Looking for Recommendations on Floor Jacks

[Bunker]

I am going on a long road trip and I am trying prepare. Do you all use a floor jack when you have blow outs or do you just use the truck's jack? I was looking at getting 1 1/2 ton floor jack to carry with me.

Thanks.

[Thermoguy]

I carry an automotive ramp with me - similar to the trailer aid, but not a special product, just a ramp. I've used it to drive the car up on it to get under the engine... But, have used it to change a flat on the highway, and driving up on something is way easier than trying to get a bottle jack up under there, find out it's too short, find a block of wood, etc... Just drive up on the ramp. I keep in in the bed under my roll up tonneau cover box.

[Cummins12V98]

"If you suspension has a lot of travel or wide spread, it can take a lot of blocks under 1 axle to get the other off the ground."

True, on my last DRV it had a TrailAir suspension that did drop a lot. 2-1/2" under the TrailerAid did the trick.

[JRscooby]

JIMNLIN wrote:
Interesting theory.
My 12t shorty hyd jack has non of your limitations you mention.
And my trailers (rv and commercial) axles don't travel in a big enough arc to be any kind of a issue.
This old jack is heavy and made all 1.2 million miles when I was towing for a living. It also been in three different 5th wheel rv trailers with countless thousands of miles for over 30 years.

Guess we have differing experiences with hyd bottle jacks.

Let me see, are you saying in all the times you have used your jack you have never put it in position, started to lift the load, then "oh snot" let it back down, and changed position to try again? I think it is often the arc putting side pressure that caused this.
Think for a minute. You and I have had enough experience doing this kind of thing, that while we are doing it we don't even think about why it is going wrong, we just stop and regroup. But we are not looking for info on what is the best size/brand of the wrong kind of jack to get. Now, sitting on the couch, trying to pass on experience thru a keyboard, without knowing anything about the skillset of the reader, I try to show what can happen/what to watch. And most important, the need to watch.
As for jacks leaking; Truth be told, old jacks unless abused are less likely to leak. That is why if I needed to say push a bin with 16+ tons of rock sideways I grab the 2 20 ton China made units because I don't want to put the side pressure on the good ones.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Would someone explain why they would not use a TrailerAid or stepped wood blocks???

Not sure how you get a shorty bottle jack under the axle with the tire flat causing the axle to hang low.

If you suspension has a lot of travel or wide spread, it can take a lot of blocks under 1 axle to get the other off the ground.

I'm sure others have their favorite methods of raising a tire off the ground...but it don't worry me how others do it. Just get'r done.

This brings up a point; In the dark or rain, with traffic rolling by, is not the best place to go to school.
A nice day, in your driveway, (or better yard so you understand about soft ground under where working) change a tire. Know what doesn't work on your setup.

[JIMNLIN]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Would someone explain why they would not use a TrailerAid or stepped wood blocks???

Not sure how you get a shorty bottle jack under the axle with the tire flat causing the axle to hang low.

I used my 12T shorty hyd bottle jack with tires on my various rv and non rv trailers with 14"/15"/16"/17.5"/19.5" tires with 1750 lb axles on up to 12000 lb axles...when I was on the road 24/7.

Now if the trailer has drop axles then a shorty may not be a good idea.

Several reasons someone wouldn't or couldn't use a trailer aid/ramps.
Useless for a triaxle or single axle trailer.
Useless in soft soils or mud.
Guys like me that have used them but prefer some type of jack under the end of a axle.
I'm sure others have their favorite methods of raising a tire off the ground...but it don't worry me how others do it. Just get'r done.

[Cummins12V98]

Would someone explain why they would not use a TrailerAid or stepped wood blocks???

Not sure how you get a shorty bottle jack under the axle with the tire flat causing the axle to hang low.

[Cummins12V98]

jdc1 wrote:
What "Cummins12V98" says...but the economy model...aka wood blocks.

That will do the job also!!! Simple and SAFE.

[laknox]

Bunker wrote:
I am going on a long road trip and I am trying prepare. Do you all use a floor jack when you have blow outs or do you just use the truck's jack? I was looking at getting 1 1/2 ton floor jack to carry with me.

Thanks.

