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Who Makes The Best Jack Stands For The Money?
When you are looking for the best jack stands for the money you want to make sure that you are getting a good deal on whatever jack stands that you go with but you also want to make sure that they are built properly and will be able to hold up over time.
I’ve created this guide to show you what you want to look at when selecting which jack stands would be best suited for you and which ones are affordable to try to save you some money.
What Are The Best Jack Stands?
The best jack stands for the money that you can buy are the Torin Big Red 3-ton jack stands. They are rated at a 3-ton capacity and can be bought on Amazon for under $30. These are the best jack stands for the money because of their weight capacity relative to their price.
You may be able to find 2-ton jack stands for a little under $20, but for a few more dollars you could upgrade to 3-ton jack stands which are going to be more suitable for a wider range of vehicles. 3-ton jack stands are suitable for most cars, trucks, and SUVs.
Torin Big Red Steel Jack Stands: 3 Ton Capacity, 1 Pair
For most people, you should be fine with getting a pair of 3-ton jack stands and they should last you a really long time. These ones I’ve selected from Torin are 3-ton jack stands and are offered at a reasonable price.
They don’t really cost a whole lot more when compared to the prices for 2-ton jack stands so I would just go ahead and upgrade to 3-ton jack stands. These jack stands are made from steel and feature a one-year limited warranty. To check out the current prices of these Torin 3-ton jack stands on Amazon click here.
Pro-LifT Double Pin Jack Stands-3 Ton
These two safety features would ensure that you don’t accidentally lower the car by hitting the handle lock as the safety pin would still prevent the vehicle from lowering any further until it was also removed. To check out the current prices of these Pro-Lift 3-ton jack stands on Amazon click here.
Torin Big Red Steel Jack Stands: 6 Ton Capacity
They feature steel construction with a frame welded design and are powder coated to help protect them from rust. If you are looking for the highest weight capacity jack stands on this list look no further.
These jack stands feature a one year warranty to protect them from manufacturer defects. To check out the current prices of these Torin 6-ton jack stands click here.
Torin Big Red Steel Jack Stands: 2 Ton Capacity, 1 Pair
They are a bit cheaper than the Torin 3-ton jack stands so you will save a little bit compared to with the 3-ton jack stands. These also feature steel construction with frame welds and are powder coated to help protect them from rust and corrosion.
If you are looking for the cheapest jack stands look no further. These Torin jack stands come with a one year warranty. To check out the current prices of these Torin 2-ton jack stands on Amazon click here.
Torin Big Red Aluminum Jack Stands: 3 Ton Capacity, 1 Pair
When compared to the other Torin 3-ton steel jack stands that weigh 17 pounds that is a decent weight difference and could sway someone towards them because they are lighter.
Expect to pay a premium on these aluminum jack stands compared to the other jack stands in this list. These Torin aluminum jack stands also come with a one-year manufacturer warranty. To check out the current prices of these Torin all-aluminum jack stands on Amazon click here.
Why Are Jack Stands Important?
Jack stands are important because they help protect against having the vehicle that you are working on from falling on top of you. It’s important to always use jack stands when you are working on your vehicle to make sure that the vehicle will not accidentally fall on you when you are underneath it.
Some people don’t use jack stands on when they work on their vehicles at all and just use their floor jack to support the vehicle when it is in the air. When you do that you are putting a lot of stress on your floor jack as it has to support the vehicle the entire time that you have it in the air.
If you place your vehicle on jack stands once you have sufficiently raised it up in the air then that takes a lot of stress off of the floor jack. I will keep my floor jack underneath the vehicle but not supporting it just for an added level of protection.
What Is Jack Stand Weight Capacity?
With all jack stands the manufacturer will list how much weight they can hold while still remaining safe. If you have a small passenger car then the weight capacity of your floor jacks may not be that big of a deal to you.
However, if you have a large truck then you would want to definitely pay attention to the weight capacity of the jack stands that you end up going with.
When evaluating the capacity of jack stands they will be rated in tons, 1-ton is 2,000 pounds. A pair of 2-ton jack stands would have a total capacity of 4,000 pounds. Most small passenger cars will weigh anywhere from 3,000-4,000 pounds.
SUVs and trucks can typically weigh anywhere from 4,000-5,000 pounds so keep that in mind if you own a larger vehicle.
You can look up how much your vehicle weighs to give you an idea of what jack stands that you should go with for your car or vehicle. 3-ton jack stands would be the best option for most people as they are going to be at a decent price point and don’t cost a whole lot more than 2-ton jack stands.
Jack Stand Materials
Most jack stands that you will see for sale are going to be made from forged steel and welded together. If you are looking for really lightweight jack stands they do make aluminum jack stands now. These types of jack stands are going to be more cylindrical in design than most normal 4 leg jack stands.
These Torin aluminum jack stands have really good reviews on Amazon, everyone really likes their construction and the overall looks of these jack stands. They are 3-ton capacity jack stands so they would be able to hold 6,000 pounds. If you are just looking to support half of your vehicle at a time these should be able to support most vehicles on the road.
Jack Stand Design
There are two main designs when it comes to how jack stands are designed and those are ones that have a ratcheting system to release the jack stand or one that have a pin to release the jack stand.
