Factory jack

[StvnPrz]

i bought a used truck that didn’t come with a jack. Should I just get a replacement factory jack kit or is there something better?

 

[cbsmith]

Pick one up from a wrecked truck at a junk yard. Much cheaper than buying from the dealer.

 

[sandawilliams]

Carry a hydraulic with a block or two.

 

[Cummins Dog]

20-ton bottle jack. Much better than the one I leave under the seat.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I'm not against bottle jacks, but the problem with 'some' (most?) is weather they will have enough travel to extend from a flat tire, tall enough to install a fully inflated tire. Just check the travel before you get one. You should account for some amount that it will sink into the ground even if you use a board. They also are kinda unstable and can easily 'slip' off an axle too, and relatively heavy. A scissors jack will extend much higher and is lighter and easier to stow securely. Hopefully it has a notch or saddle to keep it from slipping off an axle. They aren't that ruggedly built, I agree. A jack should be securely fastened down because either can make a dangerous projectile should you get into an out-of-control situation.

I stick to a scissors jack. I agree with the Salvage outfit to get one, or Harbor Freight for a bottle jack. How often do most people 'really' use a vehicle jack? I can count on zero fingers how often I've used a vehicle jack to fix an unexpected flat in the last 20 years, and that includes a fair amount of off-roading in Moab and Rocky Mountain trails. My driveway doesn't count (I have had a number of flats in my driveway, but I have floor jacks for that). I generally don't run crap tires either but I also run them low enough to say sometimes they aren't 'great' prior to being replaced with a new set. So tires generally hold up pretty well. But of course a flat could potentially be around the next corner, so you gotta be prepared!

Now that I've said that, I'm sure a whole bunch of guys will say, "Hey, I get flats all the time!!"

 

[JPT]

When I had my Jeep I used to use the factory bottle jack whenever on road to change my tires. I had 35" muds, but it was a solid axle front & rear, so it was easy to get under the axle tube to lift it.

I haven't used my ram jack, but I'll bet it is designed to lift the rear axle by the tube, and the front by lower control arm, in a fashion that is safe (under the suspension). It isn't like cars where they provide jacks that lift by the frame/body and let the suspension droop...

 

[ExpressRules]

The only times in my life I have used the vehicle jack was a few times I had too because I was away from home so didn't have access to my floor hydraulic jack. There were a number of times I take floor jack on trips with me because I hated the thought of getting a flat in some desolate place and having to use the jack that came with the vehicle.

I have now gotten to the point in my old age that I got my wife a AAA membership so if she ended up someplace with a flat she can have someone else come to her rescue.

 

[chopperman1]

Perhaps stupid, but did you look under the passenger seat? That's where it is stored.

 

[-B-]

a 6x6 piece of cribbing will take care of a short bottle jack reach also works to help factory jacks so you are not winding for days

 

[Jeepwalker]

Like I say, I just have a sissor jack in my Ram, but the screw-type bottle jacks I've used in the past seem to have more 'lift' than hydraulic bottle jacks. I haven't used the Ram bottle jack, but here's an example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/dodge-ram-...ash=item284f3a6192:g:dGMAAOSwmiZZwSEh&vxp=mtr

 

[JIMBOX]

I have a HiLift and an electric scissor jack--

There ain't much I can't lift-

Whatever

JIMBO

 

[CostaRam]

The original sissor jack is kind of a PITA to wrench-up a loadad RAM.
You can get cheap 20 ton bottle hydraulic jack's who are mor comfortable to jack--up your truck.
You don't need a 20 ton jack, but they are bigger and extend higher than a 5 ton one.
Backdraw is that you don't have a place to store it, maybe zip or velcro tied under the seat where the original goes?
Some thick pieces of hardwood are also always a good thing to have in your truck
Chris