PeteO Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 I know, they aren't original equipment, but my aching joints look for relief whenever possible. Today was the first time I came across electric car jacks. This is the motorized scissor type. One listing claims that their jack can lift 11045 lbs.; did someone forget to put in a decimal? Apart from an old Jeep Wrangler and a Prius, the primary use for me would be to lift my '37 Buick Special 4-dr. I can't seem to find the weight in the shop manual but the light-weight lift where the Buick is normally serviced strains terribly to raise it. What's the general feeling on these toys? Am I nuts expecting one to lift a '37 Buick? Incidentally my Buick has been converted to12v. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 I don't know anything about them, but for $12 you can get a hex drive adapter for a conventional scissor jack that lets you drive it with a battery powered impact wrench. That's probably a better choice, since even if you don't have one now, that impact will probably be very useful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 6 minutes ago, plymouthcranbrook said: Do you remember the air powered bumper jacks that a lot of commercial garages used to have? No good on most if not all modern cars but I would love one for the old cars. I suspect the OP is looking for something he can take with him while driving the car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteO Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 Nope, no hijack, Joe. I appreciate your input. My current scissor jack has a very long crank handle with a 1/2 x 1/2 male connector. Somehow I just haven't given any thought to powering it with a common impact driver. Can a battery or two put out enough power to lift a Buick? Its worth a try. Tnx. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Any decent 1/2 inch battery powered impact wrench should be able to lift a fairly heavy car more than once on a charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 I have a 1/2 milwaukee battery impact gun that will lift 2 buicks! Although its not cheap at about $500 may not be for the handy man. Be good to have in the car though as it will make changing the tire much easier once its jacked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 This is actually a great thread. What to carry for a jack is a big deal and the OEM ones will either get you killed or are to dressed up for show or both. I don't have a suggestion but the scissor jack with impact gun is not a bad idea. I plan on carrying my 18V tools bag on any extended driving trips. Which also has a tire pump along with the impact gun and other 18V tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 I’ve got a low profile light weight aluminum floor jack in the 38 Studebaker. Easy to assemble and gives great support. I’ve only used it one time when I got a flat. Actually the two cops that saw me on the side of the road and stopped to help a grey hair old guy with an interesting car actually did the work. They did say it was a good jack for the car. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 15 minutes ago, alsancle said: I don't have a suggestion but the scissor jack with impact gun is not a bad idea. I plan on carrying my 18V tools bag on any extended driving trips. Which also has a tire pump along with the impact gun and other 18V tools. And here I was under the impression you don't venture much further than 30 miles from home with vintage cars. 😉 On the more serious note, while those 18V impacts, etc may sound good on paper, how many times will they end up having a dead battery ... As someone who actually drives his vintage cars extensively (and being a bit old-school car guy) I tend to carry mainly mechanical service equipment and tools in case of roadside emergencies, including mechanical 5-Ton bottle jack, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 As someone who just had a flat tire on one of his old cars over the weekend and did not have a jack with him, this thread is relevant to my interests. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 35 minutes ago, TTR said: On the more serious note, while those 18V impacts, etc may sound good on paper, how many times will they end up having a dead battery ... I always keep mine charged, but for the forgetful among us, there's always this as a last resort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 1 minute ago, joe_padavano said: I always keep mine charged, but for the forgetful among us, there's always this as a last resort. Available in 6V ? And made in C***a too, what could possibly go wrong ? Does it come with LED touch screen app ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 42 minutes ago, TTR said: And here I was under the impression you don't venture much further than 30 miles from home with vintage cars. 😉 True. In case there was an extended trip. Right now I'm usually within range of a friendly rollback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 1 hour ago, TTR said: On the more serious note, while those 18V impacts, etc may sound good on paper, how many times will they end up having a dead battery ... I have a 1/2 inch 20v Li Porter Cable impact that can sit for well over a month and still have a very strong, if not completely full battery. Best part is I also have a Porter Cable screwdriver and impact driver that use the same batteries so I always have at least 3 fully charged batteries on hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 7 minutes ago, zepher said: I have a 1/2 inch 20v Li Porter Cable impact that can sit for well over a month and still have a very strong, if not completely full battery. Best part is I also have a Porter Cable screwdriver and impact driver that use the same batteries so I always have at least 3 fully charged batteries on hand. ^^^THIS. I've got Dewalt, but same thing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 In 2018 a 2018 Toyota Camry got a flat in a parking lot at the grocery store near me. I actually read the instructions for the jack, and correctly positioned it, and lifted up the car. It collapsed on its own on level paved ground. We actually have a video of it happening. We sent it to Toyota and never heard back. Moral of the story, never use any jack that doesn’t have a snap on my label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 4 hours ago, SC38DLS said: I’ve got a low profile light weight aluminum floor jack in the 38 Studebaker. Easy to assemble and gives great support. I have AAA. Don't need no stinken jack. Actually carry a jack but as long as I have a cell phone the car will get hauled. Have no plans to ever be more than 40 miles from home. