Pittsburgh floor jacks

[steve from staten island]

The big question is if a full time mechanic used that ratchet every day as compared to a Snap On, how long would that Chinese POS last?
The bigger question for the mechanic would be would it break at the beginning of his work day leaving him stranded without it or at the end of the day.
Thats why HF is basically junk.
Tools got cheap, now everybody has everything and instead. of fixing a broken tool, they just get tossed. We have become a throw away society and we can thank our dependency on China for that

 

[DeltaV]

Some HF tools can be used as fishing sinkers.

 

[Habib]

Harbor freight is cheap, obviously, but some tools there are pretty damn decent. You just gotta know what to look for. I still like to have USA stuff in my Tool box but i have some HF stuff as well and it works fine.

 

[Hey-O]

It looks like a snap on (basically a rip off of one) but it definitely is not “as good as it gets”

Plenty of bad reviews on that ratchet.

Google it

You're right, it is a knock off. As good as it gets, refers to it being built to copy a snap on. I go to HF to buy zip ties, electric connectors. I bought my dust collector there 12 years ago and it still works like new . Grizzles and Delta were two to three times more and NOT one bit better. I bought a vise at HF for my lake house and two weeks later I hit it with a hammer and hit a hollow spot and blew a hole in it as big as a quarter, biggest piece of **** I have ever seen, lesson learned. I asked the manager about the ratchet and he said, take it home, do whatever to it and if it breaks, bring it back. Yes, they do have some junk there, but look in the back of your local snap on dealers truck, those broken tools aren't HF's. They work on the fact that they can replace tools because they charge four times more. A guy once told me Honda's are the best cars built. Maybe so, but, those cars in the 12 bay service department aren't fords!!! ............ Some good, some bad. By the way, all my tools are either snap on, proto, cornwell, craftmen, matco or williams. I've been collecting for 45 years.

 

[Hey-O]

Harbor Freight sells cheap junk. Paint it anyway you want but its cheap poorly made. The steel is inferior and the welding is poor. If you look closely it obvious.
I have a Walker floor jack my father and I bought used back in the sixties. It had been left outside and abused. We rebuilt it and had the jack rebuilt by a competent hydraulic shop. I still to this day have that jack and I use it.
Id never feel safe and confident under a car supported by HF jack stands.
My father always told me the Japanese were good for copying a product we made and now its the Chineses doing the same thing and turning out poorly made cheap products.
They steal from us, hack things and we reward them by buying their crap
Its now nearly impossible to not buy China garbage but if I can buy USA I try to do it
There are several American made floor jacks worth looking at.
Its not the point of how many pumps it takes to lift a car or how well you think they work.
Ive yet to see any HF product hold up under heavy duty or daily use.

Your father told you the Japanese were good for copying a product we made, in the sixties and seventies we couldn't build a small car to match what they made, we couldn't even copy theirs right. Each have there strong and weak points.......... I never leave my stuff outside or abuse it , shame on you, I can see why it needed rebuilding.....

 

[Frank Mopar]

 

[steve from staten island]

Your father told you the Japanese were good for copying a product we made, in the sixties and seventies we couldn't build a small car to match what they made, we couldn't even copy theirs right. Each have there strong and weak points.......... I never leave my stuff outside or abuse it , shame on you, I can see why it needed rebuilding.....

I didn't leave it outside ok. My father saw it outside in a guys yard and asked him if it was for sale, my dad could see it was neglected.
You need to re read my post. If your ok with crap junk that floods our shores, good for you but dont defend it to me

 

[Hey-O]

There's nothing to defend, I buy as much as I can made in this country. I just find it interesting that you would pick HF to take your stand. You'd be sitting naked in a field someplace if you chose anything else. If the field was big enough to be a farm, they'd probably own that to.....
Electrical machinery and equipment, Machinery and Mechanical appliances, Furniture, bedding, lamps, illuminated signs and prefabricated buildings, Toys, games, and sporting goods, Plastics, Footwear, Optical, photographic, precision, medical or surgical instruments, nearly ALL of the LED lights in this country come from, you guess it, China. The US buys only a small portion of cotton t-shirts from China, but if fewer Americans buy Chinese t-shirts, that could mean that Chinese factories need less fabric made of American cotton. Forget next years Christmas lights, yes that's right, they're made in China..... Over 560 billion a year. Now walk around your house and take a good look and then come back and talk to me about HF's floor jack. Investing and checking out companies is what I do as a hobby, I'm done with this dick measuring contest.

 

[flypaper]

over the years I have tossed 3 of them in the scrap pile and working on the 4th one now
got the first one I bought was shipped before they even opened up the stores
they are cheap enough to be disposable

I never fully trust a jack ever
a habit I have is
always stick something under the car when using one
if I don't have stands
the tire and rim I took off gets shoved under or
find a cinder block, a chunk of wood, anything to stop it from being able to hit the ground.

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

Glad this thread popped up as my trusty floor jack died this week.

 

[DeltaV]

Glad this thread popped up as my trusty floor jack died this week.

What did you replace it with?

 

[joemish]

I'm in the market for a floor jack. I see harbor freight carries the Pittsburgh brand. I usually think of their stuff as disposable, but these don't appear too bad. Their upper end models are called, daytonas. And are approx $100- $150 range. Has anyone bought/ used one ? Just curious how they hold up.

