better bottle jack than HFT's?

[Mountain Gnome]

got me a new Harbor Freight Tools 20 ton bottle jack.


The instructions said to jack it all the way up (unloaded) first, then compress it back down, to check to make sure it works correctly, before using it.


So I did, and it went up and started going down slowly (with me standing on it), but stopped about 1"-1.5" from the bottom.


Funny, because I saw 2 or 3 bottle jacks in their "returns/clearance" section in the back corner of the store, and they were all like this.....I even thought I might buy one; after all, bottle jacks are not brain surgery tools, and I was guessing someone bought it (them) for an obscure need, used it once, and returned it.



So I returned the one I bought.


Any suggestions on a quality brand of bottle jack? NAPA seems fairly proud of theirs. I've bought a "Black Jack" brand low-profile 3-ton rolling floor jack from Wal-Mart, and gotten great use from it. Like I said, it's just a hydraulic cylinder bored into a cast-iron block with a screw-release valve....not something that should be "low" or "high" quality. I was going to get a bottle jack there, but they didn't have the 20-ton in stock. Maybe I should just buy their 10-ton....

[peteg59]

I have a low profile 12 ton bottle jack I got at NAPA 20 years ago.
I've used it twice on the side of the road in those 20 years, and it's still working okay.

Is it better quality than the Chinese made harbor freight units, who knows?
It could be from the far east as well, as there is no info on the decal where it was made.

[s2mikon]

I purchased one of their air over hydraulic 20 ton jacks a year and half ago and it is still working! It lifts the suspension just fine. Have used it to change tires and put blocks under tires to swap out the transmission. And to lift my 1600 loadstar to replace a flat. It came with the standard HFT warranty “90 days or a lifetime of regret”.

[Rivetboy]

Another vote for the Harbor Freight air over hydraulic 20 ton jack. I love using them I have 2!! Even when your air source depletes they still go chunka chunka chunka...

[cadillackid]

I have 2 of the HF reguler 20 ton jacks.. we were using them last fall to hold up a Detroit in a fishbowl. and those things held for over a month without moving a bit.. I do always have to stand on them to get them to go flat down when im done.. I extend it fully and wipe a little ATF on the ram from time to time

[cadillackid]

P.S. I never jaclked it fully with no load when I got them.. I took em out of the box slid them under the bus and up we went ..that was when my air springs went bad i think

[Deezl Smoke]

I have to weigh in the air over HFT jack. We use ours on the farm and love it. So another thumbs up for that jack if can use them.


Like cadillackid we also have several other HFT and mixed brands of bottle jacks of various sizes. We have yet to have an HFT fail or give us fits. However, we will never buy any shop tool product with the NAPA sticker on it. NAPA used to stand for quality. It's not entirely their fault, as they have to cut corners somewhere to compete with the autozones and other high volume import parts. But they must not have gotten the memo that the reason the other stores are beating them up so bad is the other stores know their parts are junk and charge a lower price.


I'll have to go to my local HFT and see if I can find a bunch of returned bottle jacks. Likely an air pocket or other simple fix. I'll check youtube shortly and see if someone has a fix. Might be able to get some good jacks for cheap.


Other than that, in the USA quality will tear a massive hole in you bank account. The liability of producing a jack or hoist of any kind is incomprehensible. I wish I had a better idea of what to suggest, but like cadillackid, my experiences with HFT jacks have been stellar.