Harbor freight atv motorcycle jack
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 598
Likes: 5
From: Phoenix, AZ
Harbor freight atv motorcycle jack
So i think i found a great jack option for our car. Has anyone seen the 1500 pound motorcycle jack at harbor freight for 89$? This thing looks like a huge time saver for me since i jack my car at the cross members a lot. The jack has two saddles or points of contact so no need to span a pice of wood on the crossmember. And the thing that got me is how low pro it is were talking 1.5 inch height here. Great for low cars like mine. Anyone have this or seen it?
Thanks nick
Thanks nick
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
So i think i found a great jack option for our car. Has anyone seen the 1500 pound motorcycle jack at harbor freight for 89$? This thing looks like a huge time saver for me since i jack my car at the cross members a lot. The jack has two saddles or points of contact so no need to span a pice of wood on the crossmember. And the thing that got me is how low pro it is were talking 1.5 inch height here. Great for low cars like mine. Anyone have this or seen it?
In my opinion I wouldn't trust it for a car, It isn't heavy duty enough in my opinion.
Mr.Bill
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 832
Likes: 14
From: Lake Charles Louisiana
I've got one and use to use it to lift my 750 lbs. custom Ironhorse motorcycle to polish the wheels. NO WAY would I trust this thing anywhere around a car. Perfect for a bike but no on the vette jack idea. Trust me. I use it now and then to change my mower blades but thats it. And it's no where near long enough to reach anything but the side frame rails.
Pro
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 578
Likes: 1
From: Boiling Springs Pennsylvania
Oldtimer
I have a motorcycle jack that I purchased 25 years ago. It looks like the Harbor freight one but far more heavy duty. Back then, I paid $300 for it. As HD as it is, it is only rated at 1500 lbs which is enough to hoist a full dress Harley or Gold Wing, but obviously not rated high enough for 1/2 of a Vette.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,412
Likes: 15
From: Richardson TX
I have one for my bike. They're rated for 1500 lbs, so lifting half of a 3200 lb car is probably not very smart....
If you look closely at the pictures and follow how the weight and lifting force is distributed you'll see that they're really not that strong structurally. You also probably wouldn't be able to slide it far enough to hit the cradle without the back of it hitting the bumper.
Mine also loses hydraulic pressure overnight.
They sell adapter plates designed to lift a motorcycle with a standard floor jack. Those might work, but again, they're designed for a lighter load.
If you look closely at the pictures and follow how the weight and lifting force is distributed you'll see that they're really not that strong structurally. You also probably wouldn't be able to slide it far enough to hit the cradle without the back of it hitting the bumper.
Mine also loses hydraulic pressure overnight.
They sell adapter plates designed to lift a motorcycle with a standard floor jack. Those might work, but again, they're designed for a lighter load.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 376
Likes: 21
From: Coos Bay Oregon
Well, look at it this way. Our cars weigh about 3300 lbs. For the sake of discussion, let's call it 3000. Since our cars are nearly evenly balanced fore and aft, that would be 1500 lbs for each end of the car. That means that you do not have any kind of a safety factor with your lift but it will most likely lift the car. As soon as you put a little more weight on the lift, "Boom" the car comes down on top of you. I'm using reduced numbers too. I wouldn't trust it. Using real numbers, you lift may not lift it at all.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 73,568
Likes: 33
From: Somewhere in Mo
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
I agree with most everyone else. I looked at them when I was putting together my lifting tools and I decided they wouldn't do the job. If you could find something that lifts 3000 lbs I think it would be fine.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6,528
Likes: 752
From: South Dakota
I looked at those too. The frame on that style doesn't collapse, so it blocks going very far under the car.
Another style to look at.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...30-138796081-2
They have similar at Harbor Freight too.
They are only 1500 lbs also, but collapse further to slide in deeper under the car. I got it for doing transmissions and it works great for supporting transmissions. Never tried it on lifting a car, since I would want a higher capacity jack.
Another style to look at.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...30-138796081-2
They have similar at Harbor Freight too.
They are only 1500 lbs also, but collapse further to slide in deeper under the car. I got it for doing transmissions and it works great for supporting transmissions. Never tried it on lifting a car, since I would want a higher capacity jack.
Last edited by QCVette; Mar 24, 2013 at 10:20 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 6,301
Likes: 6
From: LAND OF OZ Kansas
No, I wouldn't use an ATV jack to jack up the car. I have one from SEARS that I use on my quad, and I used it once doing tansmission work on the C5, which came in really handy. I wouldn't jack the C5, or any other vehicle, with it. It honestly calls for an accident.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 204
Likes: 35
From: buffalo new york
Imo the jack is fine , but as with any jack or lifting device you should always place a jack stand or some sort of blocking device under the car before working on it . The jack can have a high tonnage rating but the cylinder can give out at anytime, never trust a jack alone. Lift car then block .