I'd like to carry a jack of some sort in my minivan for possible road repairs.
The scissor jack that comes with it, like all such jacks, is barely adequate for elevating one corner for a spare swap.
A full size floor jack (I have a 3 ton low profile at home) is unwieldy and heavy, although effective.
I've used a 2-ton compact hydraulic floor jack purchased cheap at the nearest big box store for road trip repairs before, but it was not a comfortable experience. The small jack really seemed to struggle, and I really would have liked to get the van up higher. But for $40 - $50 or so on sale with jack stands, it did the trick.
Jack stands, I have sorted out, and of course a sturdy hunka wood for soft surfaces.
Obviously, I could just get another one of those cheap floor jacks.
Or perhaps a lighter aluminum floor jack would be worth the weight savings?
Or is there something like an upgraded, higher-capacity scissor jack out there? Would scissor jacks used for RVs be safe(ish) for lifting a vehicle?
Should I rummage through a junkyard for an OEM scissor or screw jack from a pickup or similar?
Is a bottle jack worth consideration?
I humbly await the wisdom of the Garage Journal Hive Mind.
