Road Trip Jack Recommendations?

[cmandp]

Yeah I didn't think of the height possibility being an issue. It would be a great solution if if the minimum height was maybe half what it is.

 

[pbon]

Who said anything about waiting? I said I wasn't going to be on the side of the road for any time at all--none, zero. Are you ok?

Of course you will never have a flat on a trip. Are you living in reality? Or don’t drive?

 

[ecotec]

Safety-Seal (tire fix in a can) is not in fashion anymore either, especially with tire repair shops!

Also… how is tire fix in a can not in fashion. It comes with a lot of new cars instead of a jack and spare tire.

 

[L.Cheapo]

Of course you will never have a flat on a trip. Are you living in reality? Or don’t drive?

Well, I havent, in 30 years of driving. My work commute is 206 miles round trip through three states. Maybe BFG All Terrain and Mud Terrain tires just shrug off road debris better than most others. I know its not because I'm lucky.

But as I said in my initial post, if I do encounter a flat, I'll just keep going to the next parking lot, rest stop, etc at whatever speed is safely possible. Rim and tire be damned--don't care. I'm not changing anything mere feet from oblivious highway traffic. And the factory supplied tire changing devices, while not ideal, work well enough that I don't feel the need to drag half my garage around with me.

 

[whateg01]

Well, I havent, in 30 years of driving. My work commute is 206 miles round trip through three states. Maybe BFG All Terrain and Mud Terrain tires just shrug off road debris better than most others. I know its not because I'm lucky.

But as I said in my initial post, if I do encounter a flat, I'll just keep going to the next parking lot, rest stop, etc at whatever speed is safely possible. Rim and tire be damned--don't care. I'm not changing anything mere feet from oblivious highway traffic. And the factory supplied tire changing devices, while not ideal, work well enough that I don't feel the need to drag half my garage around with me.

Maybe you have steel wheels, but I know some alloy wheels are awfully expensive to just destroy one because somebody can't be bothered to change the flat. Not to mention the debris the flat tire is likely to create on the way to the next parking lot

 

[pbon]

Well, I havent, in 30 years of driving. My work commute is 206 miles round trip through three states. Maybe BFG All Terrain and Mud Terrain tires just shrug off road debris better than most others. I know its not because I'm lucky.

But as I said in my initial post, if I do encounter a flat, I'll just keep going to the next parking lot, rest stop, etc at whatever speed is safely possible. Rim and tire be damned--don't care. I'm not changing anything mere feet from oblivious highway traffic. And the factory supplied tire changing devices, while not ideal, work well enough that I don't feel the need to drag half my garage around with me.

You know your route and apparently never drive anywhere else so I am sure you will be fine. But like I have written, in the real world, people get flats and try to drive to the next exit and think they can. But find out they can’t. Have seen it many times. But good luck to you with your emergency plans. You must have a really small garage if a small jack, spare and wrench take up half of it.

 

[rust in the eye]

Those imported lightweight "racing" jacks have tiny wheels that unless on a very smooth surface may(will in my case) cause the jack to slip off wherever you place it once a pebble or crack prevents those little wheels from rolling over them.
Twice, because either I'm a glutton for punishment or just plain stupid and tend to learn the hard way, I've done significant damage to my car's rocker panel using one of them on an asphalt driveway in less than perfect condition. After the second time I gave that little F'er away with the caveat above.

I'm not a fan of most factory jacks but they DO serve the purpose and on level ground will reliably lift the car. Crawling under or working on a car supported only by one of these is a fools errand. Rather than carry a bulky jack I'd carry a small piece(s) of plywood for the jack in case not on a hard surface and jack stands to actually support the vehicle.

Oh, I feel compelled to add how important it is getting to safe place to change a tire, etc. F the tire and rim! Look at all the distracted drivers and ask yourself if you want to turn your back and bend over a few feet away from them. Police with flashing lights and everything are getting plastered by idiots who can't bother to pay attention.

 

[driftpin]

I was looking at one of those, although you sure want to pad the case you keep it in so that there's no unauthorized body work as it travels around. I expect the lowest height is too high for anything besides trucks. Of course, in something like a GMT800, the whole access the spare tire deal is crazy.

