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Hydraulic Floor Jacks: Is Viva’s Three Ton Jack Worth The Price?
When you need to lift your car or truck to change a tire or do some repairs, a hydraulic floor jack is an essential tool. There are a variety of options out there, including the Viva three ton jack, which costs around $235 on Amazon. While this is more expensive than some other options, like Harbor Freight models, it does have some unique features worth considering.
One thing that sets the Viva jack apart is the handles on the side, which the Harbor Freight jack doesn’t have. The Viva jack also has a solid piece in the back that covers the rear caster wheels, which is a nice feature. However, this means there isn’t metal bent over the side area, so there may be less strength in that area.
One issue that some people have had with Harbor Freight jacks is leaking, and unfortunately, the Viva jack is likely to have the same issue. Upon comparison, the internal features are very similar. However, the Viva jack has everything bolted together rather than using pins, which is beneficial.
In terms of specs, the Viva jack and Harbor Freight models are quite similar. The Viva jack has a 3 3/8 inch bottom and goes up to about 20 inches, with powder-coated steel wheels up front. However, there is some rust potential due to chipping. Additionally, lifting a vehicle with the Viva jack may require more effort than expected. It is also worth noting that the push pin on the Viva jack isn’t always strong enough and may pull out.
Comparing jacks based on looks and specs isn’t enough. The Viva jack costs more than other options, but it may not be worth the price if you’re struggling to lift a vehicle. It may be worthwhile to try out a Harbor Freight jack, which has its own professional-grade option for $289. For those who aren’t interested in spending hundreds on a jack that they may only use a few times, the Viva is a decent option.
While the Viva jack has some shortcomings, it does offer a smoother lifting experience compared to some older jacks on the market. If you’re in the market for a new hydraulic floor jack, it’s best to research different options and read customer reviews to help inform your decision.
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Looks like the Daytona jacks are of much higher quality. I am also a fan of Arcan's offerings.
For anyone who's interested this jack is on sale on Amazon now for $146.
Did you even look at the Harbor Freight aluminum jacks to compare it to. All the aluminum ones have handles on the side. You should only compare that to the Harbor Freight aluminum jacks cuz they look identical except for the colors. You can't compare an all steel floor jack to a lighter weight aluminum steel hybrid one
Did you bleed and top off jack with fluid?
I have an older Husky. Cheeper than HF. I need low profile and a high lift height between our vehicles. Works flawlessly.
thats a good jack to keep in the truck for road service ,
Ive had the Pittsburgh 3 ton low profile jack over 10 years now and its been a great jack for me. They say rapid pump but its nothing like my old craftsman jack that would go all the way up or until it hit weight with one pump, but it is a little faster the typical non rapid pump jacks, and definitely doesnt take the effort that POS took you. The daytona is supposed to ve better than the Pittsburgh obviously, but im more than happy w the Pittsburgh for what i paid and how long ive had it with no issues
I have 2 Harbor Freight low profile 2.5 ton jacks. They're about 12 years old, but work great with the exception of the rear casters constantly loosening. Easy to lift the rear of my 1998 dodge ram 3500 dually.
i've had the dayton super duty jack for a few years, and it works great. For the price it's a great deal. i always use jack stands if under the car. never bet your life on a jack.
harbor freight jacks suck… the rapid pump ones are really bad….1 pump seized up after 2 months of moderate use….on multiple jacks of theirs …won't waste thr money on a harbor freight jack
Happy New Years, Id say by default that particular jack is just low on oil as others have mentioned. Also I've heard really good reviews over the years about the "Daytona" jack. Cheers
I have the Harbor Freight Daytona Super Duty jack and it’s worked great and it doesn’t seem unduly difficult to jack up a load. I’d be very surprised if it performed as poorly as the jack you demonstrated in the video.
The main reason they leak is they get over loaded and pop seals .
I like my 3 ton low profile long reach Daytona jack, it has out lasted the 3 ton craftsman it replaced.
Wish you had compared to Harbor freight jack… Since your title kinda says that 🙂
Use the jack right and there wont be a problem. Waste of time to have Paul Bunion show people how to pump a handle. This is retarded.
I have the harbor freight Daytona 3ton and lift the whole front end with the spreader bar with no problems at all
I have a Pittsburgh 3 ton floor jack it works just fine also a 2 ton floor jack if I needed another one harbor freight is where I would go
My harbor freight lifts up the front end of my 3500 Cummins dually
Thanks for taking the time to do the review I appreciate it
If the handle broke, you would be punching the floor! Thanks
Hello,
Maybe check the oil level in that jack sir.
I also see if your other handle will marry up to new jack to give you a better idea of this one's true potential.
Happy New Years everyone!
I like my long reach/low profile Daytona. And sorry if I missed someone saying it already but project farm has done jack comparison with both the Daytona super duty and the snap on equivalent.
That jack appears useless. The amount of work you had to do just to lift the back and the bend on the handle, no way it would lift the front of the vehicle.
Thanks for this.
Great video but that Jack is trash the bar with flexing and it looked extremely difficult to lift that's not a hydraulic jack for me and definitely not a 3 ton I feel if you put three tons on that thing it will break that's trash great video trash Jack 💯🇺🇲🏴☠️😎
I’m different from most. I chose a floor jack based on the hydraulic seals used, the brand reputation, and availability of replaceable parts. That led me to Hein Werner a few years back, which is not a brand many people choose anymore.
In the newer dual pump jacks, the amount of effort required to lift the load is dependent on the size ratio of the smaller pump piston compared to the main lifting piston. It is based on the physics principle of Pascal’s law. The faster it lifts, the more effort is required. The slower it lifts, the less effort required. There are some differences between these new jacks in the pump piston sizes, as well as hydraulic seals utilized. That means there are some models which will lift easier than others, and some models less prone to leakage than others. These aren’t things that are commonly advertised though, and most YouTube videos don’t disassemble their jacks to show their internal components.
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My Daytona 3 ton lifts my Avalon in about 2-3 pumps. It's not hard to pump at all. Mine was just the $189 one. I got it for $149 on sale.
I think measuring the diameter of the hydraulic cylinder and the diameter of the ram piston could be very telling as to why that jack requires so much force. Especially if you compared that to the sizes from other jacks!
I suspect that jack uses a smaller diameter hydraulic cylinder (cheaper of course) which gives less mechanical advantage. Not good.
THE Harbor Freight Pittsburgh or Daytona is on sale for so little money now that it should have been bought and compared to the Vevor to determine if it was worth the USD$100-$200 price. Michellin don't make jacks they rebrand them anyway and the price these days would be comparable with the snap-on. Also with the Harbor Freight jacks you need to add pump oil before use and possibly so with the vevor as well and you did not, So this was an Unnecessarily slacker video.
I love both my craftsman 3 ton jacks. They are heavy but very good quality
My old AC Delco jack seems to be much better than that one! My next one will be the extended reach low profile Daytona.
@ProjectFarm did a video about them jacks a few months ago. While searching back for the video-link to post in the comment I just saw it's already in the side-bar… Here: https://youtu.be/g5_64r2PR7A
The saying: "They don't make'em like they used to…" really is true here. Thanks for sharing.