I bought one of their Daytona's it woks well but it weighs 100 lbs. alot of really good jacks same performance weigh only half of that. It's all steel jack.

 

[Ron H]

Glad this thread popped up as my trusty floor jack died this week.

Funny ya mention as my old Sears jack crapped out yesterday and its gotta be near 50 years old. My dad bought it and and I've had it now for over 25 years. Like a member of the family. I started hunting for one and good Lord there's tons of them (pun intended) from 50 to 500 bucks! Don't need another heavy beast, and 2 or 2.5 ton would be fine. I'm not a HF fan; but seeing reviews from people buying the Daytona and Pitt's damn, most reviews are good! Looking at some more pricey ones I find some negative reviews. Well meantime I'm borrowing my brother's and keep looking and re-reading this post...

 

[DeltaV]

Funny ya mention as my old Sears jack crapped out yesterday and its gotta be near 50 years old. My dad bought it and and I've had it now for over 25 years. Like a member of the family. I started hunting for one and good Lord there's tons of them (pun intended) from 50 to 500 bucks! Don't need another heavy beast, and 2 or 2.5 ton would be fine. I'm not a HF fan; but seeing reviews from people buying the Daytona and Pitt's damn, most reviews are good! Looking at some more pricey ones I find some negative reviews. Well meantime I'm borrowing my brother's and keep looking and re-reading this post...

How did it crap out? There are seal kits available to rebuild them.

 

[Ski 61701]

l cant get the link to attach but there is a company called petersen hydraulic jack repair out of Wisconsin that sells refurbished jacks.
Also Milwaukee jacks sells brand new U.S. made jacks in various lifting capacities. I have a 2 ton Milwaukee jack .. its a beast stout but yet easy to move around

 

[Ron H]

How did it crap out? There are seal kits available to rebuild them.

It starts sinking slowly under load and had to do the same thing another posted about to get the stands out from under car; pump it quickly while I yanked the stands out. My daughter had stopped by at a good time to help me out. Thought about possibly repairing but figured an ancient Craftsmen jack made in Japan parts wouldn't be all that easy to find. It's a heavy sucker and thinking ok time to fork out for another jack that's lighter weight like aluminum...

 

[Ranger16]

l cant get the link to attach but there is a company called petersen hydraulic jack repair out of Wisconsin that sells refurbished jacks.

http://www.phjjacks.com/
I had them reseal an old shop floor jack for me. The price was reasonable as I recall. They even picked it up and delivered it when finished.

 

[Aarons Air]

I bought one of their Daytona's it woks well but it weighs 100 lbs. alot of really good jacks same performance weigh only half of that. It's all steel jack.

The weight doesn't bother me, as it rolls & steers easily. This has been a great jack so far

 

[DeltaV]

It starts sinking slowly under load and had to do the same thing another posted about to get the stands out from under car; pump it quickly while I yanked the stands out. My daughter had stopped by at a good time to help me out. Thought about possibly repairing but figured an ancient Craftsmen jack made in Japan parts wouldn't be all that easy to find. It's a heavy sucker and thinking ok time to fork out for another jack that's lighter weight like aluminum...

I'm with you on getting a lighter unit. I got the HF one pictured below because one of my cars has low ground clearance. My old, dependable Craftsman wouldn't fit under the car.

I've had this HF jack for about 6 years. Two years ago I had one instance where the handle didn't feel right when I closed the valve for jacking. I didn't turn it hard into the closed valve position since it felt odd. So, I jacked it before placing it under the car. It would not hold a load with me pushing down on the pad. The valve was not closed all the way apparently. Subsequently, I turned the handle counterclockwise (open valve) and clockwise (close valve) several turns and several times. I did not turn it hard into the closed position when doing these opening/closing cycles in case there was a problem with the valve seats or debris on the seats. Next, I turned the handle as normal to close the valve for jacking, and jacked it up. It didn't sag or creep when I pressed down on the pad. I did this several more times and then jacked up the car with no issues and I placed jack stands under the car of course. I have not had this valve problem occur again. Trouble free to date.

I haven't seen a cross-sectional view of the valve, but I suspect an o-ring or some type of seal was hanging up and causing the odd feel when closing the valve. To further speculate...I bet they didn't use backup rings on each side of the o-rings.

I've had the Craftsman unit since 1980. I had one occasion in the mid 1980s when the pad would go up when jacking the handle down and then immediately come back down as I raised the handle for the next cycle. I'm thinking (speculation) it was due to a stuck open check valve. It cured itself after repeated opening/closing and jacking cycles; and I even jacked it with the valve open and partially closed...all in the hopes of clearing any debris in the check valve. I have not had this problem occur again. Trouble free to date.

Yeah, the Craftsman unit is heavy. It could be use for a battering ram if needed.

As a side note, I would get a floor jack with a longer reach if I were buying one again.

 

[Ele115]

I would be really reluctant to volunteer my life for something made in China. I don't mind buying tarps or acid brushes there because I know they won't kill or maim me and I plan to throw them away but I just get this weird feeling when that strange odor smacks me in the face as the front door of Gong Foon Tool Outlet mall opens....