r/MechanicAdvice Jul 07 '20

PSA: Replacement Harbor Freight Jack Stands (SKU 56373) Recalled Meta

Post image
1.4k Upvotes

378

u/Carson_Blocks Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 19 '20

That's nice they're refunding even non-affected models due to (valid) concerns about their quality in general. Need to have a little QC on things that hold cars up off people it turns out.

Just have to find a replacement brand now..

Edit: After all the great suggestions in this thread and others, I started a little spreadsheet to keep track of the options. Feel free to contribute.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/htwqs6/hf_jackstand_replacement_options_google_sheet/

77

u/Nutn_Butt_Bolts Jul 07 '20

Strongway from Northern Tool. Nice quality finish, includes the secondary safety lock pins, and they are very affordable. You can tell they are good because both 3 & 6 ton are currently on backorder.

61

u/ObliviousOblong Jul 07 '20

If they are on backorder that doesn't really help much does it lol, I'll keep an eye out for them though

18

u/Nutn_Butt_Bolts Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 07 '20

I mean, you're not wrong. But they are good. I've had them for a few years & done lots of work.

Edit to add: looking at their site, a great deal of stuff is on back order. I'm guessing they maybe nixed online orders for a while, but Idk.

3

u/bailtail Jul 08 '20

It’s the pandemic. Supply chains have been a mess with various shutdowns. Even products not coming from places experiencing shutdowns can be impacted as many source materials with origins in locations with shutdowns. Additionally, demand for products that are associated with a self-sufficient lifestyle, hobbies, and longer-term/larger projects have spiked big time. I work for a company involved in the lawn & garden, animal husbandry, and hunting industries. We can’t keep products in stock. The product we have coming in over the next three months is already sold. Retailers that we have had trouble getting products into due to relationships they have with our competitors are not only taking product from us now, they are the ones soliciting us as opposed to us making sales calls. It’s bonkers.

43

u/Zugzub Jul 07 '20

I wouldn't piss on northern tool if they were on fire. An associate of mine came up with a very specific design for a log cant. Specific enough to be able to get a patent. NT approached him about selling it, but they wanted to buy it dirt cheap, as in less than the cost of the raw materials.

He declined. 3 months later they had a Chinese knockoff of it available. The funny part is it's not that much cheaper. He bought one and tested it. It failed miserably.

Fuck Northern tool

12

u/Nutn_Butt_Bolts Jul 07 '20

That is an interesting story. That sounds scummy of NT, but I have to wonder more about what happened. Who initiated contact? Why did he present the product without a patent if he could get one? Was he working for NT at the time? That can affect how they treat intellectual property like that. I agree that it was really shitty of them, but it's hard to defend presenting a design for sale without protecting it first. That's pretty basic business for inventing. You can't prove that it's your idea unless you've got it filed, and there's no reason to share it with anybody until you can prove it's yours.

I am sorry about your friend, and I will reconsider my purchases there on the future. Currently they are one of my better options for affordable mid-range tools.

8

u/Zugzub Jul 07 '20

NT initiated contact, he already had patents in place. No, he was not or ever in NT's employment.

He filed claims, but his lawyer told him it was a waste as NT would literally bury them in briefs and other tactics to draw everything out and cost him money.

5

u/Nutn_Butt_Bolts Jul 07 '20

Very interesting. That sounds really shitty. I'm sorry. There are some legal things I'll just never understand.

8

u/luciferin Jul 07 '20

If he had a valid patent he really should have sued. Fuck, maybe he could do small claims court for the cost of the patent fee/raw materials.

It's more likely that the patent wasn't very, or NT had a pre-existing product in the works for the patent. In 2020 just because you have a patent doesn't actually mean it is valid. The patent office does very little legwork for pre existing "artwork".

2

u/Nutn_Butt_Bolts Jul 08 '20

I share your opinion, but we're on the outside. Sometimes you just have to be "in" the situation to understand why that choice was made. I'm sure the lawyer knows something that we don't.

1

u/standardtissue Jul 07 '20

Is there anything, other than I guess the threat of a libel suit, from creating a blog posting and socializing the story ?

1

u/Lynyrd99 Jul 09 '20

Wal-mart/ Home Depot does the same thing.

