# What Is The Best Floor Jack For BMW DIY Owners



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

I have the 2T aluminum quick jack from harbor freight. It's a very nice jack at a very good price. 

To lift the back axle of either the e53 or e70 needs a block of wood to push on the sub frame behind the diff (diff is disallowed as a lift point on X5). 

I like to carry in my car in the footwell of the right rear seat and I had to modify mine with a dozen or so o-rings to make it not rattle. 

It's half the weight of 3T steel jack and as I carry with me a lot that's important. 

Also it's a quick jack so each pump lifts 2-3x as much as a standard jack. 

In addition, I removed the handle from the side let's me get very close to the wheel I can lift from the unsprung suspention and get the tire off the ground with two pumps.


----------



## Rsavory (Jul 13, 2005)

Arcan 2-ton low profile, purchased from Amazon. It’s a little heavy but seems well constructed. Easy to roll around.


----------



## 80Euro Csi (Oct 4, 2021)

#4 Arcan 3 ton aluminum from Amazon. It has an easier/fine release so you don't suddenly dump the load. Also, a 3 ton Harbor freight steel one. Does the job but not as sensitive on the let down.


----------



## Gregory_tolson (Oct 4, 2019)

Daytona 3 ton low profile jack from Harbor Freight.


----------



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

Gregory_tolson said:


> Daytona 3 ton low profile jack from Harbor Freight.


That was my second choice. The 2T aluminum HF looks like a clone of the arcan 2T. 

I also really like the 1.5T HF it has a single roller in front and gets much closer to a wheel. It's the best jack to lift a single corner from the unsprung suspension. It's stupid light and little. It is too weak to lift the back of an X5 however. They are half the price of the 2T and are the best jack to toss in a trunk for roadside assistance. (keep a block of wood handy for height limitations)


----------



## deroy (Jun 27, 2017)

andrewwynn said:


> To lift the back axle of either the e53 or e70 needs a block of wood to push on the sub frame behind the diff (diff is disallowed as a lift point on X5).


That’s not true. For e70 at least. Just don’t jack at the back plate. The small flat section near the input shaft is a perfect and allowed jacking point. 


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk


----------



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

I stand corrected. Looking up in TIS, It shows clearly for e70 they removed that restriction and just a says don't lift at the back cover. 

TIS for e53 says don't lift on the dif.


----------



## MattEcho (Apr 9, 2021)

21 m340i.
HF Daytona low profile 3T steel, old jack didn't fit unfortunately. Though sure would be nice if BMW gave 2 middle jacking points besides the 4 posts.


----------



## BabyUnicornTaco (Jan 8, 2018)

I love the Arcan Blackline 3.5 ton. Lifts with zero effort. Weighs 98.8 lbs. 


Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest


----------



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

MattEcho said:


> 21 m340i.
> HF Daytona low profile 3T steel, old jack didn't fit unfortunately. Though sure would be nice if BMW gave 2 middle jacking points besides the 4 posts.


Do you mean in the center edge of the car to lean it over to say do a front back rotate? A customer's Volvo only has that. To change either tire you lift the whole side of the car. (of course customer didn't know this and schredded the underside of the car lifting from just under the door hinge)


----------



## MattEcho (Apr 9, 2021)

andrewwynn said:


> Do you mean in the center edge of the car to lean it over to say do a front back rotate? A customer's Volvo only has that. To change either tire you lift the whole side of the car. (of course customer didn't know this and schredded the underside of the car lifting from just under the door hinge)


No, I meant like center behind the engine and at the rear diff. On my other cars, I've always hopped the car up at these points to quickly put the vehicle up on jack stands. But with this one, the only approved points to lift are the 4 points under the doors. Just an inconvenience that I need to work around.


----------



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

Most of the BMW I work on have a center lift point between the front wheels and at the back the dif. 

So it depends on the model. Which model/s are you working on? 

I usually only post on e53 e70 forums so I thought you were talking about one of those.

I think I just learned that the smaller cars like 328 only the AWD models have the center front lift point.


