Jack stands

Looking for new jack stands to replace my 30+ y/o stamped stands. The old stamped stands still work fine btw even under a lifted '81 3/4 ton Chevy PU but time to upgrade.

Minimum height is not really a concern. Max height... eh, 20" or so.

Saddle for frame or unibody.

Rating and fitment: Currently S197 and '12 Sierra 4X4 1500 extended cab, not anticipating anything much heavier.

Solid, safe and durable. No cut rate junk.

Quick search, these caught my eye: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200305227_200305227?cm_ven=natural&cm_cat=netconcepts&cm_pla=&cm_ite=

next up: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-3-ton-high-lift-jack-stands/p-00950159000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Lots of sites online, don't mind shipping fees for better stuff. Parts store stuff any good? I live two minutes from Sears fwiw if their stuff is adequate. Not penny pinching.

Rather see before I purchase but may not be the case these days. Online reviews are one thing. GRM reviews are moar better.

TIA

I use the 6 ton Harbor Freight ones. I hate the little 2 ton ones, their footprint is too small for my liking.

For light cars I have a set of aluminum HF stands that I love. They are light enough that you can carry all four of them in one hand.

Even though they are rated at 3 tons, I don't trust them with my F350 sitting on them. For that I have a set of huge, heavy, iron, 12 ton, Northern stands. They are also nice because they will stretch out to 28". I don't use them unless I have to. They are about 40 pounds each.

I have a pair of the 6-ton Northern Tool jacks linked above and a pair of the same style jacks in the 3-ton size. When my car (Ford Focus), I use the big jacks up front and the smaller ones in the back. The small jacks are sufficient for oil changes and tire rotations. I have no complaints so far with the 6-ton jacks.

I have to ask, what is the point of aluminum jack stands? Are the steel ones really that hard to move? I'd rather have the strength of steel, personally.

I have a set of old Craftsman ones in the smaller size, some HF small ones, and bigger ones from HF that I use for my truck. All are well-built and sturdy. I've trusted my life to them many times.

I've got a set of Craftsman 2 ton (I think) stands that came as a set about a decade ago with their 2 ton hydraulic jack. I've used them for vehicles from Motorcycles to E-150s and they've held up really well and tend to do a good job. Might not have the lift you're looking for on the pick-em-up, though.

I have a set of the Craftsman, maybe 6 ton. They're the big ones. I use them for big stuff. I also have two sets of 2 ton ones purchased almost a decade apart with two different brands that are identical. I suspect that there are many more brands than manufacturers of jack stands.

I picked up a pair of the craftsman ones in the OP about 6 months ago. They were on sale and I have no complaints about them, solid and sturdy.

In reply to Toyman01:

28's... geezoi, ya could camp out under there.

Prolly will be lookin' more into the 6 tonners as linked and Mitchell has. Sounds like good quality there.

Thanks

In reply to Lancer007:

Local Sears store has only one set left, will check 'em out too.

Next Sears store 34 miles away if they pan out.

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

I keep a set of the aluminum ones in the race trailer where weight is at a premium. Not to mention that lugging all the stuff in and out of the trailer gets tiring. I keep an aluminum jack on the trailer for the same reasons.

8' 6x6 cut in to 12" chunks gives you two 20+" stands. Or a solid base for smaller stands.

These are really nice but seriously expensive.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/911M/POR_911M_TOLtol_pg2.htm#item10

And these are brilliant, but crazy expensive:

http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/

In reply to Woody:

TSC may have the Big Red 6 ton... right down the road, save shipping from Northern. Off to TSC and Sears tomorrow.

Basil Exposition wrote: In reply to Tom_Spangler: I keep a set of the aluminum ones in the race trailer where weight is at a premium. Not to mention that lugging all the stuff in and out of the trailer gets tiring. I keep an aluminum jack on the trailer for the same reasons.

This, and once you get used to using them, you won't want to go back. I had a set of heavy steel ones I gave away because I didn't use them anymore.

go to KMart or Sears and see if they have any deals on the Craftsman 6 ton stands.. i have 2 sets, and i don't think either pair was more than $30. if they don't have them on sale, hit whatever other stores in your area carries stuff like this and see if anyone has the exact same stands painted in their colors for less- i once got a set of Mack branded little jack stands (3 ton, i think) at Wal Mart for $12 that were exactly the same in every way except for the color of paint and the sticker on them as the Craftsmans that i paid over $20 for at Sears..

Woody wrote: And these are brilliant, but *crazy* expensive: http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/

Those are nutty, but holy cow would they make working on the 911 better. That might be the one and only item on my Christmas list next year.

Harbor freight has a coupon on the 3 Ton Jack Stands for only $15.99!

About 10 years ago, I bought two pairs of "Goodyear" branded stands from Sam's Club. The one thing I really like about them is they have pads on the bases (similar to the Pelican stands above) which is nice when using them on asphalt. I've had standard stands sink into a driveway before. That sucks. Unfortunately, I've never seen similar stands since, so I treasure the 4 I have (even though I use my lift most of the time).

Having watched cast aluminum parts fracture and totally fail In the blink of an eye, I'm not terribly keen on cheap (junk) aluminum jack stands. Not even that keen on cheap cast steel ones, for similar the same reason.

Of them all, I prefer steel ones made of tubing and strap steel, welded together. Certainly that can and do fail too. But they tend to do it much more gradually, with lots of warning and deformation before dropping the car.

The hf aluminum jack gives me little concern because I don't go under it.

That said, my hf aluminum jack has never failed in the several years of service. Nor have any of my cast jack stands. The only stand failures I've had were of the welded types.

Make your own?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNUkC1ix6t0

There's absolutely no way I'd bet my life on a Chinese Harbor Freight aluminum casting. I have 4 of their big steel ones and I'm not completely sold on the cast iron bits.

My high school welding class made jack stands as the final project for years and there were some fantastic ones made over the years.

Then some lawyer made the school scrap them all and replace them with HF cheapies for liability reasons.

I've been wanting to build a set of the type with the ball bearings inside, but haven't gotten to it yet.