floor jack

[Average_gatsby45]

what kind of floor jacks are we carrying in our trucks?
i mean than the one that is issued to the truck at the factory.

Ive been thinkin about investing in one just in case i get a flat in the middle of no where

 

[Grams]

This is a long-post. But Hopefully USEFUL.

Since I got out of my ‘teens and twenties…..and I was able to afford someone ELSE to change my tires…and since Discount Tire became prolific….. I rarely needed a jack. I always Had a hyd-jack in the garage for working-purposes…and kept a bottle-jack on the truck because of that stupid/cheap stamped-steel toy the OEM put there….. but I didn’t actually start wanting a real floor jack until I was 40 or so.

Then I bought one of those foot-long 2-ton little Red floor-jacks which I kept in the toolbox…”just in case”. (HF calls them a “trolley” jack and sells them for less than $50.)

One day while at the airport, a Friend…not me…. needed to jack his truck and I volunteered my little Red jack. What had-happend was, he had backed his truck over a bolted-down hangar-door anchor…. such that his rear axle was on one-side of that 15”-tall anchor….and the rest of the truck was on the other side of the anchor. (It was one of those heavy-duty, roll-up fabric hangar doors you see “up nawth” in snow-country…but the Texan builder/owner of this hangar thought he would save money instead of using a real, wind-proof/rated door. Those anchors would hold the fabric down-tight…but were supposed to be removed when the door was raised. My buddy didn’t see it when he backed his truck over it.)

He was stranded…. not actually “fulcrum-ed” on the anchor…the truck could roll back or forth….but he couldn’t Drive-Away!
So, we used my little Red jack to jack his rear axle up a few inches to clear the top of the anchor so we could Push the truck forward …past the anchor… planning to let the truck back Down….so he could drive-away.

It didn’t work that way.
We placed the jack under the left rear-axle tube and It jacked the 1/2 ton truck UP just fine. But when we got behind the truck to roll the truck past the anchor….(we had the little steel wheels of the jack pointed the correct directlon…. Forward…)… the truck began to “roll” toward the right-side…the little Red jack began to “slant” to the right…..just for a moment….
Then the little Red jack became a Mashed-and-Twisted Little Pile of Red jack-parts…..as it was never designed to be a Real jack. It became Junk!

The only success was that the truck had moved Just Enough….for the rear axle tube to clear that anchor. But little Red jack …or what is left of it…is in a box stored over in the junk-corner of my hangar…just in-case I ever have use for the little steel wheels. or handle. or whatever is left of that smashed little contraption.

I then REPLACED that little Red 2-ton jack with another …to carry in my truck.
Then, one-day, driving the 5-hour weekly trip from my workplace at DFW airport to my home on the ranch “down souf” …. still dressed in coat-and-tie…enjoying the steady rain we certainly needed….. the right front tire went flat. Grrr. Not a Discount Tire in-sight.
So I pulled over into a big-truck-station parking lot (Loves?) …and proceeded to try to jack the R-front tire up in the rain. The only saving-grace was my clothes were “Issued Uniform” by my employer. (Still gonna cost me dry-cleaning money tho’)

However, that little Red jack …despite being fully-collapsed….could NOT collapse sufficien tly to get beneath the lower control-arm so-as to raise the wheel. There I am in the rain…dressed totally unsuited for the task…on my knees in the gravel…making every attempted angle I could imagine attempting to jam that little Red jack Somewhere…Anywhere… it could fit to get that wheel off -the-ground.
If I got it beneath the cross-member the little Red jack didn’t have sufficient “extension” to raise the flat tire high-enough to get it completely OFF the ground….because the lower control arm would extend-lower as the truck was raised… OR high-enough to get an INflated Spare tire ONto the hub.
WHAT A PIECE OF JUNK that little Red jack suddenly became.

I ended up having to use TWO JACKS…. little Red jack beneath the crossmember to get the lower CONTROL ARM up off the ground far-enough to use the OEM cheap, stamped-steel screw-jack under the control-arm ..to get the HUB high enough to install a Spare Tire! Grrrr.!

The Point of this missive is to advise you Not to buy a cheap little 2-ton HF jack if you really want a Floor Jack you can Depend Upon. It won’t collapse Flat-Enough to get a front truck axle off the ground….AND won’t raise HIGH enough to install a fresh tire onto the HUB!
AND…it isn’t STURDY enough to be reliable as a jack to actually HOLD the vehicle up off the ground. It will FALL SIDEWAYS if any movement. of the vehicle occurs.

