So here you have the Powertrade 640912 3-Ton All-in-One Bottle Jack. Basically it is a high lift bottle jack permanently mounted to a jack stand. In theory, this is a good idea. At $36 at time of writing, it costs about the same as a good bottle jack, if there is such a thing.
I actually bought this thing a few months back and haven’t managed to find the time to do a full review. I don’t think this is going to change any time soon, so I figured a mediocre review is better than none at all...
Unboxing
On first inspection this thing is pretty impressive. Heavy with a surprisingly wide base, long handle, and a big u-channel to cradle your jacking point securely.
The handle that comes with it is much longer than you usually see on a cheap bottle jack and while collapsible, it locks together so it doesn’t just fly apart during use. Neat!
The neck has three height settings, adjustable by pulling the pin and moving the neck insert up and down.
That said, this thing is surprisingly tall. My immediate concern was if it would be able to get under my car, especially with a flat tire.
The jack stand is a pretty standard affair. The handle locks up for easy lowering. The base is one big plate rather than individual legs, which would be nice when jacking on soft surfaces, but could be a pain on rocky or uneven surfaces. TBD.
In use
I was right to be concerned. In the lowest setting this barely fits under Discovery. I think in the field I’d need a little bottle jack to get it up high enough to get this thing under it.
The second problem came when trying to find a place to use it. Being a body-on-frame vehicle with solid axles, pretty much every place on the Discovery is a jacking point. That said, with the jack at the lowest settting, unless the jacking point is completely clear, other parts of the jack are going to make contact with the vehicle before the top of the jack does. This would be solved if I could raise it, but of course I couldn’t.
(After going through the pain of finding a suitable jacking point I did realize I could have rotated the top of the jack 90 degrees and that might have been easier.)
After I found a spot, the jack went up without any fuss and eventually I had it where I wanted it. I locked the jack stand in that position and began to lightly let pressure off the bottle side.
And pooped myself.
At least on pavement, there is a disturbing amount of movement as loading shifts from the bottle jack to the jack stand. Both feel sturdy, so I think this is just a necessary evil as part of the design.
Worth it?
Despite some annoyances, for under $50 I would hands down recommend this if you think it will work in your life. For me, it’ll go in the Landy as a supplement to the factory bottle jack in the field. Since I don’t have nay floor jacks, I’ll also probably go ahead and buy a 2nd one to use for raising the Land Rover in the garage too. Maybe.
I wish it were just a little lower and if it had a place to store the handle when not in use, but these are minor concerns overall.
Is it better than a Hi-Lift jack or equivalent? My guess would be no, considering the lack of prevalence. Having never used one, I can’t say. This certainly seems safer and more compact, but I also don’t want to start a war so... let’s just say they’re different products for different purposes.
I will update if I have to use it in the field, but lets hope I never do.