One think I did that's kind of odd maybe was to buy a Porsche scissors jack. Super light, genuinely well-made.

I wish it was a more solved problem, this in-the-car jack thing. One system I always thought was kind of cool was the VW Beetle plug it in deal, OTOH old-school bumper jacks can be scary. Last time I used one of those was on a 1970 428 Galaxie which is one great lump of a car.

Naturally, spares will get rarer and rarer what with cell phones, space restriction, cost reductions in manufacturing, portable pumps and cans of goo.

Back in the late 1960's, we had a VW Beetle cabriolet, bought new by the parents. Six years down the road, my brother attending Syracuse U wanted a 'winter beater,' because his fair-weather/no salt roads car was a vintage Jaguar. The parents gave him the VW, and I was given the task to drive it from western NYS to Syracuse. It needed a tire replaced, and I whipped-out that small socket-jack which anyone familiar with Beetles knows what it is. The jack's extension slid-into a socket beneath the running boards/rocker panels, which also served as the heat riser/runners for the abysmal 'heating system.' On the driver's side, I slipped the jack into the rocker panel socket, and worked the handle to raise the rear of the car. As I industriously worked the jack, I watched as the rocker panel collapsed a bit-more with every pump. The rear wheel stayed firmly on the floor of the garage. I had to get another jack to raise the car and to remove the wheel, and to take it for tire replacement.

Any time I use my open trailer, which is a converted small boat trailer (hot-dipped galvanized formed U-channel for the structural member) I carry a 3000 lb low-boy hydraulic floor jack and one or two spare trailer tires, and a full-size truck tire for my GMC crew cab 355 series, as the spare wheel/tire for that would require me to drop the trailer to remove it from underneath the bed of the truck.

 

[CGarage]

Also… how is tire fix in a can not in fashion. It comes with a lot of new cars instead of a jack and spare tire.

It has a shelf life and is often expired.

Also, from what I am told, tire repair shops HATE having to remove / clean out the remnants after use and do not recommend it if another option is available.

 

[CGarage]

A lot of foolishness and unnecessary risk taking here to save a phone call and 60 minutes worth of time.



I am very surprised.


If you live in a remote area out in the country, I get it.

The city folk on the other hand……..

 

[ecotec]

A lot of foolishness and unnecessary risk taking here to save a phone call and 60 minutes worth of time.



I am very surprised.


If you live in a remote area out in the country, I get it.

The city folk on the other hand……..

You think that plugging a tire is taking a risk?

I started in the trades over 30 years ago and getting the occasional screw or nail a tire in a tire was par for the course. It happened way more often way back when I did new residential.

I got so good at plugging my own tires, that I could do the whole job in less than 20-25 minutes including inflating the tire with a tiny little compressor that was powered by a cigarette lighter socket.

As I said, I have never had a tire plug fail.

I do commercial/industrial now, so I can go years without a flat tire.

 

[bwringer]

I pack a 6 ton bottle jack, plug kit, mini compressor, cordless impact, a flare kit and bear spray. Plus the spare tire. We have to travel about 100 kilometres on a secondary highway with no cell service quite often. That's about all I could fix if anything went wrong.

Bear spray... I knew I was forgetting something.


I have no idea why a whole side debate erupted over the wisdom or not of dealing with flat tires at the roadside. FWIW, "sit there like I'm a helpless turd and squawk for help on my cell phone while waving my credit card" is not at all what I'm talking about. Never dreamed this crowd would be a fan of that approach.

Obviously, "get somewhere safer, wheel and tire be damned" is also sometimes the best approach. It's all about the situation at the moment. I want more choices for more possible situations than a simple flat tire.



In any case, dealing with a flat is NOT the use case I had in mind when I asked the question; the van comes with a scissor jack barely adequate for swapping in the spare. What I was asking about was options that provide more sturdiness and height for other tasks.

