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JZ
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Posts: 10546
Registered: 10-3-2003
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Let's talk about jacks; What jack(s) do you take with you on trips to Baja
Bottle jack, high lift jack, exhaust jack?
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mtgoat666
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Posts: 18377
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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Stock bottle and scissor jacks, and a few short pieces of 2x6 timber.
Friend carries an offroad floor jack, a bit heavy/bulky, but nice and fast the few times we needed it.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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JZ
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Posts: 10546
Registered: 10-3-2003
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I did not know they made offroad floor jacks. Just watched several videos on them.
Thinking this is what I want to upgrade to.
https://youtu.be/EOs1dwIo1o4
https://youtu.be/-O9-fRbF2ZY
[Edited on 7-23-2020 by JZ]
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4x4abc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4289
Registered: 4-24-2009
Location: La Paz, BCS
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Mood: happy - always
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exhaust jack is a cool concept - used on occasion
it mostly failed what it was supposed to do
Harald Pietschmann
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4x4abc
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Registered: 4-24-2009
Location: La Paz, BCS
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Mood: happy - always
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off road floor jacks are great
have one - light aluminum
BUT - it uses a lot more space than a bottle jack
Harald Pietschmann
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defrag4
Senior Nomad
Posts: 536
Registered: 2-5-2011
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carry both a bottle jack and a small floor jack, usually just use the bottle jack but have been in incidents where the bottle jack was too tall and
the floor jack saved my arse
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Maderita
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Posts: 667
Registered: 12-14-2008
Location: San Diego
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A very relevant topic for Baja and offroad JZ.
My 1-ton 4x4 van always has a hydraulic bottle jack on board. It's probably a 6 or 8-ton jack. Lesser capacity jacks seem a little flimsy, and some
have less vertical travel. The bottle jack is good for changing tires. Their advantage is in lifting one tire off the ground. By lifting under the
spring or axle, the amount of vertical lift required is only a few inches. (As opposed to a bumper jack which must overcome several inches of
suspension travel before the tire begins to raise.)
If going anywhere with 4WD, or offroad mud/snow conditions, I bring a Hi-Lift jack. Usually the 48", all cast iron jack (vs. cheaper stamped steel).
If I'm getting serious, then the 60", or on rare occasions, both. That compliments the 12,000 winch.
I made a plywood base approx. 18" x 24", doubled up 3/4" plywood, drilled to match the foot of the Hi-Lift, with 2 bolts and wing nuts. This prevents
the jack from sliding off the base, if things become off-angle. An "accessory kit" in a tool bag for the Hi-Lifts contains a clevis slip-hook, clevis
grab-hook, short lengths of chain, and quick links. Also a can of spray lube (Liguid Wrench or WD40) for the "climbing" pins if they become gritty or
muddy.
For those unfamiliar with Hi-Lifts (aka: sheepherder's or farm jacks), they are highly versatile and a cost-effective piece of equipment (under $100).
They are capable of lifting the entire front or rear of a truck 2' off the ground. One trick, employed many times, is to lift the entire end of the
vehicle into the air, then push it over sideways. Needless to say, this is potentially quite hazardous. These jacks are not friendly to modern OEM
plastic bumpers, lower valances, or flimsy steel bumpers. There are accessory hook & strap devices for attaching to a wheel for a lifting point.
The Hi-Lift can also be used as a come-along, to slowly winch your way out of a stuck situation.
Research thoroughly about safety do's and don'ts. There should be numerous YouTube videos and web pages on the subject. They are unstable enough when
one wheel is off the ground. With two wheels in the air, about as stable as a drunk stumbling out of Hussong's Cantina.
Rebuildable and parts are available. Gave a new bright red 60" to a rancher amigo for Christmas. He had need for it twice in the subsequent week.
A desert/duning buddy had an expensive Australian "X-jack" inflatable (by exhaust gas). Seemed like a great concept. He was more than disappointed
when it popped the first time he needed it. No doubt, user error. Undercarriages have all sorts of pointy things. So I handed him my faithful Hi-Lift,
purchased from Dick Cepek's Offroad in the 1970s.
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John Harper
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Registered: 3-9-2017
Location: SoCal
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I have a scissors jack mounted to a piece of 2x10 for stability and a larger footprint.
John
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1921
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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Great looking in theory
Saw this some time ago. I've been watching reviews and I'm still not sold due to what may be unsolved leakage issue. At around $65.00, it seems to be
priced ok.
