DNA MOTORING 2 ton, 130–330 mm (5.12 to 13 in) review

What you are getting

A hydraulic trolley jack rated 2 ton (4,000 lb), lifting from 5.1 in to 13 in (130–330 mm), with a built-in safety release valve that triggers on overload, a large saddle, swivel castors and heavy-duty steel construction. 483 × 254 × 203 mm (19 × 10 × 7.99 in). $53.19.

It is the only listing on this shelf that prints the refusal

The introduction to this shelf puts it in bold: “The refusal is the important part: a jack raises the car, and axle stands hold it. Nothing on this site describes working under a vehicle supported by a jack alone.”

DNA Motoring gives a bullet to it:

“NOTE — The Jack is designed for lifting purposes only. It must not be used as a jack stand to hold load for any prolonged period. It only suitable for vertical lifting jobs and can not be used where side or downward force is required. The jack is only for lifting; for support, a jack stand must be used.”

Of the eight jacks on this shelf — three American, five published earlier — this is the only one whose own listing says it. Every maker knows it; one of them writes it down.

The second half matters as much and is almost never stated: “vertical lifting jobs” only, and no side or downward force. A hydraulic ram takes load along its axis. Push a car sideways while it is on the jack — leaning on a wheel to line up a bolt — and the load goes across the ram, which is the direction it is not built for and the direction a jack comes off its saddle.

And it is the only one that publishes an overload valve

“OVERLOAD PROTECTION — Built-in dependable safety release valve triggers in the event of an overload to prevent damage or injury.”

The need card on this shelf frames the capacity question that way: “The stated capacity has to exceed by a wide margin the load actually lifted, which is only part of the vehicle’s weight. It is never chosen to the nearest kilo.”

A relief valve is the mechanical form of that margin: past the rated load the oil bypasses and the saddle stops rising instead of the ram or the frame yielding. The published Hammerhart jack names EN 1494 certification, which is the paperwork version of the same protection; this names the component.

But “2 ton” here means four thousand pounds, which is not two metric tons

“a 2 ton (4,000 lb) capacity… Suitable for vehicles up to 2TON/4000 lbs.”

Four thousand pounds is 1,814 kg (3999.2 lb) — a short ton doubled, the American ton. The Maxority jack on this shelf states “2-Ton (4,400 lbs)”, and 4,400 lb is 1,996 kg (4400.4 lb), a metric ton doubled.

Jack	Stated	In pounds	In kilograms
This jack	2 ton	4,000 lb	1,814 kg (3999.2 lb)
Maxority	2-Ton	4,400 lb	1,996 kg (4400.4 lb)

Same words on the box, 181 kg (399 lb) apart. Both figures are published, and the only way to see the difference is to read the pounds.

It matters on this shelf precisely because of the need card above: the figure is chosen with a wide margin, so 181 kg (399 lb) of margin is not nothing. The five published jacks here are rated in metric tons — 2 t, 2.5 t and 3 t — and the American pair are the ones to read twice.

DNA Motoring also publishes what it will not do: “Not recommendable for Pick-Up, truck, too big SUVs etc.” That is a plainer statement of the limit than a tonnage.

And its “low profile” is 130 mm (5.12 in), which is not low on this shelf

The title says Low Profile. The published figure is 5.1 in, which is 130 mm (5.12 in).

Jack	Minimum saddle height
Arebos · Gentor · Hammerhart, published	75 mm (2.95 in)
Stix, published	85 mm (3.35 in)
This jack	130 mm (5.12 in)
VEVOR electric	155 mm (6.10 in)
Maxority · Unitec	not published

The buying advice on this shelf: “measure the gap under your own jacking point before choosing. An 85 mm (3.35 in) saddle is useless on a car with 80 mm (3.15 in) of clearance, and the fix afterwards is a pair of ramps you did not plan to buy.”

One hundred and thirty millimeters is 55 mm (2.17 in) higher than the three low-profile jacks published on this shelf. It will go under a family hatchback or an estate; it will not go under a lowered car, and on many modern cars with a deep front valance it will not reach a front jacking point at all.

Thirteen inches of maximum lift — 330 mm (13 in) — is likewise the second lowest here: the published low-profile jacks reach 505 mm (19.9 in) and the Stix 365 mm (14.4 in) with its adapter. Three hundred and thirty millimeters lifts a wheel clear for a tire change and is tight for getting a stand under a sill at full droop.

The castors swivel, which is half of positioning a jack

“Designed with swivel casters, rolling without a hitch for letting you manoeuvre with ease and easy positioning.”

The published Stix jack states 2 fixed front, 2 swivelling rear, metal; the published Gentor states 2 fixed and 2 steering. That arrangement — two fixed, two swivelling — is what lets a jack be pushed in a straight line and steered, and it is the standard pattern.

DNA Motoring says “swivel casters” without saying how many or which. No count is published, and no material, so whether they mark a painted floor — the complaint the Stix page records about metal castors — is unknown.

No weight, as on every jack on this shelf

The introduction states it as a fact of the category: “No maker on this shelf publishes a weight.” That is still true. The shipping record for this listing gives a packed size of 483 × 254 × 203 mm (19 × 10 × 7.99 in) and no mass.

A 2-ton steel trolley jack is typically something a person carries in one hand with effort, and nothing here publishes a figure to plan around.

What is not published

No pump action — single or dual cylinder is not stated, where four of the five published jacks name a dual or Quicklift system. No saddle pad: the “large saddle” is mentioned and no rubber pad is listed, where the published Stix, Arebos and Gentor jacks each ship two. No certification body or standard, where the published Hammerhart names TÜV Rheinland and GS to EN 1494. No castor count or material. No warranty. No weight.

At $53.19 it is the cheapest American jack here, it tells you what a jack is not for, and 130 mm (5.12 in) is the number to measure against your own car.

Availability

On sale at around $53 on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.

Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.