Hydraulic jack
Good day. I know the answer is likely a simple one but I am just not sure about what I need. We have a single axle travel trailer (max weight 5,000 lbs) and a 2011 Silverado 1500. We recently had a fl...
Forum Discussion
wa8yxm wrote:
I lie the floor (Also called Trolly) jacks. 5000 pounds is 2 1/2 tons and you will likely never need to lift all of it. 2 Ton is a very common size and should work great.. Also way easier if the Truck has a flat trust me.. I keep on in my towed's trunk.. (Along with a bit of lumber there is not enough clearance on the towed for the jack so I jack it up a bit. Block it and reposition and then do the job).
The problem with a floor jack is often when you need to change a tire you are missing a important part of safe operation, the smooth hard floor. As the lift plate goes up, it travels a arc in relation to the trolley. On a floor, as the load goes up, the jack moves under the load. But on a rough or soft surface, the lift plate must slide on the load, and it falls.
When shopping for jack, think about will it fit under the lift point when tire is flat. Will it lift far enough to get the spare on? Sure, you can pull the flat on a ramp.
IMHO, one thing everybody that drives should do is pick a nice day and change a tire on their vehicle and trailer. Learn what you need to do to jack it up. What wrench fits the lugs. Can you turn it, or do you need a longer handle? Does the wrench fit the nuts that hold the spare? Think about it. Do you want to go to school at night, in the rain, with traffic wizzing past?
BTW, I have a bunch of hydraulic jacks. But I only carry the one that came with pickup. Plenty capacity, plenty of stroke. But I will pull flat on block, so can spin jack up, only need handle for short lift. As soon as flat tire is off block, remove wheel and block, am high enough to put tire back on.
