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.

[In The Ten Ring]

Originally Posted by my67c20

Get one of these, Pilot Q-HY-1500L 12 V Electric Car Jack. Make your own set of pads for front or back, and toss it under your seat. Remember when changing a tire your vehicle should only be off the ground long enough to get the old tire off, the new tire on, and the lugs snug. Be sure to block the opposite tire, and a damaged rim is cheaper than a life, so always find a safe and level spot.

Now that is neat! Don't we all wish we had patented/were making that!

I run a rental business and in winter, I have to go to my ski condo often once a day. The access road is pretty steep and can be very icy. I have seen the large 4x4 pickups unable to go up it and too fearful to back up and let the plow by. SMH. Last year I saw an SUV fully into the ditch, likely scraping up the whole side. As the rollback moved so I could get by I spoke with the driver. He thought tire chains were silly but then, I was soon driving past while he still waited for his SUV to be pulled out.

When I see someone having trouble on that hill, or I have the least trouble, or like last year, before I even try the hill, I jack up my car and put my chains onto the front. The screw jack cut the chain mounting time to 30 minutes but it was slow (and very cold) so I had to stop for breaks. I ended up using my dad's hydraulic floor jack (older model, much heavier than modern ones) and that cut time to 15 minutes flat for both front wheels.

An electric screw jack would be a nice thing but me being the sort I am, I'd still carry a manual screw jack, for when this one fails.

I am interested in getting one though. Thanks.

[biketopia]

Can't you just drive over the chains and then install them, thus not having a need to jack up in the snow?

[In The Ten Ring]

Originally Posted by biketopia

Can't you just drive over the chains and then install them, thus not having a need to jack up in the snow?

You sure can and I did it that way for three years, but using a hydraulic jack just speeds up the process so much. Try it both ways and you'll see too. *Be sure to try it at night, during a period of sleet and snow, with about 4 inches of mixed ice and snow on the ground, in wind, and temps below zero. Try both ways in those conditions and I'll bet you lunch you'll prefer the hydraulic jack.

[outfield]

Yes, we are talking about the part you outlined, and you would hook the jack onto the lip. The lower control arm can also be called the A arm (it is shaped like the letter "A")

The Bottle jacks have a small base, and do not have the upper U for support, so they can be very dangerous to use, especially on the soft off camber shoulder of most roads! The factory jacks have a much larger base for stability, and the type with the J shaped hook would guarantee you would be able to get "under" the control arm even with a flat tire.

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

Are we talking about this part I have outlined in blue is the control arm, and I'm going to hook onto the lip of it where I marked in red, if I get one of those square-body jacks that has the hook?

I see the LMC catalog labels the part Lower A-arm, so I suppose there are 2 names for it. I am understanding the higher U-shaped part of the jack cradles the rear axle. My hydraulic bottle jack has no such U-shaped part, so that is what makes jacking so hazardous if I have to jack at the axle and have not fabricated some sort of device to go between the jack and axle. I would rather just get the right thing. 1974+ Chevy truck jack with the hook and long folding handle, I'll have a look around for that.

[dmjlambert]

Excellent info, thanks very much. I know what to get and how to be safe.

[dmjlambert]

OK guys, I bought a later model Chevy jack with control arm hook and a long folding handle. I bought brackets to store it on the front fender in the engine compartment. I thought I may like that better than behind the seat. If it works out well, then I will use the area behind the seat for something else. I am thinking of putting the bracket that holds the folding handle on the driver's side fender, and put the bracket that holds the jack on the passenger side fender. Do you guys have any recommendations regarding placement, or does this seem fine and I should just drill holes and put on a bolt through the fender at any convenient point that works? This is on my 1969 CST/10.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

OK guys, I bought a later model Chevy jack with control arm hook and a long folding handle. I bought brackets to store it on the front fender in the engine compartment. I thought I may like that better than behind the seat. If it works out well, then I will use the area behind the seat for something else. I am thinking of putting the bracket that holds the folding handle on the driver's side fender, and put the bracket that holds the jack on the passenger side fender. Do you guys have any recommendations regarding placement, or does this seem fine and I should just drill holes and put on a bolt through the fender at any convenient point that works? This is on my 1969 CST/10.

Here is how I did mine on the drivers side. Mine came with a larger mount which limited my options. I added some high density shipping foam behind it to keep it from rattling. For the most part over the last twenty years I have carried a small floor jack like the one pictured above with a six inch cube of Oak. Everything I have driven regularly has been lowered and the jack won't fit under a control arm. So I jack it up and place the block under the crossmember lower the jack and then I can jack the wheel up. And if I have to raise the rear I use the block under on the of the fronts to help prevent the car from rolling. You can measure the distance from the bottom of the control arm and then measure your tire side wall and then subtract the two and that will be for the most part (Not counting if you were stuck in mud or snow) the lowest point you would have to get a jack under. If your on dirt roads regularly then a square foot of 3/4" plywood is a good idea to place under the jack to prevent it from sinking into to the ground and give you a more stable platform. I have also found that most jacks don't perform as well as one expect, so I suggest you do some trial runs so you are familiar.
When I have had a flat I have been perfectly happy to waste the tire in order to find a safe, flat place to change the tire. I have had to dismount tires with Fix A Flat in them and hate having to deal with the mess, but I would use it in a heart beat instead of cheating death trying to change a tire in a bad place.

[In The Ten Ring]

That's one way to use up all that space on the front inner fenders! *I would never have thought about storing anything there.

I am planning to build a cross-bed tool box and carry an extra hydraulic floor jack. The wider base should be safer than the pedestal models although I still have the original jack (dad said he used it one time, helping another guy). I'll carry wood blocks too if needed.

In winter I carry the same sort of hydraulic jack in my car as it's the best way I have found to put tire chains on. With that jack, I can do both wheels in under 15 minutes. Another benefit is the long base allows much more stability.

Here is the sort of jack I am talking about.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5429_200345429