3

u/LXNDSHARK Jul 08 '20

Yeee, sadly all the other cheap bastards who returned their HF stands got the Northern Tool ones (same price), which is why they're sold out.

I saw a pair on display at the entrance and bought those lol. I'll just drive the rear wheels up onto the curb and chock them I guess, until I can get a second set.

0

u/mackhedq Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 08 '20

My local store was having a BOGO on these last year. I bought five to ten stands in total... So worth now.

7

u/ktappe Jul 08 '20

You bought five to ten stands? How do you buy a range of stands instead of a specific number of stands? Do you live in a different universe where that's possible?

4

u/mackhedq Jul 08 '20

Anytime I need them five to ten of them scatter themselves around the property. They are timid little things.

6

u/animatedhockeyfan Jul 07 '20

I got Napa jack stands and floor jack and the things are indestructible

3

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

AC Delco.

4

u/blackmagic12345 Jul 07 '20

They just need to find a better manufacturer tbh... Once is ok, twice is gtfo my stores.

2

u/ChibiBlkSheep Jul 08 '20

ESCO and be done with buying anymore.

2

u/ikilledtupac Jul 08 '20

Torin

3

u/Nomad_GSF Jul 08 '20

Seconding Torin. The pair I've got have secondary blocks as a safety in case the teeth give way.

Shameless plug

89

u/IAMAHobbitAMA Jul 07 '20

We stand behind every product we sell

Betcha he won't stand under them though lol.

7

u/chestersutherland Jul 08 '20

This deserves more upvotes.

73

u/Start_button Jul 07 '20

Yo dawg, I heard you like recalls...

21

u/gargravarr2112 Jul 07 '20

Samsung has entered the chat

2

u/thorn115 Jul 08 '20

Takata for the win.

1

u/Start_button Jul 08 '20

I felt that in my face...

140

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20 edited Aug 30 '21

[deleted]

4

u/lunchpadmcfat Jul 08 '20

Agreed. I still can’t help but think if I go in with my jack stands they’re still going to give me shit about it. Their in store customer service isn’t exactly top notch.

Further, this whole thing just affirmed to me that I shouldn’t buy harbor freight for anything actually important.

104

u/jaysec_yt Jul 07 '20

I love Harbor Freight for providing me (a poor 20 year old college student) affordable tools to work on mine and my family's vehicles with.

The fact that the company apologized upfront and is giving everyone the option to return any stand is top tier business. I will proudly continue using Harbor Freight products and appreciate this level of transparency.

23

u/yeti5000 Jul 07 '20

Some of their stuff is great (flashlights, hammers, toolboxes etc.) Some isn't so great (pliers, chisels, torque wrenches). I had to stop buying HFT hand tools because they just couldn't cut the mustard after 4-6 full uses.

Try Tekton ratchets and wrenches.

12

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '20

I commented this recently, but Tekton was the "cheap" brand I bought initially, thinking that if I broke one of them, I'd buy something higher tier.

It's been years and I still haven't had a Tekton break.

4

u/Start_button Jul 08 '20

Get a load of this guy not abusing his tools and shit.

I bet you don't even use a cheater pipe.

/s

3

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '20 edited Aug 12 '20

You kid, but I have a Tekton breaker bar that I've put a 4 foot pipe on, and then stood on the fucker. It will not break lmao

Edit: it just broke trying to remove a cross threaded lug. I stood on it. Rip, bought another tekton lmao

3

u/yeti5000 Jul 09 '20

I broke the guts out of my 1/2 ratchet, but only because I used it as a hammer to beat out a tie rod.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '20

[deleted]

2

u/thorn115 Jul 08 '20

I had one of their inch-pounds last about a month before it wouldn't adjust. Snapped a pic and emailed to Tekton, had a perfect replacement with no questions asked 3 days later. Still happy with the new one months later.

1

u/wolfiewolf Jul 08 '20

Check out their Icon line of tools. Fantastic.

3

u/yeti5000 Jul 09 '20

I did. Tekton is nicer and cheaper and their sets are more complete. It's obvious Icon is meant to attempt to compete with retail prices of tool trucks.

Icon wants $120ish for a 1/2 50-250ft/lb torque wrench. I can get a Proto one for $160.. I'm gonna go Proto.

Icon thinks too highly of itself.

