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Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

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  • Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

    This info is from a local guy here in Burbak who knows more about floor jacks than anyone should. And you can still buy (hugely expensive) American-made jacks from him.

    Here is the link: http://www.hyjacks.com/H2.HTM


    And here's some good info:

    This section has become quite confusing with several MANUFACTURER/IMPORTERS hoping to reduce costs by trying different countries for manufacturing and assembly and then with popular names being 'retired' then brought back into the market.
    It's a volatile situation out there, but here's what it looks like as of February, 2005...

    MILWAUKEE HYDRAULICS is and always has been American made.

    US JACK is almost completely American made except for their newest short frame model (which has an American made frame and a Taiwanese hydraulic unit).

    WALKER/LINCOLN - This one is REALLY CONFUSING, sit down and have a cup of herbal tea...
    Walker was all American from the 40's through the 80's when it was bought by LINCOLN. LINCOLN kept it American up til the end of the 90's when they moved 99% of their production to China (one floor jack was still made in the USA). After a few years in China LINCOLN sold off their jack line to a company called CLORE who changed the name to MARQUETTE. They held the company for about a year and then in October of 2003 sold it to the big Chinese maker, SHINN FU. SHINN FU held it as it was for the better part of 2004 then surprised everybody by bringing back the old prestigious HEIN-WERNER name back (retired in the mid 90's) and began making the line in America again! The jacks are not at all the HEIN WERNER jacks of the 40's-through early 90's, they are purely the American made LINCOLN jacks from the 90's.
    Meanwhile SHINN FU still markets the BLACKHAWK import BANNER jacks, made in China. And also the famous Blackhawk PORTO-POWER line of body shop jacking equipment, made in America. They also sell their own OMEGA Jacks made in China.

    NORCO has a mixture of products ranging from Denmark, China, Taiwan and the USA. Their China products are made by the well respected YASUI company and by using Japanese seals have become very credible tools.

    OTC has a couple of jacks made in America and the majority of their jacks made in Japan.

    ZINKO jacks are made by the popular MASADA Company of Japan and have been around quite some time with good results - Pretty decent jacks for a reasonable price.

    Recently 2 jack companies from Denmark have established operations in America, the AC and COMPAC lines. Both have been around for quite a while in Europe and offer extensive lines of fairly well made jacks.

    Most everything else is made in China and designed for the Home Consumer Market, inexpensive, lower quality jacks not intended to be used more than a few times a year.

  • #2
    SEARS Aluminum Jacks

    Good info!

    Many people don't know jack about jacks, until learning expensive lessons.




    Wait...here's one now:


    Never buy an aluminum jack from SEARS...ever!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

      Yep, I read that link ages ago and I bought a Milwaukee Hydraulics Model 20 floor jack.
      It's awesome and I don't give a shit that it cost me AU$600 landed, I love it.
      I was not going to be stuffed around with the Chinese POS I had that would constantly creap down on me. (It went back to the shop 2 or 3 times and could never be fixed.) It finally failed with my car stuck up on it. Great! :



      Two Lane, if you want a quality aluminum jack, you'll need to lash-out on a Brunnhoelzl. They are USA made, and pretty pricey compared to a steel jack.
      The Warrior is the cheapest at an RRP of $595 and is only rated at 2000lbs. In fact. all their jacks ranging in price to $1350 (rrp) are rated at 2000lbs. This is not really enough to lift the front-end of most full-weight street cars.
      I called them and asked myself. My front-end is 2220lbs and they would only suggest their top unit (the $1350 one) to withstand this overload. Forget any Chinese aluminum jack coming anywhere close.
      http://www.brunnhoelzl.com/

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

        I'm not allowed to tell you who this customer of mine is but I have personal experience in the manufacturing of jacks as a result. It's actually a very difficult thing to make correctly, let alone safe. Those valve bodies are held in close tolerence that makes even me cringe and I can't imagine these parts being made anywhere else that has lesser quality standards.

