bottle jack to install lift?

[Rookie2]

Well, I echo the safety concern... but if you're like me you're going to have go through the bottle jack experience a couple of times before you realize it's not the way you want to be lifting these rigs on a regular basis. Once you have the rig jacked up with jack fully extended and probably a couple of pieces of blocking underneath the jack to get the height you need, I think you're going to see what I mean. What's worse is that you're typically not engaging the vehicle at a perfectly flat surface (mean the axle end is round and slightly tapered, and square section each side of the pumpkin also tapers some). It's not as bad just changing a tire because you don't have to go nearly as high as you're going to have to get changing out the springs.

Besides, cranking the bottle jack is a PITA. Just my $0.02.

Good Luck.
Rookie2

 

[White Shark]

I've got it down to 40 minutes. I can swap from stock to the 2.5" OME lift with shocks in 40 minutes using a fork lift. Stick it under the ARB up front and the rear cross member when doing the rear. I use 2 sections of 6x6 steel square tubing with 3/8" walls as a safety prop should it slide off the fork blades. Granted, a hydraulic lift would be that much easier, but a forklift works well.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

You can do anything with a bottle jack and some hefty pieces of lumber that you can do with a floor jack, it just takes a lot longer and a lot more patience.

As an aside. If you can't spend $40 on a floor jack(at autozone/pepboys/advanced auto/etc) to save a considerable amount of time and headache, your "priveledges" from the must be fawkin out of this world!

Ary

 

[semlin]

Arya, the purpose of the thread was to figure out how big a headache it would be. until the last few posts that has not been clear. I would have thought I could jack the frame high enough with the bottle jack. You are correct that at a certain point I would rather she had a headache than I had one

Riley has offered to lend me his jack so the price has turned into a 30 minute drive. At current gas prices here that's about $20. Optionally I may use my highlift on the ARB at the front and take my time on the rear.

incidentily, show me a $40 floor jack with the necessary height and lets talk. none of those stores function in the great white north but I still doubt they sell a jack taht would do the job for that price.

 

[Riley]

...snip.....

incidentily, show me a $40 floor jack with the necessary height and lets talk. none of those stores function in the great white north but I still doubt they sell a jack taht would do the job for that price.

Simon is right regarding the price of decent floor jack in Canada. I bought a Craftsman model (same as the wulf's I think) and by the time I landed it in Canada it was probably $200 CDN (maybe more). $150 is probably the mimum a guy would need to spend here.

Gee the talk of sex seems to be spreading over here from chat. It must be spring rutting season.

 

[CDN_Cruiser]

Semlin - you can borrow my jack I should be out in Vancouvr next week - I'll bring it as carry on! I'm assuming you're not using the truck jack - I would be surprised if that had the height required.

As an aside, I worked for one summer on a farm. The floor of the barn being used to stock hay partially caved in (into the basement where ~100 pigs lived - who proceded to bite holes in my boots!). I was working with a few local farmers to jack the floor up using bottle jacks - one of the jacks kicked out and scared me enough to never really trust them - especially atop a 6x6!

Cheers, Hugh

 

[Cruiserdrew]

incidentily, show me a $40 floor jack with the necessary height and lets talk. none of those stores function in the great white north but I still doubt they sell a jack taht would do the job for that price.

Agreed-I've never seen a $40 floor jack that would do well for this. I'm using a $79 (on sale) Chinese manufactured floor jack that I got at one of the chain parts stores. I've used it hard for 3 years and so far so good. I had a really cheap one from Harbor Freight that would drop the load too fast that was about $50 but really not worth it. I never trusted it and in the end gave it to one of our club members with full disclosure. He still uses it. You are probably looking at $75-$100 for something decent.

Check out this page: http://www.hyjacks.com/wichjac.htm

It makes me want a real made in the USA Milwaukee Jack but for $600+ I'll wait.

My rec-get a 3.5 Ton Hydraulic jack. It should lift about 21 inches or so. Check the release mechanism and be sure it is easy to control down with a load.

We did change springs with no jack at all once-disconnect the rear shock, drive the front up on a log forcing the rear to articulate, swap springs and reverse. Literally 5 minutes effort. Check this pic of the technique-note the absence of any spring and the spring on the ground. That's Robbie's son looking on

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

IIRC I bought my Pro-lift(brand found at pepboys) 6 ton jack for $50. It is a full size roll around floor jack. Maybe it was on sale

Ary

 

[sea2skydad]

Simon,

When and where are you going to do it? My lift is downstairs looking at me every time I go out the door. I have air tools, a 22" lift floor jack and some really large fir blocks but my helper has gone south on me so I'm kinda thinkin maybe time for a meet? Interested? Cheers, Greg.

 

[semlin]

Simon,

When and where are you going to do it? My lift is downstairs looking at me every time I go out the door. I have air tools, a 22" lift floor jack and some really large fir blocks but my helper has gone south on me so I'm kinda thinkin maybe time for a meet? Interested? Cheers, Greg.

East Vancouver and the plan is to do it sunday. I'm going to shoot you a PM.

 

[Kalawang]

It can be done with just a bottle jack, good jackstands and a flock of wrenches.

I suggest you have an underbody wash before beginning the project.


Kalawang

 

[elmariachi]

I've got it down to 40 minutes. I can swap from stock to the 2.5" OME lift with shocks in 40 minutes using a fork lift.

Now THAT'S the way to do it.

 

[MoJ]

Found a Craftsman extra-high floor jack at Sears that's been great. Believe it's marketed as an "SUV Jack". About $75 IIRC.

 

[NovaFZJ80]

Picked up a michelin 20 inche lift, 3.5 ton jack from sams club..one of those heavy duty jacks for $62....such ease now to jack up my truck with 2 pumps..planning on doing PM when the weather gets better.