Best Floor Jacks Of 2022 – When Safety Matters

Have you ever tried to do some small job without the right tools? Can you remember the frustration, extra effort and extra time that it took just to do such a basic job; a basic job, at least, if you’d had the right tools in the first place?

Whether you need to change a tire, replace the brake pads, or tinker underneath your vehicle, there will be times when you will need to lift it. And this is where you have a choice. You can choose to use some Mickey Mouse contraption, with all the built-in safety features of pepperoni pizza, or you can choose to use the right tool, for the right job.

When it comes to lifting your motor vehicle; whether it’s a car, truck, SUV or light armored personnel carrier, you are going to want to be able to do this quickly, efficiently and without loss of limbs.

Interestingly, it has been estimated that approximately 5,000 people a year are injured by the failure of jacks, according to research by the US National Center for Statistics. One fifth of those injuries being the result of trying to change a tire.

This is why we believe that choosing a floor Jack should never be about the money. A floor Jack is an investment in your time and safety. Should you choose poorly, seeking to save a few dollars, more could be at stake than just a dud purchase.

*Notice: On mobile devices, scroll right to see entire table.

Best Floor Jacks In 2020

This is why we think we have found the Best Floor Jacks of 2020, based on our research here is what we thought.

Winner: Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack

The Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack is our winner in the Best Floor Jack category. This solid, well-designed jack, is capable of lifting up to 3 tons, making it ideal for many vehicles.

Weighing in, at a remarkably, lightweight, 21.8 pounds, the Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack would have to be one of the lighter jacks available on the market today, that has this many features. The Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack is capable of lifting three tons, while also being able to function as a jack stand, while also being more stable, than a traditional bottle Jack; due to its extra wide base.

With a lift range between 11 and 21 inches, the Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack is suitable for many heavy vehicles, such as your truck or SUV.

One unusual feature about the Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack, that we especially like, is that it has an extra wide base (almost 10 inches by 10 inches). This wide, square base, provides the Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack with a stability not to be found in many other bottle type jacks.

OUR RATING

When the stability of the Jack, may make all the difference between whether you lose a limb or not, then we definitely feel that this is a great feature that Powerbuilt have designed into their jack.

The Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack as a built-in safety locking bar, that allows it to be locked in place when the vehicle has been lifted to the required height. This safety locking bar means that the Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack can also act like a jack stand.

Since all jacks are intended to only temporarily lift a vehicle; with a jack stand being used to keep the vehicle lifted, having a built-in jack stand, means that the Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack, will save you a lot of unnecessary effort. No more will you need to jack your vehicle up, then muck about finding a place to where the jack stand will also fit.

With the Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack, it is simple to jack the vehicle up, and then lock the jack in place using the safety locking bar.

With all these great features we feel that the Powerbuilt 3-Ton Bottle Jack should cost a lot more than it does. Why not try it out for yourself and see what we mean?

Runner-Up: Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack

The runner-up in the Best Floor Jacks of 2017 category was the Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack. The Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack is capable of lifting between heights of 3.6 inches to 19.4 inches. Capable of lifting up to 3 tons, the Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack has a reinforced lifting arm, that you will be grateful for where your safety is concerned.

The Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack comes with built-in bypass and overload valves, which prevents the hydraulic ram in Jack from overextending itself. This great feature helps to ensure that the Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack will have a long and happy life.

With a minimum lift height of only 3.6 inches, this trolley jack is ideal for lifting vehicles that have limited clearance space.

OUR RATING

Designed with dual pump pistons, the Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack can quickly and easily lift your vehicle. When you have a job that needs doing on your vehicle, the last thing you need to be doing is wasting time getting the vehicle ready. We think that being able to quickly and easily lift your vehicle, is a must for a good quality floor Jack, and the Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack definitely has this.

Arcan have included piston dust shields, in their design of this jack, which prevent contamination getting into the hydraulic pump. This sensible design feature means an increase in the useful lifespan of your Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack.

Weighing 56 pounds, this floor jack is not as portable as our winner (a bottle type jack), however it is exceptionally light amongst many of the trolley jacks that we have seen. Arcan have achieved this by building this jack from aluminum. Lightweight yes; but definitely not flimsy or weak. We believe that if aluminum has been good enough to build battleships from, then building a trolley jack from aluminum, is engineering genius.

If you are looking for a well-engineered trolley jack, you cannot go past the Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack, in our opinion. If you are considering trolley jack, will not regret investing in the Arcan 3-Ton Floor Jack.

Alternative: Arcan 2-Ton Floor Jack

If you are looking for a floor jack capable of lifting low profile, light weight vehicles (under two tons), and are looking to save some money, then the Arcan 2-Ton Floor Jack would be our choice.

