My 20 year old floor jack died last night

[Best_man23]

And, of course, Mr. Murphy decided to kill it AFTER I had placed Mrs. Best's car on jack stands to perform some maintenance. Ended up using the scissor jack from the trunk to get the car off the jack stands.

Been researching floor jacks and I'm between getting a lightweight aluminum (I'm not as young as I once was) and a heavy duty Daytona jack that can accommodate a lift bar that would allow me to lift the entire front (or back) of a car or truck.

I will never have ramps in my garage, there is a reason you don't see them at professional auto repair shops.

[walkingman]

1. I hear ya - those jack are heavy and everytime I use mine

I think, damn didn't realize it was this heavy (getting weaker as I age). But I trust mine. I guess you realize that there are seal kits for them? If not, check it out.
https://www.hcrcnow.com/shop/seal-kits/daytona/page/2

[House of Roberts]

4. My problem in getting one of those seal kits,

is describing to them that my jack is blue, and was bought from Auto Zone back when it was called Auto Shack. I doubt they would be able to match up a kit for my jack based on that amount of information.
Fortunately, I have a second jack that still works.

[Homoudont]

11. garage journal

There is a forum called garage journal who has a guy who repairs the jacks. I haven't frequented the site in years so I don't know if he is still active but I recall him saying some old American made jacks are worth restoring. I actually ordered a kit and helped my neighbor rebuild his jack. Not for the faint of heart and it required some tools we didn't have. All in all it was cheaper for him to throw out his 1970's jack and just buy a new one from harber freight.

[rampartc]

2. i needed ine last fall to level my house.

about #120 at auto zone.

[captain queeg]

3. They are a must have tool. They've gotten really cheap these days.

I finally donated my first Jack and bought a new one. It cost less than my original Jack not even adjusting for inflation. Those scissor jacks are scary. It’s not like I really ever use it any more it I like to have it and sometimes ed up helping someone else. You can get a ton and a half from Harbor Freight or Walmart for abut $20 and it’s adequate but over always spent a bit more for extra capacity.

[Ligyron]

5. Don't know jack about jacks really but...

I'm sure glad it didn't die when you were under it.

I know you're smarter than that but you hear about this happening every once in awhile and it ain't pretty most times. If it doesn't outright crush you and it somehow only traps a limb, better make sure someone else finds you or you face the prospect of hours days of no food or water plus the pain of a crush type injury.

Not a pretty picture and don't know why I'm painting such a morbid picture this early in the morning, sorry. I was encouraged to look for problems at one time back in the military and it became a life long obsession.

[gibraltar72]

6. Check Harbor Freight.

I have one of their heavy duty heavy ones and a lighter aluminum one. None of my projects seem to require the heavy one. Don't use it unless more height is required. Harbor Freight has gotten into some pretty good quality lines.

[Chainfire]

7. I would try unscrewing the (on/off lug for lack of a proper name) and seeing if I could find the right size "O" ring for

it. That may restore life to the unit without the "kit." It is broken already, what do you have to lose?

[Noel Kums]

8. I use ramps with wheel chocks for simple things.

Going on almost 20 years so far with no problems.

Safe if used properly, but anything can fail unexpectedly - including shop lifts.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. I have ramps too. I back them up with jack stands.

I like them because they get my expedition up high.

I keep kicking myself for not digging a pit when I had a mini backhoe here for a project. People look at me like I’m crazy but how cool would it be to stand up and do an oil change.

[alinasloane]

10. Floor

A lightweight aluminum jack is great for portability, but a heavy-duty Daytona with lift bar compatibility offers more versatility for full-vehicle lifts. Skip the ramps—floor jacks and jack stands provide better flexibility and safety for serious maintenance.