowered car, but is a bit too tight for a lowered car. I need to put the rear wheels up on 2x's to get under the rear end and the jack points in front of the rear wheels. I do use a hockey puck on top of the jack otherwise the pad is too big for the jack points.

chsu74

I jack up the rear on the bottom of the engine case so no issues with clearances there.

Sue Esponte

I'm fine with Harbor Freight. I don't recall the brand of my current floor jack but I think I picked it up on Amazon. It wasn't crazy expensive and it lasted a good 10+ yrs. I'll check the brand tonight. I don't mind spending more for quality but I also don't need to spend $400 just for the novelty of having it. I'll look into the ones you and others recommended on HF.

Unfortunately, Costco doesn't list the Arcan online. They only list a Powerstation/NOS 2 ton aluminum jack for $199 shipped. Maybe they only have in select stores or have changed suppliers?



I've never been comfortable lifting a car from the engine. I've never liked the idea of putting that kind of stress on the motor mounts, transmission, etc. I picked up my 996 off of the cross brace just aft of the engine after driving on a set of 2x4 blocks. I wouldn't have needed the blocks for the engine case but it just didn't feel right...but I spend my day behind I desk so what the heck do I know?

-Eric

frisbee91

FYI, I can get the HF#68049 2.5 ton steel jack under the cross brace (just in front of the oil pan) diagonally from the rear/side of the engine without driving up onto 2x4's. From there, I lift the entire back end of the car just long enough to get jackstands under the rear jacking points. The low profile and reach of this jack allow this simplicity. (I have a '99 C2 with stock suspension)

geetee

I know people frown on HF but HF low pro ...jacks as low as 2.75 inch? or something like that...
at $59 during promotions/sale...i bought 2. Can't beat that deal

white out

I use Harbor Freight, it fits under my lowered lambo, is light, decent lift height, and super cheap.

http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...html-7814.html

I think when I purchased it, it was around $65-70.

Barn996

I bought an aluminum ton and a half jack from Sears that easily fits under my Porsche.

kromdom

another vote here for the jack sold by COSTCO (brand is ARCAN).

chsu74

I bought my jack at the Norwalk Costco.

Sue Esponte

Thanks Chao! I'll check out the Norwalk Costco first -- I like being able to pick it locally. If they don't have it I'll check out the HF options.

-Eric