Good jack kit to get?

I am looking to get a 2 ton jack kit that includes a jack, jack stands and creeper. I was looking at one at autozone http://www.autozone.com/featured-items/jack-kits/1duralast-5-pcs-2-ton-jack-creeper-kit/838181_0_0/?checkfit=true but one of the reviews said it was crap. What one should I get?

Good jacks don;t come in kits. Good jacks are very expensive and unless you are a pro, or at least a weekend racer, you probably can’t justify the cost. No jack should be trusted, that is what the jack stands are for, and for anything the wheels don’t have to come off for, I use my honeycomb plastic ramps.

I use a large heavy 2 1/2 ton from harbor freight that goes on sale for about $79 and it has done a good job for me for about 15 years, my son in law has the same jack, the same age says his is starting to wear out but he has 2 daily drivers and 2 old cars he is restoring and showing.

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I agree with oldtimer on this. HF offers a good selection at good prices, and they’re really great for home use. Be sure to overspec the jacks and the stands to at least 200% of the expected task. If you need one ton, get jacks and stands rated at no less than two tons. That’s an absolute minimum. These are critical safety items, and trying to save in their cost could cost you your life.

For the creeper… I much prefer a sheet of corrugated cardboard. I keep them from large appliance purchases and use them to slide under my vehicles, as well as to place under areas of the house that I’m painting (like trim on the basement windows for example). Corrugated cardboard may be the best secret ever. It makes sliding around easy as well as providing insulation from the ground’s cold.

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HF makes alot of junk too, I don’t think I would feel comfortable trusting my life to HF stuff. Has anyone tried the autozone one?

That kit isn’t total crap but the jack is nearly useless unless you own a small car and won’t try to use it on a pickup. It won’t lift anything high enough. What I recommend is buying it and getting a full size jack also.

I would be using it for a 2011 honda accord. Is it sufficient?

You won’t get much of a “kit” for $75, I paid more than that for my creeper.
Did you see that floor jack in person? It seems to be toy sized, it has a 16" handle. A professional floor jack has a 3 foot long handle, this is needed to reach an engine cross-member or the rear axle on a rear wheel drive vehicle. If you had to reach further under a vehicle that tiny jack won’t work. You will be better off buying tools you can use for 30 years vs. tools that might be adequate for the moment.

I have a Michelin car lift that I got from Sam’s Club. They still sell a similar one for $120. I’m pleased with mine. I bought it for about $50, but that was almost 20 years ago. You might take a look at it I find you have access to Sam’s, or know someone that does. You can and must get jack stands at the big box club, car parts store, or Sears. A neighbor bought a creeper at Sears and he is happy with it. These items may not be professional grade, but they work well for the home DIY guy.

I agree with what has been said. The jack you have linked is probably very weak and poor quality. When we lived in an apt, I was desperate and needed something small and light weight, so I got one of those (with a set of quality stands!). Lifting a larger car with those feels like you are doing most of the work and the jack is just a medium.

See my post from when I wanted to buy a real jack;

I ended up getting a harbor freight low profile 3 ton jack. It is low enough that would go under most cars (some new compact sedans happen to be very low nowadays) and also capable of lifting SUV’s to a decent height (including my now history Mazda CX-9). It has served me well (paid $79 on sale). Get something decent, you won’t regret it.

First.

Decide which jack-stands you want to purchase and their maximum height.

Then purchase a floor jack that is capable of lifting the vehicle to a height that allows the use of the jack-stands at their maximum height.

Tester

Will a 2 ton jack lift a honda accord from the front or will I have to do it one tire at a time?

A two ton floor jack will lift the whole vehicle if you could balance it!

The vehicle weighs less than 4,000 lbs.

Tester

The guy in the post galent linked said he had a 2 ton jack and could only lift the car one tire at a time.

I would go with a slightly larger jack and jack stands

3-ton jack, and a set of 4 3-ton jack stands

Some of the Craftsman jacks and jack stands are okay. Napa also has some decent stuff . . . to name a few brands

To echo the other comments . . . you’re going to have to spend a lot more than $75

Sears is also a good place to buy a creeper . . . but don’t bother going there unless it’s one of those club saver weekends

That car is low, it will be difficult to see where you can lift the vehicle in the middle. If you could find a strong lifting point to lift the front of the car with that small jack, if you can still reach the jack handle you won’t be able to move it to raise the car because of the low clearance. Professional jacks have bodies that are 2 1/2 to 3 feet in length so that the handle isn’t under the vehicle.

One wheel at a time is exactly the way you SHOULD do it. :slight_smile:

@the_same_mountainbik

“One wheel at a time is exactly the way you SHOULD do it.”

Why? I safely lift my large GM cars one-wheel-at-a-time or both front wheels or both rear wheels together. I chock wheels, use jack stands, and also put 6" thick x 12" x 12" wood blocks underneath, too. I got dozens of these blocks from a local saw mill for a few bucks.

My GM factory shop manuals illustrate the exact jacking points to be used to jack the cars safely and without damage to the cars.
CSA

Does your owner’s manual suggest one lift point to jack up the entire front end at once?
If it does, you have my agreement, except that I’d want a higher jack rating. If not, I recommend that you follow the owner’s manual lift point recommendations.

If the OP buys a cheap floor jack and stands for less than 100 dollars and it fails and they are injured their medical deduction is at least 500 dollars. If they buy an seriously rated floor jack and stands for 300.00 dollars and it doesn’t fail they save 200.00 dollars.

“Does your owner’s manual suggest one lift point to jack up the entire front end at once?”

Yes, absolutely. My service manuals show points for each wheel and front (both wheels) and rear (both wheels).

Whichever points I am not jacking from is where I position safety stands. Then I add the blocks, too.

I have always purchased service manual sets for all my cars and this is just one example why I do that.
CSA