Floor jack question

[Dave S.]

Put a short 2x4 in front of each rear tire and drive the car up onto the 2x4. Then your jack will probably slip right under it.

[jmatta]

Put a short 2x4 in front of each rear tire and drive the car up onto the 2x4

That's what I do...I can't even get my jack under the normal jacking points due to it's ride height (H&R sport springs).

[yimmy149]

I need a new jack, if I'm going to go through the effort/expense, I'd like to get one that does not require the 2x4 method if possible.

[eightsandaces]

Originally Posted by yimmy149

I need a new jack, if I'm going to go through the effort/expense, I'd like to get one that does not require the 2x4 method if possible.

The model I have has as flat a tongue as I've seen and it's still not low enough. It's an issue of going in from the rear to access the jack point and the distance to said jack point. By the time you approach it you're on the incline of the jack. Otherwise, the jack is more than capable of getting under the Boxster at all other points.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40105

[yellowboxster01]

Originally Posted by eightsandaces

The model I have has as flat a tongue as I've seen and it's still not low enough. It's an issue of going in from the rear to access the jack point and the distance to said jack point. By the time you approach it you're on the incline of the jack. Otherwise, the jack is more than capable of getting under the Boxster at all other points.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40105

My jack looks exactly like that but, it's BluePoint and it sure didn't cost $159. I think it was right around $400 with matching aluminum jack stands I've never used. Looks can be deceiving though I had a harbor freight jack before this one and it broke with the car in the air. Luckily I had not taken the wheel off yet and it fell on all 4.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=76808&group_ID=19931&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

BTW, I swear by Snap On tools

[eightsandaces]

YellowB, I don't care if Snap on made the jack, you always have to use stands, I know two mechanics who were injured thinking otherwise.

[stephen wilson]

I hope you make out better than I did with a Pep Boys jack. I bought the small aluminum version to use on my Formula Ford, and after being used several times it started leaking hydraulic fluid. I'll have to check out the corner-carvers.com forum again, they had a long thread on the subject of jacks, and the lack of quiality units available under $400.

[yimmy149]

There is a Pep Boys about 30 mins North of me... I will have to check them out. Last time I went to Costco they didn't have the jack, but they do have one with free shipping on their website:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11186866&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1

There is another Costco around here, I could check there also.

-james

[Bobiam]

Originally Posted by jmatta

Put a short 2x4 in front of each rear tire and drive the car up onto the 2x4

That's what I do...I can't even get my jack under the normal jacking points due to it's ride height (H&R sport springs).

Race jacks (Torin for instance) only need 3.5" clearance. I'm pretty sure that would work for you.

[eightsandaces]

Originally Posted by Bobiam

Race jacks (Torin for instance) only need 3.5" clearance. I'm pretty sure that would work for you.

It's not 3.5 " anywhere but the toe, hence the post I authored on how far the jack must travel under the vehicle to reach the rear jack point. I doubt there are any floor jack manufactured that will reach that plate from the rear of a Boxster..

[Bobiam]

Originally Posted by eightsandaces

It's not 3.5 " anywhere but the toe, hence the post I authored on how far the jack must travel under the vehicle to reach the rear jack point. I doubt there are any floor jack manufactured that will reach that plate from the rear of a Boxster..

I doubt it as well. There are some pretty good suggestions here to get around the problem.

[944boy]

Costco currently is carrying a low profile steel floorjack. It is incredibly heavy but has a very low saddle height and maintains the low clearance for nearly 18". I have not tried to reach the rear jack point. But it is one of the best low profile jacks i have used to date.

[eightsandaces]

Whatever method is chosen to "pre raise" the car, it's critical to reverse the steps with equal precision or risk the jack being crushed under the car mangling something expensive.

[Mike_Yi]

Originally Posted by 944boy

Costco currently is carrying a low profile steel floorjack. It is incredibly heavy but has a very low saddle height and maintains the low clearance for nearly 18". I have not tried to reach the rear jack point. But it is one of the best low profile jacks i have used to date.

I've got one of these. It's a fabulous jack, and it was cheap too. I think it cost $100. My old jack was a low-profile Craftsman. It was crap. It lasted 3 years. Can't buy parts for it, and Sears won't repair it.

This Costco jack is really heavy, but really nice.

[Coochas]

The Sears low-profile jack is cheap and fits under the rear jacking plates or the rear "Bentley" spot on my BSX 986 which is about an inch lower than stock.
The problem with this jack is that it won't go high enough to get the rear jacking points over jack stands! I use 2 hockey pucks on the jack plate and then can raise the car enough for jack stands. It's crude but effective. This is a portable jack. It is 3.33 inch in height at the pad.

I just bought a really nice low profile jack from Griots for about 400 bucks. It is SUPER low profile and jacks to 20". It also weighs about 100 pounds so it is not portable unless you're a moose at the gym. It rolls incredible smoothly in any direction owing to a huge iron ball built in to it.

Sears jack $49 http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00950165000P?keyword=low+profile+jac k

Griot Jack (not portable) $400 http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/in+your+garage/jacks+%26+stands/2-ton+floor+jack.do?search=basic&keyword=jack&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

[Poorshoesless]

Try this floor jack by Omega. It's not light or cheap but I believe it will work for the Boxster.


http://www.eautotools.com/Omega-OME29023-p/ome29023.htm