Here is a good site for general jack info:

http://www.hyjacks.com/H2.HTM

Junk can be made any where, many factories in China are much newer and have better technology than their counterparts elsewhere, make an informed decision and hope for the best.

billroth:
Michelin makes different sizes, what ratings do you have for floor jack and jack stands?
If the rating on the jack stands is 2-ton, the base is too small for safety.
Look at my picture and use back-up.
People buy a lot of crap because it's cheap.


Don:
You had a better jack and used the crappy one?
The pit is essential; don't know how folks can look after any car without it. I am in a flood plain and have about 10" of water but only during May/June; dry the rest of the year.

Re: when import jacks go wrong- CAUTION- scary pics.
 

Where were you lifting the car that when the jack released it smashed the quarter panel there?

Who is keeping metrics on jacking on the engine case seam?

Re: Re: when import jacks go wrong- CAUTION- scary pics.
 

I would never jack my car up by the engine case seam unless the wheels/tires are still on the rear of the car just in case of a failure like this. That way the tires and suspension absorb the impact instead of the case if your jack does fail.

Re: Re: when import jacks go wrong- CAUTION- scary pics.
 

What exactly do you mean??????????:confused:

Re: Re: Re: when import jacks go wrong- CAUTION- scary pics.
 

The cost/damage caused by lifting by the case seam vs. other methods (lift pad see saw. jack socket etc.)

There have been 3-4 debates over whether lifting by the engine case causes damage in the last year.

Now you guy's have me thinking. My jack $130, and stands $30 for the small ones and $60 for the larger ones ( 5 ton cap.).
I bought it all from Princess Auto 7 years ago.
One thing I do is put the wheels under the car as insurance.

All this talk of failing stands - I am getting paranoid. I was under my Jeep on stands all day today (front axle CV boots and front diff pinion seal). Everytime I accidentally even brushed one of the stands my heart stopped for a second...

At least with the jeep, when the wheels are on I can get under it for oil changes/whatever without even having to jack it up.

It's always good to be cautious, but the original post was about a hydraulic floor jack failing, not a jack stand.

Buy good equipment and use some common sense before climbing under a car on jack stands. I usually place my wheels under the car and/or use an additional jack stand as insurance.

So, Don, the question is still open:
What lifting-point on the car did you use?
Where, exactly, did you put the crappy jack that it would hit the panel in that fashion?

Maybe Don is regretting this post right about now... :)

Gunter's 'really good jack stand' looks exactly like the 6-ton Chinese crap stand I bought at HF for $20 a pair.

Just inspect the stuff before you buy it; I'm guessing if you have a Porsche and work on it yourself, you probably possess a modicum of technical savvy to seperate the wheat from the chaff.

Anybody who feels "if it's American-made it must be the best there is" has clearly never owned many GM or Ford vehicles.

In jack stands, I looked for heavy stamped steel construction, well-executed welds in the right places, a wide and solid base, general ruggedness and consistent quality of finish - i.e. looking at five sets of the same stands trying to find flaws. Then I chose ones that were over-rated for the weight they would be holding up by a factor of three or more.
For the floor jack I looked for all of the above plus inspected the most likely points of failure (pins in lift arm, cylinder mounting, wheel mounts, thickness of cylinder casting).

At some point, you have to make a judgement call on whether spending another $300 for something American made and just as rugged is a worthy investment for your purposes.

I bought the HF 3 ton floor jack for $44.99 on sale and the 6-ton stands for $19.99 a pair. They are both Chinese and are the most rugged jacking and support equipment I've ever owned. Owners of car repair shops or heavy equipment dealers or aviation fabrication businesses who jack stuff up all day, every day will certainly disagree...


Regards,

I would agree to a point. But it is impossible to X-ray a weld or test the hardness of a pin visually. They only look good, and you are fooling yourself if you think otherwise. A really good looking weld will be crap without penetration, and you don't measure penetration by eye.

I made the 'really good' comment without following up to say that they rely on the stamping for strength whereas a lot of the cheap stands rely on welded gussets. The ratchet mechanism might be weak, but from the picture you can't tell, so I'm not sure why you would call them crap. Is it just the fact that they look like a crappy set you had?

The 'crap' comment was intended as a joke. I have those stands and they are very solid. Some will have you believe that all Chinese stuff is crap, which it is not - those silkworm missiles, for instance, are of very high quality. Too bad the US deported the Chinese scientist who eventually developed them.

I shop at HF just about every week. I've picked up all kinds of useful small tools for a buck or three. Invariably, it is all Chinese.
Try those 6-ton stands, you'll like them.

Regards,

I'm sorry. I misinterpretted your comment.

Before the guy ever thought of creating Harbor Freight, I inherited a Chinese-made floor jack 25 years ago from a friend who was moving. It was huge, a monster, all steel, about 100+ lbs. never broke down except for the last 4 years I had it when the O-ring started to leak. It would jack up but instead of holding, it slowly descended. I compensated and swiftly timed my jack stand placements until if finally died - fortunately at rest and not at height.

You'd be surprised how much Chinese-made content is in "US-made" products.

Sherwood

Gunter, It was a little, crappy floor jack,( my good one was ALL the way across the garage). I had the jack in from the side jacking on the spring plate tube. FWIW what hit the floor was the flange on the bottom of the trailing arm. no harm done. now don't go off on me about the right/wrong place to jack, we all have our moments. http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat5.gif
Don.

Hein Warner is a name that is owned by Omega Hydralics. Omega is made in China. I think one of the few USA made jacks is OTC and it cost about $550.

Don't they look good?
Born long before the job-drain to China ever started.
They are at least 20 years old 6-ton, made in Canada, repainted with rust paint.
+1 on looking at the welds and components.
But, how many people have the ability to recognize differences in craftmanship?
Or even understand load-factors in lifting? :confused:

Don: We all have done weird things. Not too many people have used the round T-bar covers to set up a floor jack.
Could have been worse.

Glade you can fix it. :)

I misunderstood him also.