Is A 2-Ton Jack Enough For SUV?

Is A 2-Ton Jack Enough For SUV?

But you are better off with a three or 3.5-ton jack for your SUV to maximize safety.

I am not saying this to dispute that you will barely need more than a two-ton jack for most small cars or sedans when raising a specific corner.

Yes, Specific two-ton jacks are designed for lifting pick-up trucks or SUVs. But it’s better to buy a three or 3.5-ton jack for your SUV because of safety.Consequently, a 4×4 or an SUV will require a jack whose lifting capacity is at least 3 tons.

Therefore, although several types of jacks are available and can jack up an SUV, not every jack will be suitable for your SUV.

So you will want to know the exact type of jack you need. And to determine that, you need to know your SUV’s weight and how the characteristics of the jack affect the lifting procedure.

Luckily, you will find that each jack comes with its specifications, indicating the certain weight range it can handle.

Therefore, since you are not required to lift your entire SUV, you scarcely need the rated one to lift the entire weight of your SUV.

Therefore, you can lift one side at a time and then go to the other side and lift it, meaning that the jack doesn’t need to be rated at the car’s total weight.

To be more specific, while you change your tires, you might change them one at a time. So, you may have only one jack and still complete your task without any complications.

While changing them one at a time, your jack does not lift the whole car.

It depends. In any car garage, it’s given that there will be some pieces of equipment that should be available.

But their absence does not disqualify your garage, only that you might find it hard to perform many tasks when repairing cars in your garage.

As to the size of jack that you will need in your garage, it all depends on the vehicles you are jacking up.

But one may wonder, why do jacks come in different sizes in the first place? And to this, the answer is pretty simple as bugger vehicles need bigger jacks.

Do I Need A 3-Ton Jack?

All jacks are rated to a certain weight to assist you in selecting a suitable model to meet your lifting requirements.

Generally, a jacked vehicle will be lifted from one corner, meaning that you will need a jack whose lifting capacity is around three-quarters of the vehicle’s total weight.

For instance, your full-size family saloon car needs a jack whose lifting capacity is about 2-tonnes.

And one important factor worth considering is the weight your trolley jack(Amazon Link) can lift.

As a rule of thumb, do not put yourself at risk by using a trolley jack (under specified) to lift a vehicle weighing more than an average car.

Aluminum Vs. Steel Jack Stands

As you look for a set of jack stands, you will most likely be concerned about whether aluminum is better or worse than steel.

Luckily, the answer to this concern is pretty simple: it depends. There are different advantages and disadvantages related to steel and aluminum jack stands.

For instance, steel jack stands are considered ideal from a cost standpoint.

Indeed, they are cheaper than aluminum stands as far as cost between two sets with similar capacity is concerned.

Unfortunately, people will usually wrongly consider steel to be stronger than aluminum.

But you want to know that the strength of a jack stand is not entirely based on material but also on construction.

Consequently, the strength of a jack stand relates to its advertised capacity regardless of the material it’s made from.

When it comes to aluminum jack stands, their biggest strength lies in weight savings.

When comparing an aluminum set to steel set with the same rated capacity, your aluminum jack stands will be lighter on average, and this weight difference is significant.

Therefore, if you want to do much work underneath your vehicle and have to reposition and carry your jack stands, you will discover that aluminum stands make more sense.

But there is a tradeoff for aluminum jack stands. While aluminum jack stands are lighter in weight, they are typical of a higher cost.

Can I Trust Harbor Freight Jack Stands?

It depends. But it’s not uncommon for jack stands to collapse under load. And this increases the risk of injury to people under a lifted vehicle or near the same.

Particularly, Harbor Freight jack stands owners are requested to discontinue their use due to safety concerns immediately.

Many injuries have been reported, courtesy of their use.

Currently, there are recalls of Harbor Freight jack stands as they have been having problems lately.

The initial recall was initiated overlocking pawls that did not correctly engage, causing a vehicle to fall when lifted.

Harbor Freight is still recalling the three-ton jack stands used as replacements for defective jack stands they recalled.

This means that they replaced faulty stands, which they are recalling now!

You would expect the replacement to have been perfect, but it seems that Harbor Freight is yet to put their house in order. Or will they ever get it right?

Can you imagine the company recalling 1.7 million of its three- and six-ton jack stands because of a heightened risk of the stands collapsing while under load? Well, that is what they did a few months ago.

Since Harbor Freight jack stands were recalled last year, it has emerged that these jack stands can be safe if used correctly and not overloaded.

Additionally, you need to use these jack stands on a level concrete surface so that the load on the jack does not shift as the “pawl” can disengage and cause the load to drop.

Why Are Harbor Freight Jack Stands Recalled?

The Harbor Freight jack stands are recalled because of a design fault.

These jack stands are pawl-type jack stand type, having a pawl for engaging with teeth on the jack stand’s lifting arm.

