7 Best Aluminum Floor Jacks 2023 – Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

An aluminum floor jack can be one of the handiest tools you can buy. They can provide plenty of lifting power while offering a lightweight, easy to move tool. Together, that makes for convenient shop work.

So, you’ve decided an aluminum floor jack is the way to go, but you’re overwhelmed by the hundreds of options on the market. Which features are best for your uses? What’s the best rated tool? That’s where we come in. Below, we’ve compiled reviews of our 7 favorite aluminum floor jacks for your perusal. In addition, we’ve included a buying guide. Using these two tools we’ve collected for you, we hope we’ve done the heavy lifting of decision making for you.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Arcan ALJ3T Quick Rise Aluminum Floor Jack	Lightweight Versatile lifting range 3-ton rating	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		PITTSBURGH ha68053 Aluminum Racing Jack	Lightweight and compact 1½-ton capacity Quick lifting	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		NOS NSJ0301 3-Ton Aluminum Service Jack	3-ton capacity Bumpers to protect car Easy storage	CHECK PRICE
		BIG RED T815005L Low Profile Aluminum Racing Floor Jack	1½-ton capacity Lightweight	CHECK PRICE
		Torin TAM815016L Aluminum Floor Jack	Lightweight Portable 1½-ton capacity	CHECK PRICE

The 7 Best Aluminum Floor Jacks

1. Arcan ALJ3T Quick Rise Aluminum Floor Jack – Best Overall

Arcan makes an easy to use, versatile floor jack that tops our list. With excellent range of motion, it’s a great lift for most automobiles. It also features an easy-to-use twist-handle lowering mechanism. It’s sturdy, lightweight, and handles up to 3 tons.

The Arcan jack has a versatile lifting range of between 3¾ inches and 18 inches. This gives it a total range of motion of 15¾ inches. The wide range should allow you to lift most traditional automobiles.

The jack is rated for up to 3 tons. That’s a huge load for a piece of equipment that only weighs 58 pounds. Once it’s loaded, it locks in place to prevent slippage.

The lift handle has two notable characteristics. First of all, it’s side-mounted to allow for easy positioning of the jack. It also comes apart into two pieces to make storage a breeze.

The lift arm is reinforced to increase its strength and durability. In addition, it terminates with a 4½-inch rubber saddle to help protect the chassis of the automobile from damage when lifting. It also lifts with double pistons, which allows it to take the load quickly and efficiently.

There are a couple of warnings with this jack. First of all, it ships with a hook to secure the lifting arm. When this hook is removed, the arm will spring up abruptly. Therefore, caution should be used when releasing it. In addition, it takes a lot of pressure to lift the jack. Despite this, we think this is the best aluminum floor jack we have reviewed this year.

2. PITTSBURGH Aluminum Racing Jack – Best Value

Pittsburgh produces one of the best aluminum floor jacks for the money. It combines mobility, compact size, and a reasonable lift weight with a very reasonable price, compared with other models.

This compact jack is both lightweight and small, making it easy to move around and store. The total weight is 40 pounds. It measures 22⅓inches long.

Because it’s a compact jack, it doesn’t have quite the lifting capacity or range that the Arcan model does. It’s a 1½-ton jack, which is best for lifting cars one wheel at a time. The lift ranges from 3⅜inches to 14¾ inches, giving it a total range of 11⅜inches. While this doesn’t give it as much range as some other models, it should still be useful in most applications.

The jack is engineered to lift your load easily. It goes to full extension with 3½ pumps, which is minimal effort for the range of motion.

It has a few negative features worth mentioning. First of all, the release is a little sudden, so use care when lowering the automobile. It becomes laterally unstable at full extension, which is the reason why it’s best to only use it for one wheel at a time.

3. NOS 3-Ton Aluminum Service Jack – Premium Choice

NOS makes an excellent 3-ton jack. It’s lightweight for its capacity (58 pounds) and maneuverable. It can also handle a lot of weight over an excellent range of motion.

