Transmission Jack Adapters: Everything You Need To Know Before You Buy
If you love to work on your car, there are any number of tools you can pick up to help with your hobby. Some recommendations include Milwaukee tools for shade tree mechanics, smartphone apps that can help novice do-it-yourselfers, and clever ways to locate parts for your old project Chevy. For some major repairs like clutch replacement or transmission swaps, it's occasionally necessary to remove the transmission from your vehicle.
When it comes time to drop your transmission, an adapter for your floor jack that balances and secures your transmission makes it easier to remove and install and can save you from a drop that could damage the bell housing, casing, or internals. This jack/adapter combination can also be used to gently lower axle assemblies and transfer cases. (A transfer case is a mechanism that distributes power between the axles on a four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle). Transmission jack adapters are available from Amazon, eBay, and most auto parts stores. Here's everything you need to know before ordering online or heading to your local store to pick one up.
Transmission jack adapters are usually adjustable
Most transmission jack adapters have the same basic construction, with a base plate, four retaining/support tangs at the corners, and a safety chain to help prevent drops. Many have adjustable sliders so you can pinch the tangs tight to your transmission, and most have plates that can be tilted and locked into place using knobs, bolts, or wing nuts. Before purchasing a transmission jack adapter, determine the weight of the load you'll be supporting with it and make sure the adapter you buy and the jack you're using have at least that much capacity. For example, GM's TH400 transmission weighs 135 pounds dry, and the Mopar Torqueflite 727 comes in at about 161 pounds.
Transmission jack adapters range in price from about $50 to $300 and come in capacities of up to 1,100 pounds. The $295 adapter from 911 Motorsports has a perfect 5 out of 5 rating from all three buyers who left reviews and a capacity of 800 pounds. The highest-rated transmission jack adapter we could find at a more affordable price point was the one from Performance Tool that sells for $88.48 at Walmart. This adapter has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars and a maximum capacity of 1,100 pounds.