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 28 minutes ago, Fossil said: I have AAA. Don't need no stinken jack. Actually carry a jack but as long as I have a cell phone the car will get hauled. Have no plans to ever be more than 40 miles from home. AAA Gold will get you 100 miles and, I think, there is now another membership level that will get you 200 miles of free towing. There is a bottle jack buried behind the rear seat along with the other tools needed to change a tire but my “tool kit” for anything other than a very long distance tour is simply the following: Cellphone Credit card AAA card Conveniently, they are almost always with me so I don’t need to worry about packing them into the car when I leave. So much easier to fix something at home with full access to all my tools. Even better and easier is to verify everything is in good order before leaving. Not always possible to do that well. A couple of years back I had a modern tube fail on the road. I don’t dismount the tires and check the tubes before leaving home so that missed the “pre-flight check”. Fortunately we were within the 100 mile free AAA towing range we have for our account and we were on our way home so we just finished that trip in the cab of a flatbed instead of in the car. Pro-tip: When in rural areas use your compass app or other equivalent to get your latitude/longitude to give to the AAA operator. Street numbers and cross streets might work in more populated areas but those don’t always get you close in the middle of nowhere. And cellphone tower based locations can be pretty bad in the middle of nowhere too. A good GPS lat/lon fix given to the AAA operator will allow the tow truck driver to find you with minimal hassle. Much better than something like “I am somewhere between Smallville and Anytown on highway 37”. Talking with the tow driver, apparently the location simply pops up on the app on their phone when they get the “call” from AAA so they don’t have to translate anything they can just click a couple of buttons to navigate to your location. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 I use a lot of Milwaukee battery stuff on a daily basis. I have several chargers running with batteries so there its not often I dont have power. The battery for my impact gun will stay charged quite a while if not used. I have had batteries sit a month or more and still have a good charge. If youre planning on a trip just make sure you have a couple of batteries charged before hand and you should be good to go. You can also get an inverter and hook the charger up in the car I suppose too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 My low profile aluminum floor jack is a harbor freight special. If I remember correctly (the grey hair is pulling all the memory cells out of my head- that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) it cost $59 on sale with a coupon. I do carry a jack stand ( not Harbor freight brand) also for safety purposes. dave s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteO Posted July 8, 2021 Author Share Posted July 8, 2021 Even though I have AAA, there are many times I just need to jack up the car for servicing, ie: brakes, shocks, etc. For this type to lifting, I doubt AAA would be happy for an agent to do my lifting. I noticed that many of the electric jack "kits" include an impact wrench that can run off of the 12v cigarette lighter socket. That's Ok for me, but I'm not so sure that the 6v drivers will be happy. For the amount of times I'll use one of these kits, I'm leaning toward sticking with my large scissor jack and powering it with an impact wrench and string of 1/2" socket extenders. Being 75 and in very ill health, I'll have to rely on others to handle jacking and servicing. I'll have to give the impact wrench a try on the next cooler day so that I can get underneath the Buick and fill the transmission; I'm curious to see how well it works. Thx all for your inputs. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 15 hours ago, SC38DLS said: I’ve got a low profile light weight aluminum floor jack in the 38 Studebaker. Easy to assemble and gives great support. I’ve only used it one time when I got a flat. Actually the two cops that saw me on the side of the road and stopped to help a grey hair old guy with an interesting car actually did the work. They did say it was a good jack for the car. I carry a Harbor Freight low profile 3 ton aluminum racing jack for changing trailer tires - they make smaller models - personally I would only trust a mechanical jack to change out a tire by the side of the road. Don’t forget a reflective high visibility vest and safety triangles or road flares so you don’t end up in a pine box ⚰️ Jim 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 (edited) This type of trailer ramp is much safer and faster if you have multi axel trailers. I could even change a tire with the horses in the trailer with no worries about their moving upsetting the jack. Edited July 8, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike "Hubbie" Stearns Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 I use a 1/4” dewalt impact with a adapter to 3/4” socket on my camper for the scissor jacks instead of the e hand crank. Makes it a whole lot easier and quicker. