Getting Jacked - A Trail question

NevadaZielmeister

NevadaZielmeister

Caught the Bug
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I was curious about people's thoughts on trail jacks, mostly bottle jacks. I really am not interested in a Hi-Lift jack system at all. I have an idea about which 12 ton bottle jack I plan to buy, but the question surrounds what size/height? What type of operational range (the amount of lift) is best? I have found some with 10 inches and one with 14 inches, but the 14 inch model minimum height is over 11 inches, which might make it difficult to even get underneath the axle/underside.

Any thoughts or discussions would be helpful. I hope this does not degrade into the Hi-Lift vs. Bottle jack discussion. I just am not buying a Hi-Lift jack, so please refrain. Any help would be appreciated.
 
I too am interested in this, would like to see what people are using as I will be purchasing a bottle jack soon as well. I do carry a High-Lift but more for unique situations than routine jacking, likely will never use it, but you never know.
 
benatc1 said:
I too am interested in this, would like to see what people are using as I will be purchasing a bottle jack soon as well. I do carry a High-Lift but more for unique situations than routine jacking, likely will never use it, but you never know.
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Hey friend, good to see you here, thank you. Here is what I had in mind for a bottle jack: http://www.goestores.com/storename/usjackco/dept/276437/ItemDetail-10997364.aspx

American made, high capacity and high range. It looks like a winner but I wanted to check with the Wayalife brain trust prior to pulling the trigger. These are not cheap, but getting stuck and calling for a tow cost me about the same amount of money last time I was.
 
NevadaZielmeister said:
Hey friend, good to see you here, thank you. Here is what I had in mind for a bottle jack: http://www.goestores.com/storename/usjackco/dept/276437/ItemDetail-10997364.aspx

American made, high capacity and high range. It looks like a winner but I wanted to check with the Wayalife brain trust prior to pulling the trigger. These are not cheap, but getting stuck and calling for a tow cost me about the same amount of money last time I was.
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Looks like a really nice jack if not a bit pricey. Of course, I would assume that's because it's made in the USA.

You don't really want one that is too tall. It's better off to carry blocks of wood that you can stack to give you more height if needed.
 
wayoflife said:
Looks like a really nice jack if not a bit pricey. Of course, I would assume that's because it's made in the USA.

You don't really want one that is too tall. It's better off to carry blocks of wood that you can stack to give you more height if needed.
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Thanks Eddy. I agree and was also looking into what kind of wood to buy. What kind of blocks of wood would you recommend? I was thinking of cutting 2 4x4 lengths to form a square underneath the bottle jack, but wasn't sure which works best. Do we even need to look at the 2x4 construction model?
 
NevadaZielmeister said:
Thanks Eddy. I agree and was also looking into what kind of wood to buy. What kind of blocks of wood would you recommend? I was thinking of cutting 2 4x4 lengths to form a square underneath the bottle jack, but wasn't sure which works best. Do we even need to look at the 2x4 construction model?
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LOL!! What?? Any wood will work just fine. I cut up some scrap 2x4's I had laying around and in pieces that can be stored in the rear cubby and be stack up jenga style.
 
NevadaZielmeister said:
Hey friend, good to see you here, thank you. Here is what I had in mind for a bottle jack: http://www.goestores.com/storename/usjackco/dept/276437/ItemDetail-10997364.aspx

American made, high capacity and high range. It looks like a winner but I wanted to check with the Wayalife brain trust prior to pulling the trigger. These are not cheap, but getting stuck and calling for a tow cost me about the same amount of money last time I was.
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Thanks! I will look into this jack, little pricey but like you said American made and probably trustworthy- which is worth a lot of money! Im looking fwd to seeing your rig and what it can do after it gets "evolved". i appreciate the tip!
 
benatc1 said:
Thanks! I will look into this jack, little pricey but like you said American made and probably trustworthy- which is worth a lot of money! Im looking fwd to seeing your rig and what it can do after it gets "evolved". i appreciate the tip!
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Yes, I am getting more and more excited about the build. I drive down to ORE on 5/23 and pick up RubySky on 6/3.

Here is the link for the standard bottle jack, with a collapsed height of 9" and an extended height of 19-1/2". The great thing is that is is quite a bit cheaper, at $188. Just an FYI.
 
NevadaZielmeister said:
Yes, I am getting more and more excited about the build. I drive down to ORE on 5/23 and pick up RubySky on 6/3.

Here is the link for the standard bottle jack, with a collapsed height of 9" and an extended height of 19-1/2". The great thing is that is is quite a bit cheaper, at $188. Just an FYI.
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Nice, I bet you are excited!! That jack may be more in my wheel house! thank you!
 
wayoflife said:
LOL!! What?? Any wood will work just fine. I cut up some scrap 2x4's I had laying around and in pieces that can be stored in the rear cubby and be stack up jenga style.
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Oooh. Inspiration strikes.

American Made Trail Jack Extension and Camp Game!
 

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catahoula said:
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Anybody use one of these?
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I have one and it works well with the factory scissor jack. Only problem is, when you've got a built up Jeep that weighs about 7,000 lbs., the factory scissor jack will fold on you. You can't use one of these bases with a bottle jack as the footprint is a keyed fit. Also, you are limited to its height - you have no options the way you would with cut down pieces of 2x4.
 
I thought about this a long time and took into consideration how much I've spent on other tools and also the amount I tend to pack on extended excursions.

I bought a Safe Jack for EJS and it came in really handy as a jack stand when I was troubleshooting the rear squeal (bent flange) and also helped out another Jeeper when their motor somehow dislodged from its motor mount.

I was skeptical about the claim to the stable height from stacking the extension but it worked as advertised and doesn't take up much room - it gets a keeper status.

the bottle jack universal base (wider base) sucks as to how it's attached but I haven't had time to mess with it in order to make it easier to attach.

http://safejacks.com/collections/bo...ack-bottle-jack-recovery-kit-with-bottle-jack
 
Brute said:
Anybody ever give this a thought...King screw jack? It does require that you weld a couple small tubes to either your bumper corners or rock rails...but it's quick...use a cordless impact gun and lug nut socket to drive it...

http://www.kingshocks.com/products/parts/screw-jack/
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I think it looks cool, but with only a capacity of 3,800 pounds, very limited use for our purposes. I figure my JK will weigh about 4,000 pounds without occupants or gear. I can only imagine the pain in realizing that one cannot lift their JK on the trail with this item. I could be wrong, but better to have something and not need than to need something and not have it. Cool idea though for a off-road racing vehicle.
 
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I just bought a Powerbuilt 3ton all in one jack. It's great for rotating tired or any other maintenance and I plan to carry it when I go wheeling.

ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1462214917.086486.jpg

But I also have a six ton bottle jack that fits and stays in the cubby for the stock jack for emergency use if needed.
 
NevadaZielmeister said:
I think it looks cool, but with only a capacity of 3,800 pounds, very limited use for our purposes. I figure my JK will weigh about 4,000 pounds without occupants or gear. I can only imagine the pain in realizing that one cannot lift their JK on the trail with this item. I could be wrong, but better to have something and not need than to need something and not have it. Cool idea though for a off-road racing vehicle.
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Your JK will weigh much more than 4,000 without occupants and gear. Mine is around 5,000 without occupants and has a D30, 35s, sliders and front bumper only. You will be well past 5,000 when ORE is done with you I would bet.
 
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