Hey guys,

Just have a couple quick questions about floor jacks. I'm looking at picking up a 3-ton Craftsman (with jack stands) later today, but just wanted to see if it should work fine for my purposes. It has 19.75" of travel...should that be sufficient? Other than the frame, what are other good jacking spots on our rigs...rear axle? front crossmember (or whatever the bottom of the front skid is bolted to)? I just wanted to make sure this jack would be sufficient, and have enough travel, to be able to rotate tires, get underneath easier, etc. Thanks for all of the information and input - I really apprecaite it. Take care-

CTB

 

I bet the jackstands will be too short to reach the main framerails. They will be fine on the crossmember or rear axle. You are correct on the support points.

 

Matt,

Ya, I doubted the jack stands would be able to support the frame rails, but I guessed those support points would be alright. I assume there are no strenght concerns/issues with using the rear axle and front crossmember as support points, right? Just to be sure, the crossmember you refer to is the one under the front diff, into which the stock skid plate bolts into (the lower skid plate mounts)? Thanks again for the info-

CTB

By the way, when you are lifting from the rear, is it ok to place the jack right underneath the rear diff, and use that as a jack point, or is there somepleace else that is better suited for that (like the bottom of the rear control arm)? Sorry for all of the questions, but I appreciate the help.

 

Do not use the lower control arm to jack the rear. Use either the axle tube or the diff. Up front use the crossmember under the diff or the lower A arm.

 

I bought a set of 6 ton jacks at harbor freight for $40. They have a 6 ton set that they sell for $20 but I didn't like the shape of the jack's support surface. The cheaper one has lots of curves which is great for placing under solid axles but I didn't like the idea of my frame sitting on those. The ones I bought are the same base but the jack's pad is flat with a small curve in the middle to support an axle.

I also bought a big heavy duty jack there on sale for $40. Now I've added some OME and Edelbrock stickers so that has probably increased its capacity to 6 tons.

 

I got the Craftsman 3 ton floor jack & (2) 6 ton stands from Sears for my stock hight 4Runner. They work great. More than enough height to get it up there and work underneath.