Go ahead and spend a couple Ben Franklins or more on a truly worthy floorjack. One that will collapse FLAT, Less than 4”…. and will Lift HIGH enough, More than 19” …. if you intend to use it on a front axle of a vehicle.
(Don’t fall for the off-road floorjacks without realizing they, due to their undercarriage-wheels, don’t collapse as far as ordinary types. Carry a sq-ft of plywood in the truck if you think you’ll need to suport a floorjack in the dirt.)

I now own 4 floorjacks. All of them are HF models 3-ton or more that retail for $250 or more. I use 3 of them in the hangar/shop area where they live.
The fourth is a 3-ton mostly-aluminum (to save weight) floorjack ….which is still in its box (hopefully never to be used) and lives in the bed of my truck, out of sight, beneath the tonneau cover. it will collapse Very Low…but jack the truck Up at least 19 inches to clear large wheels..

Hope this helps.

 

[Daw14]

I bought a small floor Jack from harbor freight, probably ten years ago.
I believe it is a 1.5 ton , it fits under the passenger seat.
It’s only about 20 inches long , with a two part handle, but lifts a wheel just fine.

It was $60.00 forever, but last I saw the price had gone up.

PRICE INCREASED TO $ 109.99.
Damn

I had a small bottle Jack , that when lifting a 71 dart , I errored and got the riser stuck in the lower control arm.
I tried a bumper Jack , a stranger lent me a floor Jack , but I could not get that Jack free .
Finally I had the idea to drive off it , all that did was remove a 2” wide section of asphalt, for as long as I kept going forward.
Finally going lock to lock while moving forward,it let loose.
All of this while on the side of I-95 while on an overpass.

Within the next couple days , kids a floor Jack became something that stayed in my vehicle,like jumper cables.

 

[Grams]

I bought a small floor Jack from harbor freight, probably ten years ago.
I believe it is a 1.5 ton , it fits under the passenger seat.
It’s only about 20 inches long , with a two part handle, but lifts a wheel just fine.

It was $60.00 forever, but last I saw the price had gone up.

I had a small bottle Jack , that when lifting a 71 dart , I errored and got the riser stuck in the lower control arm.
I tried a bumper Jack , a stranger lent me a floor Jack , but I could not get that Jack free .
Finally I had the idea to drive off it , all that did was remove a 2” wide section of asphalt, for as long as I kept going forward.
Finally going lock to lock while moving forward,it let loose.
All of this while on the side of I-95 while on an overpass.

Within the next couple days , kids a floor Jack became something that stayed in my vehicle,like jumper cables.

If THIS is the one you bought…. you might want to read that long post I made just above yours:

Minimum Height: 5-3/8”
Maximum Height” 12-3/8”

 

[Magfan2]

I always carried a Hi Lift in the old truck - remarkably useful. I will have to check the jack points on the RAM and see if it will work. Does much more than just jacking.

 

[ExpressRules]

I have two floor jacks in garage. One I can use on the Ram and a low profile one I can get under the C4 Corvette. Have a AAA membership to deal with any flats on the road. That way I can sit comfy out of the weather while someone else does the work for me.

 

[Daw14]

If THIS is the one you bought…. you might want to read that long post I made just above yours:

Minimum Height: 5-3/8”
Maximum Height” 12-3/8”

View attachment 577808

No it was not that .
It is aluminum.

 

[RamDiver]

I think the takeaway from the posts so far is to test your preferred jacking implement in the comfort of your laneway, on a nice sunny day.

I carry a high-lift bottle jack in my Ram, living in the country. Most roadsides are gravel or some are dirt.

I have carried several different trolley jacks in other trucks in the past, when I was a city dweller, but they don't roll too well on gravel shoulders or dirt.

The bottle jack has a block of wood and goes anywhere.

.

 

[Daw14]

I think the takeaway from the posts so far is to test your preferred jacking implement in the comfort of your laneway, on a nice sunny day.

I carry a high-lift bottle jack in my Ram, living in the country. Most roadsides are gravel or some are dirt.

I have carried several different trolley jacks in other trucks in the past, when I was a city dweller, but they don't roll too well on gravel shoulders or dirt.

The bottle jack has a block of wood and goes anywhere.

.

I also keep a couple blocks of wood , and have a length of plywood to roll the jack underneath.

 

[Magfan2]

I have two floor jacks in garage. One I can use on the Ram and a low profile one I can get under the C4 Corvette. Have a AAA membership to deal with any flats on the road. That way I can sit comfy out of the weather while someone else does the work for me.