For example, I once needed to diagnose a strong vibration on acceleration 200+ miles from home. I needed to get the front end in the air (not just one corner) to diagnose the issue, then I could make a plan. So I ended up buying a cheap jack and stand set on sale at a Menards near our hotel, and -- in a safe spot in the Meanie's parking lot (not the right lane of I-75 in downtown Detroit) -- found that an inner CV joint was wearing out but not yet failed outright (the boot was intact, but there was significant play developing in the joint). From there I was able to make a plan to source a new axle and the special 12-point socket at a nearby auto parts store and swap it out, and using the breaker bar and other tools I had with me (and I bought a drain pan and a couple of quarts of compatible ATF, etc.), we were back in business in a few hours for under $200.

Or, we could have been stuck waiting for a shop to open on Monday and hope they'd get it done sometime that week, plus sorting out renting a car, lodging, etc. I've had to do that before as well; sometimes "throw money at it" really is the best or only choice for a mechanical issue.

The point is, having some extended capabilities gives you more options. Like many here, I'm willing to take on more than your average bear, and so I want more options.

And truth be told, I end up deploying my road tools far more often on other people's vehicles than my own. That's useful too.

I have a very space and weight efficient tool set figured out, so I am seeking to fill a remaining gap via an enhanced means of vehicular elevation that is also relatively compact and lightweight, if such a thing exists.

So far, "bigger stronger scissor jack from a bigger vehicle" seems to be the leading candidate. The 2014+ F150 has a scissor jack in a nice little case, so maybe I'll poke around for one of these.

 

[CGarage]

You think that plugging a tire is taking a risk?

I started in the trades over 30 years ago and getting the occasional screw or nail a tire in a tire was par for the course. It happened way more often way back when I did new residential.

I got so good at plugging my own tires, that I could do the whole job in less than 20-25 minutes including inflating the tire with a tiny little compressor that was powered by a cigarette lighter socket.

As I said, I have never had a tire plug fail.

I do commercial/industrial now, so I can go years without a flat tire.

I do.

As a temporary repair, performed in a SAFE location, it is viable.

I believe the standard now is to remove and PATCH the tire, from the inside.

 

[jayemm]

Bear spray... I knew I was forgetting something.


I have no idea why a whole side debate erupted over the wisdom or not of dealing with flat tires at the roadside. FWIW, "sit there like I'm a helpless turd and squawk for help on my cell phone while waving my credit card" is not at all what I'm talking about. Never dreamed this crowd would be a fan of that approach.

Obviously, "get somewhere safer, wheel and tire be damned" is also sometimes the best approach. It's all about the situation at the moment. I want more choices for more possible situations than a simple flat tire.



In any case, dealing with a flat is NOT the use case I had in mind when I asked the question; the van comes with a scissor jack barely adequate for swapping in the spare. What I was asking about was options that provide more sturdiness and height for other tasks.

For example, I once needed to diagnose a strong vibration on acceleration 200+ miles from home. I needed to get the front end in the air (not just one corner) to diagnose the issue, then I could make a plan. So I ended up buying a cheap jack and stand set on sale at a Menards near our hotel, and -- in a safe spot in the Meanie's parking lot (not the right lane of I-75 in downtown Detroit) -- found that an inner CV joint was wearing out but not yet failed outright (the boot was intact, but there was significant play developing in the joint). From there I was able to make a plan to source a new axle and the special 12-point socket at a nearby auto parts store and swap it out, and using the breaker bar and other tools I had with me (and I bought a drain pan and a couple of quarts of compatible ATF, etc.), we were back in business in a few hours for under $200.

Or, we could have been stuck waiting for a shop to open on Monday and hope they'd get it done sometime that week, plus sorting out renting a car, lodging, etc. I've had to do that before as well; sometimes "throw money at it" really is the best or only choice for a mechanical issue.

The point is, having some extended capabilities gives you more options. Like many here, I'm willing to take on more than your average bear, and so I want more options.

And truth be told, I end up deploying my road tools far more often on other people's vehicles than my own. That's useful too.

I have a very space and weight efficient tool set figured out, so I am seeking to fill a remaining gap via an enhanced means of vehicular elevation that is also relatively compact and lightweight, if such a thing exists.

So far, "bigger stronger scissor jack from a bigger vehicle" seems to be the leading candidate. The 2014+ F150 has a scissor jack in a nice little case, so maybe I'll poke around for one of these.