As others have said, floor jacks aren't the best to use in most situations you'll find yourself in if you have a flat. And, frankly, you'd likely need more than a 1.5t floor jack to lift a heavier FW.

Me, I started off with a 4t bottle jack and found out the hard way that it would =not= lift one end of a 5200 lb axle when loaded. Ended up using my truck's OEM jack and it worked like a champ, though =lots= of cranking. After that, I bought a 12t "trucker" bottle jack and have carried both since then. With my current KZ, with 4-point leveling, I'd have zero problem in using the jacks to lift up the rig to change a tire. My curb side tires are usually 2" off the ground when I level in the street in front of my house, so using them to jack up for the short time it takes to change a tire is no strain on them, at all. I just need to play with the controls to see if I can manually level side-to-side as well as fore and aft.

Lyle

[1995brave]

I picked up one of these 5 ton electric jack

[memtb]

Tvov wrote:
I have a smaller TT (21ft), but I found that my truck's jack (what it came with from the factory) works just fine - and it has an extendable arm for turning the jack.

Tvov, I did the same as you, until......November 1993, with our first outing in our 1990 Teton. It was pretty much a week of disasters, culminated with a winter storm moving in with sub zero temperatures, propane tanks the dealer had not filled prior to our departure from Casper, Wy., a flat tire ( a slow leak the dealer was supposed to repair), and “jelled” diesel as we were trying to get off of the mountain. The truck scissor jack “stripped” it’s gears trying to lift the axle of the Teton ( 2 axle with gvw @ 16K+) up to change the tire. It’s been bottle jacks for us ever since! memtb

[Tvov]

I have a smaller TT (21ft), but I found that my truck's jack (what it came with from the factory) works just fine - and it has an extendable arm for turning the jack.

[JIMNLIN]

Interesting theory.
My 12t shorty hyd jack has non of your limitations you mention.
And my trailers (rv and commercial) axles don't travel in a big enough arc to be any kind of a issue.
This old jack is heavy and made all 1.2 million miles when I was towing for a living. It also been in three different 5th wheel rv trailers with countless thousands of miles for over 30 years.

Guess we have differing experiences with hyd bottle jacks.

[JRscooby]

My main issue with bottle jack is the short handle. Not because it limits power or anything. If that was issue, get the bigger jack. But with the jack under the vehicle a longer handle will not swing. So to work the jack you need to be under the vehicle. But as you pump you can see if jack is under pressure to slip or lean, so fall unlikely. If the vehicle falls at this point injury is very unlikely, you had room to get in there at bottom of fall.
Now some jack lean when lifting 1 end of a axle can't be avoided. The end of axle goes up in a arc, centered at ground/other end tire contact. The real danger is when you think you are high enough, remove the flat, discover the inflated tire will not fit. When you get under to lift more, you are at risk. A fall will let vehicle drop below where it started, no more room for you. And as you jack it up, more jack lean.
Another issue is the limited travel of jack. A short jack that will fit under the axle with flat, but run out of lift before you can get tire back on.
Now I bet most RVers still carry something to pull the trailer on to level. Pull the flat onto that kind of ramp, get the center of axle as high as normal. Only need to jack up enough to get ramp out. The shorter lift means the jack does not need to lean as much.
Any jack will be a fairly big hammer beating on things if not secured when traveling. And bottle jacks, if stored laying down are known to leak. Now they don't hold much fluid, and it is a pretty thin oil, so you might not notice the leak. But next time you need to use it, and get close to full stroke, the jack will notice it.

[RAS43]

ssthrd wrote:

2oldman wrote:
I assume you mean for the 5er. I've had one flat in 18 years. Used a 12 ton bottle jack.

^ What I have + wooden blocks.

Same here w/ 1 blowout in 40+ years of pulling trailers. Keep it simple. And I don't believe a 1 1/2 ton floor jack is enough for anything but a car.

[memtb]

I’ve used bottle jacks for many years on my trailers, I even went so far as to, cut a pipe coupling (larger than the trailer axle) in half and weld it to the top of the jack ram. It makes for a very secure, stable jack point.

However, on our 5er, I just used the hydraulic auto leveling to lift trailer high enough to change a tire or whatever maintenance required ( tire rotation, bearing pack, brake work, ect)! 😉 memtb