SFandH
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A new jack for my truck
In anticipation of a flat tire this coming trip to BCS in my loaded down F-250 with fat, heavy, somewhat old tires, at the most inopportune spot on
the highway, which is par for the course for me, I'm thinking about buying a new jack to use instead of the manufacturer's jack which looks like a
hydraulic bottle jack but is actually a geared contraption. Something beefier and easier to use.
I already have a good x-type lug nut wrench, a cheater bar, and a foot long piece of 4 x 12 to use as a base for the jack.
Hydraulic bottle jack?
Scissors jack?
Or ????
[Edited on 9-6-2017 by SFandH]
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mtgoat666
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Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  | In anticipation of a flat tire this coming trip to BCS in my loaded down F-250 with fat, heavy, somewhat old tires, at the most inopportune spot on
the highway, which is par for the course for me, I'm thinking about buying a new jack to use instead of the manufacturer's jack which looks like a
hydraulic bottle jack but is actually a geared contraption. Something beefier and easier to use.
I already have a good x-type lug nut wrench, a cheater bar, and a foot long piece of 4 x 12 to use as a base for the jack.
Hydraulic bottle jack?
Scissors jack?
Or ????
[Edited on 9-6-2017 by SFandH] |
Floor jack. They weigh a bit more, but are super fast.
Floor jacks don't lift very high, and like semi-flat ground, so also keep a bottle jack or screw jack with greater range (like the jack that came with
vehicle).
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bajabuddha
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Never knowing for sure where it happens, I always carried at least 3-4 different kinds in my truck when hauling loads. Always had my standard screw
jack, have a high-lift, and two hydraulic bottle jacks in the 5th wheel... one small, one 12-ton, plus a milk crate of wood blocks for base or
cribbing. A full size floor jack is great, but takes up a whole lot of room, and not as versatile as a combination of 'em. The high-lift handle is
also a good breaker bar when you need a little extra oomph.
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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DENNIS
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Whatever you do, avoid getting one of those big-ass bumper jacks. They're lethal.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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Alm
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Bottle jack is compact, and it will do. They have capacity from 6 ton (13,000 lbs) to 20 ton (44,000 lbs).
Scissors jack - if you are glutton for punishment. Very inconvenient.
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StuckSucks
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I use an aluminum floor jack, rigged for off-road use. It has big/tall wheels for soft sand and a skid plate to keep it from sinking in sand. You can
get the oversized tire kits at Kartek. Go nuts and get the quick-release jack rack for your truck -- super convenient but spendy.
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gator
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The bottle jack is always in the truck. If there is room I'll also carry a floor jack.
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PaulW
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Bottle jack always wins for ease of use and versatility. The only issue is having enough and varies blocks of wood for all the various uses. All my
rigs have a 20 ton unit. The harbor freight ones are leakers, but they still get the job done for a good price. I gave up on HiLift and floor jacks a
long time ago.
BTW, I just bought the highly rated 12v Viair compressor. I hope the reviews and test ratings are valid. Cost around $50. It has a 20 minute duty
cycle and 60 psi max.
[Edited on 9-6-2017 by PaulW]
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Bob and Susan
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I use a hydraulic bottle jack...
small but BIG
since I hardly ever have to use it I "cheap-ed out"
and bought it at harbor freight
no need for a fancy one
I have a piece of wood too for the sand
when you get a flat it normally isn't in a parking lot
I would unscrew the lugs before the trip and
wire brush the screws and grease them with "white grease"
just to make sure they are not seized on
worst thing is to have lug nuts that wont come off when you need them to
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Maderita
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SFandH,
For your purposes, a cost effective solution is the hydraulic bottle jack. Get one rated (in tons) for at least double, if not triple, your intended
use.
You want the capability to lift the entire front or entire rear of the loaded vehicle. The 4-ton jacks are small and wimpy. A few bucks more will get
you 8-ton or bigger.
For occasional use maybe Harbor Freight. Their sales and coupons are almost perpetual.
https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/bottle-j...
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MMc
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I have a 2 bottle jacks that ride in the truck always with a couple of 3' 2x6 for sand. I do have a aluminum floor jack if there is room.
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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Maderita
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Bob and Susan, You beat me to it.
+1
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SFandH
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| Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan |
I would unscrew the lugs before the trip and
wire brush the screws and grease them with "white grease"
just to make sure they are not seized on
worst thing is to have lug nuts that wont come off when you need them to
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I'm going to have the tires rotated and brakes inspected before I go but one of the reasons for doing so is to make sure the lug nuts aren't seized. I
live at the beach on the Pacific in the salty air and am all too familiar with things rusting together (and away).
Sounds like a big bottle jack is in my future. I also carry jack stands and place one of them under the frame or axle after jacking it up, just in
case.
Seems like I get a flat every year. Last year a valve stem leaked leaving me with a flat tire in the morning. Then there was the cactus spine that
went through the side wall during a brief off-road adventure. Then there was the screw picked up in Mulege. And what about the blow out going downhill
on a twisty curvy 2 lane road in Michoacan with a jake braking 18 wheeler behind me. 
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AKgringo
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A rookie tire guy with an impact wrench can make for a miserable time later on. I would make sure you can break the lug nuts loose with your star
wrench before you leave the shop.
Make sure that anything in the bed of your truck (like jacks) are secured. In an unplanned ditch dive ten years ago, a loose chunk of fire wood came
through my rear window and smacked my skull.
I suffered from double vision for six months, which even when that got better left me with permanente damage to my peripheral vision and depth
perception.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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Sr.vienes
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Big red two stage bottle jack wil save ya from blocking up twice.
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