Made by the same people that brought you our runner-up, the Arcan 2-Ton Floor Jack is both heavier than, and able to bare less weight, than its three-ton brother. While these reduced features may make it seem, that the Arcan 2-Ton Floor Jack is a poor choice for our best alternative, this is still one outstanding floor jack. The good news is that it also has a much reduced price from its three ton brother.

Using dual pumps, for the lifting mechanism of this jack, gives rise to a jack that is able to quickly and efficiently raise your vehicle. We feel that this feature is important when it comes to saving time.

OUR RATING

The universal release mechanism, that the Arcan 2-Ton Floor Jack has, allows for the precisely controlled lowering of your vehicle when you have finished using the jack. When it comes to moving metal; we feel that controlled movement is safe movement.

The Arcan 2-Ton Floor Jack have a built-in safety valve, designed to prevent the jack from being overloaded. This is an important feature, that will greatly increase the lifespan of the Arcan 2-Ton Floor Jack.

Basically, a well-made jack, with some great features for your safety, and great features for the longevity of the jack, at a reasonable price. If you are looking for a compact floor jack, that will quickly and easily raise your vehicle, while still being well priced; we feel that the Arcan 2-Ton Floor Jack is it.

Best Floor Jack Under $100

Let's take a look on our top recommendation for the best floor jack under $100:

Torin 3-Ton Floor Jack

Sometimes what you really need, is the best floor jack for your money. We think the Torin 3-Ton trolley Jack is the easy winner in this category.

This floor jack is great for high profile vehicles and is able to handle up to three tons of lifting.

The Torin 3-Ton Floor Jack is a solid, well-built floor Jack, intended for heavy duty use. With a lift range between 6 inches and 21 inches, the Torin 3-Ton Floor Jack will lift many different types of vehicles.

OUR RATING

Swivel casters on the handle end of the trolley, provide 360° mobility, making this trolley jack easily able to be maneuvered into the space required.

Available with an extra-long jacking need, the Torin 3-Ton Floor Jack is suitable for trucks and SUVs.

Its bold red color also helps to ensure that it will not get lost in your garage.

As with most trolley jacks, this is not a lightweight, throw it in the back of the trunk, type of jack. It is however a very good jack for the average person’s needs, and at a price well below $100, the Torin 3-Ton Floor Jack is the best value for money, we could find.

Best Floor Jack In The Truck Floor Jack Category

We researched the market of the floor jacks and pick our top model for the truck floor jack category:

Pittsburgh 3 – Ton Floor Jack

Our winner in the Best Truck Floor Jack category was easily the Pittsburgh 3 – Ton Floor Jack. With a lifting range of just less than 3 inches to a maximum lift of just less than 20 inches, the Pittsburgh 3 – Ton Floor Jack will suit most vehicles.

Swivel casters at the rear end of the Pittsburgh 3 – Ton Trolley Jack, make it easy to get the trolley jack where it is needed.

Built solid, and weighing 79 pounds, this beast of a floor jack is great for making sure that your truck knows who is the boss. When lifting your truck, nothing beats the solid certainty of the Pittsburgh 3 – Ton Floor Jack.

OUR RATING

Designed with a rapid pump quick lift system, the Pittsburgh 3 – Ton Floor Jack will allow you to quickly and easily raise your truck, so that you can easily work on it.

This floor jack is not for the faint hearted. No. This is not some prissy little, wannabe floor jack, pretending that it is a grown-up; masquerading as a real tool.

This is a heavy-duty, wild, steel beast of a trolley jack. The kind of trolley jack, where you will need a whip in one hand and a tranquilizer gun in the other. The Pittsburgh 3 – Ton Floor Jack is just the trolley jack to have in your garage, when you want to work on your truck, SUV or light armored personnel carrier.

Why You Need A Floor Jack

Maybe you have used a jack before? Maybe you have not? When moving metal, it can sometimes be easy to forget that you are taming a metal beast weighing tons. If something goes wrong, you might lose limbs; you might lose your life.

Perhaps you need to change tires, the brake pads or the oil; either way you are going to need to lift your vehicle. While there are some people out there, with Herculean strength, capable of physically lifting a vehicle themselves, we are guessing that you are probably not one of them.

If not, you will need to use a jack to raise part of your vehicle off the ground. Even if you do have Herculean strength, we would still recommend using a jack, to avoid the risk of getting back injuries.

There are many different types of Jacks, made by many different manufacturers, available on the market.

