Jacking safely for flat tire change

[In The Ten Ring]

Excellent thread!

I try to be prepared for all eventualities and this is one I'll have to face at some point.

I was planning on carrying a 2 & 1/2 ton floor jack (the hydraulic ones on wheels) in a bed tool box I'll make out of wood but in the mean time, I'll figure out how to use the jack that came with the truck.

*Welding skills/metal fabrication skills are extremely useful, as you can see from this thread how one could easily modify a bottle jack to work well for them. My dad taught me to always cushion a jack with a block of wood and I've always done that. I will try to do the same with jacking my truck although this "hook" show in pics above for grabbing the control arms would not require such a cushion.

My Craftsman 2 & 1/2 ton (or is it 2 & 1/4 ton?) jack will lift my truck's front or rear end easily enough but I did bend the jacking handle once doing it, so it must be maxing out.