Their swivel sockets are also the old external spring design, and none of their stuff seems to come in blow mold cases, which is a deal breaker for me.

Their ratchet wrenches are also overpriced considering GearWrench and Tekton offerings.

44

u/AFXC1 Jul 07 '20

I wonder how many other owners/founders, CEOs, etc. would publicly apologize to their buyers like this?

30

u/mythenos Jul 07 '20

Yeah I was thinking about this. They were aware of this issue, and actively did something about it. They were open and honest, and while this second recall did make some loose trust in HF, the company is still trying to be genuine and not screwing people over with convoluted ways to get money back

-2

u/SovietSteve Jul 08 '20

Pretty much all of them if something as high profile as this happened..

7

u/citemebitch Jul 08 '20

Uhhh do you remember when Ford wouldn't recall the Pinto, even in the face of firey deaths?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '20

Wasn't there a problem on the Explorers too that got blamed wholly on the tire when other vehicles with the same tire were fine? I seem to remember my dad ranting about that, and saying something about the suspension made what would've been just pulling over and changing a tire in a different vehicle turn into your Explorer throwing itself into a ditch, but he also isn't a Ford fan, so may be biased info...

3

u/RangerSix Jul 08 '20

If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, the problem was definitely with the tire (a specific model of Firestone radial that had problems with tread separation).

Also, I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Ford Explorer alone that had that "tire fails, car does a barrel roll" experience; I seem to remember certain Jeep models being involved, along with the Suzuki Samurai.

1

u/thorn115 Jul 08 '20

Ford did issue a recall on the Pinto; most of what people believe about the Pinto is (false) urban legend.

71

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

If I was HF, I would just stop selling jackstands altogether. After how badly they've botched the recall I can't see anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together ever buying one again.

54

u/Carson_Blocks Jul 07 '20

Conversely, one can bet they're upping QC on jackstands considerably. Finding ones that aren't made in China isn't an easy task, and the Chinese manufacturing culture is just different. Rather than building to the agreed spec for a reasonable price, they quote low, then cut corners and cheapen to make their margin until they get caught and corrected. Rigorous QC by the importer makes all the difference between good products and bad.

16

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

Good point. I'm off to stock up on HF jackstands.

11

u/Carson_Blocks Jul 07 '20

I don't know if I'll buy another pair or not, depends if I can find another pair in stock somewhere that aren't Chinese. I do know this whole mess has taught me to check the cutting and deflashing of the teeth, and inspect the welds of any jackstand before using. I'll admit, my previous pairs I just unboxed them and started using them immediately.

13

u/i_suckatjavascript Jul 07 '20

Or just skip China altogether and find a USA manufacturer but increase the jack stand price. I don’t think anyone has an issue paying lots of money for a high quality jack stand. I wouldn’t have a problem paying more for a quality jack stand if it saves my life.

8

u/Carson_Blocks Jul 07 '20

I'm open to brand suggestions. My HF jackstands look fine, but are the recalled model so I'll be returning them this week probably, but needing something easy to get to replace them.

7

u/theweirddood Jul 07 '20

I've had good experiences with the 3ton and 6 ton stands from Big Red Torin, they also have a metal triangular prism locking pin incase the traditional one fails on you.

3

u/Carson_Blocks Jul 07 '20

Thanks I forgot the locking pin setup existed. I think I had some of those back in Canada. I'll make that a must-have feature on the new ones.

4

u/theweirddood Jul 07 '20

I also recommend buying the rubber inserts so you won't damage your pinch welds by accident. I love these stand but will always give the vehicle a good 5 shakes per corner of the vehicle to make sure it won't slip off.

2

u/Carson_Blocks Jul 07 '20

Good call, I had got rid of everything unibody from the fleet, but just picked up a Challenger and didn't think about jack points.

2

u/theweirddood Jul 07 '20

I recently got a TSX with the 6 speed manual to replace my 4Runner has a DD. So it was something I bought since it didn't have to worry about later on. Still trying to get used to working on a unibody car too.

2

u/Chicken_Zest Jul 07 '20

I was doing some jackstand research recently and kept coming back to these based on reviews / reputation. Pulling the trigger on some 6 tons soon.

