need help with tools please

[BarryK]

OK, time for me to pick up a floor jack, jack stands, creeper, and oil catch pan. Any recommendations or advice of what I should look for or what to avoid?

I see that sometimes Sears or Pep Boys advertise a "package" of a floor jack and jackstands for around $99. Should I assume these are crap and to be avoided or or they decent enough to use and feel safe under the car with?
I see jackstands are rated such as 1 1/2 tons, 2 tons, 3 tons, etc. What would be the best? I figure the heavier rated they are the better the safety margin, but I don't want to spend too much extra and go overboard if it's not necessary.
Mainly need them for basic maintance work as I'm started to learn to do my own work on the car so it would be for use to get under the car for things like changing oil and oil filter, grease fittings, keeping the underside clean, etc.

As always, thanks for your help!

 

[4WDVETTE]

Barry - I picked up a 'race car jack' from Northern Tool. I got it because it was smaller and lighter than what you normally get from Pep Boys or Sears. It is not the high dollar racing jack but, a cheaper imatation. Perfect for the Vette or Trans Am. As for jack stands, you are dealing with less than 4,000 lbs with the vette so just compare the locking catches and pick a safe set.

For the creeper, test it out first. Some of the wheels don't move real well when weight gets on it. I also got a seat with wheels on it from Northern Tool. It is great for woring on the sides of the car when you are sitting down and can still roll around. I have a sissors lift that gets the car 48" off the ground so the seat is ideal.

I am sure you will gets lost of advise on this post.

Steve

 

[IH2LOSE]

OK, time for me to pick up a floor jack, jack stands, creeper, and oil catch pan. Any recommendations or advice of what I should look for or what to avoid?

I see that sometimes Sears or Pep Boys advertise a "package" of a floor jack and jackstands for around $99. Should I assume these are crap and to be avoided or or they decent enough to use and feel safe under the car with?
I see jackstands are rated such as 1 1/2 tons, 2 tons, 3 tons, etc. What would be the best? I figure the heavier rated they are the better the safety margin, but I don't want to spend too much extra and go overboard if it's not necessary.
Mainly need them for basic maintance work as I'm started to learn to do my own work on the car so it would be for use to get under the car for things like changing oil and oil filter, grease fittings, keeping the underside clean, etc.

As always, thanks for your help!

Barry my Jack stands cost me about $100,00 for a set of 4 from sears and they are very sturdy.Thery are probably about 30 years old.

When getting tools always purchase quaility they will last a life time. EDIT I guess if you purchased a bad set and the car fell on you that would also be considered lasting a life time. I grew up with a Dad who was an owner operator of a heavey equiptment company,we always used Dunage to block something up when working on it

I also have a sears 3 ton floor jack that is probably as old,But I just recently purchased one for work vans and with only 3 strokes of the Jack handel it is in the fully raised position. Sounds silly but I would test see how many stokes it takes to raise it prior to making a purchase. I like the new Jack so much I may invest in a new style.

I some times use a jack to move a car around and would not get one of the new light weight (one roller in the front) style jacks if there is ever a reason to move a car around on a floor jack

Good Luck and chose wisley as the more work you start to do on your car,the more work you wil find to do on your car and something you thought you would hardley use ends up being used every week end

As for a creeper there is one called a dog bone. That I have not invested in yet but as soon as I get a ew creeper it will be the doge bone as its comfortable.rolls easey

 

[ctjackster]

floor jack - a couple considerations. First, the profile must be low enough (when down) to get under the little sports cars - one of my floor jacks could not be maneuvered into postion under the jack point for my wife's Miata, for instance. Second, ultimate jack height when up - this is a big issue (for me especially) because I want the floor jack to be able to get the vehicle up as high as I need it to go, without having to stage it up on a jack stand, then a block of 4x4, etc. (This is especially critical for me, with an Avalanche with oversized tires). Third, for some, wieght - nice to have an aluminum one rather than swinging a heavy steel job around the garage. Aluminum floor jacks get a little pricey though. A nice aluminum one can be found at Sears, their: "Craftsman 4000 lb. Capacity Aluminum Jack Sears item #00950239000 Mfr. model #G620S
Speedy-Lift™ design: only 2 pumps bring the saddle to the chassis. Aluminum lightweight construction means jack weighs less than 44 lbs. Lifts from 3-3/4 in. to 18-1/2 in." On sale now for $150. Pricey I know, but few things get used more often in my garage, for all my vehicles.