I just ordered one of these mini hydraulic jacks which is to be delivered Wednesday. It resembles a (made in Taiwan) Sears/ Craftsman branded jack I bought in 1985 because the jack that came with my new VW Jetta was pitiful and dangerous. It fit in a 16" metal toolbox carried in the trunk. It was a damn good jack and got years of use but only lifted ~2200 lbs and raised 14". Anyway , I've been looking for something similar for a long time and jumped on this before it disappears like availability suddenly does on Amazon. Anyway , here it is and I'd be thrilled if it's as good as it looks. One purchaser did a nice review with many informative pictures. Can'tcha tell I'm excited.

Amazon.com: GAOLLY Mini Hydraulic Jack 2.5 Ton (5500lbs)/Floor Jack with Heightening Gasket,Lifting Range 4.13"-17" : Automotive

Buy GAOLLY Mini Hydraulic Jack 2.5 Ton (5500lbs)/Floor Jack with Heightening Gasket,Lifting Range 4.13"-17": Floor Jacks - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[M635_Guy]

As I drive old cars, and attend a fair number of car shows, I've tended to carry an aluminum jack and a pair of post-stands.

I'm pretty negative on bottle jacks as they're tippy.

I had the "regular" Daytona aluminum jack (technically, still do), but have since replaced it with the fully-aluminum Daytona as it is meaningfully taller, and pair it with a couple post-style aluminum stands.

 

[RTM]

bigger stronger scissor jack from a bigger vehicle

I have a scissors jack, someone here commented probably GMC Astro van style I think. Lives in the garage, gets hauled out for special tasks, like the neighbors car. On the right here, think it goes to ~19", 3/4" socket drive>

2022 Garage Sale Thread

@3baygarage That's a crazy story, glad it ended peacefully. No one needs that kind of stress... What is this pink thing that you picked up? Mike Mike, Fairly sure it's the front stem from a mountain bike, the bolts at the top are for clamping the handlebars.

www.garagejournal.com

 

[whateg01]

Those imported lightweight "racing" jacks have tiny wheels that unless on a very smooth surface may(will in my case) cause the jack to slip off wherever you place it once a pebble or crack prevents those little wheels from rolling over them.

You can tell when things aren't stable before the car falls off the jack. If you keep going until it happens, you screwed up.

Any time I use my open trailer, which is a converted small boat trailer (hot-dipped galvanized formed U-channel for the structural member) I carry a 3000 lb low-boy hydraulic floor jack and one or two spare trailer tires, and a full-size truck tire for my GMC crew cab 355 series, as the spare wheel/tire for that would require me to drop the trailer to remove it from underneath the bed of the truck.

Unless you have one of those hitches where it connects right behind the pumpkin, I don't understand why you can't drop the spare with a trailer attached. Also what is a 355? A bored out 350?

 

[Beerhippie]

PSA: Avoid any contact with Road Trip Jack!

That ******* played in a friend's band back in the eighties. He drinks like a fish; is a mean drunk. He'll sleep with your woman and wreck your car. He'll steal anything not tied down--and he's good at untying. He'll get you busted when he hides his drugs on you when the road bus gets pulled over. He'll start fights and expect you to finish them. He's wanted for many things, including statutory ****, in several states. Where he isn't wanted, he's not welcome.

Guy's just plain bad news... but he does play a mean trapset.

 

[dscheidt]

As a temporary repair, performed in a SAFE location, it is viable.

I believe the standard now is to remove and PATCH the tire, from the inside.

I can’t imagine there are many shops that still do plug only repairs.
I was running a garage when our insurance company told us they would not cover repairs done with just a plug. (There had been a lawsuit where the garage that done such a repair was held liable for an accident that killed a couple people in a different vehicle.). Probably a third of the tires I would have plugged with no hesitation were not repairable after inspection, because of innerliner damage.
That can cause catastrophic failure,

Remove the tire from the rim, inspect it for damage (usually from driving it low), and then repair, remount. and balance. Repair is usually either a one piece mushroom plug and patch, or a plug and separate patch.