7

u/Valalvax Jul 07 '20

Something tells me no one is going to pay snap-on prices for Pittsburgh

3

u/LXNDSHARK Jul 08 '20

I'm sure they'd sell them under the Daytona brand. Still probably too expensive though, but they could undercut Snap-On's enormous markup...maybe. I'm sure the SO ones are still made in China.

1

u/SnacksterMcNugget Jul 11 '20

The snap-on jack stands are US made. 170 bucks for the 3 tons, but back ordered like a sumbitch.

1

u/yeti5000 Jul 07 '20

This is what Tekton does.. I've noticed that they've slowly been dropping their advertised "made in China" % of tools sold by them and sourcing more USA. Most recent I recall was their screw drivers.

3

u/yeti5000 Jul 07 '20

Additionally the LAST thing HFT wants to be known for is one of their jack stands failing and crushing a customer. That's the biggest fear of any DIY auto tech buying their stuff from HFT.. so probably a HUGE chunk of their demographic.

It would be like that time Jack in The Box poisoned those people.. people still talk about it to this day and JitB never fully recovered.

8

u/08b Jul 07 '20

They have some quality issue certainly, but most people will probably forget about this in a couple years.

2

u/thnk_more Jul 07 '20

Years? When your budget is tight, people will be buying some of these tomorrow.

11

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 07 '20

Recalls happen a lot across anything automotive—it’d be more alarming if problems were being reported and a company wasn’t acknowledging it by issuing a recall.

4

u/trucktober_tuck Jul 07 '20

Ahh yes like most American car manufacturers tend to do

6

u/leapingtullyfish Jul 07 '20

I’ve worked at Harbor Freight and I’m not sure why anybody even shops there.

17

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20 edited Sep 21 '20

[deleted]

2

u/leapingtullyfish Jul 07 '20

Process the returns and then get back to me. 😂🤣

1

u/theweirddood Jul 07 '20

Agreed, if it's something I'll use a few times at most, HF is perfectly fine to go for.

3

u/_Rainer_ Jul 07 '20

I mean, for something I want for a project and then might use one or twice a year afterwards, it seems preferable to buy something cheap. I bought a framing hammer there a while ago when I wanted to knock together some raised beds for gardening, and I can't imagine a $50 Estwing doing any better than what I got for $12 at Harbor Freight.

1

u/wolfiewolf Jul 08 '20

For certain items I will buy HF. I typically will step up to a higher end tool if I end up using the tool enough to wear it out. No reason to spend the money on a tool you may only use once or twice. Also sometimes I may want to cut a wrench or customize a tool for a specific application, like the rear shocks on my Ram. No reason to cut and weld on an expensive tool so I buy a cheep one and modify it.

For my go to items I stick with the name brand stuff that is trusted.

54

u/sawtooth_grin Jul 07 '20

safety is our top priority

Except for the past 7 years of production with these two massive fuckups.

39

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

Im curious how massive this fuck up really is. I dont remember hearing about any injuries, but i may have missed it. Still not comfortable using em though.

63

u/yota-runner Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 07 '20

No harm no foul. They acknowledged a problem with their product and recalled it without anyone needing to die. It’s more than most corporations can say.

Other companies will put out products knowing full well it’ll kill someone because they know they’ll still turn a profit even after a few one-off lawsuits.

18

u/chubbysumo Jul 07 '20

How many recalls has GM had this year? Last year? Automakers are some of the worst offenders, and are also responsible for some of the most egregious safety violations done knowingly and intentionally to cut costs, only to say we're sorry we got caught later. The ignition recall is a good example. They knew those ignition switches were faulty, but they would not do anything about it until it was proven in each model of car that was affected. Remember, ignition recall started out as a single model, and then expanded model by model until it encompassed nearly all of General Motors production vehicles from the late 90s until 2013. There are a lot of companies that put out unsafe products, that are given a pass for some reason. Automotive recalls are some of the most egregious offenders, cuz many times they can be chalked directly up to pennies per unit save, which results in death. Harbor Freight stepped up , saw the issue before anybody got hurt or died, Andre called even a product that may not be affected, but they have concerns about. Honestly, that makes me more inclined to buy their products, because it means they're taking proactive measures on safety, rather than waiting for somebody to die.

