I’d like to have a floor jack for my fleet. One purchase that covers it all. 2012 FWD Highlander, 2006 Ridgeline, 2014 Prius. What would you recommend? I guess I am talking about capacity (like 3 ton maybe). Occasional use. iPhone ?
Hydraulic floor jacks require some maintenance for long-time usage. Not much, but it is important. Pick one you can confidently maintain or commit to periodic replacement of the entire jack for safety's sake. A 2-ton unit ought to be plenty for these vehicles, though a 3-ton may give another inch of reach just because heavier jacks are usually built on bigger frames. Either way you're likely to want to make or get a set of blocks to get higher range when picking up the SUVs. A set of stands wouldn't hurt either.
What about something like this? Just oil changes and other miscellaneous stuff. Black Jack 2.25 Ton Trolley Jack with 2.25 Ton Jack Stands in Case Black - T82253W https://www.walmart.com/ip/34202690 iPhone ?
I have had one made on that same pattern. They've got the lifting power, but what I don't like is the small footprint- that can make it easier for the load to rotate off the jack. I like the wider track and longer wheelbase of heavier jacks for this reason. The one I use is no longer sold, but some very close cousins of it have surfaced under other brand names. If you search Amazon for B0CCCJ9BXR you'll see one of its cousins. That isn't a direct recommendation, I'm just trying to give you an idea of what I look for in a floor jack.
I have a 2 ton hydraulic and it strains (the pressure relief valve opens) to rais the front end of my Prius high enough to use my jack stands. I would buy a 3 ton jack for a Prius. JeffD
About 15 years back I bought a cheapo 3 ton with semi-decent lift range, on Boxing Day, for $69 CDN. One of the best things I've ever bought. I'll never let go of it. More recently my son and I were trying to find something comparable. We found one for close to $200 CDN, used it once, almost killed us: it had a high tension spring that returns the jack handle to vertical, very forcefully, AND a propensity for the handle to pull out of it's socket. We got the car going up, gave a little tug on the handle, it popped right out, and the socket for the handle slammed up to a vertical position. Now we're crawling under the car, desperately trying to force the springed connection back downwards (without the belp of the handle) and get the damn handle reinserted. While praying the car doesn't drop. Returned that piece of cr@p. Bottom line: read/watch reviews, shop jacks in person, see how high the handle has to raise to start exerting lift. If it it takes a lot of raise it becomes impossible to use, with a lot of cars having front jacking points waaay back. Look at several, they vary in ease-of-use, weight, lots of factors. Harbor Freight's 3 ton Pittsburgh jacks have been mentioned a lot here, very good lift, ok quality. There's maybe a city in China called Pittsburgh? Not available in Canada though.
Interesting. My cheapie's a "Samona", and googling I found this: They're currently getting mixed reviews though. Maybe they made a few good/dependable models in past, but are cutting corners, different management, whatever?
T o r i n I believe makes jacks for a lot of different people or maybe they used to predominantly they're usually red when they're in the torin brand and they're nothing special some of my big floor jacks at the shop four and five ton back in the day were made by the same company and back then those things were three $400 a pop
Googling Samona, I found this ROK jack, that looks very similar to mine, and sim max lift I think: 3 Ton Floor Jack – ROK
A curved handle might solve that clearance issue. Or possibly a shorter straight one. I doubt there's a Pittsburgh in China, but there used to be a town in Japan conveniently named "Usa."