This jack has a 14⅜-inch range of motion. At its lowest, it’s 3¼ inches. This will fit under all but the lowest profile cars. At the top, it reaches 18⅛ inches, which is slightly higher than our top choice. The wide range of motion makes it useful in a range of applications.

It’s equipped with a few safety features, two of which limit damage to the car while you’re lifting. The lifting pad is padded with rubber to avoid damage to the car frame. The pump handle has a rubber bumper to prevent damage in case of impact with the car. Finally, it has a safety release valve to prevent going overweight.

At 28.7” x 13” x 6.6”, it’s relatively compact for its capacity. The handle also comes apart in two pieces in order to make storage that much easier.

It’s heavily reinforced to ensure the support of the automobile. The reinforcement includes thick side plates and a reinforced lift arm.

Like any tool, this one has a flaw. The wheel assemblies have a habit of coming apart, which can be inconvenient as it’s easier to roll this jack around than it is to lift it.

4. BIG RED Low Profile Aluminum Racing Floor Jack

Big Red makes a serviceable 1½-ton jack. It has excellent capacity for its size. It’s also built for mobility.

It weighs just under 27 pounds, which makes it easy to transport. In addition, it comes with a side carrying handle. This makes it easier to pick up and carry if you’re in an environment where it won’t easily roll across the ground or floor.

It has an 11.41-inch lifting range. At its shortest, it’s 3.35 inches. This is the lowest clearance on this list so far, so if your car is close to the ground, this jack may be the right one for you. At full extension, this jack reaches a height of 14.76 inches, which is serviceable in most applications. It reaches full extension in just 4 pumps, which makes it an efficient jack as well.

It’s been equipped with two features to protect the car when lifting. First, the saddle is padded with rubber to protect the underside of the vehicle. Second, the lift handle is padded to protect the side of the car.

The big worry with this jack is the lowering mechanism. It’s subject to sudden failure, which highlights the importance of using jack stands any time you’re lifting a car.

5. Torin TAM815016L Aluminum Floor Jack

Another solid 1½-ton jack is produced by Torin. It shares many features with other jacks in its class, including portability and a low profile.

The lift range of the jack is 10⅝inches. Its lowest height is 3½ inches. This puts it at the highest low point for 1½-ton jacks on this list. So, it may not be the best selection if your car has a very low clearance. The high point for the jack is 14⅛inches. It also reaches this height efficiently with a two-piston lift pump.

It has the standard safety precautions for your car during lifting. The saddle is padded to prevent damage to the chassis. The lift handle is also padded to prevent damage to the side of the car.

It is also highly portable. Its total weight is just under 40 pounds, which is heavier than some 1½-ton jacks, but still easy to move. It comes with an easy-lift side handle for carrying. Its dimensions are 22.7” x 9.9” x 6.1: and the handle comes apart into two pieces, so it’s easy to find a place to store it.

6. Neiko Pro Premium Low Profile Aluminum Floor Jack

Neiko makes another 3-ton floor jack. Many of its characteristics are shared with other jacks in its class.

The Neiko has a 15½-inch lifting range. At its lowest, it’s 3¾ inches high. This puts it in similar standing with other 3-ton jacks. At its highest, it reaches 19¼ inches, which is the highest reach for jacks on this list, meaning it can handle vehicles with higher clearances than some of the other 3-ton jacks.

It is equipped with padding to protect your car during lifting. The saddle is coated with knobby rubber. The handle is also coated with rubber to protect the sides of the car.

It weighs in at 57 pounds, which is a pound lighter than the next lightest 3-ton jack on this list. To help with portability, the jack comes equipped with a side carrying handle. Its dimensions are 29.13” x 12.99” x 6.69”, which is fairly compact for its weight class.

It also comes with a safety release valve. This is activated when the jack is overloaded.

7. Sunex 6603ASJ 3 Ton Aluminum Lift

Bringing up the end of our list is the Sunex 3-ton aluminum lift. While it’s at the end, it’s still a solid piece of machinery. It features a 3-ton capacity and one of the better lift ranges on this list.

