Floor Jack or Ramp?

E

eJay

Member
I purchased the Craftsman 3 ton Floor Jack, Jack Stands and Creeper Set from Sears for $100 by pmanliu's recommendation but the first set came with a defective creeper so I ended up getting a replacement set. Then the floor jack would drop the car (instead of gradually lowering it upon opening of the valve) so I brought it in to Sears. After a long talk, the store manager(?) agreed to give me the Craftsman 4 Ton Low Profile/High Lift Service Jack (normally $200) at the price of the 3 ton jack ($100). I took the offer and brought it home only to find out that the 4-ton "professional" jack has a 1.5 stars out of 5 rating.

So now I'm split between going back to the 3-ton combo set or returning it all-together and getting a Blitz Rhino Ramp 8000 for $45 instead. Ramps are convenient but I am worried about them collapsing while I am underneath the car so if I get ramps, I will probably buy two jack stands to support the car while it is on the ramps.

Do you guys think that the floor jack + jack stand combo is better than the ramps?

---------- Post added at 10:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:47 PM ----------

I will use the jack/ramps to do the oil change/ transmission fluid change (I don't think I'll be removing wheels at home).
 
I use steel ramps with low profile extentions all the time Forgot what brand they were but they were closer to $100+, Never had an issue, just use the parking brake.
 
If used correctly, I would trust jack stands and ramps equally. They aren't really an either/or deal though, and I'd definitely recommend having both on hand. Jack stands are necessary for anything that requires the removal of a wheel, and ramps are great for everything else.

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Yea floor jacks would definitely come in handy when i'm taking out the wheel but I am still split between 1) floor jack with jack stands OR 2) ramps with jack stands. My only concern with getting a floor jack with jack stands is the floor jack breaking after the warranty as so many people complained of this issue with their Craftsman floor jacks on Sears.com.

Since I'll be mostly doing oil changes and not much wheel removal, I'm leaning towards ramps + jack stands. If I need to remove a wheel, I can just use the factory lifting thingy + jack stands. Decisions decisions.
 
The factory jack is fine functionally if you're going to use stands. It's ill advised to use any kind of jack, craftsman or otherwise, to support the weight of the vehicle for longer than it takes to place jack stands. Go with the ramps+stands and you'll be set. :tup:

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tchuck said:
The factory jack is fine functionally if you're going to use stands. It's ill advised to use any kind of jack, craftsman or otherwise, to support the weight of the vehicle for longer than it takes to place jack stands. Go with the ramps+stands and you'll be set. :tup:

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Okay! There's a coupon for Advanced AUto ($20 off of $50: SJ20) so I think I'll get the 12,000 lbs ramps + 12 qt oil recycling can (as a filler) = $35 then get Craftsman jackstands for $20 at Sears.

Thanks for the advice!
 
I have the low profile tire rack aluminum floor jack. It works great, it will lift and lower either end , no problem.

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I also have the heavy duty plastic ramps and they are great.
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