Harbor Freight Jack Stands

Thank you for the information Alan. I just checked mine and I'm good to go. Mine are not affected.

I did the same.

Lovely! I'm off to the garage. Thanks Alan. I think I have a set of 1.5's and a set of 3.0's.

Thanks for the tip!  It's a good thing no one would ever be banging' or honkin' on anything while under there...jeez. 

my jackstands are a different brand, i still use them but as a backup i have some oak rounds there too just in case

THXs will check mine!

Thanks Sir.   Looks like I will be returning 4 jack stands this week!

This got my attention because a year ago I had the smaller 3 ton stand drop, lucky for me it came down on the engine that was still on a floor jack, it did a number on the fan shroud. I now have the HF 6 ton stands and will check them tomorrow AM

Dodged a bullet on that one. Thanks again Alan!

I never did like regular jack stands because I felt the handle seemed to not flimsy on some that I saw at my HF or PAuto so I opted for the big red with the slide in lock pins which lock the pawl at the height you selected.... see the pin below. 

@Lfepardo posted:

Thanks Sir.   Looks like I will be returning 4 jack stands this week!

Glad they hadn’t failed on you Luis. 

My 4 jacks stands are at least 40 years old and are the old pin thru the center type. They have been used on a monthly basis for the entire 40 years. They are old friends of a sort. I had them before I bought a garage lift and still have their use. Hope no one gets hurt over this defect issue.

@IaM-Ray posted:

I never did like regular jack stands because I felt the handle seemed to not flimsy on some that I saw at my HF or PAuto so I opted for the big red with the slide in lock pins which lock the pawl at the height you selected.... see the pin below. 

 

Do you have a model number Ray, I can find the double lock but without the feet. Those feet look like they would be easier on the garage floor. I ask because I actually live with a "Garage Queen" , she prepped and paint the floor so its personal now.

I have to say I only grabbed the pict as an example, mine as well have no feet.  

My favourite jacks are my quickjacks on which I leave my car for months in the winter. 

@barncobob posted:

my jackstands are a different brand, i still use them but as a backup i have some oak rounds there too just in case

  I'm with you.

Good, solid pieces of barn beams cut to size are what I use. 

I don't trust jacks or jack stands.

How high do you lift that big one with those?  Picts?

Manf date is 2013-2019.  Some user feed back on this site.  One guy posted photos of the finger he almost lost.  We're redoing our condo's dock.  I'm going old school and saving the short PT 2x6" & 4x4" 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/...ld-suddenly-collapse

It's just so hard to find tools that aren't made in China, India, Pakistan.  Even new Craftsman tools are made in China.  Plus the 2 Sears near me are no longer in business. 

Don't buy the $3.99 dial tire PSI gauge from HF.  The head blows off at 36 PSI despite being rated for 100.  

I feel the same way about cheap hydraulic jacks, yet price is not necessarily = to quality. 

I have four stands similar to Jimmy's (Tubular with center pin) which I got at a yard sale for a place that stored RV trailers and such, plus four more similar to the HF versions in Alan's post.  

For those last four, I'll check them, anyway, just to make sure they engage properly, but IIRC (it's been a long time) they came from Carquest or something years ago.  Still, always good to check your equipment when your life and limb depend on it.

Don't want to end up like 8-fingered Bob or the old, grizzled mechanic at Peterson's garage when I was a kid - They called him "Lefty" because he had no "righty".  

I checked my HF 6 ton jack stands # 62393, they have a positive pawl to tooth design.

And while we're there, folks, we all know that jack stands are rated per pair, right?

So, a single '3-ton' jack stand is only rated to hold 1.5 tons.

One could debate why they're allowed to market them that way, but hey, I'm not in a debating mood.

Be careful out there.

Sick humor but I am still laughing...   https://www.facebook.com/photo...q6OMhRM3-P&ifg=1

2 Of the 4 that I have need to go back. They were supposed to be the same six ton units that I bought at different times but there were slight differences. I usually use a bungy cord to hold down on the release lever if I'm going under the car or if its off the ground for any length of time.

Thanks , Alan.

Dr. Clock is ever mindful of the health and safety of his "patients".

I found 1 6T grey one with matching model # --- need to locate its mate and return them.  Hopefully new ones with 20% off will make up for tax and price increases.  I like the extra lock pin used by some manf.

Harbor Freight Jack Stand ...photos !

https://www.thedrive.com/news/...G_IJOUZz_n-_alvty6fs

My jackstands don’t have the recall part number so what do I do about these that won’t hold the weight of a 1-1/2 tons?

Sorry, not really sure what you're asking.

A set of those costs $19.95, likely not worth the hassle of an attempted refund.  Throw them out so no one else will mistakenly use them.

You could make a lovely desk lamp out of those.

Boat anchors for a kayak?

Not one of the currently recalled models - but if a HF is near by it's worth a trip to see if they will cover it.  Can only say not.  We are going to need to get smart on all the China crap.

Warning ...update Harbor Freight Jack Stands

Now, Harbor Freight has had to announce a second recall, covering the new jack stands that many folks purchased to replace those covered by the initial recall.

Back in Pittsburgh brand three- and six-ton jack stands were recalled by Harbor Freight because of a manufacturing defect that could cause them to collapse under load, potentially causing injury or death. Customers were asked to return the stands in exchange for a gift card, and affected units were pulled from shelves. 

In a customer email sent today by Harbor Freight owner and founder Eric Smidt, the company revealed that a "small number" of the replacement Pittsburgh three-ton jacks stands suffer from a welding defect, and, like the original batch, could fail while supporting a vehicle. (The initial recall from May had to do with insufficient ratchet tooth engagement, attributed to excess wear in the dies used to manufacture the stands). Smidt says the welding defect wasn't discovered in the initial investigation, and the affected model (SKU 56373) has since been added to the list of recalled stands.

See the full letter from Harbor Freight owner and founder Eric Smidt below.

Smidt says the company has taken the time to investigate all of the other three- , six- and 12-ton Pittsburgh jack stands it currently sells, and hasn't found any further defects. However, if you own any of these Pittsburgh jack stands and no longer feel comfortable using them, the company will take them back in exchange for a refund or store credit—even though they aren't covered by the recall and have not been found to be defective. A full list of the Harbor Freight jack stand models eligible for a refund can be found here.

"I want to apologize to all of our customers," Smidt said in his email to customers. "While we've dramatically grown our team of engineers and inspectors, and intensified our tests and inspections, I assure you that the lessons learned from this will drive further improvement."

@Alan Merklin posted:

 

"I want to apologize to all of our customers," Smidt said in his email to customers. "While we've dramatically grown our team of engineers and inspectors, and intensified our tests and inspections, I assure you that the lessons learned from this will drive further improvement."

LESSON #1  Don't use Harbor Freight if your life actually depends on it. 

I'm truly glad I don't manufacture any consumer product.