It has a 15½-inch lift range. At its lowest point, it is 3⅘ inches high. This makes it the least useful on this list for low-clearance vehicles. However, its highest point is 19⅓ inches, which gives it added latitude with higher clearance cars.

Like all the lifts on this list, the Sunex is portable and easy to store. It weighs 58 pounds. Its dimensions are 15” x 7.87” x 31.7”. It comes with a side handle that makes it easier to carry and also helps with positioning under the vehicle. The lift handle comes apart in two pieces for storage.

Buyer’s Guide – Finding the Best Aluminum Floor Jacks

At first glance, it may seem that all floor jacks are one in the same. They do all share certain characteristics, but it’s the distinguishing differences that wind up mattering most when making your selection. Peruse the buyer’s guide below to learn more about what distinguishes a good jack from a great one.

Weight Capacity

The first thing to look at when you’re purchasing a jack is the weight capacity. You want to be sure you can lift the car or cars you’re hoping to. That’s why weight capacity is important. Jacks come in a large range of possible ratings in this category. In general, the weight capacity is measured in tons. For instance, a 1½-ton floor jack won’t do much good if you’re trying to lift a full-size truck.

So, when you’re looking at floor jacks, it’s important to first know the weight of the vehicles you hope to lift and purchase a jack that can easily handle that number. When in doubt, err on the heavy side. It will give you more versatility, and you won’t be caught out when you’re unable to lift your car.

Lift Range

The lift range for a jack is the difference between the lowest height and the highest height available to the mechanism. When researching jacks, it’s a good idea to know the clearance of the cars you hope to lift. Some jacks won’t fit underneath cars with extremely low clearance. Likewise, some jacks might not be able to extend high enough to lift some vehicles with very high clearance, such as pickup trucks. When you have a clearance measurement, you can then check the lift range numbers to determine if a given jack is appropriate for your purposes.

Safety Features

Safety is critical any time you’re working with tools, and aluminum floor jacks are no different. There are a number of common safety features you should look for when purchasing a jack. All are primarily utilized to protect the car, the user, or both. One important feature is a safety release valve. This valve will release when the jack is overloaded which will prevent you from lifting something beyond the safe load of the jack.

In order to protect the automobile during lifting, there are two standard features to look for as well. The first is a padded saddle. The saddle is the part of the jack that makes contact with the car’s chassis. It’s good for it to be padded to prevent damage to the chassis. In addition, look for padded lift handles. These prevent damage to the side of the car when lifting.

Convenience and Ease of Use

Anything that makes a tool easier to use is of benefit. Look for features that will help with usability. One example that’s common in the list above is a side-mounted carrying handle. This makes it easier to carry and position the jack. Another convenience feature is a collapsible two-piece handle. The more tool-free adjustments that are available, the better.

Weight

While jacks must maintain certain minimum weights to remain effective as lifts, they also need to be portable. So, look for the lightest jack you can find in a given class. In general, jacks that can handle heavier loads will be heavier themselves.

Size

The size of a given jack affects how easy it is to store and carry. In general, the smaller the jack the better for the sake of convenience. Keep in mind, however, that a jack needs a minimum footprint to operate safely.

Related Gear We’ve Reviewed:

• Jack stands
• Engine stands

Conclusion

Our top pick for favorite jack is the Arcan ALJ3T Quick Rise Aluminum Floor Jack. It offers a weight capacity of 3 tons. It has one of the better lift ranges on this list, and it’s relatively compact for a jack with its capacity. Overall, it’s a very solid selection. If it’s value you’re looking for, check out the Pittsburgh ha68053 Aluminum Racing Jack. It’s sturdy with a great lift range for its size.

Purchasing a new tool can be a daunting task, especially when it’s something that will lift an automobile. Hopefully, we’ve removed some of the weight of your floor jack decision with these reviews and buyer’s guide.