Tire Jack options for bigger wheels

[Grumpaw]

Bottle jacks are great, but they usually don’t come with the adapters you need to lift safely. Sucks to have the truck sitting on a 3/4” diameter flat button. You can make things a lot more comfy if you get an adapter kit. They come with axle saddles or v-blocks and pinch-weld clips. Usually a set of length extenders, too. Can come in handy off-road.

Safe Jack....best saddles and adapter blocks you can get.....expensive, but you do get real good products.

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[JACKSMYDOG]

I'm on 285/70-17 ~32.8" so same as OP.

For regular maintenance I use a garage floor jack.

For road side emergencies I use the factory scissor jack, but as @Utope mentioned I go under the LCA, not the manual recommended frame location. I have always done that with every vehicle, and every jack because you are not lifting though the full drop of the suspension, you only need to jack through the tire deflection. Not only is it far less work, but exponentially safer.

I'm not a fan of scissor jacks in general, but they work well enough when required, they take up little space, you have to carry the handle kit to lower the spare anyway, and most importantly, they don't leak hydraulic fluid in my cab.

I do have a pair of bottle jacks that I carry for off-road adventures, and long road trips, but they go in the box. One is a Ford 4 tonne from a F550, the other is a compact 3 tonne. The small one uses the same rotary crank handle as the our factory scissor jack, which is great in tight confined spaces, as you don't need much room to articulate the mechanism.

Bottle jacks have two weaknesses IMO. First most don't have long travel. My 4 tonne is 9.5 inches total. Second is the unpredictability of potential failure when seals eventually give out. This happened to me this week. I used it 3 times under my truck with no problem, the 4th lift, the seal gave out and just pumped hydraulic fluid out all over the floor. It is now sitting in my oil change pan, waiting for a rebuild. When that happens they are completely useless. Granted scissor jacks can fail as well, but in my experience, not as spontaneously. You can generally tell when you use it, if it is nearing a failure of the bolt wearing, or excessive play in the mechanism/joints, and should know to repair/replace it before the next need. Bottle jacks don't always give that warning and can just fail with no notice.

I also carry a high lift for off-road adventures. I have a steel front bumper, tow/hitch point for the rear, and the wheel lift kit for it as well. It is truly "emergency only" when stuck in mud or very bad situations. I also carry 6 pieces of true square cut 2x10 (2 x 11", 2 x 24", and 1 x 36", 1 x 40") and 4 TReD PRO recovery boards.

 

[Fawnbuster]

Normally I would have opted for a 12 ton, but got the 6 ton as it's capable for the Ranger, and it's also short enough to use under my travel trailers axle should it get a flat.
If for the Ranger alone, than a 10-12 ton just cause there "stout".

I agree @Grumpaw, when I bought this one they didn't have a 6 ton in-stock. They had a taller 6 ton but the top didn't unscrew to add height, so when it's all the way down I could fit it under my wife's Fusion, haven't tried it on her Lincoln suv yet

 

[YaBoiNewton]

Hello, on my recent trip to Denver a construction screw went right through my tire. I learned the hard way that the stock jack is not big enough for my tires(Roughly 32.8 inches). After much effort, trials and tribulations I managed to make it work by putting a rock underneath the jack. Not the best practice but when you don't have service on the side of the road you don't have too many options left...

Long story short what are you guys using for a bigger jack? I've seen the Hi-jack, is this the way I should go? O are there other options I should be looking at?

Get a proper hydraulic jack like a floor jack or bottle jack. Shop around till you find one big enough. Harbor freight even has an offroad floor jack with taller attachments for lifted vehicles.

High lift Jacks look cool mounted on a truck, but aren't the most reliable or safest option. Might work a few times, but hydraulic jacks are the best.

 

[subquark]

Hello, on my recent trip to Denver a construction screw went right through my tire. I learned the hard way that the stock jack is not big enough for my tires(Roughly 32.8 inches). After much effort, trials and tribulations I managed to make it work by putting a rock underneath the jack. Not the best practice but when you don't have service on the side of the road you don't have too many options left...

Long story short what are you guys using for a bigger jack? I've seen the Hi-jack, is this the way I should go? O are there other options I should be looking at?

My set up (for a dump runner, not any off-roading action) would probably work in many off-road situations (I do have old but extensive 4-wheeling experience - back when we had manual locking front hubs and a distributor!). Now get off my lawn!

Oh, err, where was I?

Oh yeah, my jack situation. The jack is a zillion bucks because it's US made but there are plenty of really good jacks for much less (and don't get me started on how the first one I bought leaked all over the place).

