I’m going to retire my 2 ton trolley jack I bought in 2005. Anyone have good jack they like?
If you look at Scotty's videos you'll see he usually uses Harbor Freight "Daytona" jacks. HF's floor jacks are actually pretty good, I've used them myself for years. I would not trust their jack stands though, which have been recalled multiple times, including recalls on the recalls.
See below on Scotty’s Amazon page: both hydraulic Jack and Jack stands are listed there.
https://www.amazon.com/shop/scottykilmer/list/33NN0XKDI5WY
I have the same Jack stands in that link above, but for hydraulic Jack I use the Arcan 3-Ton Quick Rise Aluminum Floor Jack with Dual Pump Pistons & Reinforced Lifting Arm (ALJ3T / A20018) that I got from Amazon years back. I love it but it is pricey.
Harbor Freight is good for floor jacks, but I bought better heavy-duty jack stands thru amazon vendors. As for other (hand & power) tools, you have to figure out what you need and your budget as there's lots of options out there.
As far as tools, get yourself a $100 Craftsman mechanic's tool set from Lowe's. They're in a plastic tool case with drawers. It has most common sockets for 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drives, as well as the more oddball ones, like 5.5 mm, etc. You also get a ratchet for each, which is $75 just in those. You will need to get other tools as you get more involved, but as far as a good, general purpose toolset that is reasonably cheap, you can't go wrong. I've damaged a couple of the 3/8" ratchets and had another one completely come apart. They warranty them.
Really, the only thing I've needed a socket for that wasn't in the tool kit is a 1 1/8" socket for my tow ball.
Any hydraulic trolley jack should be sufficient for that car.
Thanks for all your help.
Hey bud. Sorry about your jack, I hope you take it to a recycling center, maybe it can be reborn as a super powerful industrial hydraulic pump. I only dabbled in the DIY mechanic stuff for a few years and didn't want to spend so much on jacks. A fewer of the lower priced hydraulic and scissor jacks either failed on me or seemed unsafe after awhile. I landed on the 1.5 aluminum low profile quick jack trolley from Harbor Freight about 2 years back and it has been holding up well. I got it for 50usd on a seasonal flash sale coupon, it may be up around 75 now. I work on low to the ground econoboxes though, maybe your needs are different.
I use the Arcan 3-Ton Quick Rise Aluminum Floor Jack with Dual Pump Pistons & Reinforced Lifting Arm (ALJ3T / A20018) that I got from Amazon years back. I love it but it is pricey.
Hey scotty, what is the best jack that will lift my my 2015 toyota corolla with ease and lift it high enough. I have jackstands that would not fit under the frame of my car to do my own oil change because my grandmother’s jack didnt jack my car up high enough.
You don't need a really good one. Harbor freight has them on sale all the time. It's good enough. You can also make your own in a long staircase pattern using wood. That works good enough as well. There are also ones you can buy that are made out of durable plastics.
I remember Scotty talked about that in a video
https://www.thedrive.com/news/33572/harbor-freight-recalls-jack-stands-that-could-suddenly-collapse
On the carkiller.com website look under Menu —> ‘Tools’ and then Scotty’s Amazon page should come up. There, scroll down to the bottom to ‘Car Repair Tools’ and he has a link to a hydraulic floor Jack by Pittsburgh: it has a maximum lift height of 19.75”
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LR753T8?ref=exp_scottykilmer_dp_vv_mw
Use ramps. 10x easier.
It depends on the car. My wife's Honda Fit has very close clearance to the ground, too low for my 12,000 lbs rated ramps (which are fine for my 08 Camry). I bought a set of low profile ramps to access the underside of the Fit, for oil and tranny fluid changes, but the car is still too low to slide under, so a jack it must be, because I'm not in the market for racing car ramps that cost several hundred dollars. I'm not disagreeing with the general statement, just qualifying for certain vehicles.
@geriscan then just stick a chunk of 2x4 in front of it
As long as the 2x4 doesn't move around. I'm not a small guy (6 ft, 220), so I need sufficient room to get my tools underneath there, and enough leverage for torquing. It's not a Camry, SUV or truck. It's an excellent vehicle for reliability (no problems in 8 and a half years), but, I'll tell you, things are really squished together. (For example, the cowl has to be removed, among other things, to access the ignition coils and spark plugs).
I meant drive onto the 2x4 to give the vehicle enough clearance to use the ramps.
I'll give it a try. Thanks.
Quick question I am looking to buy a floor jack with some stands. Should I invest in a good set? It’s for my half ton pick up. Also what store is a great place for tools. I lnow Scotty made a video on autozone and tools. Thanks.