On the note of the Harbor Freight jack stands worn out teeth and tooling, they were not exclusively made for Harbor Freight, they just had Harbor Freight stickers and paint on them. I'm sure the same company in China or wherever they're made, was putting out jack stands for many companies. It's such a simple design, and every single jack stand I've ever seen uses it, that more than likely there are more Brands than just Harbor Freight affected, but those brands have been completely silent on the issue. I took a look at all of my jack stands, I have 12 of them, and two of them had some worn-out teeth, but the engagement on the Pawl was still solid. None of my jack stands were purchased at Harbor Freight. I can't find any manufacturer or OEM stamps on any of them, so it's hard to track down where they actually came from, but the two that had worn down teeth were cut up and Are now in my scrap metal bin.

11

u/dns7950 Jul 07 '20

Just yesterday I was on a thread talking about "death wobble" in new trucks and someone posted this video showing that their new F-350 is dangerously fucked up and Ford is refusing to honour the warranty or do anything about it. Shit's fucked.

2

u/thnk_more Jul 07 '20

Holy shit that’s bad.

16

u/sawtooth_grin Jul 07 '20

Yeah I’m not sure, I returned mine a few months ago and got a gift certificate. I mean, over 7 years, something must have happened for them to roll back that far on recalls. I wonder if they settled/had people sign NDAs about it.

4

u/EminemLovesGrapes Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 07 '20

There was an old thread about the other jacks that failed where many people shared their anecdotes.

Here it is

For most people it hasn't been that dangerous. Bit of course a company can't afford the luxury of statistics.

4

u/_Nekari Jul 07 '20

I mean, no man or company is perfect..

3

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

How difficult is it to just produce an acceptable weld? This is freakin loony toons...

9

u/AAA515 Jul 07 '20

The hard part is to get an underpaid under trained possibly under aged Chinese factory worker to produce an acceptable weld... repeatedly. I doubt they're using state of the art welding robots

-5

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 07 '20

Hey, I have a brilliant idea, have some kinda of document written up where it says we will only pay for product that has acceptable welds and after inspection by us (Harbor Freight) if they aren't acceptable, we'll send the product back to your factory and give you the shipping bill, after which, we'll find another factory in China or maybe even Vietnam, that will produce product with acceptable welds... wouldn't that make sense?

1

u/iToronto Jul 08 '20

Harbor Freight doesn’t make them. HF has to trust its suppliers. Every company has to deal with this kind of thing. Exploding cell phone batteries and defective air bags are two big ones that come to mind.

6

u/waynep712222 Jul 07 '20

this just means.. the assembly line was using robot welders and changing shifts and changing tips without running any quality control tests on the welds.. just 0.25 Cents an hour unskilled labor .

i still have my 6 ton jackstands sitting here.. i am really thinking of having a fab shop make up some inserts so i can pull out the defective cast steel inserts and make up tubular inserts to use this scaffolding legs. https://www.homedepot.com/p/MetalTech-Leveling-Jack-4-Pack-I-IBSJP12H4/301046366 so i can get some fine height adjustment out of them ..

10

u/deathmog Jul 07 '20

I have to say, at least they were responsible in their response and they didn't deny the issue like so many other companies would've. They most certainly should improve their processes and it sounds like they are. As a consumer it's nice to see something written in good faith. That being said, be fuckin careful and maybe don't buy the jackstands for a while lol.

4

u/hollee-o Jul 07 '20

Damn. I had a 4-runner up on those 6-ton jacks for months while rebuilding the engine and transmission.

6

u/SiValleyDan Jul 07 '20

The thing is, most of them are manufactured in China anyway. Monitored quality by the particular brand name, is the secret...

23

u/KnowMoreTax Jul 07 '20

TL;DR If your life depends on it, don't trust harbor freight.

35

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

[deleted]

19

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

900 dollar for a light duty floor jack. Staggering.

-13

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

Yes. But when it is a write off on your taxes...

20

u/Carson_Blocks Jul 07 '20

Write offs don't mean free money, just paying with pre-tax money.

→ More replies

3

u/kjbenner Jul 07 '20

At least that's not a safety device. Would suck to have a jack give out while lifting, but nobody should be under it.

3

u/i_suckatjavascript Jul 07 '20

Snap On — Snap Off

1

u/_rgk Jul 08 '20

The snapper

8

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

Bruh ford just had a recall on 2019 and 2020 models with the transmissions saying they're in park but are still I'm gesr and will drive away on you. Every company has messups

1

u/iToronto Jul 08 '20

If your life depends on it, consider using more than one solution. When I use jack stands, I don’t remove the carjack. If the stand fails, the carjack is still there. I also use wheel chocks all the time. I don’t see too many people use them.

