Cheap and effective floor jack to raise the rear | FerrariChat

Cheap and effective floor jack to raise the rear

Discussion in '348/355' started by Nader, Dec 27, 2016.

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  1. Nader

    Nader Formula Junior

    Feb 12, 2011
    990
    East of Seattle
    #1 Nader, Dec 27, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    In preparation to do the rear parking brake replacement on my 348, I purchased this Harbor Freight low profile, high lift jack, along with the additional crossbeam. The jack is steel, sturdy (rated for 2 tons), and has the lowest profile and highest lift of all the jacks they sell.

    With the cross bar in place and its pads screwed all the way down, it *almost* gets under the subframe. I had to use his little brother to get the rear up the extra 1 cm to slide the crossbar in place. Next time I'll drive over a 2x10 board to get the clearance I need. I like that I can get the whole rear up evenly, and safely, in one shot.

    The jack was $139, and the crossbeam was $30. I know some people have strong feelings about Harbor Freight. I have no affiliation with them. My experience with them goes back years, many things hit and miss, but I find their hydraulic and pneumatic tools to be quite good.
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  2. Dave rocks

    Dave rocks F1 World Champ
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    Nov 23, 2012
    16,047
    Orchard Park, NY
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    Dave Lelonek
    Awesome. I have that HF jack and looked at buying that extend arm a few times - looks great. :)
     
  3. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
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    Nov 4, 2003
    11,892
    Wayne, NJ
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    Clyde E. McMurdy
    I run the same setup.
    I just lift the back end up with one hand & push the jack under with the other.

    Though I've recently just bought a second jack. It's easy enough to raise the car up using one hand per jack sans the crossbeam
     
  4. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Mar 31, 2006
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  5. R&D

    R&D Karting

    Mar 16, 2015
    168
    USA
    Full Name:
    Kris
    +1 that's the jack I use on my car it's the only cheap thing that works
     
  6. Nader

    Nader Formula Junior

    Feb 12, 2011
    990
    East of Seattle
    So will this jack get the rear end high enough to drop the engine for a major service? What's the minimum height requirement for that?
     
  7. Dave rocks

    Dave rocks F1 World Champ
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    Nov 23, 2012
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    Dave Lelonek
    Nope, for one, it's picking up on the subframe that gets dropped :)
     
  8. junglistluder

    junglistluder F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 23, 2007
    3,617
    VA
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    Brendan
    I have the same HF low-pro jack. Saw this post and just purchased the cross bar. Thanks for the tip!
     
  9. Nader

    Nader Formula Junior

    Feb 12, 2011
    990
    East of Seattle
    Sure thing! Here I thought I discovered something previously unknown. I thought I might be the only Ferrari owner cheap enough to shop at Harbor Freight.

    On my jack, the original pad/saddle was fastened with really aggressive thread locker, maybe red Loctite. You may need to heat the bolt to melt the threadlocker to.
     
  10. GTO Joe

    GTO Joe Formula 3
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    Feb 15, 2013
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    Charlotte, NC
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    Joseph Troutwine
    Well I read this thread and was out driving yesterday and went past my local HF store and decided to stop in and take a look. They not only had a good supply of this model, it was on a Red Tag sale for $99 so this was even better than the list of $140 less their 20% coupon. I really wasn't planning on purchasing since I was driving one of my Vettes but at that price I pulled the trigger and it fit very nicely in through the rear hatch. Just a heads up if anyone was looking to get one. One can never have enough floor jacks. :)
     
  11. fedgery77

    fedgery77 Karting

    Apr 18, 2012
    98
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Jeffrey
    I just bought the HF jack and it's great! Thanks for posting the crossbeam thing...I will probably end up buying that! One less thing to jack if you have to jack up the rear of the car.
     
  12. Nader

    Nader Formula Junior

    Feb 12, 2011
    990
    East of Seattle
    That's a really great deal, Joe! The 20% coupon isn't allowed on hydraulic jacks, and the clerk was privy to that. Still, $99 is awesome for that. I might have missed out, except for the part where I remind myself how that jack helped me save about $1000 in a full servicing of the rear brakes. Isn't that what it would cost at a dealership for new rotors, pads, and parking shoes installed? Which I was able to accomplish in the cramped confines of my garage after 5 or 6 swift pumps of that sleek Chinese jack. The Beijing boost. The Mandarin muscle.

    So you just chucked a 100 lb handle-less box full of sweet Shanghai, I mean, Pittsburgh iron into the back of a 'Vette? Impressive. I struggled to get it into the bed of my F350.
     
  13. SoCal1

    SoCal1 F1 Veteran
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    Jun 14, 2011
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    Tim Dee
    I think I read its 89 this weekend for a new years sale
     
  14. FlyingHaggisRacing

    FlyingHaggisRacing Formula 3

    Jul 2, 2013
    1,377
    I did realise these cross bars existed - I'm off to by one now - thanks.
     
  15. GTO Joe

    GTO Joe Formula 3
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    Feb 15, 2013
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    Joseph Troutwine
    #15 GTO Joe, Dec 31, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Yep I got it in there without scratching anything but I must admit I had my wife assist in its removal to not do any scratching. :) I had my Wheaties that morning. Those nylon straps around the box really helped. I took the picture to send to my son because we have an inside joke going about HF.
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  16. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 4, 2003
    11,892
    Wayne, NJ
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    Clyde E. McMurdy
    That's the 3-ton. I prefer the 2 ton with the extended arm.
     

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