Jack Stands - a personal law of mine and many others here is to never get underneath a car unless on ramps or supported by jack stands. I have a set of 6 ton Jack stands from Sears, $35 - obviously I use them for things heavier than my Corvette.

I also see where Sears is now selling a 3 1/2 floor jack with a pair of 3 1/2 jack stands for $120 (Craftsman 3-1/2 ton Hydraulic Jack with 3-1/2 ton Jack Stands, Sears item #00950148000 Mfr. model #50148). Might be a good choice for you. I would say that a good floor jack and Jack stands will last forever, that's why IH2LOSE has the old stuff he has, and why my stuff is at least 15 years old too (cept the floor jack, I upgraded that 3 years ago, but still have my first one too). I could have just as easily taken possession of the 30 year old jack stands in my father's garage, the ones I grew up using - Sears again, heavy duty items.

Given the pristine nature of our frames, you also might want to get a jack pad ( a plastic puck) and jack stand pads (two plastic protectors that fit in the cradle of the jack stand) - I use those often when putting my C2 up. Got mine from Jegs I think. Edit - nope, must have gotten them from Summit:

You also might consider ramps - I use two piece heavy duty jobs from - Sears again - and they really put the nose up high, and are very quick, and safe. Myself I would stay away from ramps that give you a weenie amount of lift (like anything less than 12"). I don't care much for the low rise rhino ramps. I think Sears got out of the ramp business, liability issues must have been at play.

 

[IH2LOSE]

Just an added note on jack stands

I have these squares I have made for when using a jack stand on a driveway. Its 2 peices of 11 x 11 plywood screwed onto 2 2x6 peices of wood side by side

They distribute the weight of the jack stands across the entire board just not in the courners. On concrete I never use them but if the car is out on the drive way and I will have it up longer then just sliding under for a breif moment.I will use the wood squares.

I am glad you are getting jack stands. No matter how short I am under a car there is a jack stand supporting the weight and the floor jack is just there to raise it up or down.

Get in the habit now

 

[ctjackster]

yuppers, jack stands "rolling over" in soft pavement in summer always bad - to be honest I use my jackstands almost exclusively in the garage (on concrete) for pretty much this reason.

stupid personal story - rotating the tires on my dad's two tone 79 Grand Prix for him (sweet looking car, gold and black) and had one side up on stands, front and rear, with both tires off on that side, and creeeeaaaak over it goes, onto the drums! Dad inside the house, likely to come out at any minute, and his car not looking good, his son having failed him. Some QUICK pumping of a floor jack (hard to place since car was essentially resting on its frame rails) and I got it back under control. Would not have liked to have been underneath at the time.

 

[Kid_Again]

Do what I do......just drive to VNV's and borrow his tools



Just Kidding :eyerole

God!!! relax.

 

[BarryK]

thanks all for the great advice!

Yep, I already figured the jackstands for safety as I have NO plans on rolling under the car with it only supported by a jack. The Sears 3 1/2 ton jack and jackstand set seems like it would be good and $120 seems reasonable - I'll check that one out.
The jack & jackstand pads are an idea I like also and I wasn't aware of them so I'll look for those also.

I have thought about ramps but not sure they would work so well in my garage. I'm limited to ONLY my garage as my driveway is VERY steep from the street right up to the garage door. I'm not sure I like the idea of going from a very steep driveway into the garage and than right up onto ramps. My front wheels would be starting up the ramps either before or immediately after my rear wheels are still on the slope of the driveway and than I'd really have no room in front of the car to creep under there and the sides would be at least partially blocked by the ramps themselves. Ramps would be easy but in my garage the logistics don't seem to work for them very well.
The quick pump and aluminum jacks I do like the idea of also.

