A major part of maintaining and repairing equipment today is lifting it off the ground so you can access those important service parts. Unfortunately, some jacks are tough to use or built poorly, making servicing your vehicles and equipment more difficult than needed. That’s why we decided to track down all the jacks made in the USA. These jacks are built well, are easy to use, and help lift various equipment types. Read more about our findings below.
Full List of Jack Brands Made in the USA
Whether you’re interested in lifting farm equipment, sections of buildings, or tall vehicles, the U.S. Jack D-51125 12-ton bottle jack is compact, built to last, and offers a 12-ton lifting capacity. The jack comes with a ductile-iron base that’s wide in design for maximum stability. It is designed with helpful safety features like a fluid bypass and a stop ring for more reliable performance. The jack also has a carry handle designed into the side of the jack, making it easier to transport from one location to another. This tool is designed for high-profile lifting jobs but isn’t made for lifting low objects such as standard cars.
Jacking up a trailer is cumbersome and time-consuming with most standard crank-style trailer jacks, which is why the Barker VIP 3500 Power Jack was created. This jack provides 3,500 pounds of lifting force in a matter of seconds and with the flip of a switch. This advanced jack can be mounted in position on your trailer and used to lift it as needed. It is built with a water-resistant sealed design and a waterproof switch for use out in the elements. It comes built with a wide foot pad to minimize sinking when lifting on soft surfaces, and every piece of this jack is formed from rust-resistant materials such as aluminum or powder or zinc-coated steel tubing.
For working in a warehouse or lifting other equipment, the Hein-Werner Hydraulic Service Jack has been designed to be a highly-convenient piece of equipment. The jack requires just 5” of clearance to slide underneath, but it manages to lift up to 23 ½” overall, making it useful for tons of different types of equipment and some taller cars. The jack comes with a wide stance and a weighty cast-iron base for strength and stability wrapped into one. It also features a sealed hydraulic pump that provides reliable performance over time. It has included safety features such as the pressure-release valve to help keep operations safe and reliable.
There’s nothing worse than getting stuck with a punctured tire out in the middle of nowhere. Things go from bad to worse when you pull out that poor excuse for a scissor jack that came with your vehicle and try to change the tire. Standard scissor jacks are cumbersome and time-consuming, which is why the Norco Professional Jack was created. This scissor jack offers 1-1/2” lifting power while taking up minimal space. It’s built with a 22.5” crank handle, making it comfortable to lift your vehicle. This jack will work on vehicles with a profile as low as 3.75” and features a left and right threaded drive for efficient lifting force. This jack is manufactured to be faster and easier than a standard scissor jack while remaining affordable.
Working on a motorcycle can be challenging to do correctly without a good motorcycle jack to get the job done. The J&S Jacks Motorcycle Air Lift is designed to make getting your bike up and into position for maintenance simple and fast. Just slide it under your bike, attach the airline to your compressor and begin lifting using compressed air. The lifting process takes less than one minute, and your motorcycle will be up to 18.5” off the ground, making it easier to work on. This jack is designed to have a smooth operation and is compatible with most motorcycles. The jack works fine on all Harley models and works with a nice range of other motorcycle manufacturers. It’s also protected with a lifetime warranty on build quality, ensuring reliable operation over time. It’s a little pricier than other jacks, but if you have an air compressor in your shop, this could work well for your motorcycle jack needs.
How To Find Jacks Made in the USA
If you often work on heavy machinery and vehicles, you’ll know how important it is to have a jack that works properly. When you’re working underneath something heavy, you should have complete faith in the jack, which is why you should look for jacks made in the USA.
Sometimes products made overseas are not made with quality materials and break over time. Here’s how to find jacks made in the USA.
What Does “Made in the USA” Mean?
So, what does it mean when products use the term “made in the USA”? According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), “all or virtually all” of the product should be made in the United States. In other words, for a jack to be considered “made in the USA,” it must be made from materials that are sourced and processed in the United States. It must also be manufactured in the United States. So, for example, if the jack is made from steel sourced from China, but the rest of the jack is made in the USA, it cannot use the “made in the USA” label.
To learn more about the FTC’s “made in the USA” standards, check out our detailed labeling guide.
Materials
The first step to finding jacks made in the USA is researching the materials. You should understand whether the raw materials can be sourced from the United States and whether it is easy to do so.
Jacks are generally made from steel with rubber for better grip on the handles.
Steel
Steel is used to construct jacks as the lifting device must withstand heavy weights and be durable. While China is the world’s leading producer of steel production, producing more than half of the world’s steel, the USA is not that far behind. The US is the fourth largest steel producer worldwide, so the USA holds its own in the steel industry. Although the cheaper option is to stick with imported steel made from China, there is a massive gap in quality between Chinese-made steel and US-made steel. American-made steel is three times stronger, so if you’re after a quality jack, you must ensure the steel is sourced domestically. Thankfully, since the steel industry is quite prominent in the USA, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find steel jacks made in the USA.
Rubber
The handles and grips on the jacks are usually made from tough rubber. There are two types of rubber: natural and synthetic. You should look specifically for synthetic rubber when looking for products made in the USA. The USA produces only a tiny percentage of the world’s natural rubber. Instead, most of the world’s natural rubber comes from Thailand. On the other hand, synthetic rubber is a significant industry in the United States.
Labeling
The second step to finding jacks made in the USA is to look at the labeling. Title 19 Chapter 4 Section 1304 of the United States Code states that all imported products must be labeled as such. This law is a massive help in weeding out foreign-made products. In addition, the FTC protects the usage of the “made in the USA” label. So, in theory, finding US-made jacks should be as easy as simply looking at the product’s labeling.
However, the FTC does not do the best job of policing the usage of the label. This is why additional research is always required. There is no pre-approval process to use the “made in the USA” label, so take care when you see this label on a product.
You should also pay close attention to the exact wording of the label on a product. Watch out for misleading labels like “assembled in the USA” or “designed in the USA.” These terms do not actually mean that the products are truly made in the United States. Also, be wary of phrases like “made in America,” as America can also refer to Mexico or Canada.
The American flag sticker is one final thing to watch out for on labels. If a product has an American flag sticker, do not automatically assume it is made in the USA. The usage of American flags on labels is not regulated.
Other Tips
Here are some more helpful tips for finding jacks made in the USA.
Visit The Website
The easiest way to check where a company’s products are made is to check out its website. Usually, if a product is made in the USA, the company will proudly advertise this fact, as “made in the USA” is a huge selling point. Check the “About Us” or product page for this information.
On the other hand, companies are not required to state the country of origin on their online or promotional materials, so if you can’t find the country of origin, it’s best to assume the product is made elsewhere.
Call The Company
If you cannot find any information on the company’s website, simply call and ask. A representative should be able to answer any questions you may have regarding the sourcing of the raw materials and the manufacturing of the product.
Jacks Not Made in the USA
When doing our research, we discovered that the majority of brands selling jacks don’t manufacture them in the USA. We’ve included the full list of businesses below who do not make their jacks in the USA as well as where they’re being manufactured.
- Pro-Lift – Made in China.
- Big Red – Made in China.
- Blackhawk – Made in China.
- Harbor Freight Daytona Jacks – Made in China.
- Arcan – Made in China.