 

[onetonbb74]

I carry a H1 jack in my f250, got it on ebay, 12k rating...It has a strong enough acme thread inside to withstand abuse from an impact wrench lifting a truck. I also welded a solid spring perch upside down on the end to lift by the axles.

 

[Beerhippie]

Serious question, why not the AAA card?

If you live in or west of the Rockies, cell phones don't always work--and even if they do, you might sit by the road for hours waiting for someone to show up.

I'll bet we have less than fifty percent cell coverage here in Wallowa county.

 

[KnurledNut]

A lot of foolishness and unnecessary risk taking here to save a phone call and 60 minutes worth of time.
I am very surprised.

I am surprised you’re getting so defensive about this when you prepped an emergency vehicle kit back in December yourself.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...nflator-i-found-something-i-cant-have.541426/

 

[pbon]

What I was asking about was options that provide more sturdiness and height for other tasks.

For example, I once needed to diagnose a strong vibration on acceleration 200+ miles from home. I needed to get the front end in the air (not just one corner) to diagnose the issue, then I could make a plan. So I ended up buying a cheap jack and stand set on sale at a Menards near our hotel, and -- in a safe spot in the Meanie's parking lot (not the right lane of I-75 in downtown Detroit) -- found that an inner CV joint was wearing out but not yet failed outright (the boot was intact, but there was significant play developing in the joint). From there I was able to make a plan to source a new axle and the special 12-point socket at a nearby auto parts store and swap it out, and using the breaker bar and other tools I had with me (and I bought a drain pan and a couple of quarts of compatible ATF, etc.), we were back in business in a few hours for under $200.

Or, we could have been stuck waiting for a shop to open on Monday and hope they'd get it done sometime that week, plus sorting out renting a car, lodging, etc. I've had to do that before as well; sometimes "throw money at it" really is the best or only choice for a mechanical issue.

The point is, having some extended capabilities gives you more options. Like many here, I'm willing to take on more than your average bear, and so I want more options.

And truth be told, I end up deploying my road tools far more often on other people's vehicles than my own. That's useful too.

I have a very space and weight efficient tool set figured out, so I am seeking to fill a remaining gap via an enhanced means of vehicular elevation that is also relatively compact and lightweight, if such a thing exists.

So far, "bigger stronger scissor jack from a bigger vehicle" seems to be the leading candidate. The 2014+ F150 has a scissor jack in a nice little case, so maybe I'll poke around for one of these.

I really like the HF 1.5 ton aluminum jack. Handle breaks down into 2 pieces if needed. About 25 lbs. I like them so much I have 3, but bought them on sale at $59 or $79. Tried a supposedly good scissor jack and did not like it due to less stability and harder to put in place and lift with. The scissor jack is the most compact but least useful — I’d use one only if the goal is as compact as possible should it be necessary to change a tire — a scissor jack and donut spare.

 

[CGarage]

I am surprised you’re getting so defensive about this when you prepped an emergency vehicle kit back in December yourself.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...nflator-i-found-something-i-cant-have.541426/

Not defensive.

And drivers in most European countries are far more aware of road rules than in the U.S., with the drunk driving and mobile phone obsession.

Also, I have seen multiple drivers that have pulled off the highway in the U.S. None of them have ever observed ANY of the basic safety rules such as wearing a high visibility vest, igniting road flares or setting up a warning triangle.

Absolute madness. In Western Europe, a safety vest and road warning triangle is mandatory.
Getting out of the vehicle without wearing the vest is illegal.

 

[rust in the eye]

You can tell when things aren't stable before the car falls off the jack. If you keep going until it happens, you screwed up.

Oh, yes, agreed. The trouble, for me anyway, was determining when it would stop rolling vs going over some crack. I could feel it "sticking" then it would move along, sometimes. Of course I made the choice of that last pump of the handle rather than reposition and start over.
I never blamed the jack but was offering my experience using one in the wrong environment, an environment no worse than that likely to be found roadside.

 

[rust in the eye]

Not defensive.

And drivers in most European countries are far more aware of road rules than in the U.S., with the drunk driving and mobile phone obsession.