        I didn't win the business on that project (It was close) but be rest assured to know that one of the best lines listed in that article is made in NW Iowa by some of the best people on some of the best equipment.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

          I have a craftsman that's older than me and it's getting a bit long in the tooth.

          Omega makes a low profile jack which will be my next purchase. Chinese or not, that thing is awesome and the only one like it... all the other low pro's are clones and not as good IMO.

          Cheap, slow, half-assed: Pick three

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

            Good info I'm at the point of having to rebuild mine one more time or get a new one. Mine is an old 2 1/2 ton that my dad had since I can remember (over 45 years). I had 2 just alike and someone sloe one of of my driveway about 24 years ago.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

              I bought a crappy Chinese jack at Price Club in 1989, used in in my commercial shop for a few years, then moved it home, and it's been working all this time, never needed any hydraulic work on it at all. The spring that lifts the handle back up finally broke a year or two ago. I got a new chinese Sears jack a few years ago and I hate it, it has some quick takeup thing but it moves very little with each stroke when it has weight on it.

              My fabulous web page

              "If it don't go, chrome it!" --Stroker McGurk

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

                I have an "American Forge and Foundry" low profile jack and you can probably tell by the name it is made in China. I've had some real crap from China before (sorry that's all I could afford) but this one seems to be real nice after 1 year of pretty regular use.

                The thing that bothers me most about the Chinese stuff is that they pick these really manly American sounding names -- usually after an American city. "Chicago Electric" "American Forge and Foundry" . . . : Geez guys, just call it a Hu Flung Dung and be honest about it LOL

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

                  Originally posted by Eric68
                  I have an "American Forge and Foundry" low profile jack and you can probably tell by the name it is made in China. I've had some real crap from China before (sorry that's all I could afford) but this one seems to be real nice after 1 year of pretty regular use.

                  The thing that bothers me most about the Chinese stuff is that they pick these really manly American sounding names -- usually after an American city. "Chicago Electric" "American Forge and Foundry" . . . : Geez guys, just call it a Hu Flung Dung and be honest about it LOL
                  That's funny you should bring that up.

                  The most popular brand of junky Chinese - made lighting effects is from a company called "American DJ." :D :D

                  Funniest thing is, you can buy the same junk from the same factories under many differnt brand names, but the American DJ guys have done the most effective job of marketing, so they outsell the others 10 to 1.

                  I have two floorjacks - one is a newer "china special" that was given to me as a gift, the other is at least 30-40 years old, made in the USA that I bought at an auction over two decades ago. Guess which one sees regular use?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

                    Originally posted by milkovich
                    I have a craftsman that's older than me and it's getting a bit long in the tooth.

                    Omega makes a low profile jack which will be my next purchase. Chinese or not, that thing is awesome and the only one like it... all the other low pro's are clones and not as good IMO.

                    That jack is exactly what I'm looking for. My '99 Z28 sits so low that I can't get a jack under the front crossmember without driving the car up on a couple of 2x4's to get the extra clearance.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Fantastic Info on Floor Jacks...including AMERICAN MADE

                      Originally posted by ADV1
                      I'm not allowed to tell you who this customer of mine is but I have personal experience in the manufacturing of jacks as a result. It's actually a very difficult thing to make correctly, let alone safe. Those valve bodies are held in close tolerence that makes even me cringe and I can't imagine these parts being made anywhere else that has lesser quality standards.

                      I didn't win the business on that project (It was close) but be rest assured to know that one of the best lines listed in that article is made in NW Iowa by some of the best people on some of the best equipment.
                      Hey, and chance they are in Spirit Lake or Sheldon?
                      LOL, I ain't going to say the name either...either that outfit, or one other place I know of in praticular.
                      Andrew
                      1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport and other FoCoMo problem children

                      2020...year of getting screwed by a Narcissist and learning hard lessons into trusting the wrong people on a business venture.
                      2021...year of singing "99 problems but an asshole ain't one"

                      Moved cross country twice on a role of the dice...I left Nebraska and came back to Nebraska.

                      Comment

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