Jack to use with Rennstand jack stands?

[Fourdoor]

Hey guys,

I figured out while rotating my tires today, that a 1.5 ton jack is barely enough to lift half of a 4,500 lb car safely, and it doesn't do it easily, so I need a new jack. Since I need a new jack anyway (at least 2.5 ton) I would like to get one that words with my rennstand jack stands without having to put the car up on boards first to get enough clearance for the jack and the upper section of the rennstand jack stand. Anyone know a good jack I can use in one step rather than having to raise the car a bit, put something under the tire, and then raise it the rest of the way?

Thanks,

Keith

 

[MY1stEV]

Do you have a Harbor Freight near you? I got the below jack on sale from them for $149

3 Ton Low-Profile Professional Floor Jack with RAPID PUMP, Orange

Amazing deals on this 3T Low-Profile Pro Floor Jack Orange at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Fourdoor]

Cool, I will check it out. I would never trust a harbor freight jack stand, but using a harbor freight jack to get my car up onto good jack stands is acceptable

Keith

 

[WFLG]

+1 on that jack. I have one.

 

[jcanoe]

Check Youtube videos that demonstrate the Renstand when raising a Tesla.

The floor jack should be rated for 75% of the weight of the vehicle (you are not lifting 100% of the vehicle, ever.) A 2 ton or 2-1/2 ton low profile floor jack is needed. (Low profile so that you can fit the floor jack underneath the vehicle even when 1 tire is flat.)

Schwaben Ultra-Long/Ultra-Low High Lift Hydraulic Floor Jack for EV Owners

 

[fholbert]

Do you have a Harbor Freight near you? I got the below jack on sale from them for $149

3 Ton Low-Profile Professional Floor Jack with RAPID PUMP, Orange

Amazing deals on this 3T Low-Profile Pro Floor Jack Orange at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

To rotate the tires I assume you’ll need two jacks?

 

[jcanoe]

To rotate the tires I assume you’ll need two jacks?

If you only rotate the tires front to back then you only need one floor jack. If you cross over (front right to left rear; left rear to right rear and right rear to front left then you would use a floor lift or jack stands. If you cross over the front and rear wheels on a PMY then you would use a floor lift or jack stands.

 

[Fourdoor]

To rotate the tires I assume you’ll need two jacks?

You need one jack and two jack stands. I rotated like this:

Drivers side up on jack stand at rear lift point (whole drivers side is lifted, can take both front and back tire off) and swapped front to back. Then I lowered the drivers side and did the same thing on the passenger side. Then while the passenger side was already up on the jack stand, I jacked the drivers side rear corner up (passenger side front tire moves down to the ground as you jack up drivers side rear) and swapped the rear tires side to side. New configuration has the tires that were on the rear now on the front on the same side that they started out on, and the tires that were on the front now on the back and shifted to the opposite side.

Keith

 

[MY1stEV]

@fholbert To expand on what @jcanoe said, for the MY with 19" and 20" wheels (same size tires all around), you are only rotating front to back, and the car is so ridged that you only need to jack at one point to get both wheels on the same side off the ground (Tesla Remote Service uses the rear jack point). For safety you should put a jack stand under the front jack point rated for 3 tons in case the jack were to fail (but some see safety as optional).

For the MYP with the 21" wheels and different size tires on the front and back, you have to rotate side-to-side and it becomes a more complex process as @Fourdoor illustrated. If I had a MYP, I might just take it to somewhere like Discount Tire and have them rotate the tires on a lift rather than purchase all the hardware hardware to do it myself (not cheap).

 

[fholbert]

Thanks all. I should have said my MY tires are all the same size.

Looked at Harbor Freight this morning. The local store has no less than 8 models of 3 ton floor jacks in stock. Closer to 30 models if you count the different colors available.

Do I need a low profile Jack?

To confuse me even more, America‘s (Discount) Tire is 5 doors down from Harbor Freight.

Floor Jacks - Harbor Freight Tools

We have the largest selection of floor jacks for professionals and enthusiasts. Our automotive jacks include features such as low profile to long reach. Harbor Freight delivers the best value in auto jacks from Daytona and Pittsburgh.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[shyboy]

if you use cross beam, is that eliminate the need of floor stand?

Steel Floor Jack Cross Beam

Amazing deals on this Steel Service Jack Cross Beam at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[jcanoe]

Thanks all. I should have said my MY tires are all the same size.

Looked at Harbor Freight this morning. The local store has no less than 8 models of 3 ton floor jacks in stock. Closer to 30 models if you count the different colors available.

To confuse me even more, America‘s (Discount) Tire is 5 doors down from Harbor Freight.

Floor Jacks - Harbor Freight Tools

We have the largest selection of floor jacks for professionals and enthusiasts. Our automotive jacks include features such as low profile to long reach. Harbor Freight delivers the best value in auto jacks from Daytona and Pittsburgh.

www.harborfreight.com

Know that any floor jack costing less than ~$900 US is flawed by design (to lower cost) in that there is no way to replace the hydraulic piston seals once they fail. You basically have a 50 to 90 lb piece of scrap metal once the seals go. A trade grade floor jack can cost upwards of $1,000 US and will last decades (seals can be replaced as needed.)

 

[jcanoe]

A single jack stand in addition to the floor jack are best when raising the Tesla vehicle to rotate the tires (front to back.) You only need to raise the vehicle enough that both wheels clear the floor. If you are working underneath the vehicle then properly rated jack stands are essential for safety.

 

[ChooseFreedom]

if you use cross beam, is that eliminate the need of floor stand?

Steel Floor Jack Cross Beam

Amazing deals on this Steel Service Jack Cross Beam at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

That does not look like it would hit 2 jack pads.
So unless it can span from front-to-back to hit both pads, I wouldn't recommend the cross beam method.

 

[Miata Head]

Know that any floor jack costing less than ~$900 US is flawed by design (to lower cost) in that there is no way to replace the hydraulic piston seals once they fail. You basically have a 50 to 90 lb piece of scrap metal once the seals go. A trade grade floor jack can cost upwards of $1,000 US and will last decades (seals can be replaced as needed.)

One can buy more than six "disposable" $150 HF jacks for the same "rebuildable" $1,000 trade grade floor jack. Pick the option that best fits your use case.

 

[jcanoe]

One can buy more than six "disposable" $150 HF jacks for the same "rebuildable" $1,000 trade grade floor jack. Pick the option that best fits your use case.

Certainly, not everyone needs a $1000+ floor jack. A $150 (HF, etc.) imported floor jack might be all you need. Consumers should understand the limitations, potential shortcomings of buying an inexpensive tool.