This guide is comparing many common jack types to help you determine the best to use on the trail, in the pits, for general outdoor use, or in a shop. Starting with the smallest jacks which are good to carry when space is limited. Then stepping up to various floor jacks, the 1.5 to 2 Ton are good to carry when you have the room, especially in a group where one vehicle has recovery gear. The 2.5 to 3 Ton Floor Jacks are great all around pit/shop jacks and good for large vehicles.

All jack min/max heights are listed using our just our Jack Saddle which adds 2.5” to most jacks, the extensions will further extend the height from there. Floor jack weights include our Off-road jack conversions, big wheel, skid plate and both jack extensions.

Watch our YouTube video where we talk about all these details and a lot more here.

Smaller trail jacks – Pros – small and light. Cons – requires more effort to use, slow - These generally come with vehicles and are good to carry all the time.

-Toyota Screw Jack - 7 lbs, 11” stroke length, Min 9.5” Max 20.5” - Slow when operated by hand, a lot of gear reduction. These are small and compact, sand the factory saddle diameter to use our 4x4 saddle(only) then it becomes a decent light duty Trail Jack.

-4 Ton Bottle Jack  – 8 lbs, 4” stroke, Min 9.75” Max 13.75” - We prefer the 4 ton, but larger jacks are easier to pump heavy vehicles. Our extension is only rated for 4 tons. These are small and compact and do offer a good lifting capacity, with the shorter handle you do have to get down under the vehicle to use the jack. Short stroke length and a rather tall minimum height, as well as a small foot print which can be (un-sturdy?) on softer ground.

-2 Ton Scissor Jack- 6 lbs, 13” stroke, Min 5.75” Max 19” – Included with most vehicles. Low minimum height with a long stroke length makes this a good jack with the addition of our trail jack kit, for smaller lighter vehicles. Fully Mechanical can be slow to operate.  

-3 Ton H1 Scissor Jack – 20 lbs, 13” stroke, Min 7.25” Max 21” - Has a planetary gear set to reduce the amount of effort needed to raise the vehicle, this does make the jack operate slower. Our DOM pin just presses onto the factory pin, which allows the use of our 4x4 saddle. Weld the tilting pin to use with our extensions.

-2 Ton Trolley Jack – 18 lbs, 7.5” stroke, Min 6.75” Max 14.25” - Low minimum height, easier to use, still requires a decent amount of handle effort to use the full lifting capacity. With the addition of our Skid Plate and trail jack kit this is a nice compact jack that takes less space than its larger floor jack counter parts and works well on soft ground.

Off-Road Floor Jacks – with our conversion kit and compared to ProEagle and Badland

-1.5 Ton Pittsburgh/Daytona - 32 lbs, 10” stroke, Min 6.5” Max 17” - Good size to carry, it is small, light and with our extension can get to any height. Great for lighter vehicles and UTV’s, can lift one corner of ½ to ¾ ton vehicles. Has a weaker cross pin style base for our extension.

-2 Ton Pittsburgh/Daytona – 50 lbs, 13” stroke, Min 7.25” Max 20.25” - Good to use on ½ to ¾ Ton trucks. Can lift a corner of 1 Ton diesels. Larger jack, but still small enough to carry.

-2 Ton ProEagle – 61 lbs, 13” stroke – Ready to go Off-road floor Jack, slower pump than Pittsburgh, saddle is prone to damage making the extension harder to use.  Wheels have a tread design which reduces the contact patch to the ground making the Jack harder to use. High cost compared to alternative option.

-2.5 Ton Pittsburgh - 61 lbs, 15” stroke, Min 7.25” Max 22.25” – Good in between option.

-3 Ton Pittsburgh - 68 lbs, 15.5” stroke, Min 7.75” Max 23.25” -  Good for Full size vehicles 1 ton  trucks/ Trophy Trucks. Great jack to use around the shop/garage. A bit big and heavy to be carrying in the vehicle at all time.

-3 Ton Hybrid - Arcan/Husky & others - 66 lbs, 14.75” stroke, Min 7.5” Max 22.25” - Hybrid design with Aluminum side plates and a steel lifting arm, helps keep the weight down and the strength where needed. Shorter overall length making it easier to store if carrying a 3 Ton floor jack is needed.

-Badland 3 Ton - 72 lbs, 15.25” stroke, Min 6.25” Max 21.5” - Nice out of the Box ready to use Off-road Jack at a great price. A strong extension which is a marked improvement over the Pro Eagle style. Tread design on the wheels reduces the contact patch and makes maneuvering the jack more difficult. This Jack is large and heavy making it nice pit jack, but a lot to carry on a vehicle. 

-Farm Jack/ Hi-Lift - 28 lbs, 44 inch stroke - The Swiss army knife of Jacks, this tried and true design gets the job done. While these do work and are very common they can be extremely sketchy and dangerous if used incorrectly in the wrong situation. Can be used as a winch/come along, wide selection of aftermarket parts. Requires regular maintenance for it to operate as designed. Can be dangerous if the user is inexperienced or it is used incorrectly.

1 Comments

Gil Rey

Date 11/23/2024

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