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I'd love to see your floorpan after you manage to get your jack to lift the entire car at one time. :P I use a 1.5 ton jack on my camaro and it's more than plenty, so a 2 or a 2.5 ton jack will be all you'd ever need.
i've used 2 ton floor jacks since i've been working on cars. unless you plan on lifting a tractor or semi you don't even need a 2.5 ton jack. I've even used 2 ton jacks for very obsquer things such as taking tree stups out after all of ther root going horizontally from the tree. it works great for breaking the taproots off.
I try to find a spot on the frame towards the front and then torwards the rear and that will lift up one side and put jack stand under neith it. lifting a car and leaving the jack under the car to support the car is a death wish all it would take is a little bump and the car would come down on you. in which the jack stands you have more stability. the jack stand should be placed as closed to the hubs at the rear as possible with out disturbing the break lines and any other lines that might be in that area. and in the front as close to the a arms on the frame as passible
lol i would not try that because i've seen how unstble that is just by changing oil on some modern cars i just jack it up pull the pulg and let it down over the oil pan and try to get at the filter from the top
If your trying to get the whole car up on jack stands I'd say lift the front and put on stands and then lift the rear. I wouldn't try to lift from the sides. Thats just me, maybe it makes no difference but I would think it would be more unstable to lift from the sides.
I'd love to see your floorpan after you manage to get your jack to lift the entire car at one time. :P I use a 1.5 ton jack on my camaro and it's more than plenty, so a 2 or a 2.5 ton jack will be all you'd ever need.
The floorpan can't support the weight of the car. The jack, itself, would go through the floor before lifting the car.
Just this year I had an 07 Grand Prix GXP fall off of one of my jacks. I had just turned around to get the stands when it fell. The pictures are sickening. I ended up removing nearly the entire front clip and paying ~ $800 in parts to fix it. What sucks is that I was jacking it up so that I could get measurements of the engine cradle so that I could complain to GM that they don't know how to do an alignment. Trying to get $49 back cost me around $800.
The floorpan can't support the weight of the car. The jack, itself, would go through the floor before lifting the car.
Just this year I had an 07 Grand Prix GXP fall off of one of my jacks. I had just turned around to get the stands when it fell. The pictures are sickening. I ended up removing nearly the entire front clip and paying ~ $800 in parts to fix it. What sucks is that I was jacking it up so that I could get measurements of the engine cradle so that I could complain to GM that they don't know how to do an alignment. Trying to get $49 back cost me around $800.
Thanks, I learned in shop class (make that, in 1972), that you don't use floor pans to lift a car. I made the bad assumption that all "Senior Members" here on this forum such as our member - 84Z28406 - would already know not to do such a thing.
Or I think I was just confused by his post. Anyway... I think this is a great and fantastic forum - tons of info and fun. Because of this site, I'm meeting other owners in my area!
Some points that I thought were missed:
1. Make sure the handle is long enough. Jacking up the rear of the car by the differential, or the front by the crossmember, you'll appreciate one with a good long handle.
2. The capacity also says a lot about how much effort it takes to jack up a load. Jacking up the same weight with a 3 ton ($80 from Harbor Freight) jack is much easier than with a 2 ton jack.
Stay away from "rapid-pump" jacks unless you have a light race car or you weigh over 280 lbs.
Last edited by Supervisor42; 10-10-2009 at 11:48 AM.
Reason: added URL
Why is that? I have a rapid pump 3 ton jack and I love it. It pumps fast until under load and then it pump at the normal slower speed and isn't any harder to operate the handle.
Thanks, I learned in shop class (make that, in 1972), that you don't use floor pans to lift a car. I made the bad assumption that all "Senior Members" here on this forum such as our member - 84Z28406 - would already know not to do such a thing.
Or I think I was just confused by his post. Anyway... I think this is a great and fantastic forum - tons of info and fun. Because of this site, I'm meeting other owners in my area!