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flivverking Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 For many years ,I just toss new car jacks right in the trash and the baby lug nut, pry bar,and carry the smallest ,new on sale ,cheapo, 4 wheel hydraulic floor jack available and also carry the the largest X handle lug nut wrench..Older ones are better,as I've twisted and broke 2 newer ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 (edited) 18 hours ago, SC38DLS said: I’ve got a low profile light weight aluminum floor jack in the 38 Studebaker. Easy to assemble and gives great support. I’ve only used it one time when I got a flat. Actually the two cops that saw me on the side of the road and stopped to help a grey hair old guy with an interesting car actually did the work. They did say it was a good jack for the car. I also carry the low profile lightweight aluminum floor jack from Harbor Freight, as well as a board to place under it if not on a paved surface. Last year for Fathers day, the kids got me a top-quality 1/2" drive DeWalt impact wrench, sets of both SAE and Metric deepwell sockets, and ear protection. Of course I still follow up with my torque wrench. All that, plus a ramp for trailer wheels makes life safer and a lot earier. It allowed me to help other folks during the recent Founders Tour in West Virginia. Edited July 8, 2021 by Marty Roth (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 20 hours ago, PeteO said: my aching joints look for relief whenever possible. As others about the exact circumstances around their roadside incident in detail. I am sure the information will help you take steps where all you need is at least half a tank of fuel and your key. Those whom have gone ahead have shown me the way. One can plan for a non-event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Don't you guys know that if you take it with you you wont need it? Its Murphy's law. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 22 minutes ago, JACK M said: Don't you guys know that if you take it with you you wont need it? Its Murphy's law. We carry half our garage to help other folks - and it seems to work - ... that, plus lots of prep time 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Marty Roth said: We carry half our garage to help other folks - and it seems to work - ... that, plus lots of prep time I don’t have big enough cars to fit a half or even quarter of my garage in them, especially on long distance trips when carrying other luggage, etc. Does it mean I need bigger cars or smaller garage ? 🤔 Edited July 8, 2021 by TTR (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted sweet Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 (edited) aaa here is terrible. the ow i requested in february was told was on its within 2 hours. 14 hours later the police had to find another tow because i was still on side of road. aaa never about it Edited July 9, 2021 by ted sweet (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 (edited) On 7/8/2021 at 8:56 PM, ted sweet said: aaa here is terrible. the ow i requested in february was told was on its within 2 hours. 14 hours later the police had to find another tow because i was still on side of road. aaa never about it Interesting. I have +/-20 years of “Premier” membership with AAA and have needed/used their “roadside assistance” 3 times (2 tows and 1 unlocking, all here in California) over the years. On every occasion “assistance” arrived much faster than initially estimated/suggested and once I was even slightly aggravated when the “assistance” (tow service) arrived in 10 or so minutes instead of estimated/expected 2+ hrs, forcing me to quickly gulp down a very nice glass of wine I had just ordered and hoped to leisurely enjoy a 1 or more while I wait. I’m not sure whether or not location or membership level influenced prompt services. Edited July 10, 2021 by TTR (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 On 7/8/2021 at 8:56 PM, ted sweet said: aaa here is terrible. the ow i requested in february was told was on its within 2 hours. 14 hours later the police had to find another tow because i was still on side of road. aaa never about it My AAA experience here in California matches what @TTR describes: I’ve had to use it only a few times in the last 20 years. In Northern California and, a couple of years ago, here in Southern California. In all cases the AAA operator answered immediately, gave a conservative estimate of the tow truck arrival time, and the tow truck arrived earlier than estimated. The old car isn’t always the subject of attention: Our new(ish) daily driver doesn’t have a spare, just a can of fix-it goop and a 12v compressor. That does nothing when a pot hole damages the sidewall of the tire. Unfortunately, lack of a spare tire of any type seems to be an increasingly common trait on new cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 On 7/7/2021 at 5:45 PM, joe_padavano said: I don't know anything about them, but for $12 you can get a hex drive adapter for a conventional scissor jack that lets you drive it with a battery powered impact wrench. That's probably a better choice, since even if you don't have one now, that impact will probably be very useful. Note of caution. If you use an impact wrench with this type of scissors jack, the jack will only be good for a limited number of cycles. It is important to keep the screw lubricated with EP/extreme pressure lube to extend the life of the jack. The screw wears out. I know because I wore out a number of these jacks years ago using an impact years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 50 minutes ago, Larry Schramm said: Note of caution. If you use an impact wrench with this type of scissors jack, the jack will only be good for a limited number of cycles. It is important to keep the screw lubricated with EP/extreme pressure lube to extend the life of the jack. The screw wears out. I know because I wore out a number of these jacks years ago using an impact years ago. Considering that this is an emergency use jack for changing a flat on the side of the road, it'll take a lot of flat tires to wear it out. Seriously, you bring up a good point, but the issue isn't using an impact wrench, it's turning the screw too fast under load. Most of these electric impacts are "throttleable". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 7 hours ago, Larry Schramm said: If you use an impact wrench with this type of scissors jack, the jack will only be good for a limited number of cycles. I would tend to agree. Smooth steady torque applied to the screw is bound to reduce wear. On the other hand how many times are you going to use it. Probably seldom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 I only put the note there if someone is to use it more than an emergency jack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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