Floor Jack - Steel vs. Aluminum

Which one? Is there a preference as to durability?

 

I would think steel.

 

i dont like having to lug shit around especially after im done working on it so I like aluminum

 

is it going to be primarily a garrage jack, or are you going to take it with you a lot. if the first case, steel, if the second, aluminum. the most important thing with either one is to get one that fits your weight capacity needs

 

When it comes to jacking, you shouldn't skimp on strength, and since most of the time floor jacks aren't needed to be portable, I would definitely say steel.

 

As long as it meets your load capacity I'd go with the aluminum. The rating is really all that matters. Lighter means more energy for further mods.

Plus, the engineering, piston used in it, and tested rating on a good aluminum jack will beat out an el cheapo steelie. Just cause it's steal doesn't mean it has good welds, good tested design, ect...

 

What Colin said

 

Steel.


It's a jack, not an aircraft. It's for lifting a 3400lb machine. Not swinging attempting to hit home runs.

 

X2

 

If the aluminum couldn't hang they wouldn't have engineered it.

 

What JD said

 

I am guessing that an aluminum jack rated at 8000 pounds and a steel jack rated at 8000 pounds, the steel would be sturdier?

 

My only input to this discussion is that plenty of things have been engineered but have still failed.

 

All I can say is are you that much of a wuss that an extra 20lbs of jack is going to break you?

Seriously, it's probably less weight than that.

I kinda like that it's heavier. It's less likely to get knocked and moved about with the extra mass it has.

 

What JD said

 

we use aluminum floor jacks on the race truck and all our chase trucks...

havent had any issues, and its nice being light enough to bolt into the bed...

makes it convenient too when changing a tire or helping out a friend change their tire on the side of the road...

 

I agree with you krazie,
I have a big heavy steel one. I love it. Going to mod days I have lugged it around no problem. But I will be buying an aluminum one soon for offroading.

That's why I said what Colin said. At home I would use steel. Offroad aluminum.

But I wouldn't hesitate to use aluminum over steel if that's all I had.

But on a side note material science has taken off.

And to machman, thts why I'm becoming an engineer. To remedy that : )

 

Sorry, I just hear about weight all the time from work. Oh why do we have this in the trauma bag, we already have this in there.


Fucking redundancy. What if that doesn't work. We have a back up, otherwise we look like tools going...hmm...that didn't work, plan B? We have no plan B.

Our fucking patient weights 300+lbs and you're concerned with a 250 gram manual suction?

 

I have 2 steel ones and an aluminum one. I have assigned the aluminum one to light duty work like lifting the lawn tractor after the lifting cup edges snapped off.

I know many people use them, even the good ole Nascar boys, but I feel a little less confident in them since that happened.

Marc M

 

What Mike said! I have had the pleasure to use Mike's jack and if I'm going to 'jack off' in the desert, his is the one I want! - Thanks again Mike!