Just haven't got a Round Tuit as yet - on the way to AAA but need to clarify Wait times / Distances, etc. Mostly Far out in the country.

 

[turkeybird56]

Wat I carry if traveling along with wood.

 

[RamDiver]

Wat I carry if traveling along with wood.

That looks like the ultimate solution, and I want one.
You should post a link to tempt everyone.

I've come very close to buying one of those on several occasions over the past few years.
They're much less expensive at A dot com versus A dot ca.

I kept it as a saved item on both sites, check it regularly, and if the price comes down sufficiently, I will snag one.

.

 

[turkeybird56]

That looks like the ultimate solution, and I want one.
You should post a link to tempt everyone.

I've come very close to buying one of those on several occasions over the past few years.
They're much less expensive at A dot com versus A dot ca.

I kept it as a saved item on both sites, check it regularly, and if the price comes down sufficiently, I will snag one.

.

THIS is the one I have. There are different models depending upon what you want, but not cheap. Did a search and posting this URL just for INFO. This from the company. You could shop around. You can get higher capacity, lower, different options, just happens to be what I have.

3 Ton All-in-One Jackstand/Bottle Jack

This patented all-in-one unit is the only portable jack designed to safely lift and hold both regular and unibody cars and trucks. Safely lifting unibody cars and trucks using factory-approved concave or flat jack points is easy with this versatile 3-ton all-in-one Bottle jack. Searching for...

www.powerbuilt.com

 

[Grams]

I’ll repeat myself… to better explain: When a tire goes flat…. The lower control arm SINKS toward the ground. A bottle jack will not be able to get beneath that control arm to lift the axle to get the flat OFF the axle.

While a bottle jack WILL likely fit beneath the crossmember….or the truck Frame somewhere….to begin a lift…. That lower control arm will Still Extend downward as the vehicle is lifted by the jack. Most bottle-jacks cannot lift the frame or crossmember high-enough to get that axle high-enough to Install an inflated tire.

(Less over-all height-of-lift is necessary if you can lift from beneath the control-arm…. But you’ve got to be able to get whatever jack you have Under-Neath that control arm which, with a flat-tire, sits only a few inches above the dirt…. at least that was the case with the 17” wheels on that Ram 1500)

OH…and one more thing about that story I forgot about until just-now…
Imagine, if you will, the vocabulary I used when I found I had to lay on the gravel in the rain while trying to lower-and-retrieve that focking spare tire hanging under the rear of that truck!
I have learned to HATE that particular method of spare-tire storage. I think I’ll devote some time inventing a better method of delivering a spare tire into the hands of a pickup-truck owner…..


Hope this helps.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Stock scissor jack for me....

I don't want anymore junk in the cab than I need. There are heavier duty scissor jacks at camping dealers ...if you can find one that fits under your seat. Maybe get an impact wrench to put under the back of the seat ...and have an adapter to run up the jack. And a socket to undo the lug nuts.

 

[Jeepwalker]

If you go with the cheaper H/F floor jack, be REAL careful how/where you place the jack plate. Make sure it's very well placed and the truck solid and stable. They've made the jack plates smaller and smaller on modern floor jacks (vs older ones). A smaller plate, along with a single (relatively narrow) roller, the jack 'could' be spit-out and truck possibly fall ...if not well placed and stable.

I know a couple guys who have them who have had 'close calls' with those jacks. I'm not so sure how safe they are for a road-side repair. The jacks need to roll forward as the arm rises...and jacks don't roll on dirt/grass very well. Use with care/caution.

 

[Burla]

They have jack pads for trolly jacks if you need a couple inches, I use a cheap trolly jack and some wood, because I have a reg cab there is plenty of room. I do have power built jack/jack stands but those stay at home for working on vehicles.

my brother in law uses these, but I cant seam to get on board.. Just seams like it can fall while working tire on/off?

 

[Magfan2]

I just got all the adult kids lithium battery powered Jumper / tire pumps for Christmas. I keep thinking about the batteries - I have one as well. Detached garage makes thinking about it easier. The jack sounds like a logical continuation - more of the same. Next a "Smart Phone" will be able to run them all! Then, look out!

 

[18CrewDually]

Here's my floor jack. (My son getting ready to pull the rear for the 8.8 swap)


No, I don't carry it daily.

 

[turkeybird56]

Here's my floor jack. (My son getting ready to pull the rear for the 8.8 swap)
View attachment 577857

No, I don't carry it daily.

Commercial Jack, LOL.