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In-Depth Arcan Floor Jack Review

There are as many models of floor jack on the market as there are road-ready vehicles, so choosing a reliable shop jack can be daunting. When choosing your next floor jack, it’s important to know what you’re getting while searching for the best value.

Today we’re going to look at a popular model, the Arcan floor jack ALJ3T, and compare it to some leading models available right now. There are a lot of new features available today, so we will cover everything you need to know before making your decision on the perfect jack for your garage.

What Is the Arcan ALJ3T Aluminum Floor Jack?

arcan floor jack

The ALJ3T is a three-ton capacity floor jack with an aluminum body. This model only weighs 56 pounds, which makes it one of the lightest floor jacks with this level of lift capacity. This floor jack is designed for home and commercial use, with a safe and reliable hydraulic lift system made for every type of mechanic.

There are several high-end features built into the ALJ3T, which adds to the safety and ease of use for this floor jack. A fast-rising lift system makes this a quick and efficient floor jack for any job from a fast balance to an underbody rebuild.

Product Specs  

This model has dozens of great features that all add to the durability, safety, and reliability. There are a lot of standard features that are included, like the wide-track front wheels for added stability, the reinforced lift arm, and the quick lock safety latch. This Arcan floor jack is made for every type of mechanic, be it expert or novice.

This jack works great in both commercial garages and the home shop. The dual piston system, dust shield protectors, and pressure relief valves are all professional grade details that make it easy to operate like breaking a lug nut off. While those are all fantastic features, we want to call out some things that make this Arcan floor jack a special value.

Fast Up Quick Rise System

The ALJ3T has a dual-piston lift system that operates in two stages to bring the lift arm to the maximum height. There are two independent dust shields built into the arms to prevent long-term wear to the hydraulic system. The reinforced handle adds to the stable lift, making it fast and easy to bring the saddle up to the full height needed.

The entire quick rise system works together to make this an easy three-ton lift on almost any vehicle.

High Capacity Lift Height

Though it’s easy to find a high capacity jack in this price range, it’s hard to find one with this kind of profile and total lift height. Three ton lifting is the industry standard for this style of floor jack. There is little variation in this series, with the real beastly floor jacks topping out at a half ton more than this.

That’s why this capacity is excellent when you pair it with the low-profile body design. The full 18 1/4 inch extension comes from the low sitting position of under 4 inches. That full reach with a low profile makes it ideal for even the lowest sitting vehicles.

Safe But Strong

High capacity jacks are common, but not with this kind of attention to safety and strength. The lighter weight does nothing to stop the reinforced frame and wide-panel base from offering safe and stable support. This floor jack has been designed with safety in mind, bringing together advanced pressure relief systems and a novel frame design.

These features all combine to give you a steel-tough floor jack with commercial rated safety. Also, because of the low weight and wide wheelbase, this floor jack is easy to move around the shop. This easy maneuverability makes finding the right spot under the vehicle easier.

Arcan Floor Jacks Warranty

The manufacturer stands by their products with a one-year limited warranty on this model. You can rest assured that this jack will work to the highest standards out of the box or your money back. Arcan has been making mechanics tools for quite some time, so they have a great reputation for not only offering superior products but standing behind them when you need them to.

Pricing

The Arcan floor jack is available at several online retailers. The price is around $$ dollars without shipping or taxes.

How It Compares

We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare.

Arcan 3-Ton Quick Rise Aluminum Floor Jack with Dual Pump Pistons & Reinforced Lifting Arm (ALJ3T / A20018) & Pro-Lift T-6906D Double Pin Jack Stand - 6 Ton, 1 Pack

Arcan ALJ3T Aluminum Floor Jack

Price: $$$

The Arcan floor jack is available for purchase online for around $$.

Ease Of Use:

There are a lot of different models that look like the Arcan floor jack, but none of them make using the lift system as easy as this model. The low weight makes no compromise for lift capacity, so this low profile jack if easy to move around the shop or garage.

There are reenforced wheels and a wide-body base, so the jack grips and sits nicely on the under-frame of whatever vehicle you’re lifting.

Assembly Time:

The assembly out of the box was quick and easy. The instructions made the assembly a snap, with great guidance on making sure the safety bypass is up and running.

Design Quality:

This unit has amazing strength given a low weight and slim profile. The Arcan floor jack achieves this by using a thicker frame plate on the side of the model, giving it a lower profile while strengthening the core beneath the lift arm.

This is a fantastic feature if you need a floor jack for lower sitting vehicles, especially ones with heavy loads on the frame.

Warranty:

The Arcan floor jack comes with the standard one-year manufacturer’s limited warranty, which covers any factory defect.

Pros

  • Excellent weight/lift ratio
  • Reliable and trusted design

Cons

  • High price tag

Blackhawk B6350 Black/Red Fast Lift Service Jack - 3.5 Ton Capacity, 28 1/2" L x 13 3/4" W x 6 1/2" H

Blackhawk B6350 Black/Red Fast Lift Service Jack

This is a service jack with a top out capacity half a ton more than the Arcan floor jack, making it the strongest machine on this list. The heavy frame and bearing drive swivel saddle make servicing in the shop quick and efficient, even on the heaviest vehicles. The Fast Lift system from Blackhawk is swift and quiet, giving you quick control over the height of the lift.

