FFaust

Would make a very interesting b-school case study.

Carrera GT

Unfortunately the whole country is living out the textbook worst case scenario.

Greenspan had a very fun time pretending to be an economist for a decade of self-indulgent nonsense from a foolish, old man with his head full of fairytales from Ayn Rand. Only, he hasn't had the happy ending of The Fountainhead and he's taken his whole life to come to that realization and in the process, destroyed the US economy.

Good of him to finally admit he was wrong.

Not surprising to find he's been replaced by another blind zealout on a mission to prove he's an expert in economic depressions. Another fool. Another puppet to the bankers and the Wall Street elite. Sure enough, the 2012 election will only perpetuate the charade.

jpoint

ok CGT, at the risk of sounding really self indulgent - what I wanted to know was what you thought of continuing jack stand production in the midwest. We can do our beer summit via Skype.

Carrera GT

That would be all about the beer. My strategy experience in manufacturing can fit into an egg cup and still have room for the egg.

I'd look to existing groups with effective lobbyists focused on exploiting government programs to subsidize "Made in the USA" operations. With some investigative work, even just reading the press release pages of companies like Tesla, Nissan, GM, I think one could discover the madness of why the US Government sees a purpose in throwing money at dead end projects like Tesla. I'd want to find the programs and funding behind helping GM build the Volt, which should have existing in 2002, but today, it's a history lesson in technology, not cutting edge, certainly not useful to the purposes of a country in dire need of alternative energy transport.

Somewhere in the government, there's a bureaucrat determined to give you money, you just have to find them.

deputydog95

I bought the harbor freight low profile jack. I'm convinced its a rebranded Torin. It looks exactly the same except for the color. And the price Harbor freight has them for a lot less. So far it works great. Three pumps and the wheel is off the ground.

Carrera GT

What I found, in comparing notes with other paddock shade tree mechanics, the "cheapie" jacks including HF or Sears etc., last about two years, then the seals dry out or decay and leak. Also, if you overload the jack -- trying to lift an SUV or whatever -- the seals blow. The jack will still work, but it will slowly drain down pressure and lower the vehicle, and it will leak hydraulic fluid, so it's a constant mess. So, it's good value so long as you use it frequently enough for the seals to remain lubricated and don't lift too much.

deputydog95

Since I'm only lifting the 3, one corner at a time, the weight isn't significant (it's a 1.5 ton jack). And I use it pretty regularly so it will get enough use to keep everything lubed. Even if I replaced every couple years, it's a great value. I still have a discount auto parts jack I bought 5 years ago for $40 that works like a champ. It's just not very low and the jack plate is all metal so I don't like using it.

Izzone

Until it falls on you or your car falls on the ground when changing a tire

Jacks are not the place to go cheap......

AC hydraulics is the only garage jack in my opinion.....probelm is I want a portable jack for the track with the same quality

deputydog95

It's not going to fail. Let's not over think jacks. If I was using this jack, 5 days a week, 5 times a day... That would be a different story. The quality is great on this jack. Nothing wrong with it. If I was a mechanic by trade and using it non stop, I would buy a $500 jack. However, to lift my car a few times a month, this will more than suffice and I'm certain I won't have any problems. Knock on wood This jack wasn't free by any means. But it wasn't $500 either. If I remember right it was around $150 and seems every bit as good as the stuff I saw at sears.

Izzone

To each their own.....

Maybe I am too safe

Back to what I need....quality jack that works with this stand

deputydog95

Just buy whatever it is they were using in the video on the website. Which by the way, looks just like my jack

mdrums

I understand...but...I also use the little Harbor Freight jack too and have had it for 3 almost 4 years now. The wheels are always on when the jack is supporting the car...so if it fails the car just goes down on the tire. No problem.

I support the car with a jack stand before the wheel comes off. No matter how good your jack is you should always support the car with a jack stand before the wheel comes off and before you put any body parts under the car.

bensf

Please PM discount code. Thanks.

IMGT3

code sent! thanks! Chuck

jpoint

A reply to much of the above - with apologies for stating what may be obvious. Just yesterday we were lifting a 993 on asphalt with a small generic 1.5 ton aluminum jack (much like the smaller HFT). Though the jack had no problem lifting the car, as we got higher I noticed the jack starting to twist because it was not able to roll and reposition itself under the car (this is an issue CGT noted above). We switched to a larger HFT aluminum jack and everything went fine. There are many jack options, but only one solution - the person at the end of the jack. Any jack can be a hazard - as can any jack stand. Caution is the order of the process and every different jacking situation presents different issues. The ideal jacking surface vs. grass, light car vs. heavy, low clearance vs. high, etc. In the end - the industry standard for ALL jacks is they are considered lifting NOT supporting devices. Jack stands are used for supporting a vehicle once is has been lifted. Can you use a jack w/o a stand - of course, but that is not what the industry calls for - regardless of how stout the jack is. Is there one jack or jack stand that solves every jacking scenerio? No more so than there is a single tool that can address every repair on your car.

The cost of tools is influenced by a variety of factors - quality, country of origin, number purchased by a distributor, newness of technology, target market, profit margin demanded by sellers and many others. As many above noted - high costs doesn't always mean best quality. Low costs can get you a variety of quality levels. In the end - stripping a nut and scraping a knuckle is something many of us have done. I've done it with cheap tools and expensive ones. Dropping a car is different than stripping a nut. When lifting and supporting a car I suggest get the best you can justify and always proceed with caution.

I continue to look at jacks that will work with JP jack stands, but there are lots of possibilities. We're looking at the Zinko jack because people have asked. We also looked at the AC, Craftsman, HFT, Omega, Tool Shop, and others. Some have performed better than others - even with different users of the exact same jack. The advantage of this thread is you get the collective experience of many to assist you in making your own decision.