Guess I'll have to go and see what Sears has but now I have a much better idea of what to look for and what my minimum requirements should be.

 

[Kid_Again]

OK.. a bit more seriously

I always use jack stands and bought them at various places. These cars are basically lightweights and four of the "regular" jack stands suffices for fairly short-term work if you need all four wheels off the ground.

If I am going to be under the car for any length of time (more than a few hours), I back up the jacks stands with 4x4 cribbing on the side that I do not want to get up close and personal with. I will ALWAYS back up the jack stands and/or cribbing with a floor jack placed under the front cross member or the diff spring plate. I noticed VNV does the same thing. I have 2x6's cut to about 14" which I use as pads to support the jack stands if I am on a soft road surface.

For floor jacks, I use a mixture of stuff. One "race" jack made in some 4th world country works really well for me - I bought it on sale at Christmas time at the Perp Boys - $75. Holds the pressure very well, low rise. But it does require more personal leverage to pump the car than a "regular" floor jack.

 

[stepinwolf]

Barry, I won't go into great lengths to make varoius recommendations, such as other well intentioned members have done, but there is one thing that comes to mind.

There are no tools more expensive then cheap tools, and while on the subject of cheap tools, just remember that these are the jackstands that someday will keep the car from squashing you into a pancake, and killing you. ;help

That being said, you might want to choose wisely.

Stepinwolf

 

[BarryK]

Bob

I understand completely!
I am NOT looking to just pick up the cheapest thing I can find as I'm very aware of how dumb and dangerous that can be. Besides, with my famous luck it's too easy to imagine the car coming down right on top of me.
I don't mind spending a few extra $$$ on better quality, but at the same time there is a point that you get into overkill and I don't think I need something as heavy-duty that would support an 18-wheeler semi truck either You understand what I'm saying of course.
Mainly looking for something that is heavy-duty enough to allow a large enough safety margin for the vehicles it's intended for (and some extra) but without going completely overboard at the same time.

Thanks - as always I greatly appreciate your advice and input

BTW, when choosing jacks & jackstands obviously aluminum is nice because it's lighter weight and easier to drag around, but for safety concerns are the aluminum ones as strong as steel ones?

 

[JohnZ]

I haven't seen aluminum jackstands, and would avoid them - I'd want anything I'm under supported by STEEL. The aluminum jacks are nice - I have several steel ones I don't use much any more now that I have a lift, but if I was going to buy one today I'd get an aluminum one - easier to horse around (same reason I spent the extra money for aluminum instead of steel ramps for my lift).

 

[BarryK]

thanks John!
looks like i'll start looking for STEEL jackstands and an aluminum jack.

 

[BarryK]

what is everyones opinions on these that I found at Sears?

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00950239000

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?pid=00950150000&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&cs=e1

 

[Hrtbeat1]

The jack is a nice piece. Very similar to the one I have, made by Larin, 5000 lbs. 4" - 20" lift range (although its not one of the 2 pump jacks) they may even make the Sears one, dunno'. Sears will contract out the manufacture of stuff and "rebadge" it a Craftsman (for some items.) The jackstands are probabally a bit of overkill but that is a good thing. Ive got a set of Kobalt 4 ton stands I picked up from Lowes for around $35, good quality, steel, with a nice firm welded base. I also have a good set of Craftsman 3 1/2 ton stands that I use if I need all four wheels off the ground. Then there is the 3 ton set made in China that I use temporarily when lifting the car or repositioning the primary stands. I don't get under the car when I am using the ROC set, I've seen the questionable quality steel they use fail (not stands but other things.) Not to mention the stands are pressed into shape and not individual welded pieces. Any time I am using stands I use a piece of 2 X 12 X 12 under the stands to keep them from scooting on concrete or sinking into warm asphalt. The house I live in now doesn't have a paved driveway so when I need to jack the car up I use a couple of 16 X 16 X 2 concrete pavers under the stands (and the jack.) I just have to find a fairly level part of the yard, pretty easy down here.