One of my thoughts on this particular set up is that jacking up a vehicle isn't always about changing a tire. if you need to do repair under the
vehicle, I think the locking mechanism would provide a much better level of security.
edited to add website:
https://www.powerbuilt.com/products/3-ton-all-in-one-jacksta...
John M
[Edited on 7-23-2020 by John M]
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advrider
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Posts: 1863
Registered: 10-2-2015
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https://safejacks.com
Just ordered a bottle jack with the aluminum base from the above company. Not cheap but I really like the adapters and base that come with it. If it
gets me unstuck or makes changing a tire safer, it's worth the money!
I've used my hi-lift many time on my lifted jeeps. Almost always ended with the jeep or jack in and unsafe position at one point or another, but
always got the job done.
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PaulW
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3074
Registered: 5-21-2013
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For the Jeep I carry a 20 ton bottle jack and a Hilift.
The Hilift is a specialize device and has seldom been used. The bottle jack is for tire changes and getting parts lifted off the rocks.
It is true I also carry several blocks of wood and I have the large base for the Hilift to use in the sand. I would never use the Hilift for a tire
change.
For any of my other collection of trucks and cars used in Baja I use what they came with.
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pacificobob
Super Nomad
Posts: 2306
Registered: 4-23-2006
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i carry a bottle jack..the right size for the job. not oversized. also a 60" hylift...although I really hate to use it. at times it is the only
solution...they will try to injure the careless operator. like stated above, some 2x6 scraps are handy as well.
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Mulege Canuck
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Posts: 387
Registered: 11-27-2016
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I use a 12 ton bottle jack. With the weight of my Bigfoot camper, I need a jack that will lift all that weight easily. I use 2’x 2’ 3/4”
plywood for a base for the Jack when on sand.
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msteve1014
Senior Nomad
Posts: 947
Registered: 12-2-2006
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i carry a bottle jack, and the hi-lift. I have receivers front and rear., makes for a good place for the hi-lift. first on a F-350, now a chevy
diesel, both heavy.
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TMW
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Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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I carry a 10 ton bottle jack, a Hi Lift jack, and the jack that came with the vehicle. Plus a couple of 2 inch thick 8 by 8 wood pieces to put the
bottle jack on. Only used the Hi Lift once or twice.
I also had an exhaust bag jack at one time and it did work except the last time I used it I placed it too close to the edge of the body panel where
the sheet metal comes together and when raising it cut the rubber and all was done. John M saved the day with his jack.
I gave it to a neighbor. He was going to see if he could fix it.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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I just have the factory hydraulic jack that comes with my Tacoma. Only once have I needed to put on the spare of all the flats I have gotten!
I have a tire plug kit and an air pump (of course) and have almost always repaired my tires while on my truck. Most of those flats from sharp rocks
came when I did not deflate the pressure for dirt roads (only for deep sand). I finally wised up and now drop the pressure if I have any kind of
distance to drive off the pavement.
[Edited on 7-23-2020 by David K]
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pacificobob
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Posts: 2306
Registered: 4-23-2006
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a bottle jack capable of lifting 40,000 lbs,[20 tons] is just not required to lift a wheel on a 5k lb vehicle ....
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TMW
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Sometimes it's not our vehicle that needs lifting and it's not always a vehicle.
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JZ
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Posts: 10546
Registered: 10-3-2003
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I don't want to fool around with the dangers on using a high lift jack. Plus don't have the lift points anyway.
Convince me that an off-road floor jack isn't a lot better?
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PaulW
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3074
Registered: 5-21-2013
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The off road floor jacks are the favorites for prerunners and racers. These guys spend a ridiculous amount of dollars modifying to suit. The most
compact ones have no wheels, but have a skid so they don't sink in the sand. Most users have a special bracket custom made to allow it to be stored
in a convenient place. All the ones I have used are heavier than my 20 lb bottle jack and very awkward to use. I hate them. IMO they are totally
unnecessary and I could never find a place to locate a bracket. Without the dedicated bracket the things take up way to much space to be practical.
For use in the pits I have seen much larger units with fat tires to prevent sinking in the sand and they still have a flat skid when using for
lifting. Way impractical due to size and the lift height it is very high and the minimum or collapses height wont work on any thing with normal sized
tires.
Then there is the issue of finding a floor jack that is light and actually works. Any of them that are smaller than what the local tire shop uses
are terribly unreliable and fragile.
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