If you love working on your car at home we highly recommend owning a floor jack. And if you already own a floor jack but want to invest into something better, you’ve come to the right place. Now, if you don’t know what a floor jack is, it’s a relatively simple tool that makes it a lot easier to lift your vehicle off the ground when compared to the scissor jack that came with your car. Floor jacks are ideal because they’re easier and safer to use than a scissor jack.
In this article, we’ll go over our picks for the best floor jacks and to make your shopping experience easier, we’ve called out their weight capacity in the product title. That’s the main factor you need to consider when shopping for a floor jack. Generally, your floor jack should be rated for a minimum of 3/4th the weight of your vehicle. Even though you’re only using the floor jack to lift a section of your vehicle, you don’t want to overload it. The other major point we need to mention is that a floor jack should never be used on its own. Once you lift the car off the ground with the floor jack, you absolutely need to use jack stands to secure the vehicle. The correct process is using the floor jack to raise the car, secure the locations for your jack stands, and then lower the car onto the jack stands.
You’ll find more information on how to safely use a floor jack after our list of recommendations.
1. Top pick: JEGS low profile aluminum floor jack (3-ton capacity)
Pros
- Lightweight
- Works on sports cars and vehicles that sit closer to the ground
- Durable and well built
Cons
- Complaints about customer service
- Aluminum price premium
Typically when I choose my top pick, I look for a product that balances price with performance. But when it comes to floor jacks, I believe it’s not a tool you want to skimp on, which is why you won’t even see a “best on a budget” recommendation. That’s not to say there aren’t good quality floor jacks with a reasonable price tag, but if you’re often working on your car, you want a floor jack that you can depend on.
Although it’s unlikely that you’ll need to pick up and carry a floor jack around — these things do have wheels after all — you’ll be thankful this jack is constructed from lightweight aluminum when you have to roll it around. Equally as beneficial for adjustability is the 360-degree rotating saddle. The low profile design allows it to lift from 3.5″ to 19.25″, which makes this ideal for sports car owners. The 50″ two-piece handle is protected with a sleeve so you don’t accidentally scratch your vehicle while lifting it, while the knurled grip helps prevent slippage when you’re lifting or lowering your car. You’ll also find a rubber lift pad to prevent marring on your jack point.
This floor jack has a 3-ton capacity (6,000 lbs), which should be adequate for most vehicles out there. And if you follow motorsports at all, you know the JEGS brand has been around for decades, supporting racers all around the world.
2. Best 2-ton jack: Pro-Lift F-767 low profile floor jack (2-ton capacity)
Pros
- Low profile design
- Attractive price
Cons
- Only 2-ton capacity
- Paint finish is susceptible to chips and scratches
- 14″ lift height may not be enough for some vehicles
If you don’t need a 3-ton capacity jack, this option from Pro-Lift could be ideal for you with its 2-ton capacity (4,000 lbs). It too has a low profile with a lifting range of 3.5″ to 14″, making it ideal for sports car owners. It is however, constructed from steel instead of aluminum. It features a patented bypass device that protects against over pumping, while a built-in safety valve gives you overload protection. Like all of Pro-Lift’s jacks, this one meets or exceeds 2009 ANSI/PALD requirements.
This option definitely lacks some of the high-end features you’ll find on more expensive floor jacks, like a rubber lift pad or a protective sleeve on the handle. The company does provide a one-year warranty and if you’re not a fan of the grey finish, it’s also available in black/green and black/orange finishes.
3. Best 3.5-ton jack: Blackhawk B6350 service jack (3.5-ton capacity)
Pros
- High lifting capacity (3.5 tons)
- Lifts vehicles quicker than other floor jacks
Cons
- Minimum lifting height is 5.5″ — so not ideal for lower vehicles
- Footprint is larger than other jacks
- Price
If you own a heavier vehicle like a crossover or SUV, you may want to consider a floor jack with a 3.5-ton (7,000 lbs) capacity. This option from Blackhawk is a heavy-duty floor jack with a lifting range of 5.5″ to 22″. The swivel saddle makes it easy to position this jack underneath your vehicle — although you should expect this feature on any quality floor jack. Same goes for the built-in safety valve and vent plug. It does have a nice, durable rubber lift pad and a bypass device that prevents damage from over pumping the floor jack.
