What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

On the trail jacking

I was going to stay out of this one, I don't go the kind of places you folks do. Partially because I don't have those kind of places around here.
I have used a Hi-Lift from time to time, but usually tried to find a better way if I were changing a tire. I carried a 12v hydraulic bottle jack for years. Made a handle for it so I could slide it under the axle from outside the body, and release it remotely.
Also carried some heavy duty plywood or something like that because I was often in mud.

Here are some ideas for your consideration. The prices are unreasonable for the bags, but they are for wrecker service, so they are going to be high.
Here is an example of a low pressure system.
https://zips.com/parts-detail/sava-ms45-low-pressure-ms44-(7-3-psi)-sava-527296
These work like the exhaust ones, but here is something that you might consider.
https://zips.com/parts-detail/sava-blower-sava-574580
That is a gas powered leaf blower. Looks like a Stihl.
Of course, since it has the other company's name on it, its going to be high. But I don't see why a regular quality leaf blower should not work, and should easily handle the exhaust bags.
There are battery operated portable units out there that should do the job.
7.3lbs is not much pressure.

Then there are these.
https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-11000l...ords=air+bag+jack&qid=1607727035&sr=8-11&th=1
These will require some decent onboard air. 150-180lbs range.
CO2, good sized air bottle, or a converted air conditioner compressor would be best for these.

Lots of options out there. If I had a good leaf blower, I think I would consider one of those exhaust bags.
 
I wonder how one of those air over hydraulic jacks would work with my ARB twin compressor. It puts out enough pressure, but is it enough cfm?
 
mrk5 said:
I wonder how one of those air over hydraulic jacks would work with my ARB twin compressor. It puts out enough pressure, but is it enough cfm?
Click to expand...
I use one often, an ARB would have no problem.
 
I wouldn't trust the HF air over hydraulic to work on the trail. I have 2 you can have that have failed. They still work as a hand pump unit.
 
Technically, its not an air-over-hydraulic jack.
Air-over-hydraulic is like the old in-ground hydraulic lifts. Which applies air pressure to the hydraulic system.
This just uses an air motor to pump the hydraulic in place of the piston that normally does it.
So, pressure is the critical part. Volume just controls how fast it pumps. And that speed is pretty much self limiting. Above a certain pressure, it pumps the same speed.
They have a couple of them at my friend's shop for use when the lifts are busy. You can simply tighten the release valve, slide it under the axle, and turn on the air. No need to get under the car.
They have a long rod that will turn the release valve when they want to let it down.
 
Desert_K5 said:
This is what I grabbed for my HF jack. It's going to mount on end behind my spare tire rack. It's pricey but when it got here man it's nice. Still less than a Pro Eagle. Most of the desert racers use this setup that aren't running on board air lifts.

https://solomotorsports.com/shop/parts/general-parts/harbor-freight-jack-mount-skid-plate/
Click to expand...

This looks cool, but sure expensive for what it is. How much better is a skid than just muscling the jack into place. It comes up only once in a while.
 
There have been several threads on this topic. I've carried around hi-lifts on my Jeep forever and still do, but the one time I actually needed to change a tire, I found it terrifying, and even though the rocker guard was good for it, the jack was trying to lean into the body. I ended up giving up on that and using a bottle jack with home made extensions. Problem with that is the base is so small. I have an old piece of steel plate to spread the load, but it's kind of a hack.

I like the idea of a scissor jack due to simplicity. The military Hummers have a good one, but IIRC it needs to be adapted since the cradle part is not universal. On another thread I saw where someone had a great looking setup based on scissor stabilizers for RV. When I got them in hand though, it was obvious they are meant for holding, not lifting and have little leverage to raise a truck.

I'm liking the idea of just carrying a HF floor jack around. A skid would be nice, but the price is high unless I just make it myself.
 
Mastiff said:
There have been several threads on this topic. I've carried around hi-lifts on my Jeep forever and still do, but the one time I actually needed to change a tire, I found it terrifying, and even though the rocker guard was good for it, the jack was trying to lean into the body. I ended up giving up on that and using a bottle jack with home made extensions. Problem with that is the base is so small. I have an old piece of steel plate to spread the load, but it's kind of a hack.

I like the idea of a scissor jack due to simplicity. The military Hummers have a good one, but IIRC it needs to be adapted since the cradle part is not universal. On another thread I saw where someone had a great looking setup based on scissor stabilizers for RV. When I got them in hand though, it was obvious they are meant for holding, not lifting and have little leverage to raise a truck.

I'm liking the idea of just carrying a HF floor jack around. A skid would be nice, but the price is high unless I just make it myself.
Click to expand...


Are you talking about mine?

56BC9182-DAF9-40A7-8769-951778B6163A.jpeg

69EEFB43-7BE9-4356-A72C-2BC8BB39FBF0.jpeg
 
skunked said:
Are you talking about mine?
Click to expand...

