Jack Options

OK, since I lifted, and since the stock jack that comes with the VX is about as useless as the donut spare, and since I really like to keep other things in the place of the jack, I wanted to start a thread and see what other options for jacks people have out there.

I really like the idea of having a high lift jack strapped solidly to my roof rack, but a high lift jack isn't really usefull for the height of my VX. But is there something like that, that I could strap to the roof rack outta the way, that won't look like crap up on top of my uber sexy Ebony wasteland machine?

Lets here some ideas.

Bart

It's hard to beat a good trolley jack.

True, but is that something you want to carry around all the time??

Regarding the High Lift jack options, are these kinda over kill for us because we don't really have any lift points, or is it just because we are not lifted up that high?

It looks like there is some kind of mini high lift jack out there maybe.

Bart

I had been leaning towards one of these...

http://www.airjackusa.com/


But after my "coil escape" incident...it seems hard to beat a Hi Lift jack in the tow socket...


....for the rear problems anyway.

(Gawd that sounds nasty!)


jo

Those airbag jacks are pretty useless...the rocks on the trail can puncture them. A high lift can be used in a few differant ways on the VX. They sell an attachment that allows you to hook it to the wheels to lift, as Jo said the tow hitch (if you have on) or rock sliders (if you have those). You need to use caution...as you lift the high lift jack tends to move inward towards the VX body parts!

bart i can tell u from experience its very tough to get a VX up on a hi-lift.. i got high centered and a jeeper passing through offered to let us use his in place of the vx stock jack.. took forever.. only way we were able to get it to work was to run straps around the tow hitch and behind the pin, then put the other end hanging over the hi-lift and lift that way.. it was super unstable.

hi-lift makes an attachment to lift by a wheel.. but that wont do you much good for changing a tire.. a taller hydraulic bottle jack is probably your best option

Yeah, I am thinking of just keeping the bottle jack, or maybe trying one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/M151-...spagenameZWDVW

I think they do come in black! ;)

Bart

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Originally Posted by nfpgasmask

Yeah, I am thinking of just keeping the bottle jack, or maybe trying one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/M151-...spagenameZWDVW

I think they do come in black! ;)

Bart

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I dont like that style. I had one fold in half when working on my Honda once.

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Originally Posted by CrnCnn

I dont like that style. I had one fold in half when working on my Honda once.

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Really! That's no good. I will probably just stick with my bottle for now...

Bart

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nfpgasmask

Really! That's no good. I will probably just stick with my bottle for now...

Bart

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Yeah. I like the ones Beau had. You should be able to paint them black and they, or one may fit in the basket with your tire. They wouldnt take up too much room in the back. I wonder if one would fit in your door.

They are sort of heavy and clunky but they have a large, stable footprint and go up pretty high. No so hot in the post apocalyptic department, but that's why they make matte black and OD green and flat tan.
http://www.alltradetools.com/index.p...40912large.jpg

From the company:

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6000lb Capacity. Patented design combines jack stand and bottle jack in one unit. Safety bar locks unit at desired height. Wide steel base for stability under load. Height Range: 11” to 21”. Perfect for SUV’s, off-road vehicles, construction jobs, framing and floor joist work.

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I have that jack stand and it works great. I was going to use it to put in Jo's spring, but some one came with a high lift. I keep mine in a tool box in the back.

So, do you have the brand and model number handy for that jack stand?

Found it at Tractor Supply for $29.95, seems like a good price. http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/...stingPage=true

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Originally Posted by rowhard

So, do you have the brand and model number handy for that jack stand?

Found it at Tractor Supply for $29.95, seems like a good price. http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/...stingPage=true

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I like it! I think I’m going to get 2 of those as soon as I get paid for my next project. I love the highs and hate the lows of running your own business.;)

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So, do you have the brand and model number handy for that jack stand?

Found it at Tractor Supply for $29.95, seems like a good price. http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/...stingPage=true

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That's what I got mine for. I bought mine from Pep boys. They are a bit tight at first, until the seals set up, but I think the base is bigger than a Hi-lift.

Just bought two of those jacks from Pep Boys...

I like the idea of the jack also being the jack stand.

Tested it out, pretty nice... I have both of them in my VX toolbox that stays in the vehicle.

Should come in handy for putting the lift on. If my shocks had made it before the weekend I'd be lifting :( Looks like it'll be another week.

Tempted to get some junkyard front Differential brackets now to have dropped.