----------



## Rebound (Apr 29, 2017)

I own the Daytona Low Profile 3-ton and it is NO GOOD for my F33. It cannot reach the center jack point.
You need the Daytona 3-ton Long Reach Low Profile model… which, oddly, costs less. LONG REACH, that’s the key.

Their Daytona 3-ton is fantastic. I love it, but it cannot reach the central jack point.


----------



## johnbennett103 (Sep 2, 2013)

Jacks are great, but Quick Jacks are much better. I use mine all the time and it has been worth the investment. The car is raised up and solidly planted. They are also portable and you can help your friends if you want.


----------



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

Rebound said:


> I own the Daytona Low Profile 3-ton and it is NO GOOD for my F33. It cannot reach the center jack point.
> You need the Daytona 3-ton Long Reach Low Profile model… which, oddly, costs less. LONG REACH, that’s the key.
> 
> Their Daytona 3-ton is fantastic. I love it, but it cannot reach the central jack point.


That's good feedback. It's tricky to get to the dif on my customer's e90; I may have had to lift a corner up onto a jack stand first.


----------



## Rebound (Apr 29, 2017)

johnbennett103 said:


> Jacks are great, but Quick Jacks are much better. I use mine all the time and it has been worth the investment. The car is raised up and solidly planted. They are also portable and you can help your friends if you want.


Tempting… I’ve thought about it a lot, but they’ve very expensive — nearly the price of a full hydraulic lift - and it isn’t much faster (if any) than lifting on a floor jack and putting the car on four jack stands. I don’t even know if it gives you more lift. What do you think? I haven’t used one. 

If I had a bigger garage with a high enough ceiling, I’d install a lift. That would be the bees knees.


----------



## UDMDriver (Oct 4, 2013)

Gregory_tolson said:


> Daytona 3 ton low profile jack from Harbor Freight.


Same.


----------



## topher18 (May 12, 2003)

johnbennett103 said:


> Jacks are great, but Quick Jacks are much better. I use mine all the time and it has been worth the investment. The car is raised up and solidly planted. They are also portable and you can help your friends if you want.


Another vote for the QuickJacks. Way more convenient than floor jack and jack stands. Does take a little time to get set up in my garage where the floor slopes toward a center floor drain. I have to get them equally spaced across the low point and for a double check I use a 6’ level across the top of the hood to check side-to-side level when lifting my X3. If I had a flat floor it would be really quick.


----------



## Rebound (Apr 29, 2017)

UDMDriver said:


> Same.


LONG REACH Low Profile. 

Low Profile alone isn’t enough. Learned the hard way.


----------



## MattEcho (Apr 9, 2021)

The long reach does me no good if there are no center jack points lol. M340i. Maybe all the newer cars are headed this direction, idk.

edit: btw, the Daytona 3T super duty low profile has a length of 31 1/4, while the long reach low profile has 31 1/2...so not much difference


----------



## Rebound (Apr 29, 2017)

MattEcho said:


> The long reach does me no good if there are no center jack points lol. M340i. Maybe all the newer cars are headed this direction, idk.
> 
> edit: btw, the Daytona 3T super duty low profile has a length of 31 1/4, while the long reach low profile has 31 1/2...so not much difference


I’m not sure because it’s not just the length but how low it is. My yellow jack hits the bumper. The Lower Profile ones can reach further inside, but I didn’t buy one to test it with my car. 

What I do is a jack up the back jack point which lifts the whole side of the car, then I put a jack stand under the front jack point. Repeat on the other side, then lift under the differential and put on the rear jack stands. 

These Daytona jacks truly are excellent. It will definitely outlive me.


----------



## MattEcho (Apr 9, 2021)

Rebound said:


> What I do is a jack up the back jack point which lifts the whole side of the car, then I put a jack stand under the front jack point. Repeat on the other side, then lift under the differential and put on the rear jack stands.


Yeah, I'm just staying away from lifting on the rear diff because it's not "approved" or whatever. It's not a big deal, just need to change my habits.

