I need a new hydraulic floor jack for my garage that lifts the truck giving it nice height to do work on such as brake jobs. Recommendations would be appreciated for jacks that do not break the bank. $80 to $150 price range

 

I have a Chicago Hydraulic 2.25 ton hydraulic jack that I bought back in 1979. A couple of weeks ago was the fist time that I needed to lift the D to do tire rotation (previous 4 tire rotations and oil changes were done by the dealer for free as part of the contract when I purchased the D). My h-jack has kind of a concave round saddle and since the recommended lift points are at the sides kind of recessed above the rocker panels, I used the jack that comes with the car and set it on top of the h-jack to properly engage the lift points. Below are a couple of links to this and another DD forum that has suggestions about lifting the D with a h-jack and the type of saddles to use.

http://www.dodgedurango.net/forums/d...em-solved.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...e-durango.html

 

I use this jack from HF

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-l...ump-61282.html

And a pair of jack stands. I never crawl around or under my vehicles with just the jack.

 

I highly recommend the Liftmaster Hydraulic Trolley Floor Jack.

 

I think I'm going to get one of these for when I do tire rotation. Its minimum height is 11" while the distance from floor to weld lip on the D is about 11.75" (Note: I think the R/T sits lower than the standard D, so I suggest you measure the clearance on your vehicle). They also have a 4000 lb version that's 8.625" minimum height. The OEM scissor jack has a deep slot for the weld lip, but the weld lip bottoms out at the bottom of the slot, so the car is supported by the edge of the weld lip rather than the bottom of the floor pan/rocker area. Too bad for the poor engineering thinking that went into this design, specially for the front end. They could have made the opening in the rocker panel longer towards the front so that one could raise the car with the jack and add a jack stand for safety in the same area of the weld lip.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro..._x8aAhrN8P8HAQ

 

Thanks for the suggestions I am thinking of going with the recommendation for the jack at Tractor Supply. It looks nice and sturdy and the only issue I have is how to place on vehicle for jacking without causing any damage to the vehicle. I figure a little experimentation will work this problem out.

 

DDCREW- I just purchased the Tractor Supply 3 Ton Jack and although it is very sturdy I just find it much to difficult to put under vehicle and it is tough to move it to a jacking position. I get it under the pinch weld jacking locations but I will damage that area if I was to jack up vehicle and put weight on it. Unless someone has some ideas it looks like I will return this and get the harbor freight jack and the corvette puck. Seems to be a easier option for the Durango.

 

NY-Durango - Thanks for the feedback. My Lincoln LS has the pinch weld slightly below the rocker panel base. I used a threaded fitting like shown in the link below, and cut a slot in the square end to wrap around the pinch weld. I place that on the hydraulic jack saddle, but once lifted, I place a ramp that I made from 4 2x10's on edge next to the jack; in the event the jack let's go the car will land on its pinch weld on the ramp.

I like the idea of the hydraulic jack with the built in jack stand for safety and if the 3-ton unit was difficult to place under the car, the 2-ton unit is 2.5" shorter and should fit quite well; a threaded fitting like the one shown in the link with the slot to wrap around the pinch weld should address the issue of possibly damaging the area.

If you go with a standard hydraulic jack and the vette puck also, as others recommended, get the jack stands to place under the D's recommended lift areas for safety.

https://www.google.com/search?q=stee...LhIeHgQRBIM%3A

 

I bought the 4000 lbs (2-ton) version of the Powerbuilt Unijack Hydraulic jack/jack stand combo, and a 1.25" pipe fitting/end cap in the link below:

https://www.google.com/search?q=stee...LhIeHgQRBIM%3A

I cut a slot to clear the pinch weld, drilled and counterbored a hole for a screw to locate it on the jack saddle, and I had to file the edge of the threads on 2-sides to seat flat between the lifted saddle edges.

On the jack's saddle, I just drilled a blind hole for the locating screw to fit in. Pictures are attached.

I found that after positioning the jack under the recommended lift areas I had to lift the ratchet bar to the 4th hole position and insert the locking pin to get 2" of clearance between the wheel and the floor at maximum jack extension. With the jack stand locked in place I'll be safer when doing tire rotation and suspension/brakes inspection.