One of the questions you may be tempted to ask yourself, is that with so many jacks available, why not just buy a cheap one, and not worry further about it?

One of the disadvantages, we have found with cheap jacks, is that they are often very simple contraptions. Take the common scissor jack as an example. Have you ever considered how precarious your vehicle must look as you approach the maximum lift of the jack?

The scissor jacks we have seen, seem to us to provide the amount of security, and stability, that you would expect from having your vehicle supported by a pogo stick, made of nothing more than four hinged pieces of metal with a big screw through the middle.

The minimal material that has gone into making them cheap, often means that they can also become unstable once they are raised, and under load. Some jacks, once they have raised a vehicle, are nothing more than metallic toothpicks, waiting to topple, bringing tons of metal and machine down with them.

Have you ever used a scissor jack? Perhaps there was even one provided with your vehicle? Seems like a most useful tool; simple; lightweight; easy to use; but once your vehicle has been raised, and is perched precariously on top, you begin to realize just how unstable and unsafe they actually are.

A good quality floor jack is a sound investment in your time and safety.

Different Types Of Jacks

There are four main types of Jacks. These are:

Floor Jack

A floor jack is a common type of jack that lies low to the ground and is often on a trolley consisting of four wheels. The jack has a saddle (a round disc used to make contact with the vehicle) which is raised by the user when they pump the hydraulic lever.

Scissor Jack

The scissor Jack is the common jack found in the trunk of many vehicles and is often provided by the vehicle manufacturer. This jack consists of four hinged pieces of metal in the shape of a diamond, with a large screw through two corners of the diamond. As the screw is turned the diamond changes shape, lifting your vehicle with it.

Hydraulic Bottle Jack

As its name implies this type of jack looks very much like a bottle. Using hydraulic pressure to raise heavy vehicles, it is very portable due to its small size and low weight. It is however, generally a very unstable type of jack, and not recommended for changing tires on the side of the road.

Hi-Lift

This type of jack is not very common, but is used mainly to raise off-road, and other high profile, vehicles. The Hi-Lift Jack typically bears a resemblance to a sash clamp. Given that the Hi-Lift jack is a specialty type of jack, these will not be mentioned further in this guide.

Important Features When Choosing Your Floor Jack

Capacity

The capacity of a jack measures the tonnage it can safely lift. Some jacks may only have a capacity of one ton, while other jacks may be capable of raising 3 to 4 tons or more.

Quality (Material)

The quality of the jack is partly determined by the quality of the materials that are used to make it. Cast iron or hardened steel, are often the better materials for a jack stand to be made from, if it is being used to lift a heavy-duty vehicle.

Small lightweight jacks, such as those found provided with many vehicles by the manufacturer, are often made from aluminum or light steel. While material is important, the design and construction of the jack, will also have an important role in the quality of the jack.

Portability (Weight)

The weight of a jack will depend on the size and materials that it is made from. While some jacks will weigh less than 10 pounds, other jacks may weigh eighty or more pounds. If you are looking for an easily portable jack, then the weight of the jack will be a factor that needs to be seriously considered.

Maximum Lift Height

The maximum lift height for different types of jacks, can vary greatly. When considering which jack is right for you, make sure that the jack has sufficient reach to raise your intended vehicle/s the height that you require.

Minimum Lift Height

The minimum lift height for different types of jacks, can also vary greatly. With some trolley Jacks having a clearance of less than 3 inches, other jacks may have a minimum clearance starting closer to a foot. Depending on the profile of your vehicle you want to make sure that the minimum lift height, has adequate clearance for your vehicle/s.

Jack Stands

Generally a jack is intended to only temporarily raise a vehicle. If you were intending to work underneath your vehicle, or have it raised for some time, you would usually secure the raised vehicle using jack stands. Jack stands are typically tripod or tower shaped stands, that are made to hold a raised vehicle in place.

They may have varying heights, however once the stand has been locked in place and put beneath the appropriate support of the vehicle, it will provide a more stable way to keep the vehicle raised. All jacks can potentially fail. You must never go underneath your vehicle, if it is only being supported by a jack.

Conclusion

Choosing the right jack is an important decision.

Irrespective of whether your vehicle is a monolithic mountain of metal, or is petite and pocket -sized, you are going to want to invest in a quality floor jack. The consequences of choosing poorly, may well be more than just wasted money.

When choosing the right jack for you, there are many different factors that you will need to consider. We hope that this guide has given you something to think about.

Will the jack have the required minimum or maximum lift height? How portable will the jack be? Is the jack a quality jack? Does the jack have adequate capacity to lift the vehicle?

 In our opinion, you cannot beat the five floor jacks mentioned here.