Also, I have seen multiple drivers that have pulled off the highway in the U.S. None of them have ever observed ANY of the basic safety rules such as wearing a high visibility vest, igniting road flares or setting up a warning triangle.

Absolute madness. In Western Europe, a safety vest and road warning triangle is mandatory.
Getting out of the vehicle without wearing the vest is illegal.

You may have noticed that many folks here in the US have an aversion to rules.
Many also fail understand that a driving license is a privilege, not a right. Where I live(Chicago) one only needs to demonstrate they are not blind and the ability to fog a mirror to obtain one, there are NO vehicle inspections and traffic laws are largely ignored.

 

[KnurledNut]

Is a bottle jack worth consideration?

I would stay away from scissor jacks for your application.
I have the 1.5T aluminum HF jack and it has lifted full size trucks, but is really overloaded and I wouldn’t recommend it.
I also have a 2T? Shinn Fu based trolley jack that has done way more than it should and handled it without issue. I used to keep that one in my pickup.
If you have salvage yards nearby, the factory Sprinter van bottle jack and kit is really good.
Some are under the passenger footboard some are under the passenger seat.

If you want to drop some coin, check out Safe Jack.

 

[M635_Guy]

And over 600 people are killed on the shoulder of the highway in the US every year. Not worth the risk to me. To each their own.

To be fair, a lot of people are stupid and/or unthinking. I've taught my spawn that when it comes to driving or being on the road in general, you have to pretend everyone is trying to kill you. They've all reported that comes in handy.

 

[CGarage]

You trained your children well and to think defensively while driving. Very smart.

 

[RTM]

I've taught my spawn that when it comes to driving or being on the road in general, you have to pretend everyone is trying to kill you.

With my girls it was Assume Everyone is Drunk.

No idea what they will do next.

And where we go, it was often not far from the truth. And much worse lately than 15 years ago when I taught them this.

 

[JerseyBoatBuilder]

Ive never used one these but thinking about it sounds like it could work well. It has a large base and jack stand built in so changing a wheel would be safer.


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pwb-620471

I have that in my Zr2, It has been great and highly recommend. They have a smaller 4,000lb version that may work for OP's minvan
The height spec's in the link is for the 6,000lb version, The 4,000lb is a couple inches shorter.

 

[Beerhippie]

To be fair, a lot of people are stupid and/or unthinking. I've taught my spawn that when it comes to driving or being on the road in general, you have to pretend everyone is trying to kill you. They've all reported that comes in handy.

I learned that riding bicycles and motorcycles and pass it on to my younger friends: There are two kinds of drivers out there. One can't see you. The other wants to kill you.

 

[Shoreline_]

What if you hung one upside down from the headliner? Like they do with rifles.

 

[tclark]

And over 600 people are killed on the shoulder of the highway in the US every year. Not worth the risk to me. To each their own.

Lol, there are hundreds of millions of cars on the road driving several trillion miles per year---your odds of that happening are still extremely low. I would almost guarantee that you creeping down the road grinding your wheels away and scattering debris along the way is far more likely to be a problem.

 

[Beerhippie]

And over 600 people are killed on the shoulder of the highway in the US every year. Not worth the risk to me. To each their own.

I'm trying to think of a lesser cause of accidental death in the US... shark attack... lighting strike....

 

[whateg01]

We always use number of deaths as the measuring stick. That doesn't take into account the number of close calls or injuries.

 

[tclark]

We always use number of deaths as the measuring stick. That doesn't take into account the number of close calls or injuries.

Meh. Just pay attention, change your dang tire, and get back on the road. If you're driving on a wheel you're just as likely to get hit or cause a wreck.

 

[autobon7]

Porsche 996 aluminum scissor jack.

Would this work on a pinch weld seam?

 

[whateg01]

Would this work on a pinch weld seam?

Probably not without something in between

 

[Gangly]

A small 2-ton floor trolley jack has worked great for me. They are small enough to get under the suspension components of most vehicles, and I’m lifting a max of 1 ton to get a wheel off the ground to change or repair it.

2 ton trolley jack


This cheap tire patch kit has saved my ****! It was around $25 a few years ago, bbut it was priceless when I needed it.


A Milwaukee M12 compressor is a must as well.