Yeah. No offense intended, but I didn't feel good about it at all as I tried to turn the bolt to get the truck up. The documentation specifically says they are not intended for lifting, just holding. I like the height range though for sure. Does it lift well for you?
 
Mastiff said:
Yeah. No offense intended, but I didn't feel good about it at all as I tried to turn the bolt to get the truck up. The documentation specifically says they are not intended for lifting, just holding. I like the height range though for sure. Does it lift well for you?
Click to expand...

It does the job well and my truck is not light. I’m not surprised by the warning, that’s modern day CYA language. However I don’t use this and climb under the vehicle, but I will use it to lift a corner for repairs. I also carry a high lift since it can be used for variety of reasons in the middle of the wilderness.
 
Don't forget the leverage factor. For some reason its so obvious to me, I always find it amazing that others just don't realize that the lifting power of a Scissor Jack is dependent on its height.
One of those jacks, fully compressed, has very little lift. You would probably wring the screw off before it would lift a truck. But, when its almost fully extended, the angles are such that it takes very little turning effort to lift a large amount of weight.
Many years ago, I drove up on a guy trying to lift his tall tire'd truck with one of those type jacks. Instead of a nut or bolt head, it had a slot with a sideways cut that a long handle fit in, like those screw up bottle jacks. Since he knew he was going to have to lift a ways up, he had put cribbing under the jack so that it was fully compressed when he put it under the axle. He actually twisted the steel rod handle trying to lift the truck.
He said he could not understand it, he had used it before.
I told him to remove his cribbing and start with the jack half way up. He did, and it lifted the truck easily.
Of course, he had to lift it twice. He ran the jack as high as it would go, put some of the wooden cribbing under the axle, let the jack down, put some under it and lift it again to get it high enough.
But, darned if he did not start the second lift with the jack flat again. And it did not lift it. I reminded him to start with it half way up again, and it worked. But he said he just could not figure out why he had to do that.........
 
A 2" ratchet strap might be safe,but I wouldn't trust anything smaller.
I've seen one being used to limit axle droop on a friends K5 that had 44" tires and a lot of lift,when he got a flat,using the strap was the only way his jack could lift the tire off the ground--while it was jacked up and the tire off,the strap suddenly let go and the axle sprung downwards and made the truck fall off the jack,and it buckled the rear quarter panel in bad..the strap's hook straightened out suddenly and let it pull free of the frame..

He made up a length of 5/16" chain with hooks to use in the future if he had another flat,to wrap around the axle tube and attach it to the frame rail..
 
70jimmy said:
a jack that is not meant to jack...
Click to expand...
The problem is, even though they are called Jacks, they are actually stabilizers for travel trailers. They are designed to hold static weight, not lift it.
I'm getting ready to move my friends' travel trailers down to the swamp again next week. Since we only usually move twice a year, sometimes I have to remind them how to level their trailers.
I have 1500-2000lb electric jacks on the tongue of everybody's trailer. I remind them to use that for leveling, NOT the scissor stabilizers.
When we get to the setup spot, we unhook from the truck. Lower the front jack down until the trailer is low in the front. Then, we lower the rear scissor jacks until they are just off the boards we put under them.
I have an electronic level that I use to determine how many inches per foot the rear part is off, left to right. Then, we lower the jacks so that one is higher than the other by that amount.
Then I raise the front end using the tongue jack, until the front end is slightly higher than the rear.
Then, lower the front scissors until their distance off the boards is the right amount for the trailer to come level front and rear, plus left and right.
Lower the tongue jack until all the weight is on the scissor jacks, and then double check the level. I leave the tongue jack just lightly touching the ground board just in case.
In this way, the scissor jacks never have to lift anything, which is what they are not designed to do.

I used to watch them level the trailers with the scissor jacks using pull handles and lots of grease on the threads. It worked, but the threads took a beating, and you often had to take a time out between jacks if you started with them close.
Some of the guys got smart, and dug out under the jacks so they would be about half extended to start off and be a lot easier to lift.
I got tired of pulling on wrench handles or digging holes under trailers, we took turns, so one year, I bought everybody electric ball screw tongue jacks for Christmas.
Then had to show them why that meant they did not have to fight with the leveling jacks anymore.

This is not to say that those jacks won't lift the trailer, or a truck. Especially if they start from halfway or better, its just that they are not designed to do so.
 
I got one of those cute 1.5T HF jacks yesterday, since I wanted another for tire rotations anyway. Amazingly light and portable, the downside is the lifting height is not very much. With 35" tires, it can't reach the axle tube. Option 1 is to carry around 4x4 blocks. Option 2 is to get an extender for the main plate. Anyone been down this road?
 
Mastiff said:
This looks cool, but sure expensive for what it is. How much better is a skid than just muscling the jack into place. It comes up only once in a while.
Click to expand...

It is expensive, but I don't have time to build something like it at the moment. Wrestling the wheels around in the desert is a pain. I've seen others just pop the wheels and weld aluminum plate to the bottom, then you're on your own for securing it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom