Do you use an exhaust jack?

By use I mean do you get it out of it's bag & lift you car with it (as opposed to carrying it around in the car 'just in case'.

I've been carrying ours around in the car 'just in case', but with our forthcoming 'more remote than we've been before' trip coming up today was the day that I finally decided I should a) check that it works & b) familiarise myself with it's use. (Yeah, yeah, I know .... well overdue).

Not only did I discover that the rubber seals on the hose connection leak, even with silicon 'o' ring TLC. The bag blows up but slowly allows air to escape. If that were the only issue I'd source some replacement seals.

We also discovered that it's actually bloody hard work holding the hose onto the exhaust to maintain sufficient seal to pressurise the bag. MrsTea would do the initial holding whilst I did my best to ensure the bag was 'lined up', but I had to take over on the exhaust end to get sufficient pressure to do the final lifting as she didn't have the strength .... & I struggled. Perhaps the 'exhaust cone' is not designed for 3" exhausts?

After an hour or three trying the bag in every position we could under the car & failing because there are no flat'ish surfaces under which to put it on our GU (to lift a front wheel) we have given up & just used a normal jack, having determined that the exhaust jack is one item no longer on the packing list.

We did manage to get the passenger side front wheel about half an inch off the ground, but also had great difficulty, despite *numerous* attempts to make the bag go 'straight up' rather than taking on a 'lean' & causing the slightly raised car to slew sideways.

I'm really thinking that the damn thing is just a white elephant ...... at least for our car.

I have one that gets moved around a lot because it is always getting in the way. I have now moved it to the garage and later today.. probably gumtree.

Hmmm... different strokes for different blokes I guess.

Nothing comes even close to as good on sand if you roll a tyre off the rim

I would NEVER be without mine and at various times I've used it to;

Lift old mates Trailer on the Great Central Road 'cause nothing else would fit under,
Used it sideways against the B pillar to stop a vehicle sliding into a tree during recovery,
Lift the vehicle and change a wheel (put the other wheel under the side step for safety but never had any hassle)
Lifted a Van draw bar so old mate could hook up when his Jockey wheel crapped out.

I use either the exhaust (bit of a PIA I agree) or my endless air to inflate

I also don't really give a rats where the bag goes and let it find its own 'happy place', just a bit of carpet top and bottom and whooshka
I just stay away from sharp bits and hot bits

I have used them and found they are quiet handy .A lot of times I will slide the jack on its side and pump up under diffs very stable beats a knuckle buster (hi lift )every time .Cuppa push the cone onto the pipe on a slight angle and push down it will seal really well.

@Cuppa, I have a high lift jack and the airbag, used both at different times, both suited the situation, and yes the exhaust funnel is more difficult to use for sure and takes a bit of effort, however whats now on my shopping list is the new hydraulic high lift jack that ARB have developed. I saw a video promo and waiting for the release. they look a lot shorter, but the lift height is great - recommend you give them a call - and let us know the price and release date pls!

New hydraulic jack looks good, but it needs to at $5 short of $1k. Give it a few years & perhaps they will have sufficient competition to bring the price down.

I hear what others have said in favour of the exhaust jacks, but ours (& the mechanical high lift jack) is staying home. Doing so saves some weight & space. To remove front wheels this arvo to check how the EBC Greenstuff brake pads are going (they got a real good flogging in Tassie) I tried the little mechanical Nissan jack for the first time (also carry a hydraulic bottle jack) & it did a great fuss free job, unlike the exhaust jack. MrsTea did one wheel by herself for the first time having observed me doing one first & managed very well.

I understand that the an exhaust jack is viewed as more a recovery tool than just a jack. But I hope that we will be cautious enough to not get ourselves bogged, but that if we do, we have other options - (shovel, maxtrax, winch, snatch strap) & if these fail anywhere where help is unlikely to happen along before we kark it from dehydration or starvation we have the satphone & epirb.

Btw the Ebc pads look around half worn at 35,000kms. Given their effectiveness that's ok by me.

What about an air bag jack? I saw one in use last weekend, albeit in somebody's shed running off a big compressor but it took less than 1 second to fully inflate with no weight on it. Very impressive.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F273127342596

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EPIRB and carton of beer quickest recovery tools on the otherside of the great divide Cuppa.

Cuppa did you go the slotted rotors I got the DBA t2 ones and what an improvement.

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Originally Posted by Winnie

What about an air bag jack? I saw one in use last weekend, albeit in somebody's shed running off a big compressor but it took less than 1 second to fully inflate with no weight on it. Very impressive.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F273127342596

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They look great for in the workshop Winnie - may have to put in a request to Santa. Possibly a bit heavy/bulky for our travel requirements

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Originally Posted by dads tractor

EPIRB and carton of beer quickest recovery tools on the otherside of the great divide Cuppa.

Cuppa did you go the slotted rotors I got the DBA t2 ones and what an improvement.