I wouldn’t really say that one design is better than the others, the ratcheting system is going to the more popular option. Some people may prefer the locking pin design because it may be a bit more secure than with the ratcheting design.
However, the ratcheting design is built to not allow it to release the mechanism if there is weight being applied to the jack stand. It seems like most of the aluminum jack stands will use the locking pin mechanism if you were looking for that feature on your jack stands.
All-in-one Jack Stand and Floor Jack
If you are looking for a way to save a bit of money and you do not currently own a floor jack you could look at purchasing an all-in-one jack stand and a floor jack. This allows you to jack your vehicle up in the air and then use the built-in jack stand to then support the weight of the vehicle.
Jack Stand Accessories
Rubber Jack Pad
If you are worried about tearing the underside of your vehicle up when using your floor jack they now sell rubber jack pads that you can use to jack up your vehicle. This is useful if you are using the frame of your vehicle as the jack point as you can use the rubber jack pad in between your car and your floor jack.
If you are interested in purchasing a jack pad to help protect the underside of your vehicle I’ve included a link to Amazon to purchase the one I recommend here: DEDC Slotted Frame Rubber Jack Pad
Jack Stands Safety tips
I’ve heard that you don’t want to fully support your vehicle with jack stands but I see people doing it with their vehicles all the time. If you are planning on fully supporting your vehicle with jack stands then you would really want to pay attention to the weight of your vehicle that you were lifting.
You may want to also take extra precaution if you are planning on having your vehicle fully supported by jack stands.
Related Questions
What are the best jack stands? When looking to buy jack stands you want to first determine how heavy the vehicles are that you will be supporting with the jack stands. You can find out the weight of your vehicle by heading over to Google and typing in your cars make, model, and year and then searching for the curb weight of the vehicle.
After you know how much your vehicle weighs you can then decide which jack stands are going to be right for you. If your vehicle weighs above 4,000 pounds you would want to go with 3-ton jack stands. If your vehicle weighs under 4,000 pounds then you would be fine with going with 2-ton jack stands.
If you have a heavy-duty pickup truck that weighs over 6,000 pounds then you would want to look at purchasing 6-ton jack stands. The point is that you want to pick the right jack stands for the vehicle you will be working on.
If you want to try to future proof yourself I would recommend skipping over 2-ton jack stands and going with 3-ton jack stands. That way if you decide to trade in your car for an SUV the 3-ton jack stands should still be able to support the weight of the SUV.
What is the best floor jack to buy? The best floor jack for your money is the Torin 3-ton big red hydraulic floor jack. It offers the best overall performance for the money. If you don’t have a truck or SUV you may just want to get a 2-ton floor jack.
If that is the case I would recommend going with the Pro-Lift 2-ton floor jack. If you want to know more about floor jacks and what other floor jacks I would recommend checking out my article, what is the best floor jack for the money?
Are jack stands safe? Yes, jack stands are safe to use and actually safer to use than just a floor jack alone. Jack stands should always be used in conjunction with a floor jack to help support the weight of the vehicle that you are working on.
Once you have elevated the vehicle to the height that you want you would want to use jack stands to then support the weight of the vehicle while you are working on it. Floor jacks are designed to lift up vehicles, they are not designed to support the weight of a vehicle over a long period of time.
Are jack stands rated in pairs? Yes, unless otherwise stated jack stands are rated in pairs. So, for example, a pair of 2-ton ton jack stands would be able to support 1-ton per jack stand. This means that a pair of 2-ton jack stands would be able to support 4,000 pounds (2-tons=4,-000 pounds).
If you own a car there is a good chance that it weighs under 4,000 pounds and you would be fine using 2-ton jack stands. If you own an SUV or a truck then you would be better off going with 3-ton jack stands. 3-ton jack stands would be better able to support the added weight of trucks and SUVs.
What are the best jack stands for lifted trucks? The main thing you want to look at when purchasing jack stands for lifted trucks is the lift height of the jack stands. You would want to make sure that the lift height of the jack stands is higher than the lift point of your truck. Once you have that height figure you can then figure out which jack stands that will work for you.
The Torin Big Red 3-ton jack stands have a max height of 16.7 inches. As long as the lifting point of your truck is not taller than 16.7 inches then you should be able to use these jack stands for your truck no problem.
If your truck lifting point is higher than 17 inches the Powerbuilt 3-Ton All in One Bottle Jack and Jack Stand has a max height of 21 inches.
What are the best car jack stands for the money? If you own a car that is not a land yacht, you likely will be able to use 2-ton jack stands to help support the car when you are working on it. In that case, I would recommend going with the Torin 2-ton jack stands. You can currently find them on Amazon for under $20.
If you want to be sure that these jack stands will be able to support the weight of your vehicle you would want to research the curb weight of your car. If the curb weight of your car is under 4,000 pounds then you should be fine with going with 2-ton jack stands for your car.
In Conclusion
When you are looking for the best jack stands for the money there are a lot of different jack stands to choose from. You want to pick ones that are going to be suitable for your vehicle in regards to how much your vehicle weighs.
You can also choose between steel jack stands or aluminum jack stands. If you are looking for the best jack stands for your money you can’t go wrong with selecting any of my recommendations here.
If you wanted to watch a video explaining how to properly use jack stands I’ve included one below.