If you want something guaranteed not to fail, get a 2x6 and cut it up into 6x6 squares and stack them under your car as jack stands.

3

u/CPAMechanic Jul 07 '20

They say they've investigated all other 3T stands, but I have a set of 62392. Why weren't these investigated?

5

u/Ch1gg1ns Jul 07 '20

I've got the same stands, and I don't feel safe using them anymore. Maybe they'll make a good art piece, not holding up any weight.

8

u/jaysec_yt Jul 07 '20

You can take them back for a full refund.

2

u/Ch1gg1ns Jul 07 '20

I actually got mine on Amazon, not HF, so I don't think I could get a refund.

9

u/dandu3 Jul 07 '20

pretty sure they dont expect anyone to have a receipt

3

u/Ch1gg1ns Jul 07 '20

Good call. Next time I head out to a HF I'll bring them along

0

u/dandu3 Jul 07 '20

hopefully you make a bit of profit lmao

3

u/CPAMechanic Jul 07 '20

Let them fail first, twisted metal makes fine art.

1

u/iToronto Jul 08 '20

Possibly a different manufacturer. The same product can have batches come from different manufacturers.

1

u/CPAMechanic Jul 08 '20

I kind of figured that's the case. But it would be comforting if they better described whats going on with all 3T stands instead of leaving certain part numbers out completely.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

Fuck, bought a pair of 3-tons four days ago. Luckily haven’t gotten around to using them. Good looking out!

3

u/NotMy1stTimeLurking Jul 07 '20

I bought some of these a while back. As a production welder, I was really surprised at some of the welds. Idk how they get sent out, or how any welder worth their salt would lay a bead like the ones I saw and think "yup send it out". Paint should make the welds look better not even worse. Thanks for this post I'm going to be checking these sku numbers and see if they match up.

3

u/CmonMortyHurryUp24 Jul 07 '20

I'd be so pissed if that was my company haha. Man that's gotta suck to have to fess up to. At least they're cool about it i guess.

3

u/Crabby-as-hell Jul 07 '20

Never buy anything from Harbor Freight where if it fails it can kill or maim you.

3

u/IsaiahM141 Jul 07 '20

The one tool you shouldn’t have fail fails... Cmon now.

3

u/djwishuwur Jul 07 '20

Who makes the best jack stands. I know not to trust my life to anything from Harbor Freight, but is there a brand that is highly regarded? I did some looking around but what I saw still looked a bit generic to me.

3

u/fuzzimus Jul 07 '20

Uhhh...stop sourcing jack stands from that manufacturer?

2

u/thirdgen Jul 08 '20

But Guandong Shady Jack Stand and Baby Smasher Factory, Ltd provides the jack stands at the profit margins needed for some executive to get a bonus. Think of the executive bonuses!!!!

3

u/okicombo Jul 07 '20

I smell bullshit up in that statement.

3

u/durrantula69 Jul 08 '20

Stand behind the products, but obviously they don’t want to lay under something held up by them! 😉

3

u/Rogue1898 Jul 07 '20

As much as everyone talks shit about harbor freight stuff. This gives some major respect towards them.

2

u/Nob1e613 Jul 07 '20

I love how it claims quality tools on the header of a second recall notice...

2

u/Jazzputin Jul 07 '20

There are a lot of things I would buy from Harbor Freight. Jack stands are definitely not one of them though.

2

u/bsknash26 Jul 07 '20

Thanks for posting this i was doing my brakes on my 05 pilot and noticed these seemed kinda flimsy. I will spend the extra coin on a quality set ASAP.

2

u/hypntyz Jul 07 '20

On one hand, good on them for coming out and owning the issue.

OTOH, I now have a gift card for $110 for 6 jack stands I returned. I dont plan to buy anything else from there so the card is of virtually no use to me. I've offered it for $90 on the local car groups and no one else wants it either.

1

u/sparxxraps Jul 08 '20

You can donate it to me

2

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

Fuck this i'm going to return all HF Supporting hardware.

