[pokerface]

Originally Posted by weiweiwei

is that the proper way to use it?

rotate REALLY REALLY slowly...

i found that out the hard way LOL

[TwinPowerF30]

yes mine crashed down everytime unless i rotate it slowly

[ska///235i]

can someone recommend a jack that does not fall fast when release?
i work on my wifes compact suv with a regular craftman jack but when releasing the air to lower the arm....car lower way faster than the arm causing the jack arm to hit the car. its not pretty when 4000 pounds hit against a piece of metal

[bigjilm]

Thanks to the OP for the heads-up. I picked up one of these bad boys, and it seems to work pretty well.

BTW, I dropped my car pretty hard the first time I used it, too. Second time, nice and slow...

[Belarus]

It's a piece of garbage. One of the OPs came over with it last Friday to help me put on my summer tires. It lasted to do one tire, after that it went Kaput....

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by Belarus

It's a piece of garbage. One of the OPs came over with it last Friday to help me put on my summer tires. It lasted to do one tire, after that it went Kaput....

What exactly happened to it?

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by Lotus99

What exactly happened to it?

I'm curious to know as well. I have had mine for year, flawless.

[Andy M]

I did my tires last weekend. I don't like this jack much either. If I had a choice, I would have kept my old 3.5 tn Michelin Speedy jack. But that jack was 100 lbs and I won't have a garage soon (moving to a TO condo).

If you're having problems with your jack, make sure you bleed the air from it. Follow the steps here: http://www.ehow.com/how_4913066_blee...loor-jack.html

[Lotus99]

Thx for the tip about bleeding it. Is it easy to spot the filler plug? Got a pic of it, vs. the two check valves that shouldn't be touched as per the article?

[ska///235i]

any online store sells the Michelin jack and ship to US?

Originally Posted by Andy M

I did my tires last weekend. I don't like this jack much either. If I had a choice, I would have kept my old 3.5 tn Michelin Speedy jack. But that jack was 100 lbs and I won't have a garage soon (moving to a TO condo).

If you're having problems with your jack, make sure you bleed the air from it. Follow the steps here: http://www.ehow.com/how_4913066_blee...loor-jack.html

[Andy M]

Sorry for the delay, I think Walmart sells the Michelin floor jack in the US I believe (locally). Shipping would be expensive since it's 100 lbs.

Yeah, the Motomaster Aluminum Jack works well if you bleed the air out. Don't touch the other valves. The filler plug on the 1.5 tn Motomaster jack is a screw that you just undo. It's in the instruction manual. In some other jacks (like the Michelin one) it's a rubber plug.

I bleed the air out of my jack before I change to winters and in the spring when I change back. Just keeping the jack in storage for that long with varying temperatures could have put air into the system. If you're buying the jack, you MUST bleed the air out the first time you use it. Otherwise you could have the jack fail while loaded with a car.

[Belarus]

Originally Posted by Lotus99

What exactly happened to it?

Leaked oil after getting one tire swapped. After that it was Kaput . Thankfully one of my neighbors had a car jack that I managed to get under my car to get the other 3 tires done. OP used it only once on his car before we used it on mine...

Leaking oil seems after few uses seems to be the main issue with it. Based on other reviews I've come across of identical jack but being sold under different brand name.....GARBAGE....

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by Andy M

Yeah, the Motomaster Aluminum Jack works well if you bleed the air out. Don't touch the other valves. The filler plug on the 1.5 tn Motomaster jack is a screw that you just undo. It's in the instruction manual. In some other jacks (like the Michelin one) it's a rubber plug.

I bleed the air out of my jack before I change to winters and in the spring when I change back. Just keeping the jack in storage for that long with varying temperatures could have put air into the system. If you're buying the jack, you MUST bleed the air out the first time you use it. Otherwise you could have the jack fail while loaded with a car.

When I went to use the jack, it was real obvious which was the air purge screw, vs. the others. They were well labelled on the jack, and it did say on the sticker you should purge it before first use. Oddly enough though the manual's purge instructions were not the same as the sticker's, and the manual made no mention of using the screw so I ignored its instructions and went with the ones by the screw, which were pretty straightforward anyway.

Jack worked really well the 6 times so far I've lifted the car, which in this case, was a 2009 Volvo XC70 that weighs over 4200 lbs, and to get the rear tires off the ground, I had to lift it all the way to its max lift height where I couldn't push down on the lever anymore! I had my 335's tires swapped to summer before I got the jack, but if it can put up with that car, the 335 should be easy.

