Harbor Freight Badland 3 ton Off-Road jack discussion

I'm sure many people know Harbor Freight has released a new offroad jack to compete with Pro Eagle. Dirt Lifestyle just did a pretty good video on it but I suspect there are still questions out there. Figured I'd start a thread to discuss since it doesn't seem like one exists yet.

https://youtu.be/Vv_8ooIbaVU

Personally I'm in a weird spot for jacks right now. Inherited my grandpa's old heavy steel USA-made Craftsman 3 ton jack from sometime in the 70's or 80's but it has never worked well and takes 10 minutes to raise up. I have a newer China-made Craftsman 3 ton from about 10 years ago before Sears went belly-up and it works but is nothing special and also super slow to jack up. I was going to buy a HF Daytona 3 ton long reach but maybe that's a silly move if the new Badland jack is any good. Anyone see a downside to using the "offroad" style jack as my primary floor jack at home in the garage as well as a bomber jack for the trail?

(Mods please delete if a thread exists or move if there is a more appropriate section. I searched and couldn't find any and wanted to start the ball rolling as I'd expect this will be a popular option.)

 

Thanks for starting this thread. I saw Nate’s video as well, and like you I’m kinda in the same boat as far jacks go. I’m in need of a new one and was considering the Daytona, but why not get the badlands and have a jack that could do double duty if needed?

 

Yep exactly what I was thinking. I've watched a few more videos/reviews now and I'm fairly sure I will buy one sometime after Xmas. Seems like most stores only received 1 jack to start with so they are hard to get at the moment. I have to imagine more people will be picking these up, will be interesting to see what they report back on QC and longevity.

 

Snagged the Badland jack last friday with a 25% off coupon, I'll give it some use and report back here for those that might like the feedback.

 

I got one Saturday with a 25% off coupon. fyi, the truck in your signature looks familiar.

 

Good to know, seems like almost everyone I've talked with likes the Daytona. I was just about to buy one when I saw that Badlands come out!

Awesome thanks guys, definitely let us know the results!

 

Why is anybody using a 'floor jack" style jack offroad? Can we start a discussion why you think it is better than a quality scissor jack or bottle jack?

 

Lots of people use a floor jack style jack offroad. If they didn't, companies like Pro Eagle wouldn't exist. I don't think they are better/worse than any other type of jack. Several reasons exist for this choice, I am not going into them here as they are already widely covered in other threads.

This thread isn't about what jack is best or worst, it is to discuss specifically the Harbor Freight Badlands offroad jack.

 

Honest question: When those jack wheels sink into soft terrain, how confident would you be that they sink evenly and not tilt the jack? (Unless you bring wood in addition to the jack, but then, why not bring wood for the stock jack?)

I love my HF floor jack, but these off-road jacks seem like they take up too much space and weight for travel applications. I never got the practical appeal, aside from having a cool looking jack.

 

If a jack sinks on soft terrain it won't matter what kind of jack you are using. You need to use your most important tool - your brain - to decide what is good for the situation. Already plenty of discussion about safe jacking in this thread so I'm not diving into that here.

 

I think it's just an operator dependent scenario. At that point, if terrain is able to sink unevenly then a bottle jack, scissor jack, hi lift, or a regular jack will have the same issue. At which point you'd need a base like you stated. Basically, be smart, continue to check the jack and vehicle as you crank it up, and do whatever you are doing slow/smooth/carefully.

That being said, at 73lbs this jack is going to be a hassle getting in and out of the truck bed. I'll definitely be sticking with my 1.5 aluminum jack for now. That being said, for $300 it seems like a really good bang for the buck. If I was in the market for a new floor jack at home, I'd probably get this for sure.

 

I have an 11 year old HF Pittsburgh 3 ton low profile rapid pump jack that has been great, but is starting to leak. I'm also considering the Badlands jack for an upgrade, so I'll be watching this thread for feedback.

 

I have a bottle style safe jack that works great for the trail but this jack for me will be perfect for working on a pit crew at KOH and when i go to do a planned repair on a broken rig stuck off the grid. Also it will be just as nice in the garage as any of my other floor jacks and be able to lift higher then them for my gladiator on one tons and 40s and my Long travel Tacoma, and my landcruiser on 38s.

 

I digress but grab a bottle of the jack oil with stop leak from wally world. Has kept my old HF jack going.

 

Since Nate was questioning it, I figured I'd do some digging... It looks like the Pro Eagle might be built by Tong Lift or Fuyang Tongli Industries Co., Ltd. in Hangzhou China. Tonglift seems to also be known as Eagle Pro Industrial Tools, Inc. according to their website. They ship items to "Austin International Mfg" at the following address: 23145 Kashiwa Ct, Torrance, CA which is the same address as "Pro Eagle".





This is from the Austin International website:




Here is the "Pro Eagle" address:

 

Looking at it more, Pro Eagle says designed in the USA. As someone that designs in the USA and has items built overseas, I'll say that this is nothing new or necessarily concerning if they have good engineering and strong QA/QC. Harbor Freight is definitely questionable in that regards, even though they may be improving on some items.

 

damn thats so hardy boys/ scooby doo skills right there lol. Id send that to nate.

 

I think we all pretty much knew this instinctually before hand. The fact that you could look at their website or packaging with out being slapped in the face with “made in USA” is a telltale sign as it seems companies use it as a market scheme these days.

 

I'm using a HF 1.5 ton jack modified to work with the Pro Eagle extensions, but haven't yet bothered modding it to have the big wheels (or a skid plate). This is interesting, but I wouldn't buy one unless it was a 1.5 or 2 ton model, due to the size and weight.