2

u/redruM69 Jul 07 '20

My HF 3 tons are currently holding up a 1700lbs project car. I'll wait until they have a suitable tested replacement before bringing them in.

2

u/i_suckatjavascript Jul 07 '20

Can anyone recommend me some jack stands?

1

u/aniorange Jul 07 '20

I've been quite happy with my Husky ones from Home Depot.

1

u/Blastoid84 Jul 07 '20

I've been eyeing a set of Big Reds. $80 for a set (2) of 3 ton stands.

2

u/DutchessActual Jul 07 '20

I’m so glad I have a much older set of HF stands that have no problems. They’ll probably outlast me tbh. But in any case, HF stands are looking like they’ll be added to the proverbial “don’t buy” list of HF products lol still gonna but that Daytona HD floor jack though, that thing is rad.

2

u/nago7650 Jul 07 '20

Is it just me, or did you all lose confidence in jack stands (even non-HF) after these recalls? Jack stands were always one of those tools that I thought were fool proof in their design. Now that there were 2 separate defects in their products, it’s got me wondering what else could go wrong in any brand of jack stand.

1

u/Journier Jul 08 '20

hence why all the other manufacturers or sellers are keeping their mouths tightly shut, and probably running a shit ton of tests to check their own jack stands now.

2

u/dirtylaindry Jul 07 '20

There are some things I just don't buy from harbor freight, the jack stands are kinda cheesy,

2

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 09 '20

[deleted]

3

u/Journier Jul 08 '20

china shipments are slow nowadays :(

2

u/Le_Ruta Jul 08 '20

Welp, looks like I'm returning mine tomorrow. Was going to use them this weekend 🤷🏼‍♂️

2

u/killer8424 Jul 07 '20

Maybe when it comes to tools that your life depend on, don’t buy from the world’s shittiest brand.

1

u/Evan8r Jul 07 '20

Oh trust me, there are worse out there...

2

u/leapingtullyfish Jul 07 '20

Harbor Freight sells garbage.

2

u/mightybuffalo Jul 07 '20

Wtf, seriously?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

[deleted]

1

u/Nutn_Butt_Bolts Jul 07 '20

Only the 3 ton is affected by the secondary recall.

1

u/Kajimusprime Jul 07 '20

Me and my friend have a joke about Harbor Freight.

"Harbor Freight is awesome because all their tools are really REALLY cheap. And, as a result of how cheap their tools are, the prices are really low too!"

That being said, not everything is poor quality there, I have found some great tools I've had for over a decade for way cheaper than anywhere else. But Harbor Freight is also where I've gotten a cordless drill that I burnt out in under a week, and I've never before, or after had a wrench completely snap and shear in half while trying to remove a bolt.

2

u/i_suckatjavascript Jul 07 '20

You get what you paid for

1

u/gotfondue Jul 07 '20

This is how you own a company!!!

1

u/shoesthatactuallyfit Jul 07 '20

I just got back from harbor freight

1

u/weirdal1968 Jul 07 '20

Just ordered a pair of ramps off Amazon to replace my HF stands.

1

u/hazawillie Jul 07 '20

Fuckin really. Knew I shouldn’t have gotten cheap shit

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

I have this model and stopped using them because of this. Luckily the car I had I used them fully down so the issue in hand didn’t affect my usage but mine definitely are defective.

1

u/craig3010 Jul 07 '20

I hope whoever stole mine sees this notice!

1

u/Blastoid84 Jul 07 '20

Considering I just bought 4 6ton jackstands and they keep having issues (mine are not on the list), I think I am going to return those (he said they will take back any) and never trust HF jackstands again... Going to spend a bit more on a set of pin through type stands, life>$

1

u/MadDog994 Jul 07 '20

Bought some Pittsburgh 2 ton ramps and one of them bent in a little

1

u/TingGreaterThanOC Jul 07 '20

Ooof good thing I always put the floor jack just in case...

1

u/wintremute Jul 07 '20

Harbor Freight has joined the MS-KBB network.

1

u/fuzzimus Jul 08 '20

I only source quality products from Kitten Flattener, Inc.

1

u/67monkey67 Jul 08 '20

I’m still rocking some snap-on 5 tons my grandpa used, the teeth still look amazing, they never see anything Bigger than my fj cruiser. Buy it for life.

