I have to do the clutch on my pig. The NV4500 and transfer case are just too heavy to manage, so I need some sort of transmission jack. Is Harbor Freight my best bet for a cheaper one? I need around 24" of lift.
I need a transmission jack (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter nat
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- Thread starter
- #3
Is it reliable enough? I saw that, but was unsure.
I've got the scissors-type from HF. It works. 
Wile E Coyote
Out in the streets, they call it murder!
I have a HF quality jack that fits a floor jack. For a shadetree once every 5 yrs kinda part, it will get the job done. What I noticed was not the max height being an issue, but the minimum. Like, getting the trans out from under the truck while still on the jack and adapter. Of course, it's a non-issue if your jackstands are tall enough. Mine were the cheap 2.5 ton ones that were pretty low for a 4x4.
Here's the jig I built for my floor jack:
I know, it looks kinda booty-fab, but it works awesome. I've lost count of how many times I've used it, in fact it's under a Tacoma right now doing a clutch job.
I know, it looks kinda booty-fab, but it works awesome. I've lost count of how many times I've used it, in fact it's under a Tacoma right now doing a clutch job.
If you only need a tranny jack very infrequently, I suggest renting one. The HF cheapos and adapters for floor jacks seem not only marginal safety wise, but a good tranny jack is worth its weight in 90 wt when trying to align the input shaft through the clutch disk and into the pilot bearing.
I had one of these: http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa...o?itemid=95640&CategoryName=&SubCategoryName=
I WOULD NOT SUGGEST USING IT FOR AN NV4500. It is pretty sketchy to begin with, but an NV4500 is too much weight to play around with. I ended up getting disgusted and throwing it in my scrap metal pile to take for recycling rather than pawn it off on craigslist and have someone else get hurt using it.
I picked up one of these: http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa...do?itemid=3185&CategoryName=&SubCategoryName=
Did the job nicely - NV4500 out of my tow rig to replace the clutch. But if you don't see yourself using it again, I'd second the recommendation to rent one.
I WOULD NOT SUGGEST USING IT FOR AN NV4500. It is pretty sketchy to begin with, but an NV4500 is too much weight to play around with. I ended up getting disgusted and throwing it in my scrap metal pile to take for recycling rather than pawn it off on craigslist and have someone else get hurt using it.
I picked up one of these: http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa...do?itemid=3185&CategoryName=&SubCategoryName=
Did the job nicely - NV4500 out of my tow rig to replace the clutch. But if you don't see yourself using it again, I'd second the recommendation to rent one.
- Thread starter
- #10
What if I made an adapter for my floor jack? I have plenty of steel and welders.
Was the issue the poor quality of the adapter or is using a regular floor jack the problem?
KLF's adapter is pretty cool.
Was the issue the poor quality of the adapter or is using a regular floor jack the problem?
KLF's adapter is pretty cool.
Wile E Coyote
Out in the streets, they call it murder!
I say it's definitely the poor fit and finish of the adapter, and not the floor jack itself. For example, the fasteners feel like pot metal and notably light weight for their size. Like made of aluminum light.
I'd either hack at a HF one to improve it, or take the KLF route to make a keeper one.
- Thread starter
- #12
Gotcha, I'll just make one..
For something as heavy as the NV4500, it just didn't work. But I would not have trusted it with smaller transmissions either.
The first problem is that the adapter just drops into the hole for the jack pad. So it wants to spin around on that. There also isn't much to secure the transmission to the adapter. So add in tilt, lean, and roll to the equation.
I can't quite tell how KLF has his adapter secured to the jack, but it looks more stable than the HF version. Again, though, there is a difference between a Taco transmission and an NV4500.
Did I mention that an NV4500 is heavy?
What I did was pretty simple, I pop out the "saddle" part of the jack that leaves a flat area about 4.5" square. Then I drilled and tapped 4 holes into the jack at this spot. The adapter bolts to the jack here with 4 Grade 8 bolts.
The wooden part of the adapter easily unbolts from below at the hinge (2 lags), and I have a flat piece of stiffened 2x10 that can bolt on in it's place, I've used that to drop several A440F's and a few gas tanks. The chain is very important to the system, it wraps around the load and I have a looonng eyebolt on the other side that I can cinch it down tight. Very stable when carefully done.
I would say the only real issue I have is having enough "throw" in the system. What I usually do is drive the front of the truck up on ramps, then test the jack, to make sure it is very near the upper end of it's travel before starting the job. This gives you lots of room under the truck, I can often comfortably sit on the floor, especially when doing the flywheel and RMS swap. Usually I'm not actually removing the tranny all the way out from under the truck, but in the few cases when I've had to, it can be a challenge.
