Air Jack vs Lift Jack. Or other alternatives?

[kowalski]

hi fellas,
i was just wondering, what kind of lifting device you generally use. i guess at home in the garage most of you use a classic car jack on rollers. but what about outdoors? which comes more handy, also considering the different undersoils we are facing? i always thought the lift jack is somewhat of an itchy thing. the air jack seems to be a good partner if being alone outside.

what are your pros/cons for the two? or are there other alternatives?

cheers
seb

[Ade]

Hi Seb,

I used High Lift and a bottle jack for out bushing. Never had a drama with them so far. I also keep a thick wood plank in the trol to be use on a soft soil. If you ever need to go under just parked your trol on a ditch/trench or bump and crawl under with wheels chocked. I don't even dare to go under on a high lift, and I don't think it would be safe either with the air jack..

Cheers,
Ade

[kowalski]

hey Ade,

thanks for your helpful opinions. a bottle jack is that one which looks like a bottle, i guess
i get your point that neither the air jack, nor the lift jack gives one a safe enough feeling tinkering under the car. i'll keep that in mind.
cheerio
seb

[Bigrig]

Air jack mate - getting one myself. Better on varied terrains and certainly heaps safer - especially on hills where sometimes you just can't find flat ground. Good for unbogging on sand also!!!

[Bulbous]

Air jack mate - getting one myself. Better on varied terrains and certainly heaps safer - especially on hills where sometimes you just can't find flat ground. Good for unbogging on sand also!!!

Have you actually tried one? I 've never seen one work at all.

[AB]

Mudrunner swears by them. We tried one on our last trip using Kris's new GU but it didn't work the best due to his angle cut on the exhaust end. The angle cut on the exhaust didn't get the exhaust jack cone to hook on properly so you have to make sure your exhaust end is a straight vertical cut.

[growler2058]

Heard ya gotta be careful ya don't roll ya troll with em


Tappin N Crappin

[AB]

Heard ya gotta be careful ya don't roll ya troll with em


Tappin N Crappin

Russel Coight style...LMAO

[growler2058]

Hahahahah forgot about Russ but rekin it was in a 4wd action DVD


Tappin N Crappin

[Silver]

which one, Growlers? The high lift? I suppose depending on the circumstances either kind would produce enough height in the lift to warrant some thought to prevent a roll.

The other issues with high lifts, which each has a solution, are how to attach it to the vehicle - special sling that picks up wheel studs, mods to bull bar, use of rear hitch receiver. How to avoid damage to panels if the vehicle moves away from the jack unexpectedly, etc etc.

The marketing for hi lifts sometimes includes that you can move a vehicle sideways by lifting it, and then deliberately pushing the vehicle sideways. Now that sounds exciting with potential for panel damage too, but I don't think it would often be an option with the air bag.

Off road I have so far gotten away with a couple of screw jacks including the one that Nissan supplied. I confess I also have a shorter one that bears a name that starts with T. Two jacks are often better than one, eg. there was a time when I had our old MQ wagon sitting on the chassis on tree roots in a washed out track. careful use of the two jacks plus some packing under the tyres saved a lot of load on the hand winch operators and on suspension components as I was able to lift wheels to meet the step ups rather than skull dragging first onto, then up and over.

In saying it saved a lot of load on the handwinch, it was a very short recovery, and there were two enthusiastic mates on the winch lever - I had to ask them to slow down :-)

I have the shorter jack, that bears the dreaded T, and that I think came from a Dyna because I have previously had issues getting the supplied jack under and lifting the MQ, and a mate's trailer, both cases running 10R tyres.

Sounds like something to muck around with under controlled conditions at a forum meet up. I'll take my airbag up to the Qld get together in October.