I'm buying a floor jack and wondering if I can get by with 2 ton jack. I've been told 3 tons should be minimum. But, since we have no good mechanics in this area, I need ya'lls opinions.
Would 2 tons be able to jack up front of 2002 Monte Carlo ls?
Thanks

 

Where did you see 3 tons as the minimum? That math doesn't math, so that place is giving bad info.

2 tons = 4000 lbs. Curb weight on a 6th gen is mid to low 3000s. So unless you've got more than 500 lbs of extra junk in the car, a 2 ton jack could literally lift the entire car (if you could somehow magically add a safe single jacking point exactly under the center of gravity) and still be within its rated capacity.

Given that's impossible, the worst case scenario for a jack would be lifting the front half of the car. Weight split isnt 50/50 on these (frankly Im not sure what it is), but let's go way extreme and call it 75/25. Thats barely over 2500 lbs that you'd be jacking, not even 3/4 of the limit of a 2 ton jack.

Bottom line a 2 ton is more than enough for anything you'd be doing on these cars. Certainly bigger wont hurt anything either as long as it's in budget and the form factor still fits the car, but there's no need for crazy overkill on a jack. All it's doing is getting the car temporarily into the air long enough to secure it on jack stands or wheel stands - no one will ever be under the car with the jack alone / it should never be up on the jack only more than a few minutes at a time.

 

Thanks bumpin96monte. The 2 ton fits my budget just right.

 

I used a 2 ton for years. I just needed to have a few jack stands also. Dont ever leave weight on a jack.

 

whte02 is correct never leave the Jack only to support the car. if you can't get jack stands then use a concrete block not on end but the holes up, place a 2by 6 on it. It's to late to be better when you are pinned under the car.