And here's a blurry pic (why can't stupid BB's focus properly?...) of the air purge screw, as well as the two adjustment screws you shouldn't touch:

[ska///235i]

what about dropping the car down? Did it drop fast?
most jacks have no problem lifting high vehicals but when release, drop like a bomb

Originally Posted by Lotus99

When I went to use the jack, it was real obvious which was the air purge screw, vs. the others. They were well labelled on the jack, and it did say on the sticker you should purge it before first use. Oddly enough though the manual's purge instructions were not the same as the sticker's, and the manual made no mention of using the screw so I ignored its instructions and went with the ones by the screw, which were pretty straightforward anyway.

Jack worked really well the 6 times so far I've lifted the car, which in this case, was a 2009 Volvo XC70 that weighs over 4200 lbs, and to get the rear tires off the ground, I had to lift it all the way to its max lift height where I couldn't push down on the lever anymore! I had my 335's tires swapped to summer before I got the jack, but if it can put up with that car, the 335 should be easy.

And here's a blurry pic of the air purge screw, as well as the two adjustment screws you shouldn't touch:

[X1 Trojan]

i need one of these

[Lotus99]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

what about dropping the car down? Did it drop fast?

most jacks have no problem lifting high vehicals but when release, drop like a bomb

It wasn't as bad as a few people here seem to have said. I played with it a few times to get the hang of it by lifting the car then practicing lowering it to see how sensitive it was from turning the lever, and just let it off a little bit at a time til it started lowering. It didn't drop the car at all, and if it was lowering the car too fast, I could still tighten the handle even to slow it down more, so I had the time to do that even while car was lowering.

[Andy M]

@ Lotus99, yeah I changed the tires on an older model Camry. That thing was heavy and I had the same problem with trying to push the lever down. But it's a 1.5 tn jack so I didn't expect much out of it. I'm definitely going to get the Speedy Jack again once I get a place with a garage! (which will probably not be for a few years now)

As for the lowering, practice with something heavy like some sand bags or cinder blocks. I usually just turn the handle enough that I can feel the car starting to move very slightly and then give it a very very slight turn. It usually lowers the car smoothly - with this aluminum jack as well as other jacks. Just takes practice!

[Lotus99]

In case anyone's interested in getting this jack, I just got a notice from CT that it'll be going on sale, and this time, at 50% off!

I used mine a few times when swapping over to summers, and even on our Volvo XC70, which weighs 4300 pounds or so, and I jacked it up to the maximum height, and it had no issues.

[2kaccordocoupe]

100 bucks on sale is an excellent price, thanks for sharing

[BRAISKI]

I was thinking about getting this but when I get my car its the 335xi coupe so it doesnt have a sport suspension. I still have the regular Motomaster jack.

Maybe next year...

[Outlaw 06]

I’ve read a couple of different old threads on cheap jacks (and jack stands), and these definitely aren’t tools you want to skimp on. Craftsman, Harbour Freight, Motomaster, etc., are just rebranded/repainted versions of the same “Made in China” POS jacks.

I prefer good quality tools that are built to last. IMO, you can't buy a decent jack for under $500 these days…

Oftentimes you get what you pay for, and saving a few dollars on cheap POS jacks and jack stands isn’t worth the risk IMO. Getting crushed under a car with some extra money in my wallet just doesn’t seem like a very good potential trade-off to me.

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by TJDiCandido

I’ve read a couple of different old threads on cheap jacks (and jack stands), and these definitely aren’t tools you want to skimp on. Craftsman, Harbour Freight, Motomaster, etc., are just rebranded/repainted versions of the same “Made in China” POS jacks.

I prefer good quality tools that are built to last. IMO, you can't buy a decent jack for under $500 these days…

Oftentimes you get what you pay for, and saving a few dollars on cheap POS jacks and jack stands isn’t worth the risk IMO. Getting crushed under a car with some extra money in my wallet just doesn’t seem like a very good potential trade-off to me.

That's a pretty bold statement... If you are running a high volume shop for example I would spend the $$$ on high-end tools. For DIY / Domestic usage these work just fine and should not scare off such folks from using them.

I don't know what sort of past expereince you had or maybe you just have a more expensive is better for every application mind set.

Lets face it, most of the horror stories you hear even on this forum are a result of user error. High-end expensive tools are not going to prevent that.