Jacked up
- Thread starter resqd1
- Start date
OverlanderJK
Resident Smartass
Bottle Jack.
CalSgt
Hooked
^^^ This
I went with a small 3 ton Jet brand bottle jack, its a tad too short since I put the 37's on so I also pack a small set of trailer jack pads which have come in handy for all kinds of stuff.
CalSgt
Hooked
Go put hands on a few then figure out what max height you will need Vs. how much weight/size you want to deal with. The more tonnage the bigger and heavier they are, if you don't mind packing around a 30 Lb jack then get a big one. Tonnage doesn't matter for what you will use it for, even my little 3 ton has enough strength to lift both tires off the ground.
Biggest issue I had was finding one rated for horizontal use and guaranteed not to leak, all the generic ones I've had have leaked when they got tipped on their side.
I chose the 3 ton because its light weight (6 lbs) and small enough to tuck away in my tool drawer so its always with me, its about the size of a 20 oz beer and maxes out at 14 3/8" height.
AZVAJKU
Hooked
A good basic bottle jack kit includes a “U” shape pad for use on an axle, a flat pad, an auxiliary base so it won’t sink in the ground, and the jack itself. An extension is handy too. Throw it all in a tool bag and you’ll be good.
The most important part is learning how to use it before you need it.
The most important part is learning how to use it before you need it.
CopyA good basic bottle jack kit includes a “U” shape pad for use on an axle, a flat pad, an auxiliary base so it won’t sink in the ground, and the jack itself. An extension is handy too. Throw it all in a tool bag and you’ll be good.
The most important part is learning how to use it before you need it.
Mike Pierson
Hooked
Thanks
I looked at HarborFreight seems a jack can be had for like $30. … $55 for a little mount for the top seems a bit high. Probably just weld something up myself. Thanks for all the input. Appreciated
Most china made bottle jacks tend to leak due to bad seals and poor QC. Because of this, I prefer to use https://amzn.to/3LbkYYT or if you want to save a bit of money, https://amzn.to/3L8FCsT. The Norco is made in Japan but I have found it to be every bit as good. Also, I use these more for the compact size and height you get out of them more than for the amount of weight they can hold.
Holy crap that is a big price difference from $30 dang
To be fair, the $30 jacks you're looking at will get the job done too. The biggest problem with most is that they tend to leak especially when stored laying on their side.
Copy. Storage.
bobfriesenhahn
Hooked
The Norco is a great jack but does not work with the bottle jack buddy because the top is too fat! I learned that the hard way. Ended up with US Jack, although I prefered Norco because it is forged and thus lighter.
Attachments
Well damn, I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing this. Good info.
bobfriesenhahn
Hooked
Oh, the Bottle Jack Buddy is non-refundable and it is pretty expensive. So if that is your objective then it's claim that "It works with most 12 ton jacks" should be cautionary.
bobfriesenhahn
Hooked
The top on the Norco jack has a bit of a U shape so without the Bottle Jack Buddy it would be a bit more secure than US Jack, which is flat on top and perfectly round.
TrailHunter
Hooked
Where do you find they leak from... the top, the fill hole or the pressure release valve?
TrailHunter
Hooked
I have a $50 12 ton Husky Jack. I cant tell where it has leaked, but I know it has... 1 because it's about 2" short of its max extension of 18" and 2 because I pulled out a roll of paper towels from under my seat and it had soaked up oil.... and 3 because I checked it and it's low on oil.
I bought an axle perch off amazon for $5 and welded a piece of square tubing to it... and store it in an old 12" bag I had.
So all in $55. It works... but like Eddie said. It leaks. This model even has a steel screw plug with an o-ring instead of the cheap rubber plugs.
It gets 18" of lift without the perch and without the 2x6 block I keep in the Jeep.
I bought an axle perch off amazon for $5 and welded a piece of square tubing to it... and store it in an old 12" bag I had.
So all in $55. It works... but like Eddie said. It leaks. This model even has a steel screw plug with an o-ring instead of the cheap rubber plugs.
It gets 18" of lift without the perch and without the 2x6 block I keep in the Jeep.
More times than not, bottle jacks will leak from the bleeder valve. You can replace the o-rings with chemical resistant ones but depending on how it's machined, it may or may not fix the leak.