Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

[Rich G.]

FYI

https://www.thedrive.com/news/33572/harbor-freight-recalls-jack-stands-that-could-suddenly-collapse?fbclid=IwAR1X5za85AEA-pEz7ePEz6SL22585er0sFU3FQHiYWhrM4Y4cm9DY3gAcVM

Rich

[David H.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

Rich

Thanks for that update.

Dave

[Richard G.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

When I worked in Industrial Plants most would not allow imported rigging to be used on any lifts and for good reason.

I have cheeped out on some things but never when I am under 2T of equipment and my life depends on it.
I have a set of NAPA stands, made in USA and a automotive lift "not manufactured in China."

When you open the link: There is is a posting from a guy that spent days in the hospital after his collapsed.

"The exact reason I threw mine in the trash when I got home from a 10 day stay in ICU after they dropped my s10."

Based on the NHTSA filing, the recall applies to a total of 454,000 jack stands made between 2013 and 2019 and the issue is apparently blamed on old tooling used by the factory. Naturally, affected stands that have yet to be sold have already been removed from Harbor Freight's inventory.
Rick

[Bill M.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

I made the mistake of buying harbor wheel dollies the first time I pushed the car the castors collapsed on one of them. Their power tools are great if you are only going to use them once.

[Wes S.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

Why you guys are supporting china is beyond me

[Bill M.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

Gee Wes that was 15 years ago. Take a look at power tools I am sure a lot of people assume that the American tools their father used are still made in America today. Well they are not. Even craftsman hand tools are no longer stamped made in America. Hopefully manufacturing will wake up after this Chinese flue. 🏎

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

I purchased a pair of moving dollies from HF supposedly rated at 1000 pounds each and supposedly made of solid hardwoods. I put something that weighed 800 pounds on a the pair, one at each end. Broke one in half. I took off the carpet and found 3/8" plywood. I returned them and got apologies from the store manager and a promise to take them off the shelves. That was several years ago and they are still selling them making the same material and weight claims. My HF policy is never use anything from them that is a safety item or requires exact measurements like a torque wrench.
Jeff

[Tom E.]

[Tom L.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

So right. When all this started government found out that we didn't have the manufacturing backbone to make masks! Had to turn to automobile manufacturers to make ventilators. This should e a wake up call but I doubt it. Complacency is king in our country.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

My HF policy is never use anything from them that is a safety item or requires exact measurements like a torque wrench.
Jeff

If you're bored, watch some of the YouTube comparison videos of HF torque wrenches vs the name brands.
The HF ones are amazingly accurate, especially the Icon line.

[Richard G.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

We may be wondering a bit on this thread;

1) From a safety standpoint, HF isn't a good bet. Too many items are just copied and not tested. If they are tested the metal composition or tooling varies over time and makes the testing invalid. Just a note, these jack stands are not the first to be recalled. Remember the split pipe with the pins anyone?

2) Likely some products that work just fine for an occasional use. Few will arguing this.

3) Lots of stuff it just junk. A friend purchased a blasting cap (the hard hat with a cover for blasting) Had to bring it back and go through the whole pile to find just one where the slot for the plastic eye shield would actually fit where it belonged.

I used to hate all china tools and still have my biases. I purchase US when ever I can. I have drawers full of SnapOn, OTC, Proto and Craftsman to prove it. I could have purchased another house!

However, I came to realize we all take care of yourself, our family, towns, county, state and country in this order.
Some believe the tool what keeps the most money in their walled it taking care of themselves (number one on the list)
Other believe purchasing from the US is number one.
I don't argue with the beliefs.
I do what works for me and others do what works for them.
Rick

[Mark S.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

Masks and ventilators are two different subjects. We have the manufacturiong to make masks. An anomaly in demand and nontransparency of the Chinese government added to the problem.

[Bill M.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

Most of our bubble wrap comes from China be careful popping the bubbles. Be sure room thourghly ventilated

[Edward D.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

Had two sets of two of these small 3T jackstands which I returned to HF today for a "gift card" totaling $38, hardly worth the effort of going there to do the return. Their computer system is capable of determining exactly what you paid for them however many years ago, you do not get credit for the current retail price. I was going to replace them with the aluminum version at $49 per pair, but of course those were sold out. I didn't use them often, but they were a convenient small size which fit perfectly in the jack tray of my 4 post lift and on the ramps between the lift and a corvette frame, so they were useful so I will miss them. I have larger US made heavy duty jack stands, but these don't fit in the places those small footprint stands did. Now I need to look for better quality stands with that same small footprint.

[Frank D.]

Re: Harbor Freight Jack Stand Recall

I will admit to having an HF rolling floor jack, low profile, aluminum, 3-ton and had it for years; not the lowest price, fire sale version - one of the upscale versions (if there is such a thing at HF). It was a gift and has been fine with zero issues...

Frankly, I don't much trust any of this stuff - I had Walmart yellow drive on ramps completely flatten out overnight while holding the rear of a Corvair up years ago....and an Autozone rolling floor jack blow a seal and dump my 61 on the ground (still had the tires on it fortunately)... The cheap hard plastic orange/yellow wheel chocks can go skittering across a garage floor unexpectedly. I've also seen a car roll forward off a scissor jack when some yokel was trying to loosen the lug nuts with a wheel airborne instead of on the ground first.

I'm belt and suspenders all the way and prefer my 4 post lift and Race Ramps for most work, otherwise I use quality jack stands WITH a rolling floor jack under pressure providing add'l support in a critical area and heavy rubber wheel chocks, EVEN THEN, I don't get under the car unless absolutely required. I also usually place the removed tire/wheel under the drum/disc brake I'm working on as a final failsafe if something should give out or move...

Even American-made products can have faults or get worn out..