My $200 Harbor Freight floor jack almost killed me last Tuesday

I was under a 2008 F-150 changing the oil pan gasket in my garage in Phoenix. The jack slowly dropped over 30 minutes and pinned my leg. Had to scream for my neighbor to come lift the truck with his forklift. Anyone else stopped trusting cheap jacks after a close call?

2 comments

2 Comments

linda_mason8213d ago

My cousin had almost the same thing happen with a jack from AutoZone out in Tucson, but it was a Honda Civic and the jack just gave out completely while he was rotating tires. He ended up with a cracked rib and a bruised ego, and now he swears by those old-school scissor jacks that come with the car, even if they take forever to crank up. I bought a cheap floor jack from a pawn shop once and left it under my Subaru overnight, came out the next morning and the car was resting on the tire rim, jack had leaked all the fluid out. It's scary how something that's supposed to keep you safe can just decide to quit on you when you're in a bad spot. Phoenix heat probably makes those seals and O-rings go bad even faster too, so you're not alone in that close call.

eva_lewis13d ago

...and that's exactly why I've got a rule now about never going under a car without jack stands, no matter how quick the job is supposed to be. My buddy in Mesa had this old Dodge Ram on a cheapo floor jack from O'Reilly's back in 2019, and he was changing a starter. Jack held fine for like 15 minutes, then just started sinking real slow while he was under there. He didn't notice until the exhaust pipe was touching his chest. Phoenix heat is brutal on those seals, like you said. Now he keeps a pair of those big 6-ton jack stands from Northern Tool under his workbench, and honestly I sleep better knowing I've got the same setup.