And yes, the Daytona jacks are nice, like almost too nice lol


----------



## Rebound (Apr 29, 2017)

MattEcho said:


> Yeah, I'm just staying away from lifting on the rear diff because it's not "approved" or whatever. It's not a big deal, just need to change my habits.
> 
> And yes, the Daytona jacks are nice, like almost too nice lol


Then how do you lift the rear of the car?


----------



## MattEcho (Apr 9, 2021)

Rebound said:


> Then how do you lift the rear of the car?


Well...I haven't yet. But I'm expecting to change rear diff fluid soon and and will jack at side jack points and place blocks under wheels. Should give me the room I need.
I am also still considering the quick jack, but the model needed for my m340 won't fit my other 3 cars. So that's a serious obstacle.


----------



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

I lift from unsprung suspension so lift is immediate if in want to block under the tires. That was no stretching out the spring just to recompress immediately


----------



## PC1978 (Aug 26, 2020)

Another vote for Daytona 3 ton, low profile, long reach.
Bought one last year after my old floor jack started leaking after 15 years.
And since my son bought an E90, figured it made sense.


----------



## mmoffitt (Mar 30, 2013)

everything is just one big commercial.. Something that works and works well 
Be sure to have it up on some quality jack stands
Working smart is equal to working safe!


----------



## twh (Nov 6, 2015)

Costco Arcan Aluminum/Steel 3 Ton low profile jack...58 pounds and $179 delivered.


----------



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

twh said:


> Costco Arcan Aluminum/Steel 3 Ton low profile jack...58 pounds and $179 delivered.


That sounds like a winner 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## wasman (Oct 13, 2011)

andrewwynn said:


> That sounds like a winner
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Second this!


----------



## Rebound (Apr 29, 2017)

mmoffitt said:


> everything is just one big commercial.. Something that works and works well
> Be sure to have it up on some quality jack stands
> Working smart is equal to working safe!


It’s much easier to find a good jack for a BMW than good jack stands.


----------



## andrewwynn (Jul 8, 2015)

Solid. 

That said I'm pretty happy with my Aluminum models from harbor freight.


----------



## BMW-4-Life (Sep 15, 2015)

Eli Madero said:


> *Updated Post: 10/25/2021*
> Whether you're looking to save a buck or just prefer to get your hands dirty by doing your own maintenance, having the best floor jack in your garage is a must. We're here to help you find the right one for you.
> 
> A floor jack can be considered one of the most important tool in your garage. From rotating your tires, performing a brake service, or even changing out transmission or motor mounts, having a good floor jack can make life for DIY mechanics much easier. Like anything else, not all floor jacks are created equal. Low profile floor jacks are good for car owners with lowered vehicles, but may not provide as much lift as needed for SUV owners. Some smaller floor jacks may also not be strong enough to lift and support some larger vehicles, so it's good to shop around and find one that suits your needs just right. We turned to our Bimmerfest forum family for their best recommendations and here they are!
> ...





andrewwynn said:


> Solid.
> 
> That said I'm pretty happy with my Aluminum models from harbor freight.


Any thoughts on this locking trolley jack, guys ?

The Spin-Lock trolley jack - forum.mp4 (vimeo.com)

It's more a proof of concept than anything ... but it eliminates the need for an axle-stand in many situations.
The finished product would have the locking mechanism entirely behind the lifting arm - so, no need to put your hand through the lifting arm


----------



## Rebound (Apr 29, 2017)

BMW-4-Life said:


> Any thoughts on this locking trolley jack, guys ?
> 
> The Spin-Lock trolley jack - forum.mp4 (vimeo.com)
> 
> ...


Great concept, except how do you raise the entire car?


----------



## Howdy George T. Galvin (5 mo ago)

According to my opinion, A 1.5 – 2-ton floor jack is plenty for BMW, but a 3-ton floor jack is enough and good for a safety margin.


----------



## WERDNA75 (1 mo ago)

My vote goes to the Harbor Freight all Aluminum model, I think it's 2 1/2 ton rated, but at 35lbs vs the 90ish of my old Craftsman behemoth it was worth every penny and functions perfect even after 10+ years.


----------