My bit of saftey advise ... if anything is questionable correct it before crawling under the car. There is just no room for anyone under a Vette even when sitting on its tires.

 

[BarryK]

Hrt

thanks for the info.

I know the stands might be more than I need but there were only $10 more than the 3 1/2 ton set so I figure i'm getting a lot of safety factor for only $10.

Can't work out in the driveway on ashalt as it's way to steep of a slope but I hadn't considered slippage factor on the concrete garage floor. The idea of a piece of wood under the jacks on concrete seems good


BTW, everyone is mentioning wood under jackstands on asphalt - I'm real familiar how soft that can get when it's warm hot. I kinda shutter to think how far the weight of a car could push down the stands and lower the car while under it. Our house on the farm in NJ still has LOTS of indentations in it from when I was growing up and had dirtbikes. Too many times in the summer I'd leave it parked for a while in the driveway on it's sidestand and i'd come back to a big hole where the stand sunk in. More than once it went far enough to dump the bike. And these bikes didn't weight very much either so with the weight of a car............ can't be good!

 

[BarryK]

Larry

is this what you were referring to?

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00951000000

 

[Duntov-097]

I have that jack and love it. I used to have that creeper but it wandered off one day and I never saw it again.:cry I liked that alot too. My father bought me a new creeper that sucks. It has rails on the side and they kill your arms. Get the Bone. Also as stated above the roll around seat will soon become indispensable after you get it. :BOW

 

[Kid_Again]

I feel compelled to respond to the issue of "cheap tools". I understand the comment was made in all sincerity and intended to make sure that the maximum safety precautions are taken. BUT......


A consumer has absolutley no idea of the "quality" of a product simply by paying the most or buying a particular brand. The market place has taken over. So, within reason, you pay $X and you get qualityY. Everything is done in pricing bands and that is how THE MAN forecasts, and realizes profit.

I admire those who buy "mechanic" quality tools. I would not hesitate to buy a set of Facom sockets if it would make a difference. It does not make a difference for me, at my level of ability. One could argue that buying such potentially life saving items as jack stands and floor jacks is, and should be, a different buying decision. I don't believe there is evidence to support that. I believe it's an emotional issue. We all take chances with our lives. You take a chance with your life every time you "work" on your car and drive it off the driveway. For the most part, the differences between options carry undefined risk.

Buy what you want and follow common sense.

A few points to consider ->

Take a look at the country of origin of "Craftsman" tools before you buy. (Not sure what country of origin has to do with quality in a truly global economy but some seem to feel it makes a difference)

When you get your healthcare, does your provider force you to make life/death decisions on the basis of cost? Yup, always the lowest cost provider. Do you take generic drugs? You are not an informed consumer on generic drugs yet you won't pay out of pocket for the branded stuff.

Heck, lots of choices out there. Just be reasonable.

Cheap N.E. poor quality.

;squint:


Now, if we could just get the LAWYERS out of the equation, it would be

 

[ctjackster]

I think the Craftsman recs here are not blind (ad-driven) but from actual users - myself included - their tools are genuinely solid, or at least they have been up until now (I have detected some slippage in their hand tools). And I have exercised the lifetime guaranty (do they still offer this?) once on a 15 year old socket (replaced cheerfully) and that left a positive mark with me.

Frankly, if a particular Craftsman tool is of high quality but made outside the US (I do not know if this is the case) I could really care less. I want quality; if they have to source a tool from Italy, Germany, Asia, Turkey, where ever, then I am pleased that Sears located the best supplier of the tool. Your highly prized Facom tools are manufactured in facilities throughout Europe, for example.


As for the lawyers (and you might want to visit the word "relevance" in your dictionary), well Kid it seems you were often beat up as a little kid by a future lawyer, and it has left you with some serious issues - I cannot explain your fixation any other way. I suggest counselling.

Aside from that, you seem to have good advice to offer.