U.S. JACK D-51123 5-ton bottle jack $315.00
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X96U05C
SAFE JACK 3-piece Starter Pack $109.00
https://safejacks.com/collections/bottle-jack-accessories/products/3-piece-starter-kit
SAFE JACK 6-ton Extension Screw Collar $18.00
https://safejacks.com/collections/b...oducts/extension-screw-collar-for-6-ton-jacks

 

[9zero1790]

i also do the bottle jack and have boards for the same reason. i also just hate the fire out of scissor jacks. they dont even make good paper weights lol. the hi lift jacks are great if you have a place to use one safely. i dont feel like my 5g has a good hi lift or tractor jack spot. maybe if i had rock sliders or different bumpers.

 

[WingShot]

Safe Jack....best saddles and adapter blocks you can get.....expensive, but you do get real good products.

Grumpaw always has good advise, and he doesn't disappoint now.

https://safejacks.com/

Lifts the truck with no problem. But also has the right setup to lift my off-road camping trailer.

 

[Glocker]

I keep one of these in my truck along with a 4x4 chunk that's about 16" long.
https://a.co/d/fm7fuoE

 

[Grumpaw]

Grumpaw always has good advise, and he doesn't disappoint now.

https://safejacks.com/

Lifts the truck with no problem. But also has the right setup to lift my off-road camping trailer.

Thanks...
Several others here have turned on to their products...I have been using their saddle for years, starting with the big one for a 20 ton bottle that I used with a class a motor home. Probably 15 years old now but still looks new.
Their saddles and v blocks are great and worth the money, but I think their bottle jacks are a bit over priced. I use the Big Red's from Harbor Freight and Amazon.
Still have it, although the collar is way to big for my 6 and 12 tonner....may try to figure out how to make a step down insert so the smaller jacks heads will fit without sliding around.
Even tried to sell it on here awhile back...no takers, so keeping it.

 

[davewho]

Long story short what are you guys using for a bigger jack?

www.safejacks.com
Respectfully—

 

[MountainGoat]

Grumpaw always has good advise, and he doesn't disappoint now.

https://safejacks.com/

Lifts the truck with no problem. But also has the right setup to lift my off-road camping trailer.

Saefjack? ?

"*Due to supply chain logistics, you will receive either a 6-ton OmegaLift™ or Pro-Lift® brand bottle jack with your order, both of similar quality and warranty."

 

[Grumpaw]

Saefjack? ?

"*Due to supply chain logistics, you will receive either a 6-ton OmegaLift™ or Pro-Lift® brand bottle jack with your order, both of similar quality and warranty."

They ARE very high priced, especially their bottle jacks.
They advertise their 20 ton bottle jack is now a Torin, for $165....same jack can be purchased on Amazon for under $50 with free shipping.
Their saddles tho, are the best items you can buy, and have them as their the only company I have found that produces them.
For info, Torin and Big Red are the same, just different colors and "branded" for different retailers.

 

[mre]

I'm relatively new to this so I guess I'm missing something here. I have a Ranger Tremor. The scissor jack will not lift the front tire off the floor without a couple of inches of boards underneath. If I have to do that in an emergency, I'll use the scissor jack.

However, I am looking for a bottle jack for a little bit more ease. The problem I am having is that if the tire is flat, there is about 7" of clearance for a jack. To install a replacement tire, I need 17" of clearance. I can't seem to find a bottle jack that meets those clearances. Can somebody point me in the right direction?

 

[PltFX4]

I'm relatively new to this so I guess I'm missing something here. I have a Ranger Tremor. The scissor jack will not lift the front tire off the floor without a couple of inches of boards underneath. If I have to do that in an emergency, I'll use the scissor jack.

However, I am looking for a bottle jack for a little bit more ease. The problem I am having is that if the tire is flat, there is about 7" of clearance for a jack. To install a replacement tire, I need 17" of clearance. I can't seem to find a bottle jack that meets those clearances. Can somebody point me in the right direction?

I suspect you will have to use the scissor jack to lift the axle high enough to get t he bottle jack under it... which makes simplification of using just a bottle jack moot.

Or perhaps a Plan B: VEVOR Triple Bag Air Jack 3 Ton/6600 lbs Pneumatic Jack for Car SUV Lifting
Goes from 4.5" to 17.7"

Plan C: BIG RED 4 Ton (8,000 LBs) Torin Double Ram
6.6" to 16.6"

 

[Ranger_Rocks]

I suspect you will have to use the scissor jack to lift the axle high enough to get t he bottle jack under it... which makes simplification of using just a bottle jack moot.

Or perhaps a Plan B: VEVOR Triple Bag Air Jack 3 Ton/6600 lbs Pneumatic Jack for Car SUV Lifting
Goes from 4.5" to 17.7"

Plan C: BIG RED 4 Ton (8,000 LBs) Torin Double Ram
6.6" to 16.6"

^^ +1 Double Ram

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