Price: $$

This unit is available for purchase online for around $$.

Ease Of Use:

While the Arcan floor jack is designed for all users, the Blackhawk B6350 is slightly more specialized. This is the highest capacity jack on this list, so the heavier frame and swivel saddle add to the bulkiness. That added weight is necessary though because this floor jack is made for the heaviest road-ready vehicles in the shop.

Assembly Time:

This came almost ready out of the box, so there was little need for assembly or to look at the instructions before getting to work. We recommend looking at the user guide and familiarizing yourself with the bypass safety system, as this is a handy feature to help avoid over-pumping and damaging the jack, or worse, dropping your vehicle.

Design Quality:

The fast-lift system developed for the Blackhawk floor jack is excellent. The bypass lift system makes it safer to use the jack, avoiding over pumps by displacing high pressure in the system. Though the unit is one of the heavier models, the strong lift capacity makes that added weight worth it as a shop jack.

Warranty:

The Blackhawk comes with a standard one-year manufacturer’s warranty for any defective factory part.

Pros

  • Large lift capacity
  • Superior strength of the hydraulic lift

Cons

  • Heavy frame design

BIG RED T83006 Torin Hydraulic Trolley Service/Floor Jack with Extra Saddle (Fits: SUVs and Extended Height Trucks): 3 Ton (6,000 lb) Capacity, Red

Torin Big Red Hydraulic Trolley Floor Jack

The Big Red is a caster-base floor jack designed for larger vehicles that need a higher lift. The Big Red is a little different from the Arcan floor jack, boasting an extended neck that makes it ideal for larger SUVs and trucks. If you need that larger lift, then the Torin is your ideal model. The standard three-ton capacity is enough for even the beefiest trucks, making this a great at-home shop jack.

Price: $

This floor jack is available for purchase for around $.

Ease Of Use:

This is the perfect floor jack if you are working on an extended height vehicle like an SUV or lift-kit truck. The extended handle and wide footed base make it a lot easier on the back when trying to get a lift on a larger vehicle. The easy-lifting hydraulics work well with the extended handle.

Assembly Time:

The Big Red was a little worse off than the Arcan floor jack because the guide was a little less than helpful. You can always look for more information online, which is helpful, but it would be nice if the in-box instructions were a little clearer for the new user.

Design Quality:

Torin’s Big Red is a strong value compared to the Arcan floor jack, especially considering the similar lift capacities on both of the models. Torin has an efficient hydraulic lift system on all of their jacks, so there is little effort wasted when using this on heavier vehicles.

Warranty:

Torin only carries a one-year warranty on all of their floor jacks. This covers the typical non-standard defects from the factory.

Pros

  • An excellent value
  • Reliable and familiar design

Cons

  • Limited warranty on heavy equipment

Pittsburgh Automotive 3 Ton Heavy Duty Ultra Low Profile Steel Floor Jack with Rapid Pump Quick Lift

Pittsburgh Automotive 3 Ton Heavy Duty Ultra Low Profile Steel Floor Jack

The Pittsburgh Three-ton floor jack has a lot in common with the Arcan floor jack. There is the obvious three-ton capacity, which is stellar given the profile and size of this machine. The specially designed low profile is a few inches lower than the standard three-ton jack, so this becomes ideal if you need something that can move quickly and store easily in the shop.

This also makes a great “trunk” jack for the professional mechanics that might need a quick and reliable lift for a highway or rural road change.

Price: $$

This item is available for purchase for around $$. 

Ease Of Use:

The ultra-low profile on this jack makes it easier to move the heavy equipment around the shop floor. That’s helpful if you need a quick and reliable floor jack to help with a quick balance and swap, so even for the rapid change for the highway professional.

Assembly Time:

There was little for us to do once this came out of the box, so there isn’t much assembly time to talk about. The instructions and user guide were helpful and made the whole unboxing a breeze.

Design Quality:

Pittsburgh has been making automotive repair access​​ories for a long time, so it’s no wonder this jack is well made and thoughtfully designed. The three-ton capacity is what you would want from a floor jack of this size, making it comparable in that way to the Arcan floor jack.

Warranty:

This floor jack comes with the standard manufacturer’s limited warranty on defective parts.

Pros

  • Ultra-low profile
  • Three-ton capacity

Cons

  • A great value

Conclusion

arcan floor jack Aluminum

There are a lot of amazing floor jacks available for the garage, but the Arcan floor jack has one of the lighter frames while maintaining the standard three-ton lift capacity. There is less variation in the mass weight of most road vehicles, so having a standard lift capacity is nice when paired with an easy to move and low profile frame.

The thick hybrid aluminum body is strong enough to handle the load while sitting at shorter than five inches on deployment. For all of these reasons, we have given the Arcan floor jack four out of five stars. We highly recommend this jack for the home shop or commercial garage.