The design flaw was caused by old tooling in the manufacturing factory, causing the pawl to disengage and an unexpected drop. The safety regarding these jack stands is different.

For instance, the ratchet-type jack stands are safe enough.

On the other hand, the pin-type jack stands are indestructible as the locking pin guarantees the supporting bar cannot slip through the base.

Additionally, you do not need to jack up your vehicle more than a few millimeters to release the pin.

There is no safer way to work under a car than to use jack stands. For instance, if you change your car’s oil, you will need to lift the car at least afoot.

While lifting a car is one thing, it might never qualify as a safe DIY job for many.

You will need a jack stand to maintain vehicle safety over time. This is because you will need a jack stand whenever a car requires repairs.

And unless you use a jack stand correctly, you are courting disaster. But that is not the only precaution you need to take.

You also need to ensure that your jack stands are high quality, not one of these recalled jacks stands that people fail to return.

Can A 2-Ton Jack Lift A Dodge Ram 1500?

No, A Dodge Ram 1500 has a Capacity Weight of between 4,768 and 6,396 lbs.

consequently, it’s not secure to use a 2-ton jack as this type of jack cannot safely lift a dodge ram 1500.

Essentially, you will need a 3-ton jack(Amazon Link) to lift a Dodge Ram 1500. As you might be aware, a 2-ton jack does not carry a weight exceeding 4,000 lbs.

Generally, smaller vehicles are lifted using 2-ton capacities, while trucks and SUVs use 3-ton jacks.

If you lift the front of the car, it’s equivalent to lifting 60 percent of your vehicle’s weight since most of the overall vehicle’s weight comes from the engine.

To jack up a Ram 1500, you need to place the jack under the front differential. It’s a safety precaution to ensure that the front jack stands directly under the frame.

This is the standard procedure for all vehicles. You will then need to support the rear of your truck with jack stands under each axle.

For a Ram 1500, the Jacking up can be dangerous if done incorrectly. You will need to understand the exact location of the jack and the kit.

By default, Ram jack kits include the jack, a lug nut wrench, and a jack handle.

Can I Return Harbor Freight Jack Stands?

Yes. Harbor Freight jacks can be returned as they are recalled. Again, even if you own the Pittsburgh brand 3-ton, 6-ton, or 12-ton jack stands.

You can get a refund for them after you return them, even if they are not mainly recalled.

The manufacturing defect we spoke of that would cause them to collapse while in use affected the recall.

Indeed, when the jack stands were in use, they could collapse under the weight, making the user very vulnerable to serious injury.

Several deaths have been reported to have resulted from using these jack stands, thus making them entirely unsafe for use.

Consequently, it was announced that customers should return the products in exchange for a gift card.

This affected all manufactured units, causing them to be pulled from shelves in most instances. But some units had already been sold.

So anyone using them is free to return them for a refund.

Unfortunately, this was not the last recall that we would hear from Harbor or Freight as there are consequent recalls after that.

Therefore, it might be best to think well before buying products from Harbor or Freight. Otherwise, you might be signing up for a future recall or a potential risk of injury or even death.

Do Pittsburgh Jacks Have A Lifetime Warranty?

Yes, Pittsburgh jacks have a lifetime warranty. For those who have an older Pittsburgh jack, you might wonder if the warranty is applicable in your case.

Indeed, it’s applicable. While the replacement might not be with an older part, you will still get a replacement for the tools.

The warranty on Harbor Freight floor jacks guarantees that the product is free from defects in workmanship and materials 90 days from the date of purchase. But, limitations apply.

According to Pittsburgh, the Hand Tools are guaranteed to be free from defects in material and workmanship for the product’s lifespan. But they state limitations apply.

Generally, Harbor Freight Tools readily replace any hand tool that fails to work as expected during the original purchaser’s lifetime.

But this scarcely applies to all tools across all brands.

Can I Return An Item To Harbor Freight Without A Receipt?

No, You will need the receipt and the order packing list for them to authenticate the purchase.

However, if you cant get your receipt, you can call 1-800-444-3353 from where you will get your RA (Return Authorization).

Harbor Freight’s return policy allows you to return an item after you bought it and are not satisfied with it. This can be done either online or in the available stores.

What’s more, you will not be asked any questions.

If you are not satisfied with the purchase, harbor freight’s return policy will allow you to return the purchases to its stores or online with no questions asked.

The return policy that Harbor Freight customers enjoy is straightforward.

Allowing any dissatisfied customer to return items bought from Harbor Freight, regardless of whether they were bought in-store or online.

But as I pointed out, this needs to happen within 90 days after your purchase.

But for those products that are not covered within the warranty, you will find them listed with your purchase documents.

If you have the packing slip, they’ll readily accept your return.

Conclusion

You do not need a 3-ton jack unless your vehicle is rated for such a jack.