Jacks

[Boinzo]

Ok, Patrol Gurus.

A little unsure if I have this thread in the right place. I did some searching. But...

I'm keen to know what jack people are carting in the back of their trucks.

I have a 2" lift, that looks closer to 3 (yes!), and I'm pretty sure the factory bottle jack is gonna do jack sh*t if I need to change a tyre. I hate high-lift jacks. What else is there?

I just need to know I can get this fully loaded truck high enough to get the spare on!

Hit me with your recommendations, considering my truck is already too heavy and full. Smaller is better (if unrealistically)

Thanks fellas.

[dom14]

I carry a trolley jack, highlift jack & couple of timber blocks to assist with height, and of course couple of jack stands. Those are essential recovery gears. Personally, I have lot of faith in trolley jacks. I've modified a small one to be able to lift higher by fabricating a "metal cradle" to attach to the top of the lift top(or you can simply use a timber block, finely balanced on top of it)

[macca]

Bought a 2 stage hydraulic jack off eBay, came from a F350. Cost $114.00 AUD shipped from the US.
Gives the lift needed and is rated 4 tonne too I think.

[Winnie]

Why won't your bottle jack work? Unless you change the tyre size your diffs are the same distance to the ground.
I have a 2" lift and 33s and I use the factory bottle jack.

[Boinzo]

It will work in terms of lift. But isn't it only rated at 1800kg? My truck weighs heaps more than that when it's loaded.
But yeah - was just after confirmation I guess!


Why won't your bottle jack work? Unless you change the tyre size your diffs are the same distance to the ground.
I have a 2" lift and 33s and I use the factory bottle jack.

[mudnut]

You only lift half of the vehicle at most, so unless your Patrol is 3600 kg, then it should be ok.

[Winnie]

It will work in terms of lift. But isn't it only rated at 1800kg? My truck weighs heaps more than that when it's loaded.
But yeah - was just after confirmation I guess!

Yeah you would generally only lift one corner of the vehicle at a time though?

[Clunk]

Why won't your bottle jack work? Unless you change the tyre size your diffs are the same distance to the ground.
I have a 2" lift and 33s and I use the factory bottle jack.

Yep me too........ and you're only lifting up a corner essentially so the factory bottle jack works fine. Now if you're off road on some gnarly terrain, well that could possibly be a different scenario where the bottle jack might not work.

[Throbbinhood]

My factory bottle jack works with 35's. Just jack up from under the diffs. I always have a shovel and a metal plate on hand for offroad situations, so at worst I can dig around the tyre if I need a bit more clearance.

Another option if you carry a compressor is to deflate the new tyre before putting it on, has worked for me in the past.

[the evil twin]

I carry a small Trolley Jack and an Air Bag, the Trolley Jack is for changing a wheel, the Air Bag is for recovery

[dom14]

I carry a small Trolley Jack and an Air Bag, the Trolley Jack is for changing a wheel, the Air Bag is for recovery

Yeah, the air bag is pretty handy, safe, reliable and easy when combined with a redundancy like few timber blocks, spare wheel, jack stands etc under the car.
It is an item on my list, 'cos airbags can do "magic" when we try to jack up the wheels on uneven ground. :D

[Boinzo]

Thanks for the replies all!
I did pose this question after a few beers so it was probably a bit obvious really. :oops:
Factory bottle jack it is.
I do also have an air jack for when I'm in the rough.

[Cuppa]

I've never used the Nissan bottle jack but it seems like a pretty good design & less weight than hydraulic equivalents, I'm guessing they are also reasonably well regarded going by the asking price for them on ebay.

[mudnut]

My advice to everyone that hasn't used their jacks before is to get them out and learn how they perform. The Nissan jack is as slow as a wet week, but does the job safer than a hydraulic jack as it can't let go suddenly, (unless it slips out, of course).

[macca]

Why won't your bottle jack work? Unless you change the tyre size your diffs are the same distance to the ground.
I have a 2" lift and 33s and I use the factory bottle jack.

