Ranger RTJ-3000 1.5-Ton Telescoping Transmission Jack
The RTJ-3000 is a two-stage telescoping transmission jack, and the most useful thing to understand about it is that its rating changes as it rises. The first stage is rated 3,000 lbs. The second stage — the inner section that carries the saddle from mid-travel to full extension — is rated 2,000 lbs. Both figures are published, both are real, and the 1.5-ton on the badge describes the first stage.
Nobody spells that out in transmission-jack marketing, and it is the fact that decides whether this jack suits your work. If you are pulling a heavy automatic from a vehicle sitting high on a two-post lift, the load is being carried near the top of the stroke, in the second stage, at 2,000 lbs. If you are working lower or transferring a unit to a bench, the first stage's 3,000 lbs is what you have. Size the jack against the weight of the heaviest unit you handle and the height you handle it at, not against the badge alone.
Will It Fit?
Lowered height is 35.5" and raised height is 71.5". Those two numbers bracket the job at both ends. At 35.5" the saddle still has to slide under the transmission with the vehicle at working height, so on a low-lifted car or a vehicle on stands this jack may simply be too tall to get under the pan — it is built for a vehicle on a full-rise lift, not for a floor-level job. At 71.5" it has the reach to work under a two-post or four-post lift raised to a comfortable standing height, which is the entire point of a telescoping design.
The base measures 34" x 34". That is a substantial square of floor, and it has to fit between your lift's arms, posts or runways with room left to steer. Measure the clear space under the lift at working height before ordering, particularly on a four-post where the runways narrow the approach. Shipping weight is 204 lbs, so it arrives on a pallet and wants two people or a pallet jack to place.
Customer responsibility, stated plainly: the jack lifts and positions, it does not support. A transmission left resting on any jack while someone works beneath it is an unsupported load. Chain it to the saddle, and support the vehicle properly and independently.
Two-Stage Hydraulics, and the Ram Inside Them
The hydraulic unit is sealed and double-sealed — one seal to hold pressure, a second to keep shop grit, brake dust and oil mist out of the cylinder. Contamination is what kills a transmission jack, not wear. A jack that lives under vehicles collects everything that drips onto it, and a scored ram drags that debris straight past the seal on every stroke.
Which is why the ram itself is worth naming. It is hardened chrome-moly and alloy plated, specifically so rust cannot establish on the ram surface and be pulled into the hydraulic system. That is a materials choice with a maintenance consequence: it is the difference between a jack that still holds after five winters in an unheated shop and one that sinks under load.
Pumping is foot-operated, keeping both hands on the transmission where they are needed. A safety overload system prevents the jack being worked beyond its rated capacity — a mechanical limit rather than a warning sticker.
The Saddle: Four Axes of Adjustment
The universal saddle tilts two ways and slides the other two, so it can be brought into plane with a transmission sitting nose-down and offset, which is how they always sit. Fine-thread adjustment screws with oversized knobs do the work, and steel roller bearings sit underneath the table and on the ends of the adjustment screws to cut friction — meaning the table can still be adjusted precisely while loaded, which is exactly when you need to move it a quarter turn and exactly when a plain screw seizes.
Heavy-duty chain anchors secure the unit to the saddle. Use them every time. A transmission becomes top-heavy the moment the bellhousing bolts come out, and the chains are the only thing between a controlled lower and a dropped case.
Stability on the Floor
The extra-wide 34" x 34" base rides on four heavy-duty swivel ball-bearing casters, giving a low centre of gravity and letting the jack be steered under a vehicle with a load on it. Two push/pull handles let you position it from either side rather than walking round it in a tight bay.
Perfect For
Transmission specialists pulling units all day, for whom the second-stage rating and the saddle's adjustability matter more than the headline capacity. General repair shops with a full-rise two-post lift wanting to bring drivetrain work in-house. Fleet garages handling vans and light trucks. Serious home shops with a lift and the ceiling height to use it — but check the 35.5" lowered height against your working height first.
What's in the Box
The jack ships as a complete assembly: two-stage hydraulic unit with foot pump, hardened chrome-moly alloy-plated ram, fully adjustable universal saddle with its fine-thread adjustment screws and roller bearings, heavy-duty chain anchors, the extra-wide base on four swivel ball-bearing casters, and two push/pull handles. This listing does not itemise additional adapters or accessories, so do not assume specialist adapters are included — ask us if you need one.
Specifications
| Lifting capacity, first stage |
3,000 lbs. (1.5 ton) |
| Lifting capacity, second stage |
2,000 lbs. |
| Lowered height |
35.5" |
| Raised height |
71.5" |
| Base dimensions |
34" x 34" |
| Ram |
Hardened chrome-moly, alloy plated |
| Pump |
Foot-operated, double-sealed hydraulics |
| Shipping weight |
204 lbs. |
Certification, Stated Honestly
This listing carries no third-party product-listing claim for the jack, and we will not imply one. Lifting devices used in a commercial workplace are frequently covered by an employer's own periodic inspection and load-test policy, and some insurers and fleet contracts specify equipment assessed by an independent laboratory rather than declared compliant by its maker. If that applies to you, confirm the requirement before you buy rather than discovering it at an audit.
Shipping and Delivery
This jack ships by freight to the lower 48 states. Freight means kerbside or dock delivery: the driver is not obliged to bring it inside, so you must be able to take the pallet off the truck or collect it from the carrier's terminal. Residential delivery carries a residential fee, quoted live at checkout with the rest of your freight. Inspect the pallet before you sign and write any damage on the bill of lading at the point of delivery — a clean signature makes a later claim very hard to pursue.
Warranty
Ranger publishes a warranty statement covering its products, and that document governs this jack. This listing states no term, so we are not going to quote one — ask and we will send you the current statement before you order. If a hydraulic fault appears, contact us first and leave the unit assembled: opening a sealed hydraulic cylinder before a claim is assessed is the most reliable way to void it.