It's a bad assumption to make, but I do know better. My comment about the floor was a joke. Meaning that if he did jack on the floorpan, it would at least bend far out of shape or go so far as the jack punching through the floor. Perhaps I didn't word it clearly enough, but rest assured, I know much better than to jack on the floor... The previous owner of my car didn't.
It's a bad assumption to make, but I do know better. My comment about the floor was a joke. Meaning that if he did jack on the floorpan, it would at least bend far out of shape or go so far as the jack punching through the floor. Perhaps I didn't word it clearly enough, but rest assured, I know much better than to jack on the floor... The previous owner of my car didn't.
...ouch!
At some point in life, somebody thought the oil pan on my 1984 would make a good lift point ...
Looks like I'm not the only "Senior" member in here...
Old Dudes Rule!!!
Everybody knows that we're the best as:
- Drivers
- Welders
- Mechanics
- Bench Racers
- Car Salesmen
- Chute Packers
- Track Officials
- Pit Crew Chiefs
- Diagnostic Techs
- Hub Cap Polishers
- Spark Plug Indexers
- Power-Wheelie Pullers
- Sponsor Fee Negotiators
- Powerglide, Lenco and 4speed Shifters
(...just to name a few). And most people know that when "Old Dudes" are not racing or raising havoc somewhere in the world, you can generally find us doing one or more of the following:
- Brain and General Vascular Surgery
- Re-defining the Basic Laws of Thermodynamics
- Astronomy
- Winning the Nobel Peace Prize (for actually doing something)
- Pre-Briefing the Next Space Shuttle Crew on Re-Entry Emergency Scenarios
- Making $1.25 per gallon - 160 Octane Fuel Available at Your Corner Gas Station
Old Dudes Rule!!!
Everybody knows that we're the best as:
- Drivers
- Welders
- Mechanics
- Bench Racers
- Car Salesmen
- Chute Packers
- Track Officials
- Pit Crew Chiefs
- Diagnostic Techs
- Hub Cap Polishers
- Spark Plug Indexers
- Power-Wheelie Pullers
- Sponsor Fee Negotiators
- Powerglide, Lenco and 4speed Shifters
(...just to name a few). And most people know that when "Old Dudes" are not racing or raising havoc somewhere in the world, you can generally find us doing one or more of the following:
- Brain and General Vascular Surgery
- Re-defining the Basic Laws of Thermodynamics
- Astronomy
- Winning the Nobel Peace Prize (for actually doing something)
- Pre-Briefing the Next Space Shuttle Crew on Re-Entry Emergency Scenarios
- Making $1.25 per gallon - 160 Octane Fuel Available at Your Corner Gas Station
i say get the bigger jack. the smaller ones suck, because of the surface area a few walmart jacks have. i got the big floor jack with a diameter of about 6 inches and to top things off, i bought one of those polyurethane jack cushions so jacking up the car, it doesn't bend the metal as much, and conforms to the slightest shape, i cant really explain it. its pretty sweet..even got the polyurethane jack stand cushions. they mold directly to the jack stand top mounts. pretty wicked. and with smaller floor-jacks with the 2 and half inch diameter, (If its the one im thinking of That GM Good-wrench trolly jack) the small lifting point has less center of gravity, and can damage the rear lower control arm metal frame. ANYWAYS theres always a different preference out there, just a overlook. defiantly get at least a 1yr warranty. They will fail if you lower them too fast. blow seals. If i had another jack new, the first thing id do is bleed the air out for sure. peace out dude
if you can afford the bigger jack get the bigger jack... hate to have it fail!
also, if you can afford it, get a jack that raises quickly with one pump.
i have one that will raise up to meet the car in one pump and then works like a normal jack using one pump to raise the car an inch or whatever
i cannot describe how nice this feature is
I'd love to see your floorpan after you manage to get your jack to lift the entire car at one time. :P I use a 1.5 ton jack on my camaro and it's more than plenty, so a 2 or a 2.5 ton jack will be all you'd ever need. 
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