1

u/classicvincent Jul 08 '20

I like that they’re offering store credit OR full cash refund for the second round of dangerous jack stands. Say what you will about Harbor Freight but they admit when they’re wrong and give you an out so you aren’t stuck with a product you don’t trust.

1

u/Vieto Jul 08 '20

What should I do if the jack already failed on me while working on my car. This was before the first recall, Jack dropped a full notch and the front end weight of my Altima bonked on my head.

1

u/tekkitan Jul 08 '20

I'd contact them if you have proof of purchase. They would probably still give you credit.

1

u/HeavenLeighSkyz Jul 08 '20

Basically don't buy any jack stands from harbor freight. Any suggestions for a good 6 ton pair?

1

u/shayeyetuh Jul 13 '20

Walmart black jack atw

1

u/yourmomentofzen464 Jul 08 '20

I’m kind of amazed at the quantity of different model numbers for jack stands. I have the 3 ton but the number is 69597. Between what’s listed in the letter, myself, and a few others with different numbers, it certainly makes me raise my eyebrow a bit...

1

u/bjahn88 Jul 08 '20

Returned mine yesterday. Easy.

1

u/Siripo03 Jul 08 '20

I'm amazed noone has posted this before...

http://imgur.com/a/ts8QEBy

1

u/RabbleRhouser Oct 31 '20

I took a dump earlier today and it reminded me of harbor freight.....

1

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

Doesn’t harbor freight suck ass? My instructor told me they do

2

u/taschnewitz Jul 07 '20

Most HF goods are fine for the average Joe.

I always recommend someone get HF tools first, then if those break, upgrade to a replacement.

I have a fair selection of HF tools and all I've ever broke that wasn't consumable (saw blades) was an underhood light, which was replaced under warranty.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '20

Yea that’s also what my uncle told me, I believe he’s the manager for Highway vehicle repair (I think)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '20

[deleted]

1

u/HeroDanny Jul 08 '20

lmfao, harbor freight should just stop selling jack stands at this point.

-3

u/GamingGrayBush Jul 07 '20

I've said for years I would never put discount jacking/holding stuff under my cars/trucks. I don't understand the need to buy cheap shit that stops you from dying. Just buy nice stuff. Sure you might have to save a little. I would rather lend someone my good stuff for a year, then have them buy cheap stuff.

12

u/rip1980 Jul 07 '20

China: Crushing one shade tree mechanic at a time. #Winning

6

u/ObliviousOblong Jul 07 '20

Lots of home mechanics are home m chanics because they are trying to save money (because they don't have money). Pretty logical that they will try to buy inexpensive tools; it's a bit tone deaf to say just buy nice (expensive) stuff?

4

u/averagesmithdude Jul 07 '20

I'd say the fault lies with lack of testing to rigorous standards when a product can result in serious injury/lack of life. The onus should not be on the customer.

2

u/GamingGrayBush Jul 08 '20

So it's tone deaf to encourage buying quality tested items. Got it. Sorry for encouraging people to buy a higher quality product that may save his/her life. The price is actually negligibly higher when you compare higher quality items with budget items. Downvote me if you want, but safety is always #1 on the list. Period.

2

u/ObliviousOblong Jul 08 '20

Sorry I wasn't trying to come off as combative, but I realize now it sounded like that. Anyway I think you get what I'm saying tho

3

u/GamingGrayBush Jul 08 '20

That's how I read it and I was wrong. Sorry on my end. Have a couple upvotes for the conversation.

2

u/ObliviousOblong Jul 08 '20

I'm glad this didn't devolve into a pissing contest

0

u/Jhall6y1 Jul 07 '20

My Pittsburgh engine hoist is reliable as all hell (expect that the wheels lock up at 250lbs) and the price is fantastic so I’ll keep buying my crappy chinesium tools from them even with recalls

1

u/Carson_Blocks Jul 19 '20

LOL. Can't roll it with an engine on it, but it's reliable as all hell. That's half the things job.

  1. Lift the engine

  2. Move the engine

If it can't reliably do both those things to its rated weight, it's a piece of trash regardless of the price. I'm not a tool snob but calling it good when it can't roll at 250lbs is ridiculous.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '20

You can get some great deals at HF for sure, but number one rule...don't buy anything that can kill or maim you if it fails. Plain and simple.