Off Road Bottle Jack?

@2point5seconds


They do sell this jack but Home Depot sold the exact same one for less. It was cheaper to piece it together than order them as a kit. I do not have a skid plate. I just keep a piece of 2x6 in the truck to use as a base should I ever need it.

 

I use the hi-lift base for sand and put the bottle jack in it. If you give it some assist it will pop in there just fine. Then wherever you lift from it should not be the frame because the jack would not go high enough. I have never seen a need for a $500 jack

 

Funny you mention the base. I had a totally different idea I was going so i was trying to figure out how to use the hi jack base with the bottle jack. I have a 20ton but it's not lifting even when I purge the air. So I may need to go get one from Depot or Harbor freight. Maybe Depot since they give Military discount. Still trying to figure out which way I'm going. Thanks!

 

Aside from the OEM jack and a regular bottle jack with various-sized pieces of wood as a base, I also have an M998 3-ton scissor jack (for a Humvee) that I use with an adapter.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294402637325?chn=ps&norover=1&itemid=294402637325&targetid=1645685073288&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=9026893&poi=&campaignid=16730423415&mkgroupid=135815925780&rlsatarget=pla-1645685073288&abcId=9300841&merchantid=114614321&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh8nIEKdESpQy-5Fi30vHo3xU&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8O-VBhCpARIsACMvVLPK0yIzQFy7SdQr9VkfGUN_SSn_5amu5ijSDi1doXIsqs0FUG-I5WgaAtilEALw_wcB

https://agileoffroad.com/product/agile-h1-scissor-jack-axle-frame-jack-adaptor/

I got the M998 used off ebay, and it came with its own case. They’re supposedly made in the US, although to be fair, Chinese-made stuff doesn’t necessarily translate to poor quality. Some have adapted a cordless drill for a quicker lifting ability, but I’ve read from others online advising against that. One thing about the military scissor jack that I like is that it can be a good substitute if a hydraulic jack fails due to the oil running out, the seals dry-rotting or whatever. Or at least that’s what I tell myself to justify buying it and its adapter.

I also have an aluminum, Harbor Freight floor jack that some in the off-road racing community have made skid plates for, but I haven’t gotten a skid for mine yet. So I have no experience using it off-road.

https://wicked-creations.com/wicked-creations-aluminum-jack-skid-plate/

I’ve only had occasion to use a jack one time while off-road, and it was the Tundra OEM jack. I used it with a couple of stacked pieces of wood to help extract my brother-in-law’s slightly lifted F150. It worked perfectly for that particular situation. Admittedly, the ground was relatively level, dry, somewhat grassy and with hard, compact soil/dirt. Not sure how the OEM jack (or any other bottle jack) would’ve fared if it had been uneven or somewhat muddy terrain, though.

 

I forgot to mention that the aluminum Harbor Freight floor jack is pretty nice, but it’s also heavier than I expected. I mean, it’s still lighter than an all-steel floor jack, and I can easily lift it up and into the truck bed, but it’s definitely not lightweight. The handle is also awkwardly placed so that it’s not really balanced when grabbed and carried with one hand. Still curious to try it out once I get a jack skid for it, though.

 

I ended up getting a 20ton bottle jack from Harbor Freight and using the extensions from 911 Motorsports to make it extend higher. You have to get the base welded on but then you just stack the rest on top. How secure will it be? I'll have to test it out soon to see.

I also took a high jack base I had and put it on the bottom of the bottle jack. Saw someone weld a plate on the bottom for a wider base. I do not weld so I decide to use a drill and angle grinder to cut pieces of 3/8 metal to bolt it down and keep it on the base. We shall also see how that works. LOL.

I wanted something that would fit in my toolbox.

 

Looks good. I cut a piece of 3/4 in plywood about 20x20in as a base. I keep it under the bedmat. I have a 2 ton bottle jack and safe jack adapters.

 

you can't see it here, but I also have some 2x4 I keep just in case. I got a flat in the middle of nowhere and the ground was so uneven, my factory jack couldn't lift it up high enough for me to take the tire off. Luckily my wife found a cinder block and we used that to support the truck, while I moved the jack to a place I could lift it high enough. Seems like everytime I go off road, I learn I need more stuff. lol.

 

Gotta stop gettin’ stuck. LOL!
#drivebetter

 

This dude fits right in the factory jack's mount, paired with some wood blocks and its all good.
(

$49 Pro-Lift B-006D Grey Hydraulic Bottle Jack - 6 Ton Capacity

Pro-Lift B-006D)

 

Man, I wasn't even on dirt yet. Was still on pavement. Didn't even see what popped the tire. All I know is air was leaving fast and I tried to find the more even part of the road. LOL

 

I’m not judging. Just playing with you. The guys I go off-roading with tell each other this every time someone gets stuck, even especially if it was doing something “not possible”, that almost worked out.

 

LOL. Naw we're all good. I knew you were joking. I think of going off roading as a learning experience. What are we going to get into today, and how are we going to get out of it? LOL Get home and recap. Go online and buy something new, so that if it happens again, i'm prepared. this hobby is getting expensive.

 

Replying to find this thread later

 

I have this one, just used it (not to jack up the truck, to jack down the suspension) lol

 

I just bought the OmegaLift 6 Ton, 3" extension, and 5" universal lift pad based on your post here. Thank you! So convenient that it'll fit in the backseat compartment.

Do you have the 6" extension as well or does the 3" suffice?

 

No I don't think I bought the 6". If 3" is good enough for my wife it should work here too.

Jokes aside I'm sure there could be a scenario where 6" is needed but I haven't tested it that extensively.

 

Any reason why you did not buy the bottle jack from Safe Jack since you got their other items? Just curious if something is wrong with their 6 ton jack

 

I did buy the OmegaLift brand jack off the Safe Jack website. It's less $$ than their "cadet/general/admiral/colonel" bottle jack, I forget which military rank is their in-house produced 6-ton.

 

I bought the bottle jack from harbor freight. Since the safe jack uses a generic brand jack that they switch in depending on supply.

 

I keep one on the truck and use a floor jack and the house. Easy setup.