Sorry Winnie, just read this.
My OEM jack didn't come with all the other bits only the jack itself, I knew this when I bought the car.

The OEM jack wobbles on its base, something that I did not like. It may be damaged I don't know but I had to sort out something.

So that's why I sourced a hydraulic jack, the lift on the hydro is about 50mm more as it turns out, I hadn't wound the OEM up till this morning to have a look.

Plus 4 tonne capacity gives a bit of peace of mind, bit better the 1.8 tonne of the OEM plus they are about the same size but the new one is heavier.

Not pasting the OEM, but like what I have better!

[dom14]

Mine is a small hydraulic bottle jack that hides inside rear side compartment of the vehicle.
Last time I opened it up or used it was years ago. It's only safe to use on a flat concrete floor.
Besides, I would never use a jack without jack stands or some kinda redundancy under the car.

From what I hear from the guys here, by OEM jack, you guys mean a screw type jack? Not the bottle type hydraulic one?
The factory one that came with mine(RB30) is a small hydraulic bottle jack, which is next to useless, unless on a flat hard ground like a concrete floor.

[Throbbinhood]

The OEM jack wobbles on its base, something that I did not like. It may be damaged I don't know but I had to sort out something.


Only until it hits the diff or whatever, for me anyway. Once there is weight on it, it's fine.


My advice to everyone that hasn't used their jacks before is to get them out and learn how they perform. The Nissan jack is as slow as a wet week, but does the job safer than a hydraulic jack as it can't let go suddenly, (unless it slips out, of course).

Easy solution for this. I bashed an 11mm (I think it was, 3 years ago so may have been another size) socket onto the end of the big rod. I always have a drill, couple of batteries and the charger in the car. Just pop it on the drill and it's up in under a minute. Even if the drill is flat, I can just use the ratchet anyway.

[bazzaboy]

I carry the standard factory bottle jack, a plug kit, electric rattle gun, and a compressor, and I've never needed anything else. Unless your by yourself on a trip to the middle of no where, when you need to take everything and be self sufficient, I don't see the need to carry all the extra weight all the time. It fascinates me when a group of mates/friends go on a trip together and everyone of them carries all the same gear ie .. 8 compressors, 8 plug kits, 8 sets of recovery gear, 8 sets of tools, .......... Why not get organized and share gear and the weight.

[Throbbinhood]

Agree with the above, except for the compressors. Ever pumped up 3 cars of 35's from 16psi to 38psi with one compressor? Might as well pull the swag out. Things go so much quicker when people have their own compressors/deflaters.

[threedogs]

Ive never used the mechanical OE jack ,I replaced it with a 12 tonne hydraulic
less effort the the OE. at home I have a trolley jack as well, if out bush Id take
an exhaust jack

[dom14]

I carry the standard factory bottle jack, a plug kit, electric rattle gun, and a compressor, and I've never needed anything else. Unless your by yourself on a trip to the middle of no where, when you need to take everything and be self sufficient, I don't see the need to carry all the extra weight all the time. It fascinates me when a group of mates/friends go on a trip together and everyone of them carries all the same gear ie .. 8 compressors, 8 plug kits, 8 sets of recovery gear, 8 sets of tools, .......... Why not get organized and share gear and the weight.

Yeah, makes perfect sense. Unless you go solo, multiples of the same gear doesn't make sense.

[dom14]

Ive never used the mechanical OE jack ,I replaced it with a 12 tonne hydraulic
less effort the the OE. at home I have a trolley jack as well, if out bush Id take
an exhaust jack

What is an exhaust jack? Ok cool. It's the air jack. :D
I learn something new everyday. I've had no idea we can use exhaust gas to inflate it. :)
Thanx

[dom14]

Agree with the above, except for the compressors. Ever pumped up 3 cars of 35's from 16psi to 38psi with one compressor? Might as well pull the swag out. Things go so much quicker when people have their own compressors/deflaters.

And they have higher chance of failure than other gears. So, it makes sense to have more than couple of compressors for a group.