Heavy-duty steel construction makes this a sturdy and reliable floor jack for crossover and SUV owners who don’t need a low profile jack.
4. Best combination: Powerbuilt bottle jack and jack stands (3-ton capacity)
Pros
- Jack and jack stand in one
- Compact footprint
- Solid and sturdy base
Cons
- Poor instructions
- Might be too large to fit underneath some vehicles
While these aren’t overly popular compared to traditional floor jacks, they’re worth mentioning because I know some people who have found them really convenient to use. Instead of having to purchase separate jack stands with your floor jack, this recommendation combines a bottle jack and jack stand into one tool. It has a 3-ton capacity and offers a lift range from 11″ to 21″, making it ideal for taller vehicles SUVs and even pickup trucks. Naturally you won’t be using this with conventional cars, since it’ll be awfully difficult to slide it underneath without jacking it up in the first place.
Easy to lift, move, and use, this all-in-one product is a great option for SUV owners. Simply put it underneath a safe jacking point, lift it up, and let the jack stand securely hold the vehicle in place. All Powerbuilt products meet or exceed ASME and PALD standards. For safety, there’s a built-in ratcheting bar that ensures the jack stand stays locked in the raised position while you’re wrenching away underneath.
How to use a floor jack:
- When using a floor jack, the main thing we need to stress is safety. After all, you are lifting your car off the ground and cars are heavy. Below are basic instructions on how to safely use your floor jack that you should use as guidelines on securely getting your car off the ground.
- Start by parking your vehicle on a level surface and use your parking brake. A garage is typically best.
- Invest in some wheel chocks and place them at the opposite end of where you’re lifting the car in order to prevent accidental rollback.
- Prepare your jack stands before lifting your vehicle with the floor jack. Never get underneath a vehicle without jack stands properly placed.
- Before you actually use your floor jack, inspect it for any leaks or cracks. Avoid using a floor jack with leaks or a loose saddle.
- If the floor jack checks out, do a test lift and lower prior to placing it underneath your vehicle.
- When you’re ready, locate the lift points underneath your vehicle. You can refer to your owner’s manual if you are having a hard time finding them. Always use the designated lift points on your car when lifting it off the ground.
- Slide the floor jack underneath your vehicle and make sure the saddle is centered on the lift point.
- Using the handle, pump it and lift the floor jack until the saddle touches the jack point and verify that it’s securely on it before fully lifting up your car.
- Once you have the vehicle off the ground, place and secure your jack stands.
- Carefully lower the vehicle onto the jack stands by slowly turning the handle counter-clockwise.
- Once you know the vehicle is securely resting on the jack stands, you can completely lower the floor jack and slide it out of your way.
- After working on your car, you’ll want to slide the floor jack back to the lifting point, pump the handle to get the saddle touching that point, make sure it’s secure, and then lift your vehicle just enough to get the jack stands out.
- Once you have the jack stands out and everything (including you and any other person) is out of the way, slowly lower the floor jack to get your vehicle back on the ground. Never drop your car quickly as it can damage your vehicle. You aren’t working in the pits at a NASCAR race.
How do I bleed a floor jack?
We could provide you with general steps on how to bleed a floor jack, but we’d rather not for one specific reason: the necessary steps may differ based on the floor jack you own. We’ve heard horror stories of people accidentally adjusting the safety valves on their floor jack, which is something you absolutely want to avoid. Because of that, we recommend referring to the instructions that came with your floor jack, or contacting the manufacturer for specific instructions on how to bleed your particular floor jack.
How do I add oil to a floor jack?
Similar to the previous question, we prefer not to give general instructions since this can differ floor jack to floor jack. Again, refer to your owner’s manual on how to add oil to your specific floor jack, or contact the manufacturer if you need more specific and detailed instructions.