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:) RDA Dimpled & slotted +EBC Greenstuff series 6000 DT. Only on the front though. Drum rears.

Operator error for sure Cuppa. Sorry mate. I understand your frustration because i have seen an exhaust jack not cooperate until it is positioned well and the inflation works perfectly if done right. If done wrong it will struggle to inflate, be slow and leak.

The cone on the end of the hose will cater for the 3" exhaust no problem but will really struggle if the and of the exhaust is not cut off square. If there is an angle forget it.

Yes you need to lean in and push it on hard. Yes you need Mrs T to Rev the car! Forget trying to lift your car with your engine idling away. Zero chance of any more than slight lift off idle.

When i worked at the Avalon Airshow last year Tarmac Ops had 10 exhaust jacks that they had in the Store but had never tested. They asked us to unpack and test them. I had no trouble getting full lift out of every one.

The best kit i have.

Dont over think it. The bag does not need to be neat and straight. Actually it will probably never be. It needs to be well placed and stable but that dosent mean uncreased with straight sides.

Best place to lift is under the diff housing. Have another go. Or bring it to me and id be happy to show you. Or google on youtube.

... good point about the exhaust pipe tip and obviously also helps not to have an exhaust leak.

Unlike MR I've never had to rev the engine when demonstrating Exhaust Jack use to students.
Placed under the side step, a 'standard' airbag will happily lift one side of a Ford Ranger about 1/2 a metre at idle which is full extension of the bag.

However if I am on my own I tend to use an air compressor more often than the exhaust as it gives better control.

Bottom line for me would be that if you are tight for space/weight and aren't travelling in sandy areas then, yeah, leave it at home but I stand by my original comment that absolutely nothing is better on Soft or Sandy Tracks, Beach or Dunes (which in WA is about 1/3rd of the State which pisses the 'Gropers off no end when you say it)

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Originally Posted by MudRunnerTD

Best place to lift is under the diff housing. Have another go.

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Originally Posted by the evil twin

Bottom line for me would be that if you are tight for space/weight and aren't travelling in sandy areas then, yeah, leave it at home

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We'll have another go (although will have to wait a few days) as we most certainly will be on sandy tracks. Will try more revs (had set hand throttle to 1000rpm before) AND with air compressor.
It is possible I had been over cautious about puncturing the bag , perhaps they are tougher than I thought.
We did try under the side steps (aluminium Nissan items) but was concerned about the possibility of them getting bent up.

They are pretty tough mate.

With the factory steps I would put it 1/2 under the step, 1/2 under the body.
For aftermarket stronger steps I just wack it under the steps

For wheel changing I put it under the Control Arm area IE as far out on the diff housing as practicable so all you lift is one wheel of load (IE about 750KG) and a minimum height.

Highly recommend a couple of carpet tiles/offcuts for piece of mind, esp over here where they have these huge vicious burrs called '3 cornered jacks'.
There aren't many 'bits' on a Patrol suspension/underbody sharp enough to puncture the bag (but there are hot bits) but a bit of carpet on top of the bag won't hurt.

As for the exhaut jack I was to believe these were the bees knees.
Also have a theory on these green /black racing style pads. to me they work
best when under a lot of pressure a light tap an the brake pedal didnt give any real feel.
to me they are for what its worth a race pad and not many of us race around, bar half the forum
and you know who you are ha ha ha ,,,just a theory I had if you think about it

Yeah i find if you give the car a bit of a rev it speeda thing up dramatically.

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Originally Posted by threedogs

Also have a theory on these green /black racing style pads. to me they work
best when under a lot of pressure a light tap an the brake pedal didnt give any real feel.
to me they are for what its worth a race pad and not many of us race around, bar half the forum
and you know who you are ha ha ha ,,,just a theory I had if you think about it

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Probably going a bit off topic but anyway ....... I've had race linings in twin leader drum brakes on old Triumphs. Absolutely useless until warmed up. I recall sailing through some red lights near home unintentionally when I first fitted them! Once warm they were fantastic so long as you remembered to just touch them now & again to keep them warm. With that in mind I questioned EBC techs about the performance of their Yellow Stuff pads - originally a compound developed for fast sedans used on track days, but now sold to also fit trucks & some 4wd's. Reputed to give a 15% performance improvement over the 6000 series Green Stuff pads I currently have. I was reassured that unlike race compounds of old, these will work well when cold & also have a far longer life than the softer compounds of old. I now have a set of Yellowstuff pads sitting in the shed, thinking I might have to change pads after our Tassie Trip, but now it seems it will be quite a way off before I need to change, when I do you'll hear about it here. May not suit all Patrols, but I questioned the Tech pretty hard about the best choice for ours carrying a constant load ... both were much the same price & Yellowstuff was his recommendation. The Greenstuff pads I have are head & shoulders above the original pads already ..... in all conditions. If I ever get keen I'll fit some braided lines - without them I don't reckon any Patrol (GU at least) gives good 'feel', but they work.