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Originally Posted by Ascinder

They are sort of heavy and clunky but they have a large, stable footprint and go up pretty high. No so hot in the post apocalyptic department, but that's why they make matte black and OD green and flat tan.
http://www.alltradetools.com/index.p...40912large.jpg

From the company:

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Thanks guys for the idea of what jack to buy. I wasn't able to get it from any of my local TSC stores though. Couldn't order it from their website either. :mad: Wound up googling for it and found it on a website specializing in tools. (either advance auto or autozone shows it but not available :mad:)

I thought I'd share an idea for a box to store it in. I just found a "Sportsman's Utility Dry Box" for $24.95 in the ATV department of Tractor Supply Co. store. It has "mud splashes" dyed into the green plastic. :cool: It has a hidden compartment on top that I put the hand crank rods for the jack in (going to add cushy stuff between them so they don't clank alot).

I did have to notch out three small ridges in the plastic under the lid to accomodate the base of the jack. I also used my small craftsman tool kit to prop up the top of the jack so it positions for lid closure. Here are the pics...hope somebody likey ;)

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...My_VX_0021.jpg http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...My_VX_0051.jpg http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da.../My_VX_006.jpg http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...My_VX_0081.jpg http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...My_VX_0091.jpg http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...My_VX_0101.jpg

So, my only quetion is: Do you think it would be possible to fit two jacks in there? Otherwise, looks pretty slick. Mine are a bit clunky and an eyesore just chilling back behind the seats.

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Originally Posted by Ascinder

So, my only quetion is: Do you think it would be possible to fit two jacks in there? Otherwise, looks pretty slick. Mine are a bit clunky and an eyesore just chilling back behind the seats.

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no, only one is gonna fit. That's why I'd been keeping an eye out for some sort of case as mine was "clunky" and I didn't tie it down so any hard cornering or evasive maneuvers and it would go sailing across from one side to the other behind the seats!

I thought about putting the wrenches in the hidden compartment or using the tool tray that came with it by cutting it in half so it might fit above jack but the noise of the wrenches banging around made me think twice about doing that. Right now...as you see in the one photo with everything loaded in the box...it is pretty darn quiet when shaking the case by hand (put a bag of latex gloves in the hidden compartment to keep the jack handles quiet!).

"Thanks guys for the idea of what jack to buy. I wasn't able to get it from any of my local TSC stores though. Couldn't order it from their website either. Wound up googling for it and found it on a website specializing in tools. (either advance auto or autozone shows it but not available )"


So Roger, who has the jack available today?
Thanks, Roy

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Originally Posted by newthings

"Thanks guys for the idea of what jack to buy. I wasn't able to get it from any of my local TSC stores though. Couldn't order it from their website either. Wound up googling for it and found it on a website specializing in tools. (either advance auto or autozone shows it but not available )"


So Roger, who has the jack available today?
Thanks, Roy

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This was the ONLY place I was able to find it including eBAY. It says on their site availabe at PeP Boys, Kragen, Shucks, etc.. Maybe you'll have better luck at those places but I struck out! I even tried to get Tractor Supply in two different cities to order it for me...they couldn't get it and T.S. internet site says not available for purchase on internet! I tried local Pep Boys..no luck either.

www.alltradetools.com

http://www.alltradetools.com/index.h...d/3693/lang/EN

I have a pair of the jacks with the built in stands, great for the garage, horrible for the trail/carrying around everyday, they weigh a ton and would disappear into the mud/sand, I got them at Harbor Freight. For everyday/trail, I am using the Titan 3 ton exhaust jack, as far as holes, its made of the same material they make rigid hull inflatables out of and the hoses are fire hoses, so pretty puncture proof, but thanks to the genius of Riffraff, don't worry about holes, that's why we have floor mats. I have a double set, nice thick rubber ones to sit on top of the carpeted ones. Put the floor mat between the ground and the bag and voila, that makes it pretty much puncture proof. I can lift the Vx from any angle, on top of just about any terrain, and it works great if you get in a tight spot to protect the body from rocks. It weighs about 5lbs or so, comes in a real nice storage bag with laminated instructions, I swapped the bag to a better Craftsman bag, so now I can use the bag as a protector for the jack as well. Plus it looks nicer than the green bag it came with.
Just my 2 cents...
I keep the whole thing inside the spare tire well with the 5gal gas can and recovery gear...

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Originally Posted by JoFotoz

I had been leaning towards one of these...

http://www.airjackusa.com/


But after my "coil escape" incident...it seems hard to beat a Hi Lift jack in the tow socket...


....for the rear problems anyway.

(Gawd that sounds nasty!)


jo

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Hmmm; for true "off-roading", I'm gonna have to agree with Jo (click-on the web link that Jo provided for further information), as I also highly recommend the "EXHAUST AIR-JACK" (not the metal Jack-Stand Jack). Here's why:

I've been 4-wheelin' for over 30 years in my 1978 FJ-40, and I've found that 99.9% of the time when a 4x4 gets stuck off-road, it is on very unstable (muddy/snowy/slippery) and/or very uneven, angled rocky terrain (like that found at MOAB, Utah). The Exhaust Air-Jack can contort itself between the vehicle's undercarriage (including side body panels) and the uneven terrain surface without any slippage or loosing its footing (critically important).

In addition, the Exhaust Air-Jack can be used in a tandem pair by using a 1-into-2 chrome exhaust tip as a Y-adapter to inflate twin Exhaust Air-Jacks for very complicated recovery operations.

For example-- say your VX is both high-centered on a tree stump and wedged against a big tree trunk while in very slippery, gooey mud on a sloping hillside. Thus, you can use one Exhaust Air Jack to lift the VX off the tree stump, and the other Exhaust Air Jack to help "push-away" the side body panel from the impending big tree trunk (preventing paint & body damage); all at the same time!!! This can all be done slowly by monitoring the rate of air (exhaust) into the Air Bag. The VX's "floor mats" (or burlap potato sacks) can be used as a protective surface liner to prevent air-bag punctures/abrasions. Think of the Exhaust Air-Jack as a big-*** "Pillow", and the possibilities are endless (only limited by your imagination).

Common "foot-print" Jacks like the Jeeper's High Lift Jack, and this thread mentioned "Jack-Stand Jack" have severe difficulty in securing a good solid foot-print on unstable/uneven terrain once a vehicle "load" is applied to the metal jack. Oftentimes, the metal jack slips and looses its terrain footing and can easily cause further vehicle damage and/or personal injury to humans (extremely dangerous). These "foot-print" jacks are absolutely worthless in deep mud or snow conditions, as the metal jack just pushes (submerges) itself a deeper hole into the mud or snow without even lifting the vehicle (wasted effort).

The metal Jack-Stand Jack is best suited for urban environments for fixing a common flat tire and/or for performing routine undercarriage maintenance on a totally "flat level surface" with good solid footing. The metal Jack-Stand Jack has little or no use in a true off-road environment, unless no other means are available. Plus; it is heavy, bulky and consumes too much valuable cargo space in the already confined VX. If left unsecured in the interior, the Jack-Stand Jack can bounce around causing interior VX damage and/or personal injury to its passengers.

Given a choice-- I'd take the "EXHAUST AIR-JACK" when venturing off-road. It's extremely lightweight, compact, safe, and very versatile. The Exhaust Air-Jack can contort itself between any vehicle and any terrain, including very deep mud and snow as it has superior high flotation capabilities. It can be used as a big-*** pillow cushion to help protect endangered side body panels from possible scraping damage, as when a vehicle is towed or winched from a precarious position. It can be used to help re-upright a vehicle that has tetered sideways into a deep revene against a boulder/tree without putting people at risk in trying to manually upright the vehicle. It's recovery operation possibilities are limitless. The Exhaust Air-Jack is truly one of mankind's best inventions (next to the Thermos and the latex condom). Riff Raff

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Originally Posted by Triathlete

Those airbag jacks are pretty useless...the rocks on the trail can puncture them.

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We use to have to use a larger version of those airbags for lifting aircraft in rough terrain. To prevent them being punctured, a one inch felt pad would be laid down under the bag, and between the bag and aircraft. Two felt pads the size of these bags wouldn't be a problem to store flat in the back of the VX.

Was just at Lowes, and they have a 2 ton bottle jack on sale for 9.97 so I grabbed one. lift is 7 1/4 to 13 11/16. good enough to change a tire on the roadside.

Concering the Alltrade/Powerbuilt bottle jack with stand, P/N 640912.

I could really use one of these in my garage but they seem to be unobtainable.

1. Alltrade will not sell directly, but they will put it in the online store just for me or you at $43.25 plus about $20.00 shipping.
Getting to talk to someone at Alltrade it hard. I found a person (RoseMarie) at 800 3686653 x1301.

2. The places that bought the item to sell, like PEP Boys, Tractor Supply (P/N 1160455), only have bought for a short term promotion.
Canadian Tire bought some, but I have not tried an international source.

Buying a useful and unique item should not be this hard.

Nice item but a $63.00 total, is a little rich for me.
Roy