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Jack Product Opinion

2K views 17 replies 6 participants last post by  shoebox 
#1 · (Edited)
Jack Product Opinion--Safety standpoint

Please could I ask of your opinion of this method I am considering of jacking up the XC90. Rather than using a jack I was considering using this jackstand/jack combo:

https://www.powerbuilt.com/products/6000-lb-unijack-bottle-jack-jackstand-in-one

Since the lowest height is 11 inches I was considering using lynx levelers or some other brand similar or a ramp.

Here is a video that shows how I would use (under front cross member instead):

The reason I want to use Powerbuilt is I am in a apartment where have to go up two flight of stairs so being light is important. More important to me is that it being jackstand it is an added safety feature.
 
#2 ·
Powerlift looks cool. The ramps used don’t look very special.

No way would I want to carry a 3ton jack up and down stairs. So between those options it seems like a clear winner.


2010 xc90 3.2 using Tapatalk
 
#3 · (Edited)
Their 4000 lb version goes down to less than 9", is probably lighter, and costs less to boot. Might want to consider it. Personally, I think I'd look into an aluminum floor jack, or maybe a single family house with garage... ;)

[edit] I just looked at some of the comments. While they say it has a range of 10 inches or so, it looks like the jack's stroke is about half that, so, unless you can lift, then lock the jack stand portion and lower the jack to get a new grip, you will not be able to lift from the lower limit to the upper limit.

Unless you need to get the wheels off (factory jack can do that) a nice set of ramps might be more useful.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Their 4000 lb version goes down to less than 9", is probably lighter, and costs less to boot. Might want to consider it. Personally, I think I'd look into an aluminum floor jack, or maybe a single family house with garage... ;)

Unless you need to get the wheels off (factory jack can do that) a nice set of ramps might be more useful.
Thanks John didn't even consider 4000lb I thought that would not be rated high enough, but raising one end off ground seems like it should satisfy it. Ha, I envy all who have a garage! Yes, ramps I will probably look into. Maybe I would consider wheel cribbing as an alternative to ramps as well.
 
#6 ·
Get yourself some Esco jackstands and a good 3-ton trolley jack. Jack the front, then jack the rear. Once you have the front up, the XC90 is so rigid that lifting one rear control arm will lift the whole rear evenly.

-Ryan
 

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#8 ·
It's actually a Harbor Freight 3-ton that I bought about ten years ago. It's one of few HF tools that just keeps going. The rubber puck adapter ("pinch-weld" adapter?) came from Amazon.

Rubber on painted under-body really eases the mind when lifting these modern cars.

Amazon should be the cheapest place to get the Esco's, as a 2-pk. They aren't cheap, but they are really nice jack stands.

-Ryan.
 
#9 ·
When it comes to HF, I always say, buy it only if it has less than 2 moving parts. :)

What's the word on the Esco jacks though? I've never heard of them. What makes them better than the normal steel red jackstands you can pick up at any auto parts store?
 
#10 · (Edited)
What's the word on the Esco jacks though? I've never heard of them. What makes them better than the normal steel red jackstands you can pick up at any auto parts store?
Ryan probably be better source of information. What seems good about them is they have a wide base, pin to lock the stand in place, the round feet pads less prone to digging into asphalt, the flat rubber pad looks like an ideal solution where it meets with flat surface, less likely to mar the surface, and a decent height range (13.2-21.5) to work with. I'm still researching so let me know if anyone finds better safer solution for our volvos
 
#12 · (Edited)
So I ended up getting the Powerbuilt Unijack from Pep Boys sometime ago. Unfortunately the holes besides the first one were too small to fit the pin so my options to raise to higher height weren't possible. Everything else seemed to look good and it jacked up fine. It won't fully go down however at the very end, you have to use a crow bar or remove the handle from it like you see in the video at the top, or your hand if it is raised higher than original setting. I returned but was unable to get another one because now they are discontinued. They are also discontinued at home depot. Makes me kind of wonder what is going on with it and if quality control issues are a factor

So back to considering normal jacks ... until I was reading this thread where he experienced jack failure as he was removing his jack stands: https://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?197141-Jack-failed-car-dropped-now-noise-while-driving :eek:

....so it seems the jack used wasn't the best quality: "my jack is about as cheap as you can get..."
https://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?115796-floor-jack-question

That is one of the main reasons I was interested in the Powerbuilt because I could raise it high enough while keeping it locked in place into jackstand, so minimize that risk when placing and removing jack stands. Also, could keep it in place as a back up jack stand to Esco.

Not sure what to do .... kind of still leaning with powerbuilt